Ray-Ray Armstrong vs. Jo-Lonn Dunbar

[ZigZagRam]

I heard the plan was to move Dunbar to MLB, Mosley at WLB, and Laurnaitis at SLB. As James slows down I think his future will be at SLB. His contract was structured great so when his play declines his cap number will as well. Smart move by Demoff.

Uh no.

They wouldn't have put their best LB Ogletree on the bench and Laurinaitis's athletic shortcomings are masked on the inside not when he'd be playing in space on the outside. If Laurinaitis slows down, his days as a starter are done.

Had they drafted Mosley he'd be your Will with Ogletree as the obvious Sam and Laurinaitis in the middle. Once Laurinaitis's contract is up, Mosley's likely your Mike.

 

[fearsomefour]

The knock on Dunbar was his coverage liability, ok, there are few "complete" players in the league. Armstrong is more athletic than Dunbar but there is a lot more to it than that. Getting his head around the NFL game is a big one for Armstrong. If he can do that he will be hard to keep off the field. The idea of having Ogletree and Armstrong on the field with the rest of the speed on D is exciting. But all the speed in the world won't help if you blow assignments or are out of position.
I think Dunbar starts but we might be seeing Armstrong more and more as the year progresses.
I would expect Dunbar will benefit with Williams as well given his experience with him.

 

[ZigZagRam]

Armstrong isn't going to be able to fill the weakside role. He's essentially a poor man's Ogletree that needs to be covering to have value. He doesn't have the skillset be a stout run defender and will get blown up far too often and isn't smart enough to play his gaps responsibly. If I'm a QB and I see Ogeltree and Armstrong on the defense, it's a pretty clear indication that one of them is coming on the blitz. Too obvious.

He's fun to watch though, but he's going to have to make his way as a backup SAM backer on a good team. I suppose he may someday find a starting spot on a bad team, but not on this defense.

 

[RustyRay]

I would imagine by your comments that you don't have the opportunity to watch many games live. If you had been to any of the home games, you would notice the "look at me" stuff I am referring to. It got to the point where he couldn't cover a kick, without jumping around and chest bumping anyone even close to him. ....and this was whether he made the play or not.

The second he got to the sideline, the helmet comes off and he is playing to the crowd. For covering a kick!!!! That, to me, is the very definition of a "look at me" kind of player, and until he matures, he just doesn't seem to be the type of player I want on the field in a critical situation.

I realize this is my personal preference, but I compare this sort of behavior to the guy who stands up and thumps his chest for making a tackle 25 yards downfield when his team is losing by 20 points. Just always tried to teach my kids to "act like you've done it before, and that you will do it again".

Thanks for the perspective. I watched two games live last year..but I'll be honest I wasn't watching him closely. I am not a fan of the "me" stuff..but I don't mind be fired up and trying to get the crowd going. I'll take your word for it that he was doing it for attention.

I have the all 22 films and nfl ticket...but you can't see the extra crud on most of that. Thanks for the info.

 

[Dieter the Brock]

Thanks for the perspective. I watched two games live last year..but I'll be honest I wasn't watching him closely. I am not a fan of the "me" stuff..but I don't mind be fired up and trying to get the crowd going. I'll take your word for it that he was doing it for attention.

I have the all 22 films and nfl ticket...but you can't see the extra crud on most of that. Thanks for the info.

That's one thing I miss about not seeing the games live. I love to watch the secondary and the TV is always on the line of scrimmage