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Bucky Brooks names Jerome Baker one of NFL's most underrated talents

andyahs

andyahs

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Miami Dolphins linebacker Jerome Baker has steadily improved throughout the course of his first three NFL seasons, offering plenty of appeal on third down both a coverage option and a pressure player in 2020. And the Dolphins organization, appears to agree. The team gave Baker a hefty 3-year, $39M contract extension earlier this offseason; making him the second member of the team’s 2018 NFL draft class to receive an extension this offseason.

With his immediate future in Miami now secure, Baker can resume his focus on continuing to ascend as a player — although at least one respected personality in the scouting community believes Baker is already being sold short by many.

NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks recently named Baker one of the NFL’s five most underrated talents in a column:

“If you are only familiar with Baker’s name due to the three-year, $39 million extension that he signed this offseason, you have missed out on watching the emergence of one of the NFL’s best young linebackers. The fourth-year pro has led the Dolphins in tackles in back-to-back seasons while also demonstrating big-play ability as a second-level pass rusher (seven sacks in 2020). If Miami is going to take the next step as a playoff contender, No. 55 will play a major role in helping the team get over the hump.” — Bucky Brooks, NFL.com
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Brooks hit it right on the head. Baker’s developing value in passing downs will make him a weapon that is difficult to bring off the field at all — and his continued experience will help him key plays with confidence and consistency to get to his assignment. Baker has the tools and the opportunity to replicate, if not expand on, his 2020 season once again this year. And if he succeeds in that, Baker won’t likely be an “add-on” to conversations about good linebackers in the NFL anymore.

Unless you ask Bucky Brooks, in which case Baker has already arrived.

dolphinswire.usatoday.com

Bucky Brooks names Jerome Baker one of NFL's most underrated talents

Bucky Brooks names Jerome Baker one of NFL’s most underrated talents
dolphinswire.usatoday.com dolphinswire.usatoday.com
 
andyahs said:
Miami Dolphins linebacker Jerome Baker has steadily improved throughout the course of his first three NFL seasons, offering plenty of appeal on third down both a coverage option and a pressure player in 2020. And the Dolphins organization, appears to agree. The team gave Baker a hefty 3-year, $39M contract extension earlier this offseason; making him the second member of the team’s 2018 NFL draft class to receive an extension this offseason.

With his immediate future in Miami now secure, Baker can resume his focus on continuing to ascend as a player — although at least one respected personality in the scouting community believes Baker is already being sold short by many.

NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks recently named Baker one of the NFL’s five most underrated talents in a column:


Brooks hit it right on the head. Baker’s developing value in passing downs will make him a weapon that is difficult to bring off the field at all — and his continued experience will help him key plays with confidence and consistency to get to his assignment. Baker has the tools and the opportunity to replicate, if not expand on, his 2020 season once again this year. And if he succeeds in that, Baker won’t likely be an “add-on” to conversations about good linebackers in the NFL anymore.

Unless you ask Bucky Brooks, in which case Baker has already arrived.

dolphinswire.usatoday.com

Bucky Brooks names Jerome Baker one of NFL's most underrated talents

Bucky Brooks names Jerome Baker one of NFL’s most underrated talents
dolphinswire.usatoday.com dolphinswire.usatoday.com
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I agree. Bake is a key component in this defense.

Many have been bitching about him, saying he isn't a "scheme fit", he can't do this, can't do that, etc for two years now. LMAO.

IMO, Baker is an almost perfect fit. We aren't asking him to be thumper Mike. Does that even exist in todays game outside of a handful of old school holdout DCs?

I thought the contract was fair to both sides. He's dependable. He has gotten better every year since drafted. He has great range. He is a good open area tackler. He seems like a team first guy.

Really....what's not to like?
 
317 tackles and 11.5 sacks in his first three years. He is 24 and only 28M G in his new deal. I don't have a single issue with his contract or his play. I also expect even more out of him over the next few years.

I posted that in less than 18 months we are going to laugh at how cheap this extension is.
 
Mach2 said:
I agree. Bake is a key component in this defense.

Many have been bitching about him, saying he isn't a "scheme fit", he can't do this, can't do that, etc for two years now. LMAO.

IMO, Baker is an almost perfect fit. We aren't asking him to be thumper Mike. Does that even exist in todays game outside of a handful of old school holdout DCs?

I thought the contract was fair to both sides. He's dependable. He has gotten better every year since drafted. He has great range. He is a good open area tackler. He seems like a team first guy.

