Mapu LB or Safety?

[rkarp1]

They talk about TE being the Queen chess piece on offense, because when they're good, like Gronk, the offense can take what the defense is showing and switch to a run or a throw.

I think Mapu is the equivalent Queen chess piece on defense where he's physical enough to be able to stop a runner as a LB but can also move fast enough to work in coverage on a pass.

lets hope. but so far, we know he comes from a conference with little nfl caliber talent, and he has yet to make a tackle while wearing a Pats uni.
he will take some time

 

[mike_usagisan]

lets hope. but so far, we know he comes from a conference with little nfl caliber talent, and he has yet to make a tackle while wearing a Pats uni.
he will take some time

Agreed, but one of his first hits knocked the Packers' TE out of practice for a while. I think he's already starting to make his presence felt.

 

[Ring 6]

Chung failed here the first time because they used him wrong as did Philly. I put equal failure on the coaching staff/ Fat Matt

I go back to my 3rd paragraph. Some players learn things quickly. Some need seasoning.

We have no idea how Mapu will pan out but he seems to have the physical tools to play all over the defense except on the line and boundary CB

I don’t think a player being used wrong is necessarily a fail of the coaching staff.
You cannot out every player in his best role all the time. If there was a player better for the role Chung would be best in and therefore Chung had to play a different role that isn’t his best, that’s not a failure. The objective is the sum of the parts.

 

[Ring 6]

It’s complicated. It’s not the 60s or 70s where there are 11 roles on defense. There are many more than that now, especially here.
Has Adrian Phillips been an ILB, or an OLB or a SS or a FS?
The answer is all of the above at times and in many cases either of the above on the same play.
Is our base D a 34 with Phillips as a LB ( inside or outside in different sets) or us it a nickel where he is a S bit lines up where a LB would?
How does in change was 11 personnel? 12? Etc etc.
How does it change on 3rd and 3? 3rd and 7? 3rd and 15?
Mapu will have a role (this year and/or in the future) that redefines that question.

Will he be a safety with LB skills or a LB with S skills?
Can he defend the run like a true LB? Can he play the pass like a true S?
Or is he a really good run defending S or a really good covering LB?
His role will be multiple and his versatility (if he earns a lot of playing time) could shift what our defense APPEARS to be. Is it 34 base when he is in the box and he is a LB or nickel and he is a safety? It’s really both.

 

[Ring 6]

lets hope. but so far, we know he comes from a conference with little nfl caliber talent, and he has yet to make a tackle while wearing a Pats uni.
he will take some time

I applaud your ability to be wholly negative about anything about the Patriots. You are tireless in your efforts to preach the word.

 

[rkarp1]

I applaud your ability to be wholly negative about anything about the Patriots. You are tireless in your efforts to preach the word.

consider it my gift to you. you're welcome

 

[rochrist]

consider it my gift to you. you're welcome

 

[RobertWeathers]

I don’t think a player being used wrong is necessarily a fail of the coaching staff.
You cannot out every player in his best role all the time. If there was a player better for the role Chung would be best in and therefore Chung had to play a different role that isn’t his best, that’s not a failure. The objective is the sum of the parts.

It's a failure by the coach /org in the sense that they team didn't do it's job to put the right type of player in the particular role within the system.

 

[hornetfb85]

The easiest answer to the question that started this thread is….Yes.

 

[Jared]

Defining the player's position is only really meaningful for number selection and franchise tags. Otherwise it is solely a question of what the player is capable of, and what you ask him to do on a given play. If you're going to line up in the box and either play run D or spy the QB, who cares what you call the guy? Ditto for if he is dropping into a robber or manning up on a TE.

 

[Ring 6]

It's a failure by the coach /org in the sense that they team didn't do it's job to put the right type of player in the particular role within the system.

Not if they had other players who were better for the role.
For example White may be best in Judon role. Playing him in Wises role may not be getting the best out of him, but it’s getting the best for the team out of the roster.
In other words what is best for Chung may not be what’s best for the team and the right decision is what’s best for the team.

 

[DaBruinz]

When the Pats drafted Mapu, I was very intrigued.. THEN I saw him play.. WOW.. His ability to diagnose plays is right up there with Tedy Bruschi's. Yes. He's that good. With his size/weight, he's very similar to Rodney Harrison, though Harrison was a smidge quicker in actual times. Mapu's ability to read plays compensates for that.
He played all over for his college defense. He was a Rover or Rogue. He lined up based on what he saw from the offense. And it worked.

 

[SlowGettingUp]

You know the troubles we've had with mobile QBs? Mapu is the answer to that. He's like a heat-seeking missile, and a few big hits by him on QBs maneuvering outside the pocket will have the potential to change their outlook on the game.

 

[rkarp1]

When the Pats drafted Mapu, I was very intrigued.. THEN I saw him play.. WOW.. His ability to diagnose plays is right up there with Tedy Bruschi's. Yes. He's that good. With his size/weight, he's very similar to Rodney Harrison, though Harrison was a smidge quicker in actual times. Mapu's ability to read plays compensates for that.
He played all over for his college defense. He was a Rover or Rogue. He lined up based on what he saw from the offense. And it worked.

but he has not played in a game yet??

 

[Zuma]

Mapu is an LB that will also play S.

 

[DaBruinz]

but he has not played in a game yet??

What part of "He played all over for his college defense" didn't you understand?

 

[FredFromDartmouth]

From what I saw in training camp, Mapu moves effortlessly and has hands like glue. I assume he is going to play LB on passing downs. He is going to be an unpleasant surprise to some offense early in the season. There is no tape on him and not much as far as scouting reports so I assume that some team is going to try to test him; they will not be happy.

 

[rkarp1]

What part of "He played all over for his college defense" didn't you understand?

the part where you comped a player who did not play in a power conference, has yet to play in an nfl game, to a ring of honor Patriot.

 

[Kasmir]

the part where you comped a player who did not play in a power conference, has yet to play in an nfl game, to a ring of honor Patriot.

"Ring of honor"? Are you sure you are in the right team forum?

Ring of Honor (disambiguation) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[DaBruinz]

the part where you comped a player who did not play in a power conference, has yet to play in an nfl game, to a ring of honor Patriot.

No. The part where I compared a guy who is an excellent football player coming out of college to another guy what was an excellent football player coming out of college. At no point did I say that Mapu was going to the Patriots Hall of Fame or the NFL Hall Of Fame.

Clearly you have some bias that makes you incapable of understanding what's being said.