Your Opinions Of Willis and Smith

[*ochocincos*]

(08-25-2017, 01:18 PM)Synric Wrote: Down and distance lol. If you can't stop the run teams are put in more favorable positions. Basic football. 

I get that, but that doesn't mean you have to have all your DEs be good run defenders and pass rush is just a bonus. You can have a mix of both.

I think we would all agree we shouldn't be playing MJ on third down, correct? He's not a good rusher. If he actually is still good at defending the run (can someone provide proof? I'm not finding any), he should only be used in early down situations or where the likelihood of running is high.

The thing is the Bengals don't have any edge rushing threats outside of Dunlap, Willis, and Lawson. MJ is not a threat. Clarke, while showing a bit of optimism last year but nothing so far this preseason, might also not be a threat. If an injury happens to one of our three pass rushers, that area drastically declines.

Also, Dunlap is clearly going to be a 3-down player unless he needs a breather. So only one spot needs another run defender. Willis was a solid stack and shed defender in college, so I expect he will be solid in run defense in the NFL too. I actually believe he was selected before Lawson because he was a more complete player whereas Lawson is strictly an edge rusher (right now). So don't think that the Bengals have no run defenders if MJ and Clarke aren't on this team.

If you want to keep Clarke or MJ to give yourself more confidence in the run game, fine. But don't keep Smith off the roster because you greatly value run defense vs pass rush. The NFL is still becoming more and more about pass rush and defending the pass rather than stuffing the box to prevent the run. The AFC North isn't even really a ground and pound division anymore. Le'Veon Bell is more of a threat running outside and catching passes than he is between the tackles. The Ravens' aren't a ground-and-pound running team anymore. Crowell is the closest thing to a true between-the-tackles ground game, but even he didn't amass 1000 rushing yards. The Browns have been putting more emphasis on their RBs catching passes too, so they are going away from a traditional run game.