(07-08-2019, 03:45 PM)NCJag Wrote: Brian Smith, Brent Hawkins, Jorge Cordova, Larry Hart....man I remember us trying to find that "Designated Pass Rusher" for YEARS!

Of your list, Hawkins and Cordova (ironically the first generation of DPR's) had the most success in that role until John Chick & Ryan Davis came to town (mentioned below). The biggest mistake this franchise made with Hawkins was trying to convert him to LB during the offseason; he was thriving in his DPR role as a rotational guy off the bench, and they were looking for ways to get him on the field (which makes sense) but having him cut weight and play a brand new position meant that by the time the project was scrapped he's now undersized for his DPR role and hasn't been repping at the spot for months which puts him wayyyy behind the rest of the guys competing for spots. I think Hawkins had a Bobby McCray like celing for us if we had just left him well enough alone and kept him at DPR [for the record i'm VERY glad we're having Josh Allen ONLY rep at the DE spot until he's fully comfortable to digest more as far as the Defense and his own role/responsibilities go]

John Chick, Ryan Davis (the two I mentioned above to add to your list) having the most success in that role (Chick was an animal until that career ending leg injury) & Davis could rush from all over the line and was the key cog in "The Lightning Package" that was the famed "3 LEO set" beloved by Gus Bradley.


As far as Clint Ingram ... He was FAR from "bad" ... The reason he didn't stick around was that he wanted to be a starter, he was already playing limited snaps due to the 3rd CB replacing the SLB in Nickel sets; & with Daryl Smith & Justin Durant having EARNED 2/3 starting spots by this point, the writing was on the wall that we would likely add another LB [& he was right ... after the Raiders took a LB #4 overall, Rolando McClain, they just handed us their incumbent starter Kirk Morrison, who was coming off a career year, in order to swap picks in the mid rounds]. Ingram took a short term deal with the Saints who were coming off a Super Bowl, and aside from Vilma had no standouts at LB, it was a good deal for Ingram to go to a contending team where he had a better shot at starting (And after Morrisons contract expired the next offseason we added yet another LB ... and his name was Paul Posluszny!! so I have zero qualms with the way things worked out lol)

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