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http://cbs.sportsline.com/nfl/story/10843371

Overrated-underrated: Sayers, you say? Bush just overblown
May 27, 2008
By Pete Prisco
CBSSports.com Senior Writer
Tell Pete your opinion!



Is two years in the NFL enough to earn somebody overrated honors?

It is for Reggie Bush.

Bush came into the league as a player many expected to be a Marshall Faulk-type of runner, a home-run threat every time he touched the ball, a star in the passing game. Two seasons into his career with the New Orleans Saints, Bush is a runner who tiptoes into the hole, a player who is far more hype than production.


Mr. Underrated O.J. Atogwe tackles Mr. Overrated Reggie Bush last season. (Getty Images)
When the Saints used the second pick in the 2006 NFL Draft to take Bush, some speculated he could be a 2,000-yard rusher. They meant in a season. He's just over halfway to that number in two.

Bush, who has 1,146 rushing yards in two seasons, gets the nod this year as my most overrated NFL player. In 28 NFL games, Bush has one 100-yard rushing effort. His 3.7 career average per rush is not impressive at all. He does have 161 catches in two seasons, but the Saints expected a lot more with him running with the football when they selected him.

What's bigger: Bush as a disappointment or his girlfriend's (Kim Kardashian) ample behind?

We expected to see those electrifying, make-the-defensive-coordinators-sweat runs that he put on display at Southern California. Instead we have had a tentative, between-the-tackles runner who sure doesn't make us think of Gale Sayers, which the experts said he would.

While Bush is this year's most overrated player -- Vince Young should thank him -- St. Louis Rams safety O.J. Atogwe is the league's most underrated player.

Atogwe had eight interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, and 75 tackles in 2007 for the Rams. He has 32 starts in his three-year career and at 26 is just scratching the surface of his potential.

Atogwe can become an unrestricted free agent after the 2008 season if the Rams don't get him signed to a long-term deal by season's end. If the Rams are smart, they'll get him locked up before that happens. He's that good.

Two interesting things about Atogwe are that he is from Canada and his given name is Oshiomogho. He was given the O.J. nickname when he started playing football at the age of 7.

O.J. is a lot easier to remember for people -- and this is a player we shouldn't forget.

Here are the overrated-underrated players for all 32 teams.

Arizona Cardinals

Cards RB Edgerrin James (Getty Images)
Overrated: RB Edgerrin James. He's far from an elite runner anymore. He left too many yards on the field last season, but he will again be the starter in Arizona.

Underrated: LT Mike Gandy. He shocked a lot of people, including this writer, with how well he played last season in his first with the Cardinals. He helped the line make big strides from the previous season.

Atlanta Falcons
Overrated: RB Michael Turner. He can prove me wrong in a big way this season. But I still have my doubts as to whether he's what the Falcons think he is as a runner.

Underrated: LB Michael Boley. On any other team, he might have earned a Pro Bowl berth last season. He's a speedy run-and-chase linebacker.

Baltimore Ravens
Overrated: CB Chris McAlister. It's too bad Steve McNair retired. He would have won this easily. Without him, it's tough to pick somebody here. But I went with McAlister, who missed half of last season because of injury. He's not a premier corner anymore.

Underrated: G Jason Brown. He was a mauler at left guard last season, one of the rising young players at the position. There is a chance he could move to center, but he should excel there as well.

Buffalo Bills

Bills LB Angelo Crowell (Getty Images)
Overrated: DE Chris Kelsay. The Bills gave him a new contract before last season and he rewarded them with 2½ sacks. He plays hard, but that doesn't get the quarterback down enough.

Underrated: LB Angelo Crowell. He had his best season in 2007 with 126 tackles. With the departures of London Fletcher and Takeo Spikes, he became a defensive leader.

Carolina Panthers
Overrated: DE Julius Peppers. He's considered a top pass rusher by many, but had just 2½ sacks last season. That's not good enough. I still think he can get back to his old form, but as of now he's overrated.

