I don't get the love that this position group gets. I think we have ONE guy who would start for other NFL teams and he gets very little love here - Shobert. At least he does what he's "known for".

I'm still waiting for Kirksey to have an impact in a game...or even a drive. He's supposed to be a great cover LB...nope. He came out of the tunnel Sunday with a chain and dog bone and I almost vomited.

I was one who thought Collins looked good last year until he got hurt. I thought he was 'meh' his short year here. He was awful Sunday.

IMO we could easily upgrade Kirksey and Collins...and may have already done so with Avery. Burgess isn't a bad 5th LB...but he's 5th behind some guys who aren't all that.

I wonder if GW will dial up some looks with 2 LBs this week?

Kirksey is a good LB. i dunno what you're talking about.

the shame is Collins never lived up to his paycheck or the cost of acquiring him. He's below average, and rarely healthy with us

I agree...the year we brought him over he didnt seem all that much better than Mingo..He often takes false steps, and has issues taking on blockers, I always see him muffled around a step too late..I really don't expect him to be around next year (if we are able to upgrade his spot) he just lacks that instinctive nature you seek for a player of his salary...Apparently the Patriots knew this.

On another thread, I was talking about a piece I saw on NFL Network that featured James Conner. Almost all of the good runs Conner had contained Collins getting owned and not Conner running right by him.

That's something right there that proves a point. I thought I was crazy when I saw jersey #51 and thought we retained Mingo. Jamie Collins is no upgrade considering we gave a 3rd and handed him what 60 mill?

It's weird when I saw him play for the Patriots he seemed strong and stout, and would rip apart from a block...Since hes been here...I honestly can say either he doesnt understand his assignments because he plays very lackadaisical...Like this guy will actually go and engage with a blocker that's not in his gap...just to appear to look busy, I've seen him toss his body into a blocker, as he thought he was actually going to get past him to pursue the play...Its something I really cant explain, and it does remind me an awful alot like Mingo...He's just mediocre at best...I dont know what happened to him.

Been saying this for ages, probably the worst unit in the team.

Even Shobert is good but nothing special.

Collins and Kirksey played like hot garbage last week. Kirksey got caught looking into the backfield and let TE James get behind him/lost sight of him on that long reception.

What looked to be a deep position group just a month ago ... suddenly looks like a week link.

It's pretty laughable how this cycle goes. . . hype all off season and then Game 1 - people over reacting and throwing in the towel. ce la vie

No doubt. However, I've never been impressed with Kirksey's play. It seems I can count on one hand the number of impact plays he's made in his career. Teams do not consider him other than to throw the ball to his man. He doesn't make plays in critical situations to end a drive. He doesn't create turnovers. In the end...he's just a guy.

Many on here have been critical of Collins from the get-go (not me). He's coming off injury, but he was awful Sunday with Kirksey being invisible.

Yeah... we should cut them all. They're all horrible. Let's cut them and then take bets on how quickly another team would happily acquire their services. I'm sure Kirko would get snagged up virtually immediately, same with Collins (but yeah, I will say he's not playing at the level his $ in his contract should, but it's game one.)

Keep in mind Collins haters that each time Blake (LB coach) talks to the media, he raves about him. How he performs. How he helps the younger guy. How he, according to Blake, can just say "watch Jamie and you'll learn it properly" and etc. Keep in mind Collins would've had that INT had Ward not scooped it up. There's a lot more to Jamie than you guys portray.

Cut him tho'. Cut all them, the whole group sucks.

There is a difference between being critical of a guy(s) and wanting to cut those guys. They are the best we have...but they are not special.

Watch this video and concentrate on Collins. Then, tell me what you think, please?

Agreed. Our linebackers are awesome, and played awesome last week. People overreact horrifically every damn week.

I'm scared for the future. Six turnovers and Pittsburgh couldn't beat us, but evidently everyone not named Garrett sucks and needs to be released, benched or taken out back and shot. Gotta wonder what an actual poor performance is going to incite.

Sucks to see Kirko go down, but I'm excited to see Burgess. The kid isn't the best NFL player, but he's got a lion heart and is damn reliable.

To me, our LBs seem slow at times. i don't think we are terrible, but when I watch some "good" LBs in the NFL, I see a difference

It was week one...

One game.

Didn't look good for Jamie, I won't deny that one though.

j/c

Today we'll see what the weakness really is with our LB'ers. Brees will be attempting to show how poorly they can cover by trying to slice and dice them over the middle. My guess is that it will work well for him.

I think that Kendricks had a lot to do with that early optimism.

Did Collins even play today? I don't recall hearing his name once.

yes, i swa him out there often

Geez,and I wasn't even drinking.

lmao

He played a lot actually. I actually zero'ed in on him quite a bit since a lot of hate has been going his way.

He is asked to drop back into coverage A LOT. I don't have any numbers but I can virtually guarantee he dropped back and covered more than he did/was asked to do anything else. One time, he wasn't even hit, but went to turn around in zone coverage and tripped over himself. Fell, that was hard to watch but thankfully Drew didn't capitalize on that mistake.

He wasn't powerful/effective when I did see him attack. His effort, maybe injury still lingering a little, seemed below average. Noone outside Larry was successful in attacking Drew though. Overall looked slow.

I am man to enough to admit that he's not playing close to the money he's making here given the last two games, as stated by other posters. We need more, a lot more, from him on the field.

Brees 80% completion says it all.

Not sure about the blitz count, but I noticed the left guard would double Myles and leave Larry to the center.

Maybe his injury is lingering. Let's give him a little more time. If he's playing like this in 2 months then it might be a problem that has to be addressed. Right now we could use another good LB as well as WR. Those 2 positions really need some help.

Also anyone else notice Schobert barking at Buress often pre snap? Good to see Joe showing him the ropes or pick up.