if Spencer is there, I think we should take him. that solves one of our most pressing needs. the rest of the draft can be devoted to the lines, CB, and maybe a WR somewhere in the mid-late rounds. cheers
"An inside linebacker in the 3-4 has to be able to take on a 320-pound guard straight up and has to have the bulk and power to neutralize him. A 4-3 inside linebacker is usually going to be lined up off the hip of the nose tackle or under tackle, and that makes it difficult for the guards to get a clean shot at him, which means lighter, quicker linebackers are what the 4-3 teams are in search of on draft weekend. The outside backers in a 3-4 are pass rushers who can drop in coverage and are high-priced. An outside linebacker in a 4-3 usually has to be a guy who can hold off a tight-end route and be a contain player to turn back a run play to the inside. There are a number of front-seven positions in a 4-3 defense that command a bigger pay check than a 4-3 SAM backer." It's clear now why Vilma has a bad season in the 3-4 following a really good season in the 4-3. Wouldn't it be better if they move him to the outside where he can utilize his speed without having to fend off a big guard? And maybe let Hobson take his place in the middle? I don't get it but I am sure Mangini does?
You realize Donnie Edwards is the pretty much the same size as vilma. and he is one of the best 3-4 ilb in the league.
No, Vilma would get destroyed as an OLB in the 3-4. The only way any inside linebacker in a 3-4 is effective is if he has a massive nose tackle in front of him that takes up to two blockers. Vilma was awful last year because Robertson Moore etc.. are not 2 gap players and therefore a guard would come off the line without any one in front of him and just eat up Vilma. The goal is to find that nose tackle so he takes up two blockers and this frees up Vilma on the weakside.
BUT that is the Charger 3-4 he played in - essentially a disguised 4-3. Still, I think Vilma will find a way to get it done.
I don't know why Vilma would get destroyed as OLB but a lot of jet fans are going to be disappointed if Mangini plays Robertson at NT again when he is better at DE. We will see if he gets a new NT and moves Robertson to DE.
I think right now Robertson is our best option at nose tackle we dont have anything else and we proably are not gonna be getting someone in the draft to start right away unless we got Branch some how. So more then likely Robertson will be the NT tackle again.
I think the biggest factor with D-Rob as a DE is his height. Mangini comes from the Patriots 3-4, which as the author of the article explains emphasizes height and power in their front seven. D-Rob would be pretty short even in a Chargers type 3-4, because Louis Castillo is the smallest there at 6'2/6'3. The fact that D-Rob also has short arms isn't a good combo. I've always kinda hoped D-Rob would just...evolve into a NT. He's got the height:weight thing down, it's just getting his body "in shape" for it. More mass in his legs and overall would be a big step foward.
The more I think about it, the more i want to trade up to get Alan Branch. he would not only solve our NT problems, but he would solve them for a pretty long time. and i dont care if he is 6-5, ngata, who i really wanted last year, is doing great at 6-6 in the 3-4.
Well....Ngata is 6'4 I think, and built completely different than Branch is. Branch is lean as hell compared to Ngata. I think he could be a Ty Warren-esque guy in the 3-4.
No, Branch would be a 3-4 tackle for sure. He is 6-5, 325. A 325 pound monster does not play end. But his height would also make him a bad tackle. So I would say he would be a 4-3 tackle, and not much more.
I still don't understand why people refuse to acknowledge how well D rob played at NT the 2nd half of the year and into the playoffs. I understand that the stereotypical/superficial model size for a 3-4 NT does not match D rob's attributes..but c'mon...he was very good for us throughout the 2nd half, and frankly, was our best player in the front 7. I also realize it's convienient to blame the NT when we can't stop the run w/ any consistency. But watch the film. It simply was not D rob. It was mostly the right side tandem of Hobson and Kimo getting absolutely blown off the ball, allowing RB's to run off tackle. Now I'm all for finding a more prototype guy for NT, if one is available, and moving D rob to end where he'd be able to play w/ less of a wide base and take advantage of his quickness(I dont see his height as a problem, since he is so quick and powerful), but It's simply not an easy thing to find, and we could do a helluva lot worse than D rob at NT. Where we need help is at that RE spot. Kimo got absolutely blown off the line all year long, and I'm not sure Colman is anything more than a solid back-up. I believe a big, strong and stout 3-4 De, will take our D to the enxt level, and allow guys like Vilma, BT, and even Ellis/Drob to make alot more plays
yes branch is lean. but that also means that he has room to add weight, 10-15 lbs maybe. 6-5/345 is good size. im positive our coaching staff could teach branch to get enough leverage to gobble up double teams and whatnot. look what they did with robertson.