Underrated: S Chris Harris. When the Panthers acquired him in a trade with Chicago last season, he stepped in and played well enough to earn a new contract after the season.

Chicago Bears
Overrated: C Olin Kreutz. He struggled in 2007 and looks to be in a major decline. The Bears need better play inside from him this season to get that running game going.

Underrated: DE Adewale Ogunleye. On a defense that features Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs and Tommie Harris, Ogunleye had an outstanding season with nine sacks in 2007.

Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals WR Chad Johnson (Getty Images)
Overrated: WR Chad Johnson. He has loads of ability, but he doesn't produce as much as he should in the big games. He did not score a touchdown in four of the Bengals' five games against playoff teams in 2007. He certainly isn't as good as he thinks.

Underrated: DT Domata Peko. He is a good inside player who plays hard all the time. If he were on a better unit, he would get more attention.

Cleveland Browns
Overrated: WR Donte' Stallworth. The Browns think they're getting an elite receiver, but he's never been that in any of his three other stops. There's too much inconsistency.

Underrated: S Sean Jones. He's a rangy safety, which you must have these days. He had five interceptions last year and at 26 is ready for his breakout season.

Dallas Cowboys
Overrated: S Roy Williams. They should retire this spot for him. He has been overrated for years -- he won my overall honor a few years ago -- but he still goes to Pro Bowls. How?

Underrated: DT Jay Ratliff. He stepped in and played well at nose tackle when Jason Ferguson went down. Ratliff might move to defensive end to compete for a starting job.

Denver Broncos

Broncos LB D.J. Williams (Getty Images)
Overrated: S John Lynch. You can put him in this spot every year, even if his reputation has declined some. There are those who still worship his game.

Underrated: LB D.J. Williams. He has bounced around the linebacker spots, but has stayed steady. He had 141 tackles last season to lead the Denver defense. He's now moving from the middle to the weak side, which is where he belongs.

Detroit Lions
Overrated: DT Cory Redding. After being one of the Lions' underrated players two seasons ago, he didn't play that well after getting a new contract last year. The Lions need a bounce-back season from him.

Underrated: C Dominic Raiola. Playing for the Lions, he gets overlooked when it comes to Pro Bowl voting. But he's a tough, feisty, smart player who is the best of the Lions' offensive linemen.

Green Bay Packers
Overrated: S Atari Bigby. He had some good plays down the stretch and in the playoffs. But he became a January phenomenon. If you watched him during the season, he struggled in coverage.

Underrated: CB Charles Woodson. It's criminal that he didn't go to the Pro Bowl last season. He was their best corner, not Al Harris, who did go to the Pro Bowl.

Houston Texans
Overrated: RB Ahman Green. There are some who think he's still an elite runner. I don't. So he gets the nod here on a tough team to find an overrated player.

Underrated: CB Fred Bennett. As a rookie, he showed the ability to develop into a nice cover corner. With Dunta Robinson out for a least half of the coming season as he recovers from an injury, Bennett will be the team's top corner.

Indianapolis Colts

Colts K Adam Vinatieri (Getty Images)
Overrated: K Adam Vinatieri. He wasn't his usual self last season, missing six field goals and having two extra points blocked. He's still pretty good, but he wasn't as good as in the past last season.

Underrated: LB Gary Brackett. He's squatty and sure doesn't look like the prototype middle backer, but he gets it done for the Colts. He's an active run player and he's good against the pass.

Jacksonville Jaguars
Overrated: CB Rashean Mathis. He has the tools to be a Pro Bowl player, which he was in 2006, but he didn't play all that well last season. He got beat by the double move too much.

Underrated: LB Daryl Smith. He started the season at weak-side linebacker, but moved to the middle when Mike Peterson was hurt. He excelled at both spots, but most outside of Jacksonville probably don't know anything about him.

Kansas City Chiefs
Overrated: RB Larry Johnson. Yes, he was bothered by injuries last season. But was he a product of the Chiefs' line when he put up those big numbers in 2005 and '06? He averaged 3.5 per rush when he was on the field. That's not star stuff.

