If you're using tackle numbers to evaluate linebackers, you should probably be aware that you're using a useless stat. If a linebacker has high tackle numbers, there might be all kinds of reasons for it, including some that have nothing to do with good performance. Such as:
1. He's a middle linebacker. Did you know that 50% of runs in the NFL are straight up the middle? MLB tackle numbers are higher than every other position by default, simply because that's where offenses run most.
2. His defense might be on the field all the time. Thus having to make more tackles. We already know this to be true of the Seahawks.
3. QB's might not be scared to throw at him. A good coverage LB (which a MLB should be in a Cover 2 like Seattle's) sticks to his zones and discourages passes to his man. Theoretically, a good MLB should have less tackles to make because he's forcing QB's to look elsewhere, hold onto the ball longer, and hopefully get sacked. Good defense shows up in QB pressure.
4. The rest of your team might suck at tackling. Thus forcing him to clean up their messes.
Starters
Showing posts with label Malcolm Smith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Malcolm Smith. Show all posts
Monday, August 8, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Scott's Opinion of the Draft
Pick 25, James Carpenter. I was out with my wife Thursday night, and I didn't get back until just after the 27th pick was being announced. I had the draft on DVR, but the prospect of 3 plus hours just to get to Seattle's pick did not appeal, so I got online and scanned the list...
All my wife heard was a loud "WHO?". I knew this team needed a RT, but assumed it was 4th round stuff, you know, like when we picked Locklear. I erroneously assumed that Petey liked the ZBS principles because it makes getting decent linemen easier in the mid rounds. Right tackle? But it is true, Locklear is gone and Andrews is terrible. I mean, if Andrews can't play well in the phone booth, how is he going to be any good out at the tackle spot?
So I read up, watched some highlights, and then watched every scrap of Ingram film I could. And I get it. I understand passing on the remaining quarterbacks and Jimmy Smith at 25. Carpenter looks solid, can play 4 spots, and considering Okung's ankles are as yet an unknown quantity, this is solid.
All my wife heard was a loud "WHO?". I knew this team needed a RT, but assumed it was 4th round stuff, you know, like when we picked Locklear. I erroneously assumed that Petey liked the ZBS principles because it makes getting decent linemen easier in the mid rounds. Right tackle? But it is true, Locklear is gone and Andrews is terrible. I mean, if Andrews can't play well in the phone booth, how is he going to be any good out at the tackle spot?
So I read up, watched some highlights, and then watched every scrap of Ingram film I could. And I get it. I understand passing on the remaining quarterbacks and Jimmy Smith at 25. Carpenter looks solid, can play 4 spots, and considering Okung's ankles are as yet an unknown quantity, this is solid.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Thursday Post-Draft Links
Sorry for the hole in content. It's been a busy week with many exciting things going on. Here are some links while I finish a piece on Seattle's late-round picks.
Mike Sando passes on Seattle GM John Schneider's justifications for the draft. Tons of good info here. I appreciate how accountable Schneider makes himself to the fans - most of his "we don't care what others think" comments feel directed at national draftniks, not fans.
Also from Sando: a fair and balanced view on whether Matt Hasselbeck has a future with the Seahawks.
Rob Staton's source continues to hit it out of the park with intriguing gossip. Amongst the tidbits in his latest leak: Blaine Gabbert was actually the top-rated QB on Seattle's board, which I find encouraging. (Jake Locker was #6, which I find equally encouraging.) CB Jimmy Smith may have been a target at #25 after all, and Seattle is still in the thick of the free-agent QB hunt, with Charlie Whitehurst as a very real starter option.
Rob also addresses those who rationalize away Seattle's failure to draft a QB by pointing to next year's crop. In a nutshell: that's what they say every year. The optimistic future always looks more appealing than the closely-examined, better-informed present. That's a pretty good definition for the word "mirage".
FOXSports.com's Peter Schrager forecasts Seattle to draft #1 and select Andrew Luck in 2012. This won't happen. Too many things have to go just right (or wrong) for Seattle to select #1. It's like out-competing 31 other teams in the suck department. With master motivator Pete Carroll as coach, Seattle will win too many games against Arizona to nab Luck. And I don't care how long Carroll has supposedly been given to build his vision - if the Seahawks collapse disastrously enough to go #1 next year, his job will be in danger.
