LaVar

[TheMalcolmConnection]

Originally Posted by That Guy

no griffin + no noble = crap run-stopping Dline (and no one outside griffin has any ability to rush either). Wynn is average, daniels is close, but griffin is the ONLY guy I wouldn't want replaced if someone became available.

I noticed that this year too. I never knew Noble was such a great run stopper.

[Schneed10]

Yeah, the primary blame for those big Tiki Barber runs has to fall on Warrick Holdman. He was just not where he was supposed to be. Sure, Sean Taylor took a bad angle making the situation even worse. But he's supposed to be the last line of defense, and if RBs are getting to Sean Taylor's level of the defense with regularity then we still have problems, whether Taylor takes the right angle or not. The weak-side LB has to be able to fill the gap on that edge so that the RB has to bounce outside and run paralell to the line of scrimmage. Arrington will do a much better job as long as he keeps his cool.

[MTK]

I agree Holdman blew his assignment, but Taylor isn't helping things by taking horrible angles and by doing that he is basically blowing his assignment as well. It's like a domino effect right now with our run defense.

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by TheMalcolmConnection

I noticed that this year too. I never knew Noble was such a great run stopper.

I don't think it was Noble so much on run stuffing, though he was OK. I think it was a healthy Big Joe last year. That foot injury is killing Salavea'a this year, he just can't dig in his heels and push back on the offensive linemen like he could last year. When he's healthy he's impossible to move out of the way because he's just so strong. The guy is just solid muscle, but he's got a bad wheel.

I would never replace Salavea'a. He is a great run stopper. We need him healthy. But we also need depth because you can't expect to succeed with only 2 good DTs, and we miss Noble in that respect.

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

I agree Holdman blew his assignment, but Taylor isn't helping things by taking horrible angles and by doing that he is basically blowing his assignment as well. It's like a domino effect right now with our run defense.

You're right. Not that it's any excuse, but I don't think Taylor had to be that guy to make the TD saving tackle in his rookie year. Last year, the linebackers and front 4 all did a tremendous job of getting the RB to run paralell to the line of scrimmage, so when Taylor did come up in run support he had it pretty easy because the RB didn't have many choices of where to go. This year, Taylor is experiencing for the first time what it's like to have weakness in front of him, the front 4 is banged up and Holdman just can't hold his gaps. Now when Taylor is coming up in run defense he's facing a RB who has made it into the secondary, and there's more open field in front of him. For the first time, Taylor is now having to learn how to take the conservative route to the ballcarrier to make sure he gets him on the ground. I think that part of Taylor's game is still at rookie levels, he has very little experience with being the last line of defense because last year the first line of defense always did their job.

It's no excuse though. He needs to learn that phase of the game quickly or else we're in trouble.