Underrated: WR Dwayne Bowe. As a rookie he caught 70 passes for 995 yards and five touchdowns. He got overlooked playing for a bad Kansas City team.

Miami Dolphins
Overrated: OLB Joey Porter. He has been more bark than bite for the past couple of seasons. In 2007, there wasn't even much barking.

Underrated: CB Will Allen. He was the team's most consistent cover player the past two seasons. He might not be Pro Bowl caliber, but he's just under it.

Minnesota Vikings
Overrated: LT Bryant McKinnie. You look at his physical skills and you should see an elite tackle. You just don't. He's OK, but has never lived up to the hype.

Underrated: LB E.J Henderson. He moved back to the middle last season and showed he's there to stay. He is a big reason the Vikings played the run so well in 2007.

New England Patriots
Overrated: LB Adalius Thomas. The Patriots paid a ton of money for him and he didn't do what they expected. It didn't help that he was forced to play some inside. He's more of an outside rusher.

Underrated: TE Ben Watson. On another team, without the quality receivers that Tom Brady has, he would be a 70-catch tight end. Randy Moss and Wes Welker overshadow him.

New Orleans Saints
Overrated: RB Reggie Bush. This one was easy. He hasn't come close to living up to the hype. One has to wonder if he'll ever be more than a situational back.

Underrated: G Jahri Evans. It's a shame he didn't get voted into the Pro Bowl last season. He's as dominant a guard as there is in the league. Too bad nobody knows it.

New York Giants
Overrated: TE Jeremy Shockey. It's chic to jump all over Shockey these days. I still think he's a heck of a player, just not the superstar some think him to be.

Underrated: G Chris Snee. He's Tom Coughlin's son-in-law, but he also happens to be a really good player. Snee is one of the elite guards in the NFL -- even if he hasn't been to Hawaii.

New York Jets
Overrated: LB Calvin Pace. The Jets think they're getting this great edge rusher. But aside from last season, has he ever been that?

Underrated: LB David Harris. He stepped in and started as a rookie and played well. Harris always seems to be around the football.

Oakland Raiders

Raiders CB Nnamdi Asomugha (Getty Images)
Overrated: CB DeAngelo Hall. He has the tools to be a good player, and he has done well at times, but he gets beat too much in man coverage. Maybe going to Oakland will help him live up to the hype.

Underrated: CB Nnamdi Asomugha. Teams don't even challenge him anymore. They might now with Hall around, but my guess is they throw at Hall.

Philadelphia Eagles
Overrated: CB Asante Samuel. He's good, but is he really that much better than a healthy Lito Sheppard? Some scouts think he freelanced too much in New England and he isn't a willing tackler. Good player, just not a great one.

Underrated: RB Brian Westbrook. He continues to be the only real weapon on offense, and yet he can't get to the Pro Bowl. The Eagles must have him getting 25 touches a game.

Pittsburgh Steelers
Overrated: WR Hines Ward. He has been a very good player for a long time, but he averaged just 10.3 yards per catch last season, which was down from 13.2 in 2006. That's a sign he's slowing down.

Underrated: DE Aaron Smith. He was limited to 11 games last season because of injury. When he's not in the lineup, the Steelers are not the same defense. He's not flashy, just effective.

St. Louis Rams
Overrated: WR Drew Bennett. The Rams paid a lot to bring him in as the third receiver and he disappointed. Now he's penciled in as a starter, which is a concern.

Underrated: S O.J. Atogwe. He played at a Pro Bowl level last season, and should be even better now in his second full season as a starter. He had eight interceptions. The one knock could be he sometimes takes poor tackling angles.

San Diego Chargers

Chargers CB Antonio Cromartie (Getty Images)
Overrated: CB Antonio Cromartie. He had a lot of interceptions last season, which earned him a trip to the Pro Bowl, but he had major lapses in coverage at times. He will be a good one, but he's not as good as his reputation yet.

