Baldy’s breakdown: Why Aaron Donald is the best Interior DL of all time

[CGI_Ram]

It’s a video.

View: http://www.nfl.com/videos/baldys-breakdowns/0ap3000001034038/Why-Aaron-Donald-is-the-greatest-interior-DL-of-all-time-Baldy-s-Breakdowns

 

[Riverumbbq]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JVOKfy4KuA&frags=pl%2Cwn

 

[jap]

Aaron Donald with his first full training camp in years? The Kraken! will be released numerous times this season to be sure! An NFL all-time seasonal sack record number of times? Stay tuned to #99!!!

 

[Corbin]

I love me some Aaron Donald but idk if he’s the greatest of all time after 5 years in the league? Nope. At the very least I think Merlin Olsen might have that title.

 

[12intheBox]

I love me some Aaron Donald but idk if he’s the greatest of all time after 5 years in the league? Nope. At the very least I think Merlin Olsen might have that title.

Nah. It’s time. AD is the greatest of all time. Comparing eras is always tough but we know as a general rule players are getting bigger, faster, and stronger. ADs domination at this level means more now than it ever would have historically.

Enjoy greatness.

 

[Corbin]

Nah. It’s time. AD is the greatest of all time. Comparing eras is always tough but we know as a general rule players are getting bigger, faster, and stronger. ADs domination at this level means more now than it ever would have historically.

Enjoy greatness.

When Donald hits 10x All Pro and 14x Pro Bowls I’ll consider him in the same as Merlin Olsen. Considering Merlin played from 62-76 and the started giving the AP DPOTY award in 72 I’d have to say he’d have probably gave 4-5 of this as well.

Considering technology and health techniques were totally different then. Your bound to get people who are bigger and stronger decades later.


Ohhh believe me I am enjoying greatness, just wouldn’t crown him after ONLY 5 seasons.

Ps this is coming from somebody who wasn’t even born by the time Olsen retired.

 

[badnews]

Aaron Donalds greatness kind of reminds me of being a kid in the 80s and watching the greatness of Mike Tyson in his day and even Jordan.
He just dominates in a way that makes him peerless.

Tyson and Jordan might not be the g.o.a.t.s of their sport, but there is no denying that they are in the conversation.
Same with AD.

 

[12intheBox]

When Donald hits 10x All Pro and 14x Pro Bowls I’ll consider him in the same as Merlin Olsen. Considering Merlin played from 62-76 and the started giving the AP DPOTY award in 72 I’d have to say he’d have probably gave 4-5 of this as well.

Considering technology and health techniques were totally different then. Your bound to get people who are bigger and stronger decades later.


Ohhh believe me I am enjoying greatness, just wouldn’t crown him after ONLY 5 seasons.

Ps this is coming from somebody who wasn’t even born by the time Olsen retired.

Not to take anything away from the older guys, but I would guess a guy like Brockers would have been all world from 62-76.

 

[1maGoh]

Not to take anything away from the older guys, but I would guess a guy like Brockers would have been all world from 62-76.

That's a great case for not comparing one generation hypothetical performance against another, but instead comparing each generation's performance against itself against the other generation (meaning, how much more dominant against today's competition is Donald than Merlin was against his own competition). That's what makes generational comparisons hard.

Time travel Brockers would destroy the NFL. Heck, time travel Claude Wroten wouldn't do too bad in the 60's. But the question really is, did Merlin dominate the run game the same way Donald can with disruptive negative yardage plays? In the pass sets he did get, was he bearing o-linemen as handily as Donald does? Did he take on double, triple, and (good God did you see that one play?) quadruple teams like Donald does?

I don't know the answers to those questions. Only the crypt keepers among us are old enough to know.

 

[PhillyRam]

When Donald hits 10x All Pro and 14x Pro Bowls I’ll consider him in the same as Merlin Olsen. Considering Merlin played from 62-76 and the started giving the AP DPOTY award in 72 I’d have to say he’d have probably gave 4-5 of this as well.

Considering technology and health techniques were totally different then. Your bound to get people who are bigger and stronger decades later.


Ohhh believe me I am enjoying greatness, just wouldn’t crown him after ONLY 5 seasons.

Ps this is coming from somebody who wasn’t even born by the time Olsen retired.

I came across the 76' NFCCG against the Vikings on YouTube. I remember the intro was about this being possibley Olsen's last game or last shot at a SB.

The game sucked, but it was cool watching that intro.

BTW, I remember watching that game as a 10 yr old, sitting in my Rams beanbag chair, and screaming when Bobby Bryant blocked that FG and returned it for a TD.

 

[Riverumbbq]

That's a great case for not comparing one generation hypothetical performance against another, but instead comparing each generation's performance against itself against the other generation (meaning, how much more dominant against today's competition is Donald than Merlin was against his own competition). That's what makes generational comparisons hard.

