I've accidentally dissed some new Browns players while defending others that are being dissed, so I need to catch up with local media in discussing guys who are shining in Camp right now.
Dan Justik followed up on a Terry Pluto mention of 5th round pick LB Mack Wilson, who, by all accounts, is looking good (maybe better than expected) so far.
Wilson is an off-the-ball linebacker who excels in coverage.
Unlike Jermaine Whitehead, who is so far the designated safety/linebacker hybrid, Wilson is a real linebacker (6'1", 240 lbs).
...I'm sorry, but if Wilson keeps this up, he makes a Schobert trade almost certain. Schobert is in the final year of his rookie deal, was not drafted by Dorsey, is not as critical in Steve Wilks' scheme as he was in Gregg Williams' scheme, and led the NFL in missed tackles in 2018, so......
Anyway, Whitehead and Wilson are scoring a lot of points right now.
Whitehead will be challenged by new draft pick Redwine, while Mack Wilson is directly in Kirksey's and Schobert's face.
My last post still applies. I still expect that Wilks will field a "Big Nickel" a lot (with the 5th DB being a blitzer and run-stopper), and (more often than not) a 4-man front.
In my last post, I called Takitaki and Avery the two real linebackers who would fit best here (and explained parts of "zone coverage" and stuff).
That's still valid, but this whole Mack Wilson thing slides right in there (sorry guys):
Defenses have to match up, player-to-player, as well as they can on each and every down. Takitaki and Avery might be the "default" linebackers in the real base defense, but vs two tight ends, or certain elite tight ends, or certain scary passcatching running backs, you need a Mack Wilson, and need to delete a Takitaki or an Avery.
Understand this: Steve Wilks and Gregg Williams are different people. They agree on most stuff generally, but differ on 20-25% of this stuff fundamentally, and now the players Steve Wilks has are very different than those Gregg Williams had.
If you would focus on the exact words out of the COACH's mouths like I do, you would understand that Jermaine Whitehead is "running" the defense.
In time, it would perhaps dawn on you that this "Big Nickel" is the real base defense, and that the LB/S hybrid player is essentially a "starter".
Eventually, it might dawn on you that the linbacker position here isn't a big deal, and that NONE of them needs to get massively overpaid if he can fetch a third round draft pick instead...
But I digress: Mack Wilson matches Schobert in coverage, and is a better tackler. He is dirt-cheap and locked up for 4 years.
If Steve Wilks wants a "Field General", it obviously doesn't have to be a MIKE, and for Wilks, linebackers who lead the NFL in blown tackles need not apply.
...Err...you guys know that shut-down cornerbacks are different, right?
Why do I bother okbye
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