WaterfallJumper
Veteran Starter w/Big Long Term Deal
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2009
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OK, I see your point. There seems to be two versions of this guy. One guy showed excellent strength and push while the other version was Ron Brace. I hope it is just an easy-to-recover-from injury issue.
As far as this statement: "best broad jump and 2nd best shuttle time of any 325+ lbs defensive tackle over the past decade", I am not so sure. He did not register in the top 15 in any category at the Combine including shuttle and broad jump; maybe he is still injured.
The qualifier is 325 pounds plus in this scenario. Keep that in mind, because it's rare you see that kind of explosion at that size on the defensive line. There were a few OTs who hit those marks, but rarely do you see it in a nose tackle.
Now, I agree that some of his tape is alarming, but there is such a clear difference between his healthy and non-healthy versions that I'm convinced the bad tape doesn't tell the whole story. If he can stay healthy (and I think we're due for some health after the string of injuries we dealt with last year), then he could be a force.
The real point, though, is that we have Brown, Branch, Knighton, Kearse, Khun, Grissom, etc, in front of him. It's not like we're relying on him for significant playing time early on. He can be in a rotation and stay fresh and strong. Even if Valentine never sees the field this year, I think our DL will be okay.