Time travel Brockers would destroy the NFL. Heck, time travel Claude Wroten wouldn't do too bad in the 60's. But the question really is, did Merlin dominate the run game the same way Donald can with disruptive negative yardage plays? In the pass sets he did get, was he bearing o-linemen as handily as Donald does? Did he take on double, triple, and (good God did you see that one play?) quadruple teams like Donald does?

I don't know the answers to those questions. Only the crypt keepers among us are old enough to know.

Merlin Olson is one of my favorite, if not my actual favorite all time Rams player. Thing is, as good as Merlin was, I don't remember him being as consistently dominant as is Aaron Donald today, although Merlin has the advantage of many more years as a player since Donald is still relatively young. You must remember that Merlin was also surrounded by 3 other members of the Fearsome Foursome for several of those years, where Donald has been getting it done with lesser talent along his DL. Dick Butkus called the Fearsome Foursome "the most dominant line in football history." Imagine Donald with the equivalent of a Deacon Jones working that line with him, and that is something which may eventually present itself one day in the future with a little luck.
Merlin Olson wasn't only a great player and team-mate, he also carried a reputation for being a very kind & caring human being throughout his life. jmo.

 

[Corbin]

Not to take anything away from the older guys, but I would guess a guy like Brockers would have been all world from 62-76.

That’s assuming he would have been, you’ll never know. I’ll go by facts and what is. Donald hadn’t even gotten half the accolades Merlin has.

This is the same argument people use to say LeBron is the GOAT in basketball.

I came across the 76' NFCCG against the Vikings on YouTube. I remember the intro was about this being possibley Olsen's last game or last shot at a SB.

The game sucked, but it was cool watching that intro.

BTW, I remember watching that game as a 10 yr old, sitting in my Rams beanbag chair, and screaming when Bobby Bryant blocked that FG and returned it for a TD.

I doubt he could have an impact on a game that mostly ran the ball back in those days compared to the pass happy league now. Ton of fewer opportunities now to acquire sacks and pressures.


That’s an interesting story, thank you for sharing it. I used to like the Vikings until stories here about the heartbreaks of our losses to them stopped my fondness of them. Bastards.

 

[Corbin]

:yess:



View: https://www.instagram.com/p/By25AM7AXk1/?igshid=ke8tw861kn7x

 

[tempests]

Merlin defined greatness in a way that had never been seen before. No one played at such a consistently high level for so long.

The other way of defining greatness is just laying waste to the playing field, which is how Donald does it. Merlin was always regarded at the top of his field, but he shared that pedestal with Joe Greene, Alan Page and Bob Lilly. At least for now, Aaron has no peers.

Regardless, I'd agree that the GOAT label after five years is premature. That's recency bias at play.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=332r8JK89io

 

[1maGoh]

That’s assuming he would have been, you’ll never know. I’ll go by facts and what is. Donald hadn’t even gotten half the accolades Merlin has.

This is the same argument people use to say LeBron is the GOAT in basketball.



I doubt he could have an impact on a game that mostly ran the ball back in those days compared to the pass happy league now. Ton of fewer opportunities now to acquire sacks and pressures.


That’s an interesting story, thank you for sharing it. I used to like the Vikings until stories here about the heartbreaks of our losses to them stopped my fondness of them. Bastards.

Did Olsen have similar quality in negative yardage run plays as Donald does? Donald is no slouch as a run defender.

 

[tklongball]

Never got to see Olsen play, as I started watching the Rams in 77 when I was 5, but Donald reminds me of watching guys like Lawrence Taylor, The Great One, Early Tyson, etc.

I watch games differently when AD is on the field. Instead of watching the play, I can't stop watching AD. I end up rewinding and re-watching plays multiple times, wondering how he won his match-up so quickly.

Few people in my life have made me change how I watch a sport when they are on the field, and he is one of them. To me that is greatness. Like LT, he just looks like he is playing against kids. I don't have any other way to describe it.

 

[jap]

Merlin had an altogether different role than Aaron. Merlin was the disruptive, super stud DT who stifled the rush and consistently occupied 2-3 blockers, allowing easier 1-on-1 matchups for his grateful pass rushing linemates.

Aaron is an interior pass rusher par excellence, electric quick off the snap, allowing him to gain leverage and split double blockers before his opponents can even get set. He is at his best when he can play with a good to super stud NT (e.g., Merlin Olsen) type.

 

[OldSchool]

He's great and on the way there but like others have said he's not there yet. I appreciate ya Baldy but the title for now belongs to Merlin.

 

[Corbin]

Did Olsen have similar quality in negative yardage run plays as Donald does? Donald is no slouch as a run defender.

Dude the sack wasn’t even a stat back then how the heck is negative yardage run plays going to be or using PFF?

 

[Corbin]

Also something to consider when comparing athletes of older generations to current athletes.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8COaMKbNrX0