Underrated: DT Ryon Bingham. He had his best season in 2007, which led to the Chargers giving him a contract extension. He started two games last season and can play both nose tackle and end in the 3-4. He's a great backup who could start on some teams.

San Francisco 49ers
Overrated: TE Vernon Davis. I know Davis has been held back by poor quarterback play, but he sure hasn't played like a star, which most people think him to be. He has 72 catches in two seasons. The talent is there -- and he will put up numbers one day -- but he's not there yet.

Underrated: WR Arnaz Battle. He has 109 catches and eight touchdowns the past two seasons and all the 49ers try to do is replace him. He's a reliable player who has worked hard to become a good receiver.

Seattle Seahawks
Overrated: WR Deion Branch. You hate to kick a guy when he's down -- Branch is coming off a major knee injury -- but he was never worth what the Seahawks gave up to get him, which was a first-round pick.

Underrated: S Deon Grant. He signed as a free agent before last season and quickly developed into a key figure on the defense. He is active in coverage and he's a willing tackler.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Bucs S Jermaine Phillips (Getty Images)
Overrated: CB Ronde Barber. He's still OK as a player, but he's no longer elite. That makes him overrated because most analysts insist he is still elite.

Underrated: S Jermaine Phillips. He played so well last season he should have been in the Pro Bowl. His improvement was even a little shocking to the Bucs.

Tennessee Titans
Overrated: QB Vince Young. He's young and still learning, but you'd think he's a superstar the way the media talks him up. He's far from it.

Underrated: CB Cortland Finnegan. I went with left tackle Michael Roos last year, but he's getting some hype now. Finnegan is a feisty competitor who doesn't back down. He's a willing tackler and is pretty good in coverage.

Washington Redskins
Overrated: WR Santana Moss. He had a big season in 2005, but wasn't as effective in 2006 and 2007. He has averaged 58 catches the past two seasons. That's not No. 1 receiver production.

Underrated: DT Anthony Montgomery. After shedding weight before the 2007 season, he became one of the surprise players on the roster. He's a force in the middle of the Redskins line.

Interesting article.

I'm surprised by Bush's performance, I really thought he'd be a threat every time he touched the ball. Guess it goes to show you the vast difference between USC football and the pros.

I do have to ask myself, was this really necessary?

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What's bigger: Bush as a disappointment or his girlfriend's (Kim Kardashian) ample behind?

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Cant' be any bigger than Prisco's fat head.

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Cleveland Browns
Overrated: WR Donte' Stallworth. The Browns think they're getting an elite receiver, but he's never been that in any of his three other stops. There's too much inconsistency.

Underrated: S Sean Jones. He's a rangy safety, which you must have these days. He had five interceptions last year and at 26 is ready for his breakout season.

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I'm not sure the Browns ever thought of Stallworth as Elite.. Maybe as real good second banana to BE,, but elite,, I'm not sure that was ever the thought.

That's a bit of a stretch for this writer.

As for Jones, I sure hope he's right.. But I never thought of him as underrated really..

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I don't really see Donte being overrated.....because who rates him all that high? I don't. Most on this board don't. He's a nice piece that will hopefully stretch the defense but I don't see him being that big of deal.

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Agreed. He's here to stretch the field, make the D think about leaning to Braylon's side, and make plays getting yards after the catch on short passes. As Daman alluded to, he doesn't have to be elite to fit well into his role here. I love the signing.

I'm a UGA fan for sure, and I absolutely hate Hines Ward (crazy right? ).... but for this guy to say that Ward is OVERRATED just because his yards per catch went down 2-3 yards is stupid!!

Of players we know, I think Wimbly is much overrated.

Interesting, 'Peen. He might get that from me, too. But, I think when the rest of our line improves (which it hopefully has), he'll live up to his potential, which I think is really high. I guess I consider him "overrated" just because he's "under-performed", although I do believe it's because of the surrounding circumstances. I'm not sure of who else on this team I'd consider "overrated."

As for underrated, I'm not sure we can really stress the importance of Pontbriand and Zastudil enough. Those guys really helped keep us in games last year.

