Quote:Whats that drunk swim dance he does after every sack?
The knock on Branch, as several have pointed out, is that he can't seem to "bend the edge" on the outside, which is why most (all?) of his sacks have come from stunts. Earlier on in the season (I forget which game) this was highlighted by a particular play where he got around the tackle okay but couldn't seem to cut inside. To make up for it he started flailing his outside arm around like a windmill to try to propel himself inside to the quarterback. Instead he overshot bigtime and wound up behind the QB, and looked ridiculous in the process.
I remember several fans making fun of him for it and calling him "The Windmill." Big Cat Country pointed it out I recall . I'm sure Andre took some flack over it from his teammates as well. I always thought of this celebration/dance as Branch making fun of himself, or maybe making fun of his critics by saying "Yea, I did the windmill that one time, but I just got a sack."
EDIT: Just thought I'd add, it might not be this at all, but it makes sense.
Whatever it is I think we'd all like to see him do it four times a game. But that's just aspirations
Quote:If any defense allows for multiple speed rushers is ours
Clowney is more than just a speed rusher. He can do it with speed, power, or just using his moves, + is a good run stopper. Complete package.
Quote:Clowney is more than just a speed rusher. He can do it with speed, power, or just using his moves, + is a good run stopper. Complete package.
Agreed and I wasnt saying it to be diminutive . I should say "4 LEOs" because that would be Clowney's likely role in this defense.
I started thinking of who I'm most excited to watch next year and kept coming back to Branch. He's gonna be a beast.
Quote:I started thinking of who I'm most excited to watch next year and kept coming back to Branch. He's gonna be a beast.
I hope you're right. He did improve this season. Some of his pressures and sacks were a credit to him and a few more were a credit to the scheme/stunt by Babich/Bradley/Wash. Nonetheless - Wash commented that he was learning to bend a bit more and developing a few new moves - so it appears he's still capable of getting better.
Like a number of Jags - Perhaps he was just drafted a bit too soon. Sometimes it takes a few years.
Perfect example --
http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/stats/_/id...or-galette
Branch still sucks, all of his sacks were stunts where no one touched him.
Quote:Branch still sucks, all of his sacks were stunts where no one touched him.
They were running the same stunts earlier in the year and he wasn't getting home. He improved later in the season. Is that not progress?
Quote:They were running the same stunts earlier in the year and he wasn't getting home. He improved as the season progressed. Is that not progress?
Is that a rhetorical question?
Quote:Is that a rhetorical question?
It was once I smoothed out the awkward syntax.
Sorta.
Quote:It was once I smoothed out the awkward syntax.
Sorta.
Perhaps the better question is "Could Swaggie determine if it was, in fact, progress?"
Branch was one of the teams captains towards the end of the year in some games
A lot of his sacks were stunts..but not all. He beat Duane Brown fair and square for a sack
Quote:A lot of his sacks were stunts..but not all. He beat Duane Brown fair and square for a sack
Yep I remember that one as well. And DB ain't no slouch.
Quote:Branch still sucks, all of his sacks were stunts where no one touched him.
Anyone who manages 6 sacks in the NFL doesn't "suck" even if he got 4 of them from stunts.
He hasn't earned his draft position just yet - but his coaches say he's improving and he seems to have the tools to get better. If he can be a rotational end behind a stud LEO and get us 8 or 9 sacks a year - I'd be OK with that. And I think it's very possible.
Quote:Anyone who manages 6 sacks in the NFL doesn't "suck" even if he got 4 of them from stunts.
He hasn't earned his draft position just yet - but his coaches say he's improving and he seems to have the tools to get better. If he can be a rotational end behind a stud LEO and get us 8 or 9 sacks a year - I'd be OK with that. And I think it's very possible.
Telling me that he's good after getting 4 of his 6 sacks where nobody touched him is like saying Gabbert is good in practice when theirs no defense covering his WRs.
Quote:Telling me that he's good after getting 4 of his 6 sacks where nobody touched him is like saying Gabbert is good in practice when theirs no defense covering his WRs.
He's using his speed to get to the spot that is being created by the stunt. It's not as if the other team has just decided not to block him.