Really....what's not to like?
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Baker and Gesicki are very similar in that they have clear strengths and weakness. Despite said “weaknesses” they can thrive in the modern, pass-first NFL. It’s hard however to compare them to the elites at their positions like Warner or Kelce because they don’t do the same things. When people talk about them not being scheme fits it’s more that they don’t fit a traditional role that the team will still need to fill with another player. For example we would need a guy like McKinney to stop the run and Long to play in-line TE.

I like Baker a lot. However, he needs to continue to improve (as he has each year) to justify a $13M per year extension.
 
ThePeopleShow13 said:
Baker and Gesicki are very similar in that they have clear strengths and weakness. Despite said “weaknesses” they can thrive in the modern, pass-first NFL. It’s hard however to compare them to the elites at their positions like Warner or Kelce because they don’t do the same things. When people talk about them not being scheme fits it’s more that they don’t fit a traditional role that the team will still need to fill with another player. For example we would need a guy like McKinney to stop the run and Long to play in-line TE.

I like Baker a lot. However, he needs to continue to improve (as he has each year) to justify a $13M per year extension.
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That's fair, but let me ask you this. Would it be easier to replace Baker's skill set, and role in this scheme, or McKinney's? I would say the latter, and it isn't close.
 
BennySwella said:
He had 7 sacks last year? He deserved that contract more than I thought.
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Not only 7 sacks, but those came on very limited opportunities.

To be fair, many were the definition if "scheme driven". He wasn't beating/overwhelming an O-lineman. He came out of nowhere on timely defensive playcalling (credit Josh Boyer). Be that as it may, he is fast as hell (ask P. Mahomes), and very solidly assignment sound.

When they give him the "green light" he gets there, and he gets there, most of the time, before the QB has time to read and set.
 
The first couple years that he was here, I thought he was REALLY over-rated. He made very few big plays and was relatively weak in the run game... but he got better-- quite a bit better last year.

As Mach mentioned, his sacks were mostly from play-calling, rather than beating his man, but that's OK... if he performs as asked, and makes use of the free runs that are schemed for him, then he has done his job.

I'm glad we signed him, even though I think Brooks is a bit too high on him. I think he's become pretty good, rather than great or a real game-changer, although I will admit, he's surprised me once. It'd be nice if he surprises me again.
 
Mach2 said:
Not only 7 sacks, but those came on very limited opportunities.

To be fair, many were the definition if "scheme driven". He wasn't beating/overwhelming an O-lineman. He came out of nowhere on timely defensive playcalling (credit Josh Boyer). Be that as it may, he is fast as hell (ask P. Mahomes), and very solidly assignment sound.

When they give him the "green light" he gets there, and he gets there, most of the time, before the QB has time to read and set.
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Some of those are also option blitzes where he has to decide when and if to rush so there's a football intelligence factor there that seems to be very high. I find that's something that many fans over look. And it's not just his sacks. Many times his job is to occupy blockers and free another rusher. Fans often only notice the big plays. Coaches tend to notice when a player rarely messes up. That's where Baker is now. He does his job at a high level and rarely makes a mistake. That is incredibly valuable. IMO he is now pretty good at everything and Brooks is right to call him one of the best young LBs in the league.
 
Feverdream said:
The first couple years that he was here, I thought he was REALLY over-rated. He made very few big plays and was relatively weak in the run game... but he got better-- quite a bit better last year.

As Mach mentioned, his sacks were mostly from play-calling, rather than beating his man, but that's OK... if he performs as asked, and makes use of the free runs that are schemed for him, then he has done his job.

I'm glad we signed him, even though I think Brooks is a bit too high on him. I think he's become pretty good, rather than great or a real game-changer, although I will admit, he's surprised me once. It'd be nice if he surprises me again.
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I'l admit i was in the same camp. I'm also old school Z-Thomas, Urlacher, R.Lewis thumper MLB. But the game has changed so much and it's more important that your LBs can run and cover these days. J.Baker fits the role perfectly and interestingly is only behind that beast for the 49ers in F. Werner.
 
Mach2 said:
I agree. Bake is a key component in this defense.

Many have been bitching about him, saying he isn't a "scheme fit", he can't do this, can't do that, etc for two years now. LMAO.

IMO, Baker is an almost perfect fit. We aren't asking him to be thumper Mike. Does that even exist in todays game outside of a handful of old school holdout DCs?

I thought the contract was fair to both sides. He's dependable. He has gotten better every year since drafted. He has great range. He is a good open area tackler. He seems like a team first guy.

Really....what's not to like?
Click to expand...
Agree. Also has a knack for making big plays. Those players are extremely valuable.
 
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