I don't think 11 sacks in his rookie year was underperforming.

Ok, he dropped off his second season when offenses didn't have to concern themselves with Roye on the other side or Peek who was injured and played like it. They just keyed on the only guy they needed to and that was Wimbley.

Yeah, that's kind of what I was getting at.

By me...I said I think he is.

He had a nice sack total his rookie year, but he isn't that good a backer IMO and his sack numbers were down last year.

To me Wimbly doesn't impact games as much as the general opinion thinks he does.

AHen had a bunch of picks one year...he was overrated too.

Yep. I agree with 'Peen that Wimbley is "overrated", but I agree that the condition placed on that tag is a pretty big one (that he didn't have the surrounding cast).

I'll say again that when we played the Patriots, the only player they game-planned for on our defense was Wimbley. If we get another threat, I can see him just wreaking ridiculous havoc.

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By me...I said I think he is.

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No duh.

I asked because I don't believe I had ever seen anyone else have him as overrated so I asked who......I meant other than you, as "you" goes without saying since you posted it.

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He had a nice sack total his rookie year, but he isn't that good a backer IMO

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Isn't as good as who? In relation to what? Run support? Pass rush? Based on who lines up alongside of/in front of him?

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his sack numbers were down last year.

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Yes, and overall our D was ranked where? One man cannot make it happen alone.....it is my belief that we will see more of his 2006 numbers from him once again with an improved DL in front of him. What leads you to believe that they won't? 5 sacks is still quite a feat......he has 16 in 2 years.....how may backers can say that???? Go look....let me know.

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To me Wimbly doesn't impact games as much as the general opinion thinks he does.

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He didn't last year, due (again) to those around him. I like to think that with defensive players their rookie season is a good indicator of what they are capable of.....now that he has more help around him and has another year of experience, the chances are that he will improve upon his rookie year. He's 24 years old and just now really coming into his own......

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AHen had a bunch of picks one year...he was overrated too.

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Nothing to do with nothing.......

Nice to know that our Over rated player hasn't taken one rep as a Brown

Oh man....first...my stating I think he is overrated doesn't mean I think he is a POS....I just don't think he is as good as general fan perception.

He isn't good in pass coverage and I don't see where he is that good against the run. He is a decent player, but it would be pretty shocking if he ever turned in to a pro bowl player, at least multiple, and I somehow think that is where many people think he is destined.

If I am wrong, it won't be the first time, and actually, I will be thrilled.

j/c:

Hard to say Stallworth is overrated. And who in the hell said he was an elite WR? We brought him in to be the number two guy and to catch the underneath passes and run after the catch.

Overrated: Probably Quinn. He hasn't done anything, but many believe he is great. My second choice would be Pool. He stinks, yet many people think he improved last year.

Underrated: Steinbach. Yeah, he got some props last year, but this guy is a much better player than I was led to believe. He is technically sound, very agile, intelligent, and gets the job done in both the passing and running game. He's a very good player that perhaps got overshadowed by Joe and all of our weapons on O.

Underrated....I didn't mention one....Hank Fraley.

He looks like a butcher, but he brings more to the line then people think.

Agreed. That pudgy body always seems to be on top of a LB 5-10 yards down the field on good running plays.

Overrated: sean smith didn't help our run defense much, and talks way too much.

Underrated: Dawson. How many games did he win for us last year?

Overrated: Andra Davis. People say that he is a good player...which makes me sick. The man doesn't play his gap well, when he is in his gap he gets run over, and that ever so rare time when he is in the backfield, he misses the tackle. I'd love for Davis to prove me wrong next year, but it's probably not going to happen.

Underrated: Lawerence Vickers, although someone must notice the massive blocks he puts on people, because he was a pro bowl reserve last year. This man is a perfect lead blocker and had a TON to do with Lewis' success last year. Just as long as he doesn't dance in the endzone when we are getting beat like we stole something.

j/c

I kind of agree where Wimbley is overrated. He is a very good pass rusher; one of the best in the league. He constantly gets after the Quarterback, even if he doesn't always get a sack. However, his run defense is below average. He really needs to work on it. A much improved D-Line should help him a bunch there. His pass protection is not good at all, and opposing teams pretty much know he is going to be rushing. He is still a good player for us with at TON of potential.

