Mychal Kendricks is as good as gone. He may be able to trade testimony or something to avoid prison (probably not), but at the very least he'll be suspended indefinitely.
I won't bother with the details-you'll get all those, but just color him gone.
Ah, quit throwing your hands up with this "same old Browns" crap they paid him chump-change for one year, and how were they supposed to see this coming?
I can't wait til some idiot says "Dorsey should have known." You know somebody will, right?
I'll leave you to wallow in this catostrophic disaster while I work on what matters:
Obviously, this means a linebacker who was going to get cut will make it, and also that Genard Avery will get more playing time (he and Kendricks are very similar; redundant, really).
Let's check out the depth chart:
We know that Schobert, Collins, Kirksey and Avery will make it, and I can certainly give James Burgess a great shot. That's five.
Currie Sheldon Grace I don't know these guys.
Nate Orchard could get new life!
Hear me out: Schobert, Kirksey, Burgess, Collins and Avery all fit in every scheme, but only Collins and Avery are 3-4 edge-rushers (*although Gregg has been using Garrett there a little, and Ogbah has already played the position--decently)...
For some reason I've cooled on Orchard again. I was going to say he's the only guy left who can/has played both SAM in a 4-3 and OLB in a 3-4, but Ogbah and Garrett are now two more who can stand up in a 3-4.
I still give Nate a slightly better shot due to his credible experience at linebacker and passrushing potential.
Jermaine Grace is listed at 6'1", 209 lbs. He has to be safetybacker depth and a special teamer.
Justin Currie is similar. I hadn't noticed this before: This is a Gregg Williams thing--he asked Dorsey to stock up on these "lb/ss" hybrids! I'll have to investigate this further!
Brady Sheldon lists at 6'5", 218 wow! What's goin on here?
Sheldon wasn't invited to his combine, but his combine numbers make him look strong safety-like. The 7.07 3-cone is so-so, but he's 6'5".
More on Sheldon here: He's a safetybacker, allright!
Ourlads still lists CJ Bello (like Burgess), but I thought I saw Bello on that list of cuts last week (might be back on practice squad though).
But now I'm fixated on why all the new free agent linebackers are safety/linebacker hybrids. Gregg already had two in Peppers and Kindred.
Well obviously Gregg Williams isn't going to "downsize" that much.
These are "bottom of the roster guys, and they all look like good special teams' players.
Interesting...Garrett (and I assume Ogbah) standing up sometimes. Kendricks is gone now, but until then Gregg has two James Harrisons in Avery and him. Collins can play 3-4 OLB too, so Gregg had five and still has four.
In Kirksey, Burgess, and Schobert he has the inside of both schemes covered, but for a 3-4 you really should have four active...
But of course Gregg's not "selling out" for either scheme. He just wants to be able to run both, based on situations and matchups.
For Gregg, he uses that safetybacker a lot, so three "normal" inside linebackers should be adequate, since he'll be using Peppers and Kindred as linebackers as well.
Then, of course (redundancy alert) in today's NFL, the nickel is the real base defense (at least 66.3% of the time).
Gregg was ahead of the curve here.
I confess that I don't fully grasp Gregg's safetybacker myself, but I know that he's a strong safety who blitzes (inside) a lot, and a linebacker who has exceptional speed and range.
Kindred did it last year, until he got hurt. Peppers actually did a lot of the same stuff for Harbaugh in college too.
Gregg Williams almost always "sends" four (passrushers), and as often as not sends five.
The first four are kinda built in. The fifth passrusher (if we look at 2017) was often Kindred (inside) until he got hurt, then Briean Boddy-Calhoun (again inside).
You should see why Calhoun is working at free safety this season now. He's excellent in coverage, but also impressive vs the run.
But I digress: two of these "safetybackers" will probably get axed, but one should make it (and Bello might be back).
Don't go by the book on this roster.
Williams' defense kinda resembles the Seahawks defense from 2-6 years ago (when they were elite). Chancellor was their safetybacker.
Gregg can do what he wants in 2018, because he's (suddenly) eyeball deep in press/man cornerbacks (and safetybackers).
The press/man corner deprives the quarterback of a quick target and (usually) forces his receiver outside, so that he (the corner) remains between the quarterback and receiver as he pursues him. He's also big/fast enough to keep up with (and maintain inside leverage on) the receiver, while forcing him toward the sideline.
With two of these press/man guys, Gregg Williams can take a lot more calculated risks (be more aggressive).
In 2017 (to his credit) Gregg played softer coverages and a lot of "vanilla" stuff to minimize the damage. He made the most of what he had.
In 2018, he has everything he could have hoped for, and can't wait for the Steelers on opening day.
And oh yeah: That "safetybacker" is partly there to stifle guys like Laveon Belle (McCoy Brown Johnson too).
THIS JUST IN: Kendricks is a GMF officially.
Told ya!
Stand by for "desperate need at linebacker" articles in the wake of this, but I've already told you why that's bullshit (you're welcome).
The sack contest is now Avery vs Garrett. Let the games begin.
THIS JUST IN from Tom Blair. This is one of the best articles I've ever read. Click that link, right now, period.
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