Can we all agree that a linebacker is the most punishing physical position on the defense? It’s the running back of the defense. if you have a condition already, it WILL get exposed in the NFL.
- Sean Lee
- Jaylon Smith
- Damone Clark
- LVE
- and so on….
All guys who dropped in the draft because of physical concerns. How did they work out? That’s a lot of fairly high picks! For the ones that lasted more than a few seasons, how many times did our defense drop a notch as we waited for them to get healthy again? The MLB is often the QB of the defense. Wouldn’t it be nice to have continuity?
And now we lost the sweepstakes on ANOTHER injured LB, Shaq Leonard.
SOLUTION?
- Get some physical ‘steady eddies’ like Parcells or Jimmy drafted. Brady James, Kevin Burnett, Dixon Edwards, Darrin Smith, etc… don’t have to be 3-4 LBs, just no FRAGILE labels.
- If we’re going to gamble, let’s gamble on a small baller who can handle the punishment. Dexter Coakleys, Zach Thomas, London Fletchers of the world.
- Parsons was not drafted to be what he is right now. But he’s too good a pass rusher Not to be rotating on that defensive line, So appreciate the high pick we spent on him, but realize you never filled the LB role you had him pegged for at such a high pick.
This LB issue is magnified, because we sometimes struggle to find great DTs and Safeties are another weak position we go too cheap on lately and are paying for it, but that’s another thread.
Judgment day may be coming soon. Good offensive lines and offenses can still bully this team and there are plenty on the upcoming schedule to test us.
