Philip Merling will play OLB. | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Philip Merling will play OLB.

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Manican

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Merling is NOT going to play DE in a 3-4.

First of all, Merling is a lot more athletic than some of you seem to be aware of (as low as 4.63 in the 40). We drafted him for his ability to shed blocks and penetrate behind the line of scrimmage. We did not draft him to put on 20-30+ lbs and play 2 gaps in a 3-4. It doesn't fit him, he is far too athletic.

I don't think some of you are quite aware of what a 3-4 DE entails. It's grunt work-- all 3 linemen positions in a standard 3-4 are used simply to hold the line because they are responsible for 2 gaps instead of 1. With that said, as a 3-4 DE Merling will never be able to utilize his strongest asset--the ability to penetrate behind the line of scrimmage.

He is certainly athletic enough to play OLB in a 3-4 and get into a 3-point stance off the edge during some nickel/dime packages.
 
Nappy Roots said:
hes at 290 right now, so he better start droppin some weight. and a lot of it
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He's put on a bit of weight while recovering from his sports hernia, but by no means is 290 his playing weight. His standard playing weight at Clemson was between 270-280 rushing off the edge, and I don't see anything wrong with him playing SAM at 275.
 
A quote from Merling himself:

''I mirrored my game after a combination of different people because I didn't want to be stuck in one box,'' Merling said. ``I wanted to be like a Jason Taylor, a Julius Peppers, a Richard Seymour -- just somebody who is well-rounded, somebody that could get to the quarterback, somebody who could drop into coverage.

``I didn't want to be labeled as an extreme pass rusher or as a run stopper or just an athlete. I wanted to be everything out there. So I modeled my game after a couple of guys in the NFL.''

A 3-4 DE does not entail getting to the Quarterback or dropping into coverage. He will play OLB at the next level-- I for the life of me cannot understand why anybody would think otherwise.
 
So in other words he has no chance to play this year unless JT is traded or there is an injury
 
In a 3-4 defense the lineman are ther to take up o-lineman and allow you're linebackers to make plays. It is one of the reasons why it so hard to find a nose tackle for a 3-4, you need a big chunk of meat there.
 
outlawd2u said:
So in other words he has no chance to play this year unless JT is traded or there is an injury
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The only one of our picks this year that is going to start from Day 1 is Jake Long (unless Taylor is traded).

Merling was a value pick, and he fills a need and a weakness. You have to remember though that he has never played in a 3-4, and while he did a lot of very similar things at Clemson that he will be asked to do here-- he's still going to be a work in progress.

That being said, I think he fits the SAM position more so than WILL, and currently that's where Joey Porter is penciled in. However, if we manage a deal for Taylor, I think it's very real for Joey Porter to switch to his more natural WILL position and then putting Merling at SAM.
 
Manican said:
A quote from Merling himself:

''I mirrored my game after a combination of different people because I didn't want to be stuck in one box,'' Merling said. ``I wanted to be like a Jason Taylor, a Julius Peppers, a Richard Seymour -- just somebody who is well-rounded, somebody that could get to the quarterback, somebody who could drop into coverage.

``I didn't want to be labeled as an extreme pass rusher or as a run stopper or just an athlete. I wanted to be everything out there. So I modeled my game after a couple of guys in the NFL.''

A 3-4 DE does not entail getting to the Quarterback or dropping into coverage. He will play OLB at the next level-- I for the life of me cannot understand why anybody would think otherwise.
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Sorry I thought for a moment he would make a excellent 34 DE, he's a great run stuffer and rushes the QB very well. Stupid, stupid, stupid me, thank you for setting me straight. Next time I have one of these stupid thoughts in my head I'll get in contact with you to set me straight, again thank you.
 
Well his normal playing weight was in the 270's he gain weight after the surgery he will lean down and be a OLB of the future.....look we have JT and Porter to rush the passer this guys will stop the run which we desperately need.
 
Kiick72 said:
In a 3-4 defense the lineman are ther to take up o-lineman and allow you're linebackers to make plays. It is one of the reasons why it so hard to find a nose tackle for a 3-4, you need a big chunk of meat there.
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Exactly, and Philip Merling is not that guy. He is a playmaker, and far too athletic to play a 3-4 lineman. Not only that, but I honestly don't think that he has the upper body strength to play 2 gaps at the next level.

Kendall Langford on the other hand has 3-4 DE written all over him. He's not praised for his ability to penetrate behind the line, but he's a big guy with tremendous upper body strength and in time I feel he'll be an absolute stud covering 2 gaps in a 3-4.
 
Merling isnt an OLB. In fact, in a 4-3, he might've been a DT.
 
3rdandinches said:
Sorry I thought for a moment he would make a excellent 34 DE, he's a great run stuffer and rushes the QB very well. Stupid, stupid, stupid me, thank you for setting me straight. Next time I have one of these stupid thoughts in my head I'll get in contact with you to set me straight, again thank you.
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If you know anything about the 3-4, playing DE does NOT entail rushing the Quarterback-- or even penetrating behind the line for that matter. A DE is responsible for holding the line so that they can cover 2 gaps.

We would not be utilizing the strengths that essentially made him a first round selection if we used him as a 3-4 DE.
 
CitizenSnips said:
Merling isnt an OLB. In fact, in a 4-3, he might've been a DT.
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Explain this to me.

There was talk before the draft that he COULD play 4-3 DT at the next level. But you have to remember that in a 4-3, ALL 4 of the linemen are only responsible for 1 gap. That being said, a 4-3 DT must have tremendous penetration ability-- something that a 3-4 DE does not entail.

He ran as low as 4.63 in the 40, that is not 3-4 DE speed.

Edit: On a team that utilizes extreme edge rushing (the Bears for instance), he may very well may have been able to play 4-3 DT because of his ability to penetrate and stop the run. However, that is a tribute to his versatility-- not that he is not athletic enough to play OLB in a 3-4.
 
Manican said:
If you know anything about the 3-4, playing DE does NOT entail rushing the Quarterback-- or even penetrating behind the line for that matter. A DE is responsible for holding the line so that they can cover 2 gaps.

We would not be utilizing the strengths that essentially made him a first round selection if we used him as a 3-4 DE.
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Look if that's the case then we'd take Okam and Rubin to play DE, there's more to a 34 DE than only eating up Olineman.
 
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