1/27 Mock

[AsthmaField]

Originally Posted by robert70x7

Money isn't an issue.

I don't think he means that we can't do it... he means it wouldn't be smart to do it.

SLB in Monte Kiffin's scheme isn't a position that you throw big money at. It is easy to fill that position, and for all intents and purposes, it is never filled with a guy who is the size of Kiffin's DE's. Those are smaller, athletic guys with change of direction skills and who excel in coverage.

If we pay Spencer, he will be the SDE.

[Rack Bauer]

Originally Posted by AsthmaField

I don't think he means that we can't do it... he means it wouldn't be smart to do it.

SLB in Monte Kiffin's scheme isn't a position that you throw big money at. It is easy to fill that position, and for all intents and purposes, it is never filled with a guy who is the size of Kiffin's DE's. Those are smaller, athletic guys with change of direction skills and who excel in coverage.

If we pay Spencer, he will be the SDE.

[MichaelWinicki]

Nice mock Robert!

A lot of thought put into it.

But I agree with the other folks, that Spencer would either be a 4-3 DE or not be on the team.

When Dallas was running a 4-3, the linebackers in general were the "low men on the totem pole" when it came to salary. I can't conceive of Dallas paying Spencer say $7 mil a year as an outside linebacker.

And quite frankly given the needs of the position I don't see Spencer being a good fit as a 4-3 OLBer. Not fast enough. Too bulky.

[MichaelWinicki]

Originally Posted by jterrell

yes, it darn sure is.

we can't pay spencer what he's worth if he is a SOLB.

our SOLB will make a couple mil per year at most, not 8-10.

True.

When Dallas was running a 4-3, it was the linebacking corps that made the least amount of money.

The big money went to the defensive line and the secondary.

[AsthmaField]

Originally Posted by MichaelWinicki

True.

When Dallas was running a 4-3, it was the linebacking corps that made the least amount of money.

The big money went to the defensive line and the secondary.

And bingo was his name-o.

'Sup Mike.

[DFWJC]

Originally Posted by MichaelWinicki

True.

When Dallas was running a 4-3, it was the linebacking corps that made the least amount of money.

The big money went to the defensive line and the secondary.

Yes, they generally paid the linebackers less. Or if they stood to make the really big bucks, they let them walk.
Ken Norton and Robert Jones were setting tackling records in that scheme.

To be fair though, that 4-3 is not the Kiffin 4-3.

In any case, I agree that paying big dollars to a third LB when we already will evenutally be paying Lee and Carter, is probably not a reasonable option.

[PullMyFinger]

Originally Posted by supercowboy8

It would be a mistake to keep spencer and not franchise and trade him.
Like all the picks except for the first and last. I;m not high on Ziggy like others are. Also no thanks to the honey badger. I don't want a dumb druggy on my team.

^^^This^^^

[xwalker]

Originally Posted by supercowboy8

It would be a mistake to keep spencer and not franchise and trade him.
Like all the picks except for the first and last. I;m not high on Ziggy like others are. Also no thanks to the honey bager. I don't want a dumb druggy on my team.

Just curious how often this happens? Do you have some examples of non-QBs being franchised and then traded?

I'm not saying that it does not happen, just curious to find examples.

I would be happy with a 4th round pick vs nothing.

[Mr_Bill]

Originally Posted by MichaelWinicki

Nice mock Robert!

A lot of thought put into it.

But I agree with the other folks, that Spencer would either be a 4-3 DE or not be on the team.

When Dallas was running a 4-3, the linebackers in general were the "low men on the totem pole" when it came to salary. I can't conceive of Dallas paying Spencer say $7 mil a year as an outside linebacker.

And quite frankly given the needs of the position I don't see Spencer being a good fit as a 4-3 OLBer. Not fast enough. Too bulky.

If Spencer is not fast enough and is too bulky, how did he manage to thrive within the previous system? On early downs, when the offense was not forced into a passing situation, but passed anyways, the Cowboys usually rushed 4, and Spencer was usually in coverage.

Allow me to reiterate my suggestion. Have Spencer play SLB in non-passing situations, where the offense does not have 3 wides. Move him up to DE in passing situations, or when the offense has a passing set.

In addition, people have been wondering who will back up Ware, when he needs a break. Why not Spencer? So, who backs up Spencer? Albright.

I will grant that all of this responsibility might not be enough to justify a contract offer (or franchise tag) for Spencer. But, I believe he is fully qualified to handle it. More so than I think he could handle strong-side DE on a full-time basis.

