With the 3-4 coming in we have brought a lot of guys in to compete for LB jobs. As the plan has become clearer most have projected a starting 4 of Barton and Vilma on the inside and Hobson and Thomas on the outside. With a few variations that seems to be the favorite scenario. Kassel and Schlegal seem to be locks for the backups inside and Chatum will likely battle Hobson on the outside. However, other than Chatum we have no viable depth at OLB. Considering Hobson and Thomas are making the switch and Chatum is a lifetime backup this has been troubling to many on this board. Only thomas is the type of "pass rushing" OLB the defense needs. Quietly the FO has brought in some interesting prospects who have a chance to challenge Thomas. The positive in regards to this defense is that we can get quality players at OLB from low round guys as most who fit the mold are still seen as "tweeners" by most teams outside of the obvious difference makers (merriman, Ware, etc).I see us carrying 8 LB's with this defense, two deep at each LB spot. Who out of these guys do you think has the best chance??? Craig Bailey - DE/LB undrafted out of Nevada. Tweener type Alonzo Jackson - Just signed, was a second round pick for the steeler just 2 years ago. Started one game for the giants. Big guys (almost 270 pounds) Jamar Enzor - PS last year. Not a huge guy, injured right now. Will Thompson - Dont know much about him Ryan Meyers - was great in NFLE, new defense tho I think Jackson has a chance. He best fits the pass rushing OLB mold where we are thin. He has the size and must have at least a little talent to be taken in the 2nd round a couple of years ago. It would be great if we could uncover a gem. On the flip side the steelers drafted him in the 2nd to play this role and subsequently cut him so perhaps the other guys hav more upside. I think it will be an interesting battle tho, there are a lot of LBs on the roster right now battling.
I don't mind how Mangini/Sutton assemble the LB core, just as long as Bryan Thomas is NOT starting...I don't need to hear the sunshine, oh Thomas ran a 4.4 and standing him up would benefit him greatly...No. I'd like to see Barton-Vilma-Hobson...And the other OLB up for grabs, may the best man win in Chatham,Kassell, and Thomas...Who all 3, don't really have the speed...But we'll see.
Based on what? His grand total of 4? sacks in his career? Again, so he ran a 4.4 or 4.5 leaving UAB, great...But assuming he can be good just by standing him up is baffling. He has done absolutely nothing to gain confidence of fans, has never shown flashes of being above-average... He's a flat out bust...He's in his contract year, so if their is a year for him to breakout, it's now...But what plays has he made to give us any indication that he will break out?
If only the job were that easy. In a Patriots style 3/4, the linebackers have the most complicated reads of the entire defense. Thomas needs to be evaluated on how quickly he reads pass or run from the olb position so he can get into the proper position. He needs to be seen in coverage as DE's never have to backpedal. He needs to learn how to cover a man without commiting penalties (another big adjustment from DE). Can he catch? Don't know. He may eventually be fine at olb but it's not just the case of playing DE from a standing position instead of a three point stance and I'm sure a decision won't be made on him until deep into training camp.
Barton will deff play outside. He and Vilma inside, with DRob would make for a weak middle.....Vilma and Hobson will be inside with Barton and Thomas on the outside
That is the lineup I thought would be best also but it seems so far the CS has Hobson outside and Barton inside. If you think about it tho, Barton played the same position Herms defense that James Farrior did. Now Farrior plays inside in the steelers 3-4 and looks pretty damn good. Lets hope it works out the same way for Barton! As for Hobson, his "lack of athleticism" is overrated IMO. His strength was covering the TE and being strong at the point of attack coming our of college. Tell me those arent key traits for the OLB in the 3-4. I have to believe that Hobson is a better player than Tully Banta-Cain (New englands current OLB starter) and NE isnt freaking out like we are over our LB corps. IMO if one of the guys I mentioned in the beginning of the thread steps up as a solid backup then I think the LB corps will be the strength of the defense both in the starting lineup and in terms of depth. That is how it should be in the 3-4.
Don't overlook Alonzo Jackson... Former Steeler 3-4 OLB has the physical skills and maybe under new management can be turned into something. Could be similar to how NE took Vrabel from Pitt and made him into a pro-bowl type player. I also think Thomas will be a success in the 3-4, as he has shown the ability to stop the run well in the past and will now have more room to make plays and use his head-on speed. Only time will tell but I think we have one hell of a LB Core. Victor Hobson should be given a shot at ILB, which is his natural position. I think Hobson could be a force in the middle next to Vilma, and Barton has the ability to play outside or inside in my opinion.
Bryan Thomas may not be good and may suck worse at OLB then at DE, but we honestly have no other choices. Schlegel and Kassell are strictly ILB without the speed to get around an NFL Tackle. I don't think any of us really know much about Chatham as he hasn't played much in the League thus far. Hobson is a known, temporary solution. So why not give Thomas a shot and let him learn on the fly. We aren't going anywhere this year so let him play and see if he can change positions. Would you rather have one of the Practice Squad scrubs starting for us??
actually they currently have Vrabel and Bruschi starting inside and Colvin and Banta Cain starting outside.
Isn't Darrell Mcglover still on the team? He would seem to be a possibility for OLB with his speed. He is faster than Thomas and has some LB experience.
No. Vrabel and Colvin are the outside linebackers and Bruschi and Beisel are lining up inside. Don't bother talking to me about anyone's depth chart--this is the way they were set up in the recent minicamp so that's as official as it gets.
He's a burner but a little undersized for OLB. The guy is an ace on ST, and I think that is where he will see the majority of his PT from here on out. Last year, before the injury, he was seeing some decent playing time as a LB in the 4-3, but he's really not the right fit for the 3-4. That being said, I have nothing against the guy doing a stand-up job on ST for the remainder of his time with the team.
I could have sworn I read in my local fishwrapper that Beisel was being moved outside to (quotation fingers) "utilize his speed." No?
I think he is currently listed as being an ILB. Like many above me said, he is probably too small to play any meaningful minutes for us besides special teams.
