Question for you football guys once again: How difficult would it be for this guy to play in 4-man fronts? What is the difference between 3 and 4 man fronts at the nose or DT positions that causes people to think he can't play 4-man fronts? All I can think about is him lining up beside Watt and just destroying one side of the pocket.
Not difficult at all because he can play in both. BUT, if the Texans ran a base 4-3 defense I wouldn't have wanted him because I'm not sure he will be equally effective in both.
Lou needs to stay in shape to play in four man fronts. He got swallowed up laat year late in games on 3rd downs more often than not because he just didn't have the physical stamina to keep up the intensity. I like the kid and think he'll work hard with Watt, Cush, and even Clowney to get "his sexy back". I'm starting to get really excited about this class.
Well he'll have some stamina issues, but he might be able to pull it off sometimes. At the end of the day he's still a NT which means that he'll be off the field for obvious passing downs most of the time. However if he stays healthy it'll be pretty hard to run up the middle.
I think 3-4 is a 2 gap, meaning hes just there to push himself into two the gaps of two linemen to cause as much disruption. 4-3 can be that, and also have other variations like swapping gaps but also having to be quicker
DT in the 4-3 are expected to do more athletically. Stunts, switches, other things with the intention of getting into the backfield. 3-4 Nose tackles are basically just tasked with occupying multiple blockers, so his lack of athleticism is much less of an issue. In a 4-3 his value drops big time IMO.
Also, 4 man fronts are a bit misleading. Passing situations a 4 man front has rushing lineman and linebackers with their hands down. He will be of no use during 3rd and long situations, and mainly will only be a two down player. In a normal 4-3 however, most teams still use a big tackle to take up two blockers, you would just have a defined gap, and wouldn't look at the center. Those types of tackles do not run stunts, as they would be perma gassed.
Notre Dame grad here -- I watched every snap of Louis Nix's career. A few things: 1) I don't get the "injury prone" things that scouts have thrown out. That's really confusing to me -- he played every game until his final year when he tore his meniscus and shut it down at the end. He shouldn't have any durability concerns. 2) As a freshman, he got homesick and came in way overweight. He worked hard to get that back under control. I don't think he's the type of kid who will eat himself out of the league. 3) He's a fierce competitor. He won't be a vocal leader, but he'll be someone you can rely on to give it his all every down. 4) He's a run-stuffer. He doesn't get much pressure on QBs. Don't expect him in on passing downs. 5) INCREDIBLE human being. Fans will love his personality and gravitate toward him. He'll be a star on the Texans videos they do. VERY excited to have him here with Watt and Clowney!
I think we landed 3 guys in the first 3 rounds with 1st round potential. That's huge. Nix has the tools to be a a stud but he also might not pan out. If he doesn't pan out, no biggie, it's an aggressive pick that I'm thrilled we made. He fails? It was a move worth making in the 3rd round. Hopefully he's more than a 2-down guy but if he isn't... again, no biggie. O'Brien's key focus on defense is shutting down the run (Crennel's specialty) and then throwing complex, agile, ever-changing looks at the opponent on passing downs. Even as a niche player, Nix's contribution will be huge if he can reach his potential.
This guy might truly be the first NFL-caliber nose tackle in Texans history (unless I'm forgetting someone). Glad we FINALLY addressed this need.
Best pick in the draft IMO. Glad that they got him at a bargain and they were aggressive enough to go make a trade to go after him.
Is Clowney going to be a part of our Front Three or Will he be a stand up linebacker? If a down lineman Out front 3 . . . are all under 26 yrs old I think if they are all solid We good for years. Rocket River
This alone makes me want to root for the guy. Yes i realize that we are talking about football and having a 4 year graduate makes little difference to the organization. I highly value education and intelligence and if you don't, chances are you are stupid.
Clowney will almost never be part of a 3-man front. His position is pass rusher which means he'll likely be lined up on the 2nd level at OLB on 1st and 2nd down. He will lineup at defensive end in nickel and dime (like a 43 DE would, Clowney's assumed "true" position). I imagine you'll see him on the front line 50-70% of the time even though he will play 34OLB. But he will never be part of the 3-man line. You might see him there 1-25 snaps at most the entire year. It wont matter where he lines up, his job is to crunch the QB's nuts and simply give more than a James Harden defensive effort on running and passing downs.
Yeah, he probably won't be part of the 3 man line very often if ever, but he will be a part of the 4 man rush almost always, the only difference is that sometimes his hand will be in the dirt and sometimes he'll be standing up.
