more linebackers nice but not necessary... | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

more linebackers nice but not necessary...

eric-in-tx

eric-in-tx

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many people on this board have been going on and on about the need for additional linebackers.. but i believe you are all wrong..

please if you are seeing something different here let me know...

we play 2 different defensive schemes
the 4-3 and the 3-4

when we are in the 4-3 our linbackers are
crowder
zach
and either spragen or hodge...

when we are in the 3-4... our defense shifts... the outside linbackers play very close to the line of scrimmiage... our linebackers are
crowder
zach
spragen or hodge...
and jason taylor


now i expect that Matt roth is going to be used more and more in a role simmilar to taylor...
so no matter how i look at it we have 3 more linebackers in taylor, roth, and hodge that many are overlooking....

thoughts?
 
eric-in-tx said:
many people on this board have been going on and on about the need for additional linebackers.. but i believe you are all wrong..

please if you are seeing something different here let me know...

we play 2 different defensive schemes
the 4-3 and the 3-4

when we are in the 4-3 our linbackers are
crowder
zach
and either spragen or hodge...

when we are in the 3-4... our defense shifts... the outside linbackers play very close to the line of scrimmiage... our linebackers are
crowder
zach
spragen or hodge...
and jason taylor


now i expect that Matt roth is going to be used more and more in a role simmilar to taylor...
so no matter how i look at it we have 3 more linebackers in taylor, roth, and hodge that many are overlooking....

thoughts?
Click to expand...

There is no way Roth can cover backs out of the backfield well enough to play OLB in the 3-4. Hodge can but does not have the ability to rush the QB. Ideally in the 3-4 you need a OLB who can be versatile enough to both cover and beat one on one blocking. The advantage of playing 3-4 is not letting the QB know where the blitz is coming from. If your OLB can be blocked one on one you have no way of being sure your blitz can get to the QB.
That is why Lavar was so wanted. I for one think he will be a head case and never workout but we need someone like that to make our system work. I really don't see anyone else out there. We may be a year away before we can put our system in place.
 
i am happy with what we have now...but there is just one linebacker there that we shouldnt pass on and that is Kai Parham
 
Matt Roth is a DE...he needs to pack on about 10-15 pounds to be a perfect 3-4 DE. The interception he had last year showed his true position....did you see explosion or quickness or agility after the catch...I know I did not along with many other drunken experts at the time. Hodge is a sleeper. He is very quick and Saints fans are unsure why they let him go. He was solid for them and they have no LBers at all other than Courtney Watson. Next year we will upgrade through the draft LBers. Rome wasn't built in 2 drafts and neither were the patriots! I know for fact that when I was living in Pittsburgh 3 years ago, everyone HATED the Polamalu pick and what dou think they think of him now. Allen will be a stud wherever he plays...
 
Bowens and Roth cannot play outside linebacker in 3-4...has everyone gone mad?! JT is maybe the only TRUE DE in football who can do it.
I'd be suprised if Pope and Moore make it out of pre-season healthy. Spragan and Hodge are decent linebackers. Miami needs a good outside linebacker for both the 4-3 and especially the 3-4...to add depth and talent that is both well needed.

And while we're at it, we should resign Schulters.
 
Sethdaddy8 said:
Bowens and Roth cannot play outside linebacker in 3-4...has everyone gone mad?! JT is maybe the only TRUE DE in football who can do it.
I'd be suprised if Pope and Moore make it out of pre-season healthy. Spragan and Hodge are decent linebackers. Miami needs a good outside linebacker for both the 4-3 and especially the 3-4...to add depth and talent that is both well needed.

And while we're at it, we should resign Schulters.
Click to expand...


lets do the math...

in the 4-3 you need ... 3... 3 linbackers
we have zack, hodge, spraigan, crowder... thats 4

dont get me wrong here folks... we can use more linebackers... but Seau didnt play most of last year... and we made it with this crew
and we have added Hodge...

so were is the problem... if hodge is even a solid backup then thats one more than we had last year
 
Its not just numbers its quality and age. None of the LB's we have now are threats to be big time pass rushers opposite JT. We can play the base defense and probably defend against the pass fairly well within the front seven but a second pass rusher would be nice.

I don't see anyone out there in FA who fits the bill beyond perhaps Boulware and I don't know what his health/salary demands might be.
 
I believe that we are fine starting wise, but we could use some depth at LB. I have no confidence in Eddie Moore, and Hodge and Spragan will be just average. I think that an under the radar signing such as Chris Claiborne, Jamie Sharper, or Tommy Polley can go along way in filling out the LB core.
 
eric-in-tx said:
many people on this board have been going on and on about the need for additional linebackers.. but i believe you are all wrong..

please if you are seeing something different here let me know...

we play 2 different defensive schemes
the 4-3 and the 3-4

when we are in the 4-3 our linbackers are
crowder
zach
and either spragen or hodge...

when we are in the 3-4... our defense shifts... the outside linbackers play very close to the line of scrimmiage... our linebackers are
crowder
zach
spragen or hodge...
and jason taylor


now i expect that Matt roth is going to be used more and more in a role simmilar to taylor...
so no matter how i look at it we have 3 more linebackers in taylor, roth, and hodge that many are overlooking....

thoughts?
Click to expand...

It's not the number of LBs, it's the quality of LBs that is the problem...ZT and Crowder are fine. Hodge and Spraghan, together make a nice LB...Spraghan's better against the run and Hodge is a better pass coverage guy. Neither is a great pass rusher, like you want your OLBs to be. To get the most from the talent we have, we'd have to use Spraghan as much as possible on running downs and Hodge on passing situations...problem is that teams will catch on to that real quick...

No, I dissagree...we need one more starting OLB right now. The exception to this would be if either Spraghan or Hodge play beyond their current resumes...
 
Sethdaddy8 said:
Bowens and Roth cannot play outside linebacker in 3-4...has everyone gone mad?! JT is maybe the only TRUE DE in football who can do it.
I'd be suprised if Pope and Moore make it out of pre-season healthy. Spragan and Hodge are decent linebackers. Miami needs a good outside linebacker for both the 4-3 and especially the 3-4...to add depth and talent that is both well needed.

And while we're at it, we should resign Schulters.
Click to expand...

We don't need Schulters...perhaps it's you that's gone mad....seriously, we don't need another FS...We have enough flexiblility in the secondary to accomplish what Saban wants done there...
 
Well, Roth can't play 3-4 OLB. But Bowens can. He has played the JT's position when JT was taken out of the game and lined up as a DE and OLB as well.
 
Dumb question, but Mario Williams looks alot like Jason Taylor when I see the pressure he puts on QB's. Why wasn't JT that coveted coming out of college? Was it because he was from Akron?
 
Sethdaddy8 said:
Bowens and Roth cannot play outside linebacker in 3-4...has everyone gone mad?! JT is maybe the only TRUE DE in football who can do it.
I'd be suprised if Pope and Moore make it out of pre-season healthy. Spragan and Hodge are decent linebackers. Miami needs a good outside linebacker for both the 4-3 and especially the 3-4...to add depth and talent that is both well needed.

And while we're at it, we should resign Schulters.
Click to expand...

I believe Bowens was a LB in college. He's pretty athletic.
Don't lump Pope in with Moore. He's only had one injury that I can recall.
 
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