Fowler was quoted last offseason as saying he was misused in the defense and prefers to rush from a stand up (2 point) stance. He's plenty athletic and played the position (and all over the front) at UF. With Jack moving inside full time due to Poz's retirement. Is it possible to see Fowler be the answer at SLB to get on the field with a logjam of good pass rushers on the Dline? Coughlin teams have done similar things before like having Matthias Kiwanuka play SLB during their 2007 superbowl run, since Strahan, Umenyiora, and Tuck took most of the DE reps.
Are we that confident in Blair Brown? Are we going to draft a replacement early? are we going to just run a base nickel defense?
If this was announced as the plan how receptive would you be to it?
I'd love it. I've always seen Fowler as more of a pass rushing LB, than a DE. Any time we can have Calais Campbell, Yannick Ngakoue, and Dante Fowler on the field at the same time, that's a big advantage for us.
It would certainly make sense to try out this year. He can play SLB and slide to DE on Nickel packages.
Would be an interesting. Nice topic !!
You may be onto something here. I like it.
Can he cover if he needs to?
I'm about it. Definitely worth a try out. Although a certain poster will be here soon enough to squash our dreams by telling us that taking an already athletically challenged player and making him have to play in space will only take him kore out of his element.
He was a :LB rusher in college so I say yes. Let him use that speed coming off the edge.
I'm all for it. Make a back pick him up instead of a tackle.
(03-18-2018, 11:35 PM)TrivialPursuit Wrote: [ -> ]Can he cover if he needs to?
He might have some pass coverage in his overall game considering he was used "all over the field" in college. I wouldn't call it a strength if he does, but as a front-seven player he was considered extremely atheletic coming out of college which is why he was selected so high.
Here's some quotes from his nfl.com profile.
Quote:First-team All-SEC...voted team and defensive MVP and was a captain for his final season. ...Well-built, athletic frame with very long arms. Has transformed body since coming in, losing 25 pounds while adding substantial explosiveness in space. Versatile -- was moved around field for Gators. ...Has hips and feet to change direction seamlessly. ...Bounced all over the field. Raw pass rusher. ...Draft Projection: Round 1 (top 10) ...Sources Tell Us:"He's had to play at different weights and different spots on the field, and I think he's finally understanding how to use his athleticism to dominate a game. He will be way better in the pros than what he is now." ...Bottom Line: Strong-side 3-4 outside linebacker with the physical traits...to set the edge. ...has a Pro Bowl ceiling with double-digit sack potential.
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Completely stupid. He was drafted 3rd overall as a defensive end if he can’t do that he is a bust and might as well trade him considering teams are in nickel 80% of the game. Yeah he would be considered another Gator failure.
I don't know what his current weight is (he's listed at 261 but that was his rookie weight I believe). If he went to play SLB on a regular basis he'd probably need to lose 10 lbs or so to help reduce fatigue due to playing more in space.
We don't use a SLB for pass rushing. In pass rush situations, we don't even have a SLB on the field.
So, if we want to move Fowler to SLB, that's fine, but it has nothing to do with rushing the passer.
He'd just be an OLB that doesn't rush the passer except maybe in Nickel situations where he can be an edge rushing DE. Unless he's blitzing.
I like the idea, he’d be a scary sight for opposition running backs!
But at the same time they might think it pays to have as many quality players available for the defensive line as possible, so they can rotate and refresh it without a drop-off in quality.
Fowler is an OLB on a 3-4 team. To see him truly shine, we would need to change our entire defense.
(03-19-2018, 08:07 AM)Dimson Wrote: [ -> ]Fowler is an OLB on a 3-4 team. To see him truly shine, we would need to change our entire defense.
Not really. The original "OTTO" position calls for a pass rushing SLB, and Todd Wash knows all about it. We've merley gotten away from the role in our defense as nobody successfully picked it up. In other words, it's a position already built into the Seattle scheme which our defense is based on.
(03-19-2018, 09:01 AM)Jags02 Wrote: [ -> ] (03-19-2018, 08:07 AM)Dimson Wrote: [ -> ]Fowler is an OLB on a 3-4 team. To see him truly shine, we would need to change our entire defense.
Not really. The original "OTTO" position calls for a pass rushing SLB, and Todd Wash knows all about it. We've merley gotten away from the role in our defense as nobody successfully picked it up. In other words, it's a position already built into the Seattle scheme which our defense is based on.
The SLB plays on 1st down, and on short yardage. The SLB isn't on the field on passing downs. It's nickle defense in that situation. No SLB on the field.
So it makes no sense to line up Fowler as a SLB and have him rush the passer. That's not what the SLB does.
(03-19-2018, 09:01 AM)Jags02 Wrote: [ -> ] (03-19-2018, 08:07 AM)Dimson Wrote: [ -> ]Fowler is an OLB on a 3-4 team. To see him truly shine, we would need to change our entire defense.
Not really. The original "OTTO" position calls for a pass rushing SLB, and Todd Wash knows all about it. We've merley gotten away from the role in our defense as nobody successfully picked it up. In other words, it's a position already built into the Seattle scheme which our defense is based on.
That is his Ideal defense. I am not saying change the defense for one player. You can't tell me Fowler wouldn't shine on a 34 base defense.
I don't hate the idea. But if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Lol