(12-29-2024, 11:36 PM)sandwedge Wrote: I would like a LBer that fills in a gap and knocks the snot out of ball carriers.

Those are all great attributes, but my guess is that being decent vs the pass is number one.

He has fewer tackles for loss, sacks, or passes defensed than Mike Hilton, although he does have more forced fumbles (2/yr.)
Pratt is very solid and fills well against the run... and that's about it. He doesn't blitz well or cover well. He is not quite a sideline to sideline guy. With Wilson out the green dot went to Davis-Gaither, not Pratt. In may ways he's a perfect player for Lou, he plays well when everyone else around him is playing well, but he doesn't jump off the screen. So my guess is that fans want to upgrade at OLB just like they want to upgrade all over the defense.. and Pratt doesn't play so well for so little that an upgrade isn't an unrealistic expectation.

(12-30-2024, 12:01 AM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: Missed tackles is a counting stat. Compare his missed tackle rank to his snaps played rank and you get a better idea. And since we played early this week, our numbers are in but the Sunday/MNF games are not. 

He's played a ton of snaps (1,020). Before the Sunday games are processed, Pratt was 3rd in snaps via PFF among 183 rated LBs. He was 3rd in tackles. He was 176th/183 in missed tackles. 

He is in line with his snaps. He is just a smidge below median amongst LBs. Rated as a good run stopper but below average in coverage. 

He is not a 3 down player anymore, if he ever was. But we kind of have a problem. With Wilson out, yanking Pratt means a 3rd safety (Bell) who got benched this year or playing Ngomgmeya or Heyward (Bachie is also out). Anderson has zero D snaps and I don't think Anthony has had any since the Chiefs game. An extra CB makes sense, but we are down Hill & Turner already, and pass D is not Hilton's strength. Despite this, Ivey & Wilson seem to be getting a handful of snaps per game. 

Overall, after this year, I'd rate DT, DE, S as more pressing needs than LB. IOL as well. TE1, too. 

That said, if Campbell is sitting there Rd2, probably bite if we successfully hit the trenches hard in FA.

Other than QB1, WR1, DE1, RB1, LT, & RT and maybe C, I think we couod use upgrades or reinforcements everywhere. There is no way we can get to all of it. We are gonna have to live with a couple warts next year.

 

I only posted the missed tackle stats because people were discussing it earlier in the tread from a different source.  But that ranking was tied with one other player that also played earlier and as of today he is still tied for 2nd per PFR.  Then I went ahead and added a few other PFR stats for the heck of it. I did notice his missed tackle percentage increased from last year (but noted lower than others with similar missed tackles) and also included his high ranking for solo and combined tackles.  I have made no comment on if I think Pratt should get cut or not or my feelings about him overall.   I simply posted those PFR rankings and stats because others were discussing them. For clarity I should have quoted those people in my response.

(12-29-2024, 07:39 PM)bfine32 Wrote: It's like they say: "50 atta boys, is eliminated by 1 oh shit".

Pratt is solid and he is dependable. Of Course, he can be upgraded, but every player with the last name Burrow, Chase, or Hendrickson, can be. 

How quickly folks forget his clutch pick to end a 30 year playoff win drought...

I've always liked Pratt, but he does have 19 missed tackles this season.
Last year he had 14, the year before he had just 6.
Super Bowl year though he had 15.

Someone else had brought up Geno Stone missing tackles.
Stone has missed 17 tackles this year, 15 the year before with BAL.
Seems the team was willing to accept the missed tackles in favor of (hopefully) more turnovers.

Both Pratt and Stone have missed quite a number of tackles.

(12-29-2024, 01:00 PM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: Not really. He’ll be going into his age 29 season. We saw Burfict’s game drop off a cliff right around that same age (actually a little before).

Burfict had how many concussions? Those ended his career.

(12-29-2024, 01:24 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Of course, Burfict had microfracture surgery to his knee. That surgery is known to be a career shortener. 

Forgot about that, I thought it was all concussions.

(12-30-2024, 11:04 AM)Whatever Wrote: How quickly folks forget his clutch pick to end a 30 year playoff win drought...

Dude there are those who was wiped out the complete time period from 21-23.

WTS, I acknowledged in the OP that Pratt is having a down year, but as they say "he has skins". It's not like we're breaking the bank on the guy.

Can he be upgraded? Yes. Is that upgrade coming cheap? No. 

The missed tackles this year are troubling, but as many have said. It appears he's more interested in stripping than tackling. That should take a good coach about 1 practice to fix. 

Now I do like the Mondon kid outta UGA. Wouldn't mind bringing him in and letting him play when Wilson gets hurt next year. 

(12-30-2024, 12:34 PM)PCB Bengal Fan Wrote: Forgot about that, I thought it was all concussions.

I remember Dr Chow talking about it on Sirius when it happened. He said dudes who get it usually return to form but seldom last long. 

(12-30-2024, 12:34 PM)PCB Bengal Fan Wrote: Forgot about that, I thought it was all concussions.

I mean, getting super fat and slow towards the end certainly didn’t help. He played at a high level through a lot of the concussions.