Worse than Wimbley

? Aloysius

@dieselpusher said:
What is the responsibility of a MLB in a Tampa 2?? why would a MLB in a 4-3 not cut it at a MLB in a Tampa 2.

As I understand it, the key difference is that an MLB in a Tampa 2 is responsible for dropping as deep as 30 yards down field in coverage.

Each safety in a Tampa 2 D is responsible for half the field, providing a second layer of coverage over the CB's, who are expected to jam & disrupt the receiver's routes.

That prevents the receivers from making big plays, but it also leaves the center of the field wide open for a TE to run between the safeties. As a result, the Tampa 2 requires the MLB drop deep into pass coverage, eliminating that hole in the defense.

So the MLB in a Tampa 2 has to be extremely athletic - like Brian Urlacher, who played safety in college. Generally speaking, scouts determine whether a guy can play the position based on their athletic ability, not their downhill tackling abilities.

As Brian Urlacher puts it, "My primary purpose in [the Tampa 2] is to run back to the huddle and congratulate somebody for making a play while I was running down the field with the tight end."

Because Laurinaitis has a rep for "playing stiff" and sometimes overthinking, he's probably not a good fit for a position that requires him to drop back deep almost immediately. While he may be athletic enough for one of the outside spots (which drop into 8-12 yard middle zones), Little Animal probably isn't well-suited to playing the 30 yard deep zone that a Tampa 2 MLB must play.

? Aloysius

SI ran a great article on the history of the Tampa 2 before the Bears-Colts Super Bowl.

Here's an interesting snippet:

The giant leap forward was initiated by Bud Carson, defensive coordinator for Pittsburgh's Steel Curtain defenses of the 1970s. Carson came to the Steelers from Georgia Tech in '72 and installed the Cover Two with wrinkles that would change NFL history. In addition to splitting the Steelers' safeties and rolling up the cornerbacks, Carson had his middle linebacker drop deep into the void between the safeties instead of sitting close to the line of scrimmage. This move would prove prescient two years later with the arrival of Jack Lambert, the 6'4", 220-pound future Hall of Famer whose freakish athletic skills were matched by his ferocity. "Bud came in one day, drew it up on a chalkboard, we started playing it. We just loved it from the first day," says Mike Wagner, the strong safety on those Pittsburgh teams.
The Steelers won Super Bowls after the 1974 and '75 seasons. In '76 they gave up just 28 points in the final nine games of the regular season and pitched five shutouts but lost to Oakland in the AFC Championship Game. Before the '77 season Pittsburgh signed University of Minnesota quarterback Tony Dungy as a free agent and converted him first into a wide receiver and then a safety. He played two years for the Steelers, including '78, when they won their third championship. He also paid attention. "Everything we do now you can find in my Pittsburgh Steelers playbook," Dungy says. "I did keep it all those years."

DieselPusher

thanks for the info

? Aloysius

No problem.

? Aloysius

PFW has an interesting report about a guy a lot of us liked in the '06 draft, Manny Lawson:

Lawson becoming more involved in defense
By Dan Arkush

Nov. 26, 2008

In dire need of more difference makers on defense, the 49ers are making a conscious effort to give former first-round OLB Manny Lawson more playing time. “They’re definitely trying to get him on the field more, not only in the base 3-4, but also in a 3-3-5, which allows him to rush the passer more from a two-point stance,” a longtime team insider told PFW. “He can still disappear at times, but he’s good for at least one impact play per game, which forces teams to account for him.” It has been a long road back for Lawson, who team insiders tell us is just now getting back to full strength from the knee surgery that forced him to sit out the final 14 games last season. “We wanted to make sure that we were not rushing him back into something where he gets re-injured,” head coach Mike Singletary said of Lawson. “He’s really been coming on, and you can see the confidence. He’s not having to think. … It’s just happening.”

? Aloysius

PFW also has a report from an anonymous NFL scout that pretty much confirms what Russ & others have been saying about Wimbley:

“(Browns OLB Kamerion) Wimbley is too elongated. He does not come to balance in space. He’s a one-trick pony, and the league has figured him out. Just look at his sack production. It’s gone straight downhill every year he’s been in the league. He was able to surprise teams with his quickness when he got into the league, but you need more than an outside speed rush to rush the passer in the NFL.”

? Aloysius

Final season stats:

Kamerion Wimbley: 66 tackles, 4 sacks
Manny Lawson: 45 tackles, 3 sacks
Mark Anderson: 18 tackles, 1 sack

Boy, have these guys regressed.

Here are a few guys who would have been better 3-4 OLB prospects to take in the 2006 draft:

Mathias Kiwanuka: 51 tackles, 8 sacks
Parys Haralson: 39 tackles, 8 sacks

YtownBrownsBacker

Aloysius said:
I agree. But just like we don't have an LB core suitable for the 3-4, we don't have the set of DE's we'd need to run a 4-3.
Wimbley and (possibly) Hall are exclusively 3-4 players, so I think "path dependency" will lead us to stick with the 3-4, even if the coaching staff changes this offseason.

This is where I have to disagree with you. Wimbley is strickly a 4-3 DE speed rusher. He isn't a 3-4 OLB and he isn't a power rusher. If some of you tape the games, watch how many times he actually rushers the passer anymore. How do you sack a QB if you are dropping into coverage. I believe if Wimbley is put into a 4-3 one gap system that he is suited for, he will be a very good DE.