[Future]

Originally Posted by xwalker

They say he was 19 when he arrived at BYU. That was in 2009.
2009: 19
2010: 20
2011: 21
2012: 22

He should be either 22 or 23.

He turned 23 in May, which would make him 24 when next season rolls around.

[jterrell]

Originally Posted by Mr_Bill

If Spencer is not fast enough and is too bulky, how did he manage to thrive within the previous system? On early downs, when the offense was not forced into a passing situation, but passed anyways, the Cowboys usually rushed 4, and Spencer was usually in coverage.

Allow me to reiterate my suggestion. Have Spencer play SLB in non-passing situations, where the offense does not have 3 wides. Move him up to DE in passing situations, or when the offense has a passing set.

In addition, people have been wondering who will back up Ware, when he needs a break. Why not Spencer? So, who backs up Spencer? Albright.

I will grant that all of this responsibility might not be enough to justify a contract offer (or franchise tag) for Spencer. But, I believe he is fully qualified to handle it. More so than I think he could handle strong-side DE on a full-time basis.

That's like marrying Selma Hayek because she can cook.

Spencer is an 8-10m a yr type guy. You don't play those guys at Sam LB.
You also don't ask a 10m per year guy to learn three different positions.

He physically can do it but it isn't his strength. He can set the edge versus the run and rush the passer both at high levels. Short area coverage was his least quality skill.

Ernie Sims is a better short area coverage guy at 1.2 mil.

[xwalker]

Originally Posted by Future

He turned 23 in May, which would make him 24 when next season rolls around.

I couldn't find a birth date for him. My assumption was that he arrived on campus in the Fall. If he turned 23 in May 2012, then he must have arrived on campus in the Spring of 2009.

It could be a little bit like the situation with some of the Cuban and other non-US baseball players. Sometimes nobody really knows their exact age.

I don't worry too much about age in terms of being too old for a 2nd contract. My issue is if you're projecting a player to get bigger/stronger, it is more likely that a 26 year old is closer to his physical peak than a 21 year old.

Since Ansah is already 270+ lbs and appears to be very strong, I'm not too worried about him. The Bears Strong-Side DE is 6-6, 275.

If the Cowboys were still running the 3-4 and Ansah was being projected to 3-4 DE, then he would probably need to be about 290+ lbs which might bring age into the thought process.

Age could be an issue for Margus Hunt. He projects well to a 3-4 DE, but at 280 he needs to add 15 to 20 pounds. Even as a Strong-Side 4-3 DE, he is probably underweight relative to his height.

Taller players generally need more weight to offset their leverage disadvantage. A DLineman that is 6-1, 285 is normally more difficult to drive off the line of scrimmage on a running play than a player that is 6-8, 285.

.

[xwalker]

Originally Posted by jterrell

That's like marrying Selma Hayek because she can cook.

Great analogy!

[Mr_Bill]

Originally Posted by xwalker

Great analogy!

When I look at the diagrams of Kiffin's 4-3 under, and I look at snaps of the Tampa defense under Kiffin, then compare them to photos from last year, I see zero difference in where Spencer lines up. If there is a difference in responsibility, please point it out to me. No kidding! I am open to enlightenment and persuasion.

Now, if you bring up the 4-3 over front, there is a big difference, and I can see how Spencer might not be the best choice there. So, how often does Kiffin use that front?

[Mr_Bill]

Originally Posted by jterrell

That's like marrying Selma Hayek because she can cook.

Spencer is an 8-10m a yr type guy. You don't play those guys at Sam LB.
You also don't ask a 10m per year guy to learn three different positions.

He physically can do it but it isn't his strength. He can set the edge versus the run and rush the passer both at high levels. Short area coverage was his least quality skill.

Ernie Sims is a better short area coverage guy at 1.2 mil.

So, how exactly did Spencer play last year? When did he rush, and when did he drop into coverage?

As I recall it, in the 3-4, Ware was the designated edge rusher, and Spencer dropped into coverage most of the time. The overwhelming majority of Spencer's pass rushes came when he played DE in a 4-man front, or when Ryan decided to drop Ware into coverage [talk about asking Selma Hayek to cook your dinner and go home] and rush Spencer.

As for asking poor Anthony to learn so many positions, he played two of the three last year, and if he goes to another team, it will probably be for the third, which, I believe, is what he played at Purdue.

I agree that Sims would be better in short-area coverage at a much more reasonable cost, but Sims would not be good at