(04-27-2021, 05:19 AM)Bullseye Wrote:

(04-27-2021, 02:19 AM)TheO-LineMatters Wrote: I absolutely, 100% couldn't disagree more. Let's look at the current 3-4 base teams and look at their D-Lines. 

NE- Lawrence Guy, Davon Godchaux, Henry Anderson

Ari- J.J. Watt, Rashard Lawrence, Zach Allen

Balt- Derek Wolfe, Brandon Williams, Calais Campbell

Chi- Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman, Bilal Nichols

Den- Dre'Mont Jones, Mike Purcell, Shelby Harris

GB- Dean Lowry, Kenny Clark, Kingsley Keke

Hou- Vincent Taylor, Maliek Collins, Charles Omenihu

LAR- Michael Hoecht, Sebastian Joseph Day, Aaron Donald

Mia- Christian Wilkins, Zach Sieler, Raekwon Davis

NYG- Dexter Lawrence, Danny Shelton, Leonard Williams

Pitt- Stephon Tuitt, Tyson Alualu, Cameron Heyward

TB- Ndamukong Suh, Vita Vea, William Gholston

Tenn- Jeffrey Simmons, Teair Tart, Denico Autry


I'm not seeing a lot of star players. I see J.J. Watt, Akiem Hicks, Aaron Donald, Leonard Williams, Stephon Tuitt and Ndamukong Suh. Baltimore and Green Bay are seemingly always in the playoffs and they don't have a star D-Lineman. Denico Autry was a very good pass rusher for Indy, but he is changing systems and who knows what he will be in a 3-4 scheme? Calais Campbell was a star in a 4-3 scheme, but since moving to a 3-4 he had his lowest sack total since his rookie year. The pass rush is generated via the OLB's and the DE's and NT are there to stop the run. We have excellent run stoppers up front now. Brown is tremendous. I'm supper excited to see DaVon Hamilton in a 3-4 and we spent a lot of money on Robertson Harris. Add to that all the depth we have with Smoot, Costin and Ward and I see a very good rotation that is as good as any on this list. We can succeed with what we have now. There is no reason to believe otherwise.

3-4 defenses really aren't designed for the linemen to put up big sack numbers.  Typically, the DL are unselfish, and are tasked with occupying blockers so the LBs can make the plays.

As for you assessment of the players on those teams, I would say Lawrence Guy is very good.  Also, while Cincy is not running a 3-4, they got DJ Reader last year from Houston.  Reader is outstanding.  Furthermore, the Rams managed to keep Michael Brockers.  Brockers is a good 3-4 DL.

Exactly, so why do we need a pass rushing difference maker on the D-Line? I think we are more than capable of being a good defensive team with a D-Line of Hamilton, Brown and Robertson-Harris. I totally believe we need to focus on getting another OLB. Right now, we just have Allen and Chaisson with virtually nothing behind them. Allen is coming off injury and Chaisson was a huge disappointment in 2020. I don't see a pass rushing difference maker on the D-Line in this draft anyway.

To me, Guy's name says it all. He's just a guy. He's never had more than 4.5 sacks in a year. He's not a pass rushing difference maker. Reader was a NT and he has never had over 2.5 sacks. flgatorsandjags was specifically sighting that we needed a pass rusher on the D-Line, so that is what I was focusing on for current NFL 3-4 teams. Brockers was too inconsistent to call him a pass rushing difference maker. He went from 4.5 sacks in 2017 to 1 in 2018 to 3 in 2019 to 5 in 2020. Not to mention that he had the benefit of playing opposite the best defensive player in the NFL, Aaron Darnold.

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