Quote Originally Posted by Critical Thinking View Post
Jerod Mayo is perhaps the best MLB in the AFC and starting his 2nd probowl. He is in the top 5 in tackles and has like 4 sacks. Not only that but he can play both ILB and OLB as well. Fellow LB Brandon Spikes can also play both positions, but has animal strength to shed blockers and excels both in pass coverage (great instincts for the ball) and tops against the run. Many experts pick him as the top LB in the league against the run. In college, he also played defensive end. Rookie Dont'a Hightower is a very good young player that's growing, but growing fast. He has 4 sacks, and possesses some good juice on the outside and good in run defense. He too can play and line up at defensive end. His fellow first round pick Chandler Jones was on pace at the beginning of the season for becoming a sack leader until he got hurt. Started out with 3 forced fumbles and seven sacks. Can be a freak that often demands double and even triple teams because of his athleticism and size. He is getting healthier now, and despite not getting sacks all the time, he still creates impactful pressures leading to big plays for others. Opposite end Rob Ninkovich who can also play outside linebacker, looks like Mike Vrabel, and plays better than him it seems because of his big play ability during the most clutch moments. It could be a forced fumble, strip sack, or long sack on a key third down, interception or something to change a game. Not only that but he has been consistent and managed to rack up 9 sacks and 4 forced fumbles on the season. Could have easily made the probowl but did make some all pro teams of many experts. He adds an extra dimension at Linebacker as well as production from the defensive end position. Vince Wilfork is self explanatory and I don't have to go into depth about him. Legendary and impactful.. simple as that. Kyle Love, the other nose tackle is smaller, but quick and choppy and very underrated. Rotation players Jermaine Cunningham, Justin Francis and Trevor Scott are all guys that perform, produce and can all play the linebacker roles.. they share 8 sacks, and 4 forced fumbles between them... So to day that NE's front seven is better than Denver's is definitely not exaggerating, plus defenses aren't judged during the regular season but how you perform in the playoffs when the heat is turned up the highest.. Remember, the only reason Houston stayed in the game was because of those two long kick off returns... other than that the score was 30-13.
I'm not buying Jerod Mayo as the top MLB/ILB in the AFC, it's ludicrous. He's a good player, no doubt, but I'd take Brian Cushing, Lawrence Timmons, Derrick Johnson, Dqwell Jackson over him. Brandon Spikes is a one-dimensional downhill linebacker, the type of guy you can often get off the heap as an UDFA. We have a guy like that, Ellerbe, and he's playing well and we didn't have to spend a draft pick on him. Hightower is a decent player, but seems like he has a low-ceiling. Chandler Jones is very raw and had most of his success against struggling OLines, he's no Dumvervill or Von Miller. Hell, he struggled against Michael Oher when the Pats played Baltimore in week 3. Against McKinnie, he'll be stone-walled. Rob Ninkovich makes a few plays here and there, but I he's a guy who can be stone-walled by one blocker. The rest of the guys you mentioned are basically third specialists and rotational guys. They're not likely to take over games and dominate. Denver's front seven is nightmarish, with Dumervill, Miller, Wolfe, Bannan, the speedy Woodyard, just a terror. Miller dominated against your tackle Vollmer in the second half of Denver @ New England. You defense beat on an overmatched Texans team with the mental Matt Schaud who is as far from a big game quarter as there is in the NFL, so I'm supposed to believe you guys' are the '85 Bears all of a sudden? Psssh.