Assuming we draft high enough to get him, can he stand up at OLB? We all know he is a freak athlete and the fact we had Mario Williams at the position leads me to believe Clowney could too. This would allow the Texans to move Reed inside to ILB (as many have proposed he would be a better fit) thus accomplishing two goals with the one pick. For those who know more than I about such things: Can Clowney play standing up or will it take away what he has shown he is capable of? Would he work as a 3-4 end or is he better suited for a 4-3? Given the answer to that , would we be better off going with Barr and staying with the 3-4 or would drafting Clowney and putting him at DE with Watt at DT in a 4-3 be, depending on other considerations (new coach, FA losses and gains etc.), the better plan?
I'd have a very hard time taking clones that high As for reed playing ILB......DO IT!!!! Do it now! There is time to test him there this season and experiment. He cannot continue outside, he just isn't fit for the position anymore. His skillet is better suited for inside. They need to try him out there on a longer basis when they have nothing to play for now. Otherwise it might be time to get rid of him
What's in Reed's skillset that makes him a better fit as an inside LB? He's been forgettable as an edge rusher but that was what he was drafted to be right? Did he have some previously undiscovered talent in tackle cleanup or coverage, or has the push towards Reed going inside been because he's no good on the outside?
I think the only things he can do okay is cover and clean up. He also doesn't have the speed or agility to play outside. Putting him inside minimizes those flaws. I think he could be a poor man's cushing.
And to add, I never said he could do it, but we KNOW he can't play OLB. We should see what he can do for the rest of the year and if he can do it then great. Otherwise let him go
We've needed help ILB since deciding to ship Demeco. After disasters at FA, and waiting on Sharpton, I'm wondering why they ignored this in the draft. This has been one of the few positions they've shown a strength in drafting. Supposedly they wanted Arthur Brown but that couldn't have been the only ILB on their board. And regarding Clowney as a OLB, it's clear that the book's out on how Wade uses our personnel. Best case scenario we could see a 2011 Barwin type year from him. But I would see that defense/DL being entirely too reliant on him and Watt to create pressure, or sending 5 and leaving one less man in coverage.
He has that Viking hair going for him. Opposing players squint and think its Clay Matthews back there. Good enough for me
Yeah I've noticed Reed's made plays on tackle cleanup. His biggest weakness on draft profiles has been change of direction, but that's probably as detrimental to an ILB in coverage as it would be for an OLB shedding a block or tackling an RB. I'm not pointing you out as a champion of Reed, it's just something that's been rumored since the offseason, and it felt like that was the team trying to salvage Reed while skimping out on drafting a true ILB.
Given the success they've had with a clearly dysfunctional one, with no line backers above average save Cushing, I'd say it is pretty high unless you have coach that will flip things defensively which probably means we are in full rebuild mode.
This defense is bad, and it was bad to finish the season last year. I don't care what the YPG says. Watt will be even better in a 4-3, and Cush is the only good MLB we have anyway. Everybody else in the front 7 is extremely replaceable.
He's 6'6", 274 lbs. That's closer to JJ Watt's size (6'5", 289 lbs) than our biggest LB Mercilus (6'4", 258). But he's kind of a tweener. Right now he'd be our lightest D-Linemen by about 10 lbs but he'd be our heaviest LB by 16 lbs. Not sure how he fits skill wise.
If he's a good player, you make him fit... regardless of the "scheme" you run. They shouldn't be married to any particular scheme given this defense hasn't been elite since 2011. No more passing up potential elite defensive players due to the "system".
Clowney would fit in any system. If the new D-coordinator can't figure it out he's an idiot. My question is if we switch to a 4-3 does Watt stay at end or go to DT?
Unless one of the QB's available is an ABSOLUTE lock to be a franchise QB in the mold of an Andrew Luck or a RG3 you have to take clowney. He is a game changer and putting him next to watt will instantly make everyone in our defense look ten times better. Those two would singlehandedly destroy teams.