Back to the original topic. The one player who seems the most overrated to me is Andra Davis. He misses a lot of tackles, isn't good in pass protection, and has very bad instincts.

I have a lot of players I could say for underrated. I can't choose just one. Someone mentioned Joe Thomas here. I don't disagree with that. He is a very good left tackle. This year he will be the best in the NFL. He is not, however, who I choose. My underrated players are Hank, Willie, and Vickers. Hank is the glue that holds our line together. He may only be average physically, but he is excellent at making line calls, blocking down field, and is a very good leader. The fact that he was a team captain after being on the team for only one year speaks for itself.

Willie isn't very good in pass coverage, he isn't a very good pass rusher, but he is very good against the run. That is something our linebackers lack. Our run defense got a lot better when he came back. It's safe to say that he has been crucial in Wimbley's development.

I really questioned the Vickers pick when we drafted him. I'll gladly eat crow here. He has developed into an excellent run blocker. I thought Terell Smith was the best, but I think Vickers is better. I love seeing Vickers knock the snot out of people. I know that Jamal loves him. Vickers has also contributed immensely on Special Teams. I hate that dive play to him, but thats not his fault.

Here are some players that I didn't think fit into the underrated category, but still deserved to be mentioned. This is my underappreciated category. Here's my list: Joe J., Steinbach, Large Lenny (my dad's nickname for Freidman), Sean Jones, Kris Griffin, Pontbriand, Zastadil, Dawson, and Jason Wright. Is it just me or was that half the team.

Joe J. is a guy we can count on on third downs. He doesn't drop balls and he is a very good blocker. I was very impressed with Steiny last year. Joe T. isn't the only reason we were so much better running to the left side. Without Steinbach our line would have still just been above average. When I say Lenny I am talking about Special Teams. He is our wedge man and he did a very good job of it last year. I remember Cribbs comenting on it.

Jones isn't that good in coverage, but is excellent against the run, and we had a lot of success when we blitzed him last year. He had some key stops for us throughout the year. I would like to see us utilize him like Pittsburgh uses Polumalu.

Pontbriand has been amazing for us. Him, Zas, and Dawson were great last year, especially in the Buffalo game. Some guy had to watch the rest of that game in his boxers after Dawson made that 51 yarder. Now that would have been cold. They came through big for us last year in some HUGE momens. Kris Griffin made us not miss Mason Unk the slightest bit last year. He was an elite special teamer.

Last but not least, Jason Wright is very underappreciated and could have easily been listed as underrated. He is one of the best blocking RB's out there and is a better runner than people give him credit for.

I know that was a really long post for this thread, but I thought these guys deserved the props, and I can sleep in tomorrow.

Davis is not overrated... He is underrated...

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Underrated....I didn't mention one....Hank Fraley.

He looks like a butcher, but he brings more to the line then people think.

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Oh man, you have hit the nail on the head with that pick..

Don't really agree with your stance on Wimbley.. I think he was everything we could ask for his first year, but given the line play in his second year, I can't blame his drop in production solely on him.. you may end up being right, but I'm just not ready to call it yet.

Doesn't Wimbley only have lilke two moves? It seems like he tries the swim/rush-outisde move 75% of the time and the other 25% is the swim/rush-outside-then-fake-to-inside-rush move. Am I just crazy?

I didn't know it was that many, but whatever the number, other teams have figured out what to do.

Again, this isn't to say I think the guy stinks. I just don't think he is quite as good as portrayed on the boards or in the papers.

D'Qwell, when healthy, is a pretty good at shedding blocks. I'm not sure I get where you are seeing this. Not trying to be confrontational, just disagreeing.

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I didn't know it was that many, but whatever the number, other teams have figured out what to do.

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Yes they have. Double team him and chip him with a running back. He kicks ass one-on-one. Even though he is limited with only a couple of moves.

Now, hopefully, we have enough talent on the DL that teams won't be able to double team him so much he can regain the kind of play he had his rookie season when he got 11 sacks. That year, offenses had to mind the other side of our defense as well because Roye was over there. Since Roye went down that side has been ineffective so teams focused almost exclusively on Wimbley's side.

Put Wimbley beside Cory Williams and Peek behind Shawn Rogers and offenses should have their hands full of pass rush from both directions.

There should be no more "Wimbley's the only guy they got so we'll key on him." That's what slowed him down last season.

I don't think he was chipped and doubled as much as some think, but your version sounds better, so we will go with that....8-10 sacks sounds like a reasonable number to expect as a minimum.

No??

Half a sack a game or a bit better.

The top LTs shut him down last year but that happens to just about all edge rushers. Wimbley was useless against Walter Jones for example but who isn't.

The problem for me is that he was asked to rush the passer far more than a traditional 34 zone blitz scheme. If you know he's coming every time it's easy to slide protections and double teams.

If you're mixing up your blitz packages then teams will be reluctant to make presnap calls to his side. That's one reason James Harrison was so successful and all of their OLBs for that matter.

When Wimbley has a one-on-one matchup against non-premier OTs he usually wins that matchup. Hopefully with personnel upgrades we'll see more production from him. I think adjustments in scheme would also help.

How dare you!

I guess we can agree to disagree. He's awfully small for a 34 ILB but he has great acceleration and speed. When plays are run to the edge he can outrun the blockers to disrupt the play at a minimum or make the tackle himself.

When plays are run at him Centers, Guards and Fullbacks regularly swallow him up. Between his inability to shed blockers and Davis's lack of burst we were hurt often on runs between the tackles.

You know the plays that it looks like the opposing RB was shot out of a cannon? All of a sudden Sean Jones or Brodney Pool has to make a tackle to keep it from 6?

Those were the plays where DQ was sealed....and it's why we allowed so many 100 yard rushers last season.

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Those were the plays where DQ was sealed....

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What is the OL doing on him so fast? Well, you already know about that. So, hopefully, , we have a DL now that will at least be of some help.

You're seeing what you're seeing and it's not wrong. But there's supposed to be a buffer betweem our ILB's and their OL and we just haven't had it. We can't expect our DL to keep them squeeky clean, but a little help would go a long way. It would at least cut down on those inside runs being so successful.

When you think of DQ, (or any of our LB's), think Tim Couch. The ball is snapped and someone is in his face before he can get a step. It's hard to play like that.

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I don't think he was chipped and doubled as much as some think, but your version sounds better, so we will go with that....8-10 sacks sounds like a reasonable number to expect as a minimum.

No??

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I like my version better too as it's closer to the truth. Heldawg is right too that some changes in the scheme couldn't hurt a bit. But I think you're under estimating the ease at which an offense can block your ONLY pass rusher. Who else did we have for our opposition to concern themselves with?

Now I agree that what they had him doing was usually predictable. But I'm not sure what else they could have him doing. Who else was going to be included in those 3-4 blitzes with our DL who was getting beat at the LOS? We caught teams off guard a few times with Sean Smith and once or twice with Pool. But from our front seven we had no one else. Everybody knew that going in. Like I said, and you should have noticed back then, things were different when Roye was healthy.

The "Little Dutch Boy" saved his town by putting his finger in a hole in the dike. But if there were more holes to cover he'd have had a lot more trouble being the hero. Opposing offenses only had one hole to cover in our dike and that was Wimbley.

But that's just me and my opinion of what I was seeing. You expect more from him, apparently regardless of the quality of those around him, so that'll have to be alright. He was a first round pick. We should expect a lot from him. Especially after he got 11 sacks his rookie season. But I think that if we looked at what changed from that season to the next we'll find the reason he didn't get 8-10 sacks. I can't lay it all on Wimbley.