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Re: Pees: Upshaw could play inside linebacker
because depth wins championships? because suggs hasnt shown to be 100% yet? because Doom, may not be an every down LB? because Upshaw is a very good SAM LB but not a very good Pass rusher?
If hes still the best option after the draft, so be it, but like i said i feel that would be a blunder. I see him playing more 4-3 DE than ILB this year. I think he rotates at OLB and DE and possibly the occasional short yardage play or all out Blitz packages at ILB but were not talking about a full time starter by any stretch. I think thats exactly what pees was alluding to, not a full time move, but packages. Depending on when those packages are used i could still see him being targeted and taken advantage of, not unlike Ray, who at 37 was still far better than Upshaw in coverage, imo, and a 3 down LB which kept offenses honest. "specialist" players kind of take that element away to a degree.-JAB
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04-01-2013, 08:04 AM #50Legendary RSR Poster
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04-01-2013, 09:09 AM #51
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Re: Pees: Upshaw could play inside linebacker
While I think 270ish lbs is a bit much for even a ILB to carry I wouldn't be surprised if Courtney could pull it off. I think he's that talented and versatile. And besides that I'd tend to give Pees the benefit of the doubt anyway. But even so I would still rather grab a MLB or maybe even 2 later this month.
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04-01-2013, 09:52 AM #52Veteran Poster
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Re: Pees: Upshaw could play inside linebacker
This. Ray should not have been on the field for 3rd downs last year with the exception of short yardage. He was a massive liability and because of his stature they could not pull him out of the game.
I can see the team using Upshaw inside on goal line and some third and short plays. But he will primarily be used in a rotation with with Doom and Suggs to keep those guys fresh.
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04-01-2013, 10:02 AM #53Hall Of Fame Poster
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Re: Pees: Upshaw could play inside linebacker
This. Anybody who thinks Upshaw will play ILB this year outside of certain exotic looks is totally, totally wrong.
When the Ravens drafted Sam Koch they talked up how he had played linebacker in high school, how tough he was and how he wasn't afraid to go in and mix it up on punt coverage. Does that mean they were going to play him at linebacker or gunner? Of course not! Saying Upshaw could play ILB is like saying Haloti Ngata could play free safety. Pure coachspeak. They're not playing a 270lbs DE/OLB at ILB. It's just not a fit in any way, shape, or form.
Thinking that an OLB can just kick inside and play MIKE is not football smart. What's ACTUALLY going to happen is that Upshaw, Suggs, and Doom will rotate at OLB... the same thing the Ravens have been doing for years. Last year it was Suggs, Kruger, and Upshaw. The year before it was Suggs, Kruger, and Johnson. You need to go 3 deep at any position that takes on offensive linemen all game long, and that's just as true at OLB as DE and DT in our scheme.
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04-01-2013, 01:53 PM #54
Re: Pees: Upshaw could play inside linebacker
This article reminded me of the first or second year that we had Rex Ryan as our DC. I seem to recall a lot of talk about guys being able to shift positions and attack from various angles. I agree that this sounds like the Defense is going to attack a whole lot more this year than they did last year.
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