Don't forget about Dion Jordan, lets wait a bit before making our conclusions, that's a lot more offseason left to inspire.
Personally, I wouldn't call Ansah a risk b/c I think he has a place in this league regardless of whether he puts up 6 sacks or 16, but I do feel if you're looking at it from a pass rush perspective then Tank has a higher floor and perhaps a higher ceiling, which is why I'd want both of them.
realignment? That's interesting. Wouldn't be the first time that's happened, no. Wow, I forgot Anderson had 12 sacks as a 5th round rookie for Chicago. I re-watched Datone Jones and just as I was getting excited and about to say, "Damn did I seriously overlook this kid at 12", he goes flat, in like a low effort sorta manner that rubbed me the wrong way. Any thoughts?
Actually, when you began the mobile QB argument for Ansah my immediate thought was... You build a team capable of winning a Superbowl. That means beating Kaepernick, Rogers etc.
Makes sense and I agree as a first order of priority. It's only once you are making the playoffs that you prioritize different foes. That said you do have to be mindful Of the long term. No sense locking in a roster of guys who are perfect for winning the division if you know they would be ill suited to facing multiple playoff teams for years until you turned that talent over. You prioritize winning the division but wherever possible you want players who will ALSO fit into a vision for what wins IN the playoffs.
Of course but that's kind of like saying I want to build a defense that can play the 4-3, 3-4, man under, tampa two, and fire zone defenses at will. Mmmkay. Good luck.
By the way just doing some video work now. Not to nitpick Zeke Ansah but that one sack-strip we keep talking about, Todd you keep pointing out he had a great first step on the play...that's a bit of a mirage. He actually jumped the snap early before the ball was moved. That's why it looks like he had such a fast first step, faster than Cornelius Washington's on the play. Incidentally you've got to love that Washington right off the bat is going up against Eric Fisher and not only holds his own but walks Fisher right into the quarterback and hits him as he throws the ball. Going against the best, and beating him. That's what (nobody) did to Lane Johnson. I did not see Ziggy Ansah do that.
I didn't catch that. thanks. Now's as good a time as any to throw my blind ignorance card. lol I didn't see Ziggy do it either. That's my only complaint I have about him, that he has some ground to make up and a lot of hard work ahead of him.
I tell you what after watching Xavier Nixon go up against Sam Montgomery, Jarvis Jones, Damontre Moore and Cornellius Carridine...there's no way that he can be worse than a 2nd rounder. This defensive ends class is good and has gotten a lot of press, for good reason...but when I see them LUCKY to get anything on Eric Fisher in the Senior Bowl, and see none of them come even close to getting anything on Lane Johnson, and then see all those top rated guys come up empty handed against Xavier Nixon...this tackle class has to be better than the defensive end class, doesn't it? I'm having a lot of trouble with that. Carridine beat Nixon wholesale in pass rush on I'd say two occasions. Gave him just a little bit of trouble on maybe two more occasions. Otherwise Nixon won all the matchups by a margin and also won the battle for the ground game. Jarvis Jones beat Nixon wholesale once, and got him by a margin on another occasion, but otherwise Nixon blocked him fine. Damontre Moore never beat Nixon. Sam Montgomery never beat Nixon. I saw nobody beat Nixon in Day 2 or Day 3 televised practices. I'm rating some of those guys better than an Xavier Nixon, but...should I be? I suppose it's on potential. But then, why doesn't Nixon have the potential to be even better? Existential conundrum.
how 'bout if I change it to 6'6 3/4 and above, which is what I should've originally made it. We all have a draw-the-line point where we feel a player is approaching a danger zone. After all, what are the chances we see a 6'10 QB? I'd say none and none. So how far down are you willing to come from 6'10 until you're within a height threshold you're comfortable with? For me, once you hit roughly 6'6 and above the working parts of the mechanics can become harder to maintain in concert as everything has to travel a greater distance, leaving a larger margin of error, which is why my number is 6'7 (or a shade under). IMO a QB's motion & delivery are similar to a driven golf ball. A 200 yard drive with an incredibly slight slice might still land in the fairway, whereas a 350 yard drive with the same level of slice is probably in the woods somewhere.
I like Jordan, but as usual my exposure to him is limited- just some parts of Oregon games and what I can see on the internet. What I'd like to hear from someone who really knows Oregon/UCLA/Pac-12 is how they would compare/contrast Jordan and Anthony Barr. Both are tall and lanky but appear to be functionally strong and pretty good against the run. Barr is awfully, awfully quick getting to the QB and RBs for that matter, I would give him the edge but Jordan seems to show comparable quickness, just a notch below. I read that Jordan is not great in space, but that's not really what I see, he he strikes me as a very interesting DE/OLB combo guy. Anyway, for those in the know- fire away, please. How does Jordan compare to Barr, and should Jordan be a target at #12? I'll start- I love Jordan's aggressiveness and functional strength, plus his use of leverage. Very good pass rusher, and personally I like him in coverage in the flat or seam. Both guys are thin, and both have to add some weight imo to contend with massive NFL OTs. Jordan shows me what I need to see as per explosion and first step, just not the same "what the heck was that" quality of Barr. My gut feeling so far, based on what else is available at #12 and how the draft is shaping up at WR, DB, etc.- I would gladly take Jordan. Great fit for pass rusher opposite Wake and I'd feel pretty comfortable that he'll do well at DE, OLB or both. Special player, special talent.
Been impressed watching a bit of Leon McFadden in isolation. He's ultra consistent, he can play man or zone and although he looks small, he's well framed in the upper half. He's a little upright in his back pedal and he stops his feet when he flips his hips. What I mean by that is that he stops them square on. He needs to get in the habit of not being flat footed. Not always possible but it helps him when he comes out of his back pedal when his feet aren't square on. He has good catch up speed but you'd like to see him be a bit more physical in his jam to avoid HAVING to show that catch up speed. But what I like about him is that he's a clever player. He understands offensive football and he reads the game very well. He can jump routes because when his footwork is clean he can be explosive. Good player.
I thought when the two played together, Larry Parker (who had trouble getting NFL teams to give him a chance as a UDFA last year) was actually a better corner back. But Leon McFadden was no slouch.
I remember watching his dad play minor league baseball back in the 70s. He played for the Cubs AAA farm team, the Tacoma Cubs.
Looks like the Cardinals cut Larry after camp in August and he didn't catch on anywhere else. It doesn't look like they signed him to their practice squad either. What's Larry doing now?
yessss, I'm bumping my own post. Would trade two months of no peter flappin' to have this duo right now, especially as late 2nd & 6th rounders.