The OC Register examines new Seattle linebacker Malcolm Smith and the gastrointestinal disorder that he suffers from. It's a sobering thing. If Smith can stay on top of his condition, he has the tools to become an impressive value pick.
Nick Andron over at Fieldgulls reminds us that Seattle's new offensive line is not likely to bloom right away. List of obstacles to said blooming: inexperience, question marks at center and left guard, inexperience, Russell Okung's fragility, two rookies, inexperience, the lockout canceling OTA's and minicamps, and by the way, since we all seem to keep forgetting this...
ROBERT GALLERY IS NOT A SEAHAWK YET, AND MAY NEVER BE.
Mike Sando passes on Seattle GM John Schneider's justifications for the draft. Tons of good info here. I appreciate how accountable Schneider makes himself to the fans - most of his "we don't care what others think" comments feel directed at national draftniks, not fans.
Also from Sando: a fair and balanced view on whether Matt Hasselbeck has a future with the Seahawks.
Rob Staton's source continues to hit it out of the park with intriguing gossip. Amongst the tidbits in his latest leak: Blaine Gabbert was actually the top-rated QB on Seattle's board, which I find encouraging. (Jake Locker was #6, which I find equally encouraging.) CB Jimmy Smith may have been a target at #25 after all, and Seattle is still in the thick of the free-agent QB hunt, with Charlie Whitehurst as a very real starter option.
Rob also addresses those who rationalize away Seattle's failure to draft a QB by pointing to next year's crop. In a nutshell: that's what they say every year. The optimistic future always looks more appealing than the closely-examined, better-informed present. That's a pretty good definition for the word "mirage".
FOXSports.com's Peter Schrager forecasts Seattle to draft #1 and select Andrew Luck in 2012. This won't happen. Too many things have to go just right (or wrong) for Seattle to select #1. It's like out-competing 31 other teams in the suck department. With master motivator Pete Carroll as coach, Seattle will win too many games against Arizona to nab Luck. And I don't care how long Carroll has supposedly been given to build his vision - if the Seahawks collapse disastrously enough to go #1 next year, his job will be in danger.
The OC Register examines new Seattle linebacker Malcolm Smith and the gastrointestinal disorder that he suffers from. It's a sobering thing. If Smith can stay on top of his condition, he has the tools to become an impressive value pick.
Nick Andron over at Fieldgulls reminds us that Seattle's new offensive line is not likely to bloom right away. List of obstacles to said blooming: inexperience, question marks at center and left guard, inexperience, Russell Okung's fragility, two rookies, inexperience, the lockout canceling OTA's and minicamps, and by the way, since we all seem to keep forgetting this...
ROBERT GALLERY IS NOT A SEAHAWK YET, AND MAY NEVER BE.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Seahawks' Complete 2011 Draft Class
Ladies and gentlemen, your newest Seattle Seahawks.
* - Thought I would guess everyone's jersey numbers. Bold indicates a confirmed jersey number per Seahawks.com; the rest are my own wild guesses, pending comeuppance.
| Seahawks 2011 Draft | |||||||
| Rd | Pick | Player | Pos | School | Ht | Wt | #* |
| 1 | 25 | James Carpenter | RT | Alabama | 6'4" | 321 | 67 |
| 3 | 75 | John Moffit | RG | Wisconsin | 6'4" | 314 | 62 |
| 4 | 99 | K.J. Wright | OLB | Mississippi State | 6'3" | 245 | 50 |
| 4 | 107 | Kris Durham | WR | Georgia | 6'5" | 216 | 84 |
| 5 | 154 | Richard Sherman | CB | Stanford | 6'3" | 195 | 42 |
| 5 | 156 | Mark Legree | FS | Appalachian State | 6'0" | 210 | 25 |
| 6 | 173 | Byron Maxwell | CB | Clemson | 6'0" | 202 | 41 |
| 7 | 205 | Lazarius Levingston | DE | LSU | 6'4" | 292 | 96 |
| 7 | 242 | Malcolm Smith | OLB | USC | 6'1" | 225 | 53 |
* - Thought I would guess everyone's jersey numbers. Bold indicates a confirmed jersey number per Seahawks.com; the rest are my own wild guesses, pending comeuppance.
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