D. Gardener : How Will Do At DE?? | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

D. Gardener : How Will Do At DE??

BLITZKRIEG

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I'm sure this is a question that will be answered once Training Camp and Pre-seaon get under way, but there are still a bunch of unknowns as to how he will handle the transition from DT.....

It should help his back problems. It should also help J. Taylor get back to a double digit sack total as well. D. Gardener could be a very dangerous force at DE. He got to the QB frequently as a DT, and that should prove to be an excellent factor moving him to DE. He'll have less traffic to get through lined up outside.....

I'm looking for big things from him at DE this year.

Rival offenses have not seen him in action as a DE, and if he proves to be a force at DE, the move could prove to be an excellent decision.....

We needed a big and nasty at DE, and with D. Gardener shifting, we just got one. He, along with R. Burnett/D. Bowens/A. Ogunleye make up a very strong core of DE's opposite J. Taylor.

I think losing K. Mixon and L. Bromell to FA, will prove to be less of a problem than most experts are reporting along the Phinz DL. L. Bromell was the only good pass rusher, and I think R. Burnett alone can take his spot as a replacement.....

If D. Gardener can stay healthy, his future at DE looks very bright.

PHINZ RULE!!!!

"THE STREAK WILL END ON 9/22/02"
 
I think one thing is for certain is that if Daryl can stay healthy he will be very good against the run at DE. He would be a load to block with his size and strength. It'll be interesting to see.
 
The only thing that concerns me about DG at DE is his range to cover the outside..He's not had to do this on a consistent basis, since being in the NFL..when we play Indy..they do pitch outs to James very well..this will tell us a lot about D.G...But considering all other factors in terms of Bull rush, tying up runs in his gap..he should be great.
 
He s/b great ag/ the run (if healthy) and good at getting a push and knocking down passes, but I do not expect many sacks from him.
 
Originally posted by MDFINFAN
The only thing that concerns me about DG at DE is his range to cover the outside..He's not had to do this on a consistent basis, since being in the NFL..when we play Indy..they do pitch outs to James very well..this will tell us a lot about D.G...But considering all other factors in terms of Bull rush, tying up runs in his gap..he should be great.

Although he hasn't had a lot of practice getting to the out side he is very quick, and has awesome wing span. The other good thing is he should be able to stuff the TE and T making it easy for Greenwood and Thomas to get out there. I am not sure about how many sacks he will get, but he should get enough pass rush to contain the opposing QB in the pocket, so JT won't have to run cross feild to make it to the QB, especilay against Bledsoe and Testerverde twice a season.
 
DG is a fast dude for a man of his size, it isn't like putting TimBo out there. The thing I'm most concerned with, other than injury of course, is his technique early in the season. I know the coaches will be working with him 24-7 on the techniques, but will he get them down by Sept? I hope so. He has pass rush ability to get around people(and hopefully the quickness to get to the QB as well), has bull rush power, and like somebody else pointed out.....a HUGE wingspan.

He is a great athlete, and has great ability. injuries are always a concern with DG now, but he certainly has the build/ability to to better than Mixon did out there, and Mixon did a very good job(save last season).
 
Gardener played at DE in college so it shouldn't be totally foreign to him.
 
In an article in the Heareld over the weekend Dave gave the reporter one line from his journal that happend to be "Darly Gardner is looking especialy good." So that should give us some hope that DG adjusts to the postion.
 
I expect that it will be a lot like when that DT in Minnesota John somethin or other was moved in Minny from DT to DE. He wasn't as effective at DE as at DT and wasn't gettin that many sacks, but we're not moving Daryl out to End to be as or more effective than at DT.

We're moving him out there so he can play a whole season and make way for a guy who we believe is pretty good at DT. Rob Burnett and David Bowens are probably going to be very active at the position because its in such flux.

If Gardener even catches a cold this season he's gone by next season.
 
John Randle never had a bit of help in Minnesota since Dungy and Henry Taylor left him. That defense was downright ugly, and for him to put up the kind of numbers he did was admirable. He started wearing down at DT because he would be double and triple teamed all game, every game.

DG has A LOT of help here, it is not as if he is the only person to block, you have to worry about our whole defense.

It will be interesting to see how DG and Trevor Pryce out in Denver do at DE this season. I'd have to believe that Pryce may do more against the pass, because he is younger and HEALTHY. Should be fun....
 
Probably a more accurate guess right there, except for the 15 sacks for Taylor. Things aren't going to get easier for him this year. By moving DG out to end and not signing a bonafied passrusher we've made our passrush worst. Its just that our secondary is so damned good, nobody will notice. What good will Vinny do with one more second if everyone he's trying to throw to is covered anyway?
 
DG is a really good pass rusher, but will he be a good pass rushing DE? Well he CAN'T be worse then Mixon. So on obvious running downs, we have improved, or at least broken even, in the pass rush department.

on 3rd downs DG moves inside to DT to rush the passer, and he is a proven pass rusher from this spot. Then DBowens or Burnett come in. Bowens was there last year, and Bromell would alternate between DT and DE on passing downs.

Losing Bromell hurts because of his versatility to rush from anywhere on the line. Dbowens will be expected to get after the QB the way Bromell did. It really is a small drop off in pass rush, if any at all.
 
just like to point out a MAJOR flaw in the reasoning of my last post!!

While we lose nothing from the pass rush generated from the LDE spot by switching Gardener to DE, we do lose A LOT of pass rushing from the DT spot that will be filled by Larry Chester. Chester, plain and simple, is a RUN stopper.

So, sorry, we do lose pass rush by moving DG to end. Thus our pass rush should be a little weaker than last season's, and last year our rush wasn't anything to really write home about!

Sorry for the previous rambling post.....
 
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