Draft Spotlight: OLB - Sean Weatherspoon - Missouri

[Conuficus]

The NFL of yester year is a thing of the past, run first offenses are having lunch with the Do-Do. In this century the NFL is most definitely a passing league that rivals the days of the original AFL and Sid Gillman. Regardless, whichever scheme a Defensive Coordinator chooses, they will need athletic linebackers that can take on blockers at the point of attack then turn and drop into coverage 20 yards down the field. Needing these players is easy, actually finding the players necessary to defend today’s average NFL offense is the trick for talent evaluators. Sean Weatherspoon is regarded as one of the best linebackers in this year’s draft. As always the question is, is Weatherspoon as advertised or is the legend of a player better than the reality?

http://www.universaldraft.com/2010/02/07/2010-spotlight-olb-sean-weatherspoon-missouri/

 

[Dwight57]

Great work! I was interested to see the breakdown on this guy having heard the "buzz" about him. You can see his speed on the field. But I think your analysis is very accurate that he looks like a weakside backer at best! Thanks again!

 

[Conuficus]

Great work! I was interested to see the breakdown on this guy having heard the "buzz" about him. You can see his speed on the field. But I think your analysis is very accurate that he looks like a weakside backer at best! Thanks again!

No, thank you guys for reading, and to Matt who lets us post these here. We genuinely appreciate that.

 

[hoops]

i couldn't agree more with that...this guy is NOT an ilb fit in a 3-4...he's a 4-3 guy all the way...

you put him in a 3-4 inside and ask him to take on blockers and shed and you're gonna get underwhelming results...he needs clean looks where he can run to the ball...

hopefully this video has cleared that up for some people...probably not though...

nice work guys... :up:

 

[Lord Of Miami]

Good job guys.

 

[2413fanphins]

i couldn't agree more with that...this guy is NOT an ilb fit in a 3-4...he's a 4-3 guy all the way...

you put him in a 3-4 inside and ask him to take on blockers and shed and you're gonna get underwhelming results...he needs clean looks where he can run to the ball...

hopefully this video has cleared that up for some people...probably not though...

nice work guys... :up:

some people have been saying this all along!!!

thanks for work conuficus.

 

[newlownorder]

Still a great football player regardless of what scheme he can play in.

 

[ckparrothead]

I think that's the point to note, personally. The guy finds the ball, makes plays, has good size and fantastic athletic ability. You can look at the fact that he doesn't do things right in two ways. Either he can't do them, or he's just not doing them yet. If he can't, then he's a limited player...either limited in what downs he cam play or limited in what schemes he can play. But if he just hasn't done them yet, then what you see is upside. He makes all those plays, and he's still got things to learn.

For Weatherspoon, I veer toward the upside argument. I've seen him do the things he needs to do. He seems to have the right temperament for it, he's not a stupid player and he's not by nature a player that shies away from physicality. He's not by nature a weak player or unathletic player. He just needs to learn to attack blockers the same way he attacks the ball.

 

[ckparrothead]

This is the great thing about football, so many people can watch the same thing and come up with so many different interpretations.

For instance, Richard brings up the play at 1:40 into the video. Where he sees overpursuit, I see correct gap control. Jarron Baston has the offensive left side A gap on the shoulder of the Center. There's a defensive end lined up real wide that has the outside shoulder of the left tackle, the left side C gap. Who has the B gap on the outside shoulder of the left guard? Sean Weatherspoon. Spoon actually attacks the outside shoulder of the left guard real nicely, right at the line of scrimmage, and even to the point where if the RB had pushed the stretch instead of executing the zone cutback, even if he didn't try to attack Spoon's B gap, if he tried to hit the left side C or D gaps, Spoon probably could have given him some chase and disruption in the backfield to delay the play pretty well. This is gap football.

So why does the play work for Oklahoma State? The other inside backer has the right side A gap, and the LDT actually has the right side B gap. That leaves the LDE with responsibilities on the right side C gap on the inside of the Tight End's shoulder. Oklahoma State has the Tight End release on a pattern and this being a zone play, that LDE has to pay attention to the possibility of Zac Robinson keeping the ball for a boot. What I think you'd like your 3-Technique to be able to do on this play is cause so much havoc that the RG is unable to chip and then release on the ILB to Spoon's left...leaving him free to pursue. Also, the line is able to achieve some pretty good spacing on the play, and in the end the LDE has to be able to clamp down on his gap responsibility without allowing the runner the freedom to run right through it for 5 yards. Could have been better, could have been worse, I wouldn't be faulting Spoon on that one.

Literally almost the same exact thing on the play at 1:46. At the snap he HAS to hit the outside shoulder of the LG. He has to shut that down FIRST because that's his area of responsibility. If he was the type of player that guesses on every play and freelances out two gaps right at the start instead of forcing the runner's hand by shutting his own gap down first...then yeah, he might have made plays at 1:40 and 1:46...but my guess is this highlight tape would have been filled in with a lot more nasty Taylor Mays-looking plays.

 

[Pachyderm_Wave]

At the :52 second mark you'll notice him being put on his keester by a WR.......the 3:07 mark he moves into the hole and puts his head down....ball carrier goes right by him untouched...

I like Weatherspoon as a prospect....but just don't think his best fit is inside in a gap control defense....never have..

I just think his best fit is a WILL in a 4-3 where he can roam....I can also see Con's vision of him in a Cover-2....

Personally, I like Spikes better....especially as a fit for Miami....

He's definitely no McClain....not even if we were to throw out both players games against Navy and Auburn.....which McClain's was still better by a mile...

 

[ckparrothead]

I think you mean 2:52 on getting put on his butt by a WR. And yes, that's an instance of where I feel he shows a lack of instinctive physical awareness inside the pit. That's what I told Boomer a long time ago, when I gave him my opinion Spoon. When he gets tied up amongst the bodies in the pit, he shows a lack of awareness and vision for the ball and what's around him. That would qualify as a negative that I would question whether it can really get a whole lot better. Then again, coming from the system he played in with the spacing he regularly had, it's no shock that he looks a little unfamiliar when caught up inside the gears.

He shows the most comfort level, the most burst, reaction, and physicality...when being handed a position in space with the action going on a couple of paces in front of him. That's where he shows his best eyes and his quickest thinking, ability to execute.

 

[Dogbone34]

i like spoon, he's football tough with NFL speed.

 

[D-bolt]

I know I'll get bashed for this one, but I watch Sean and even if he isoutof a playhe willstill pursue to itgoing 100mph, but when I see McClain I notice oncehe getsinto a pile and the play is away from him he doesn't seem togo after the play anym,ore

 

[Conuficus]

This is the great thing about football, so many people can watch the same thing and come up with so many different interpretations.

For instance, Richard brings up the play at 1:40 into the video. Where he sees overpursuit, I see correct gap control. Jarron Baston has the offensive left side A gap on the shoulder of the Center. There's a defensive end lined up real wide that has the outside shoulder of the left tackle, the left side C gap. Who has the B gap on the outside shoulder of the left guard? Sean Weatherspoon. Spoon actually attacks the outside shoulder of the left guard real nicely, right at the line of scrimmage, and even to the point where if the RB had pushed the stretch instead of executing the zone cutback, even if he didn't try to attack Spoon's B gap, if he tried to hit the left side C or D gaps, Spoon probably could have given him some chase and disruption in the backfield to delay the play pretty well. This is gap football.

So why does the play work for Oklahoma State? The other inside backer has the right side A gap, and the LDT actually has the right side B gap. That leaves the LDE with responsibilities on the right side C gap on the inside of the Tight End's shoulder. Oklahoma State has the Tight End release on a pattern and this being a zone play, that LDE has to pay attention to the possibility of Zac Robinson keeping the ball for a boot. What I think you'd like your 3-Technique to be able to do on this play is cause so much havoc that the RG is unable to chip and then release on the ILB to Spoon's left...leaving him free to pursue. Also, the line is able to achieve some pretty good spacing on the play, and in the end the LDE has to be able to clamp down on his gap responsibility without allowing the runner the freedom to run right through it for 5 yards. Could have been better, could have been worse, I wouldn't be faulting Spoon on that one.

Literally almost the same exact thing on the play at 1:46. At the snap he HAS to hit the outside shoulder of the LG. He has to shut that down FIRST because that's his area of responsibility. If he was the type of player that guesses on every play and freelances out two gaps right at the start instead of forcing the runner's hand by shutting his own gap down first...then yeah, he might have made plays at 1:40 and 1:46...but my guess is this highlight tape would have been filled in with a lot more nasty Taylor Mays-looking plays.

I would agree with you about 1:40 except all he does is go up the field without reading the runner at all. Yes he attacks what will likely be the hole for the runner, but at the same time the DT in front of him is doing a good job of controlling his gap and forcing his man into the backfield. If the runner does try to go outside of that, then in all likely hood Spoon can reach him if he is a little more patient to begin the play. It's not all on him, but he does get himself out of position really, as he is way in front of the runner. Spoon doesn't slide a little then come forward, doesn't bounce once to read the runner etc, he's off like a bat out of hell.

He outruns the runner to the spot, he doesn't slide keeping himself parallel with the LOS, he turns and runs, full tilt or at least hell of quick. Thats not showing me a great deal. If I'm the runner, I'm gonna cut the ball back a hell of a alot and be successful at it.

He doesn't crow hop forward, he just flies up the field, and in doing so he is well away from the play. Looking at him film reminds me of Maualuga in that respect, he would see something and fly up the field without reading the action. Yeah it could be the hole, but if you read the runner at all, it will help. That doesn't smell instinctual to me, thats more of flying around the field and making plays in the process IMO.

He's not flowing to the football IMO, he's running hard, but he isn't adjusting to the play as it develops at all. He just goes forward and is no where near the play.

If he was gap conscious, I think he'd be a little less all out like that and read the play via a more traditional slide or scraping action down the line, if he reads Toston continuing to the hole, he has the speed to meet that blocker in the hole. Or at least under cut the guy and cause Toston to bounce or something, even if he doesn't take the pulling lineman on. He's got to run the alley there and fill from the inside, if he tries to get outside first he'll get burned IMO. I just think he's outrunning the play rather than trusting what he sees and then using his speed to fill "the" gap rather than "a" gap. Can he get better? Sure, if he gets the reps, but I don't know if he will be that instinctual on the inside.

The other thing is that who ever is gonna have a good deal of work to get him to bring his hips to the party when he engages, or even to play through the contact rather than to it a good deal. That has to be worked on, and that's an attitude issue in my mind. It could just be who he is, if so, then thats fine, but he won't be playing the Mike with a great deal of success IMO - not unless he gets protected by some behemoths inside.

Again maybe it just me, but he's running to a hole rather than being in the hole. He has to slow down and rely on his speed to take him to what he sees rather than running hard and making plays along the way sometimes. He is better when he is on the outside or in space and the play unfolds in front of him. At times like these he can look deadly.