dwight freeney plays in a 4-3 where he only sees one on ones. hell elvis dumervill is barely 6 ft i think. all it takes to be a good de in the 4-3 is good pass rushing technique. point in case freeney would get dumped on playing 3-4 de. robertson should be given a chance to take colemans spot though if we cant trade him.
I think drob can absolutetly play the end position in a 3-4. Think of it this way: 3rd and long, we rush 5. The five rushers from left to right are Bryan Thomas, Ellis, Jenkins, Drob and Gholston. This is comparable to what the Giants threw at the Pats. Also would be a good player at end in short yardage. The problem would be he would now be a 2 down end instead of a 3 down end.
Are you serial about BT being a PRusher? He is already proven he is a super failure in that role. Also the NYGs DL totally outplayed the NEPs OL only rushing the front 4. Sorry to say you are way, way, way over estimating DeW abilities
Some things I don't like about this situation: 1) I just don't trust Bryan Thomas as a pass rusher. Sure, he had one good season, but then he completely fell off again this past year. 2) Paying $12 million for a two down player.
Nobody ever took a step forward in the NFL and became great by sticking to conventional wisdom. If Mangini and Co are looking to build a GREAT 3-4 D, they're going to have to innovate to some extent. A large part of that is keeping your best players on the field as often as possible. If Robertson is on the roster in September, we NEED to find a way to get him on the field with Jenkins.... Before the Giants this season, who thought that a team could line up with Strahan and Osi at DE, and 274 lb Justin Tuck at DT and be successful? Nobody, but the Giants recognized that those were three of their best defensive players, and found a way to keep them all in the lineup together, and ended up beating down what was possiibly the greatest team of our generation in the Super Bowl... Sure, Dewayne Robertson lacks the ideal height to play 3-4 DE, but he has a lower center of gravity than almost any DL in football and can get tremendous leverage. Combine that with his foot speed and quick hands, and he is an asset that ABSOLUTELY needs to be on the football field as often as possible. If it's simply not happening with Robertson trying to create pressure against OTs, the CS needs to draw up schemes that get him in favorable matchups. Run stunts, shift the DL, anything. When you have talented players, it is the coaching staff's job to but them in position to make plays. If Robertson is on the roster for the '08 season, I absolutely want to see him on the field WITH Jenkins, playing DE, playing NT, I don't care, keep him in the game....
Which is why DRob could have a pass rushing role. It's just not practical when to have someone so short at 3-4 DE's. And we probably will. Tuck didn't start at DT. He lined up there in obvious passing downs. He lined up everywhere...DE..DT...LB...when the Giants lined up in a 3-4 he lined up at end (yes, they did use a 3-4 alignment once in a while... 1. DRob isn't that versatile. 2. Tuck is a better pass rusher. 3. Tuck is taller and longer. 4. Tuck is just a better player than DRob. Like I said in my earlier post, think through this logically. A 3-4 NT is built short and compact because he's allowed instant leverage on the center/G who aren't as long and rangy as OT's. If height/build is a factor with NT's because of who they face, why wouldn't height and build matter with DE's because of who they have to face? DRob as a starter is a pancake in the making at DE. Give him a few plays as DE, when we line up in the 4-3 he's in, he can line up at NT on pass rushing downs and we move Jenkins over to RDE....all these are actually probable. True, but it doesn't mean they have to start. The Giants haven't started Justin Tuck full time, but they got him significant snaps because he's such a versatile young pass rusher. DRob is not stout or strong enough to consistently hold his ground as a NT, and he's not long and rangy enough to really annoy a OT for too long. I think they'll find a way to use him and he'll get a significant number of snaps.
DRob is definitly too short to be a prototype 34 DE. Those players have to play two gap and are usually up against 6?5 + 320 lbs+ OTs and be such a pain in the ass for that big OT, that the opposing team has to use another player to block you. It?s very hard to keep that big OT away from you to be able to react to both ways when you?re 6?1 with relatively short arms. That?s the reason a 34 DE usually is 6?4+ with long arms. That beeing said, i still can imagine DRob beeing able to be sucessfull as a 34 DE. He?s quick and strong enought to play the position in a little different way: be much more agressive than the usual 34 DE and win the first contact, before the OT then makes the second efford to get you, you already have to have read the play and beat the OT. Is it likely that DRob can do that play after play? no. Is there a posibility that he is able to? i think so. If it works, we got ourselfs a very dangerous DE. The question is, do we try it or do we take the 3rd and 5th rounder. I think we should try it.
I agree 100% on what you said about BT, I actually was hoping we would cut him. He's making too much money for how bad he's playing. On your second point, I dont think anyone here wants to keep DRob if its going to cost $12 million, we are talking about reworking his deal and keeping him.
