Germaine Pratt

[*SHRacerX*]

(12-24-2021, 03:27 PM)Cat-Man Wrote: I thought Bailey came in and played really well.  I was watching him closely.  He's a little undersized, but he makes up for it with his speed and football instincts.  He was taking some really good angles and wasn't getting caught up in the middle of the flow.  If he could just stay healthy. 

The single greatest impact I have seen from a LB in stripes was.....


any guesses?



It wasn't Burfict.  Although he was a special player at one time....



It was O'dell Thurman.  He really only got extensive playing time his rookie season before an alcohol addiction ruined his career.  But, wow....that rookie year.  He had 5 INTs and 5 forced fumbles.  Dude was so versatile.  Fast.  Instinctive.  Sure, he would get caught in overpursuit, but he was so immediate in his reads and reaction.  

I bring him up because of your "undersized" comment.  Thurman was all of 6' and 230 lbs.  He absolutely laid the wood when he hit people.  Today's top LBs aren't built like Maualuga, who probably could have been a legend if he played in the 70s (and also laid off booze), but today's LBs are really like big safeties.  They have to be able to run, first and foremost.  

Sure, it is different if you are playing a 3-4 and you are talking about an edge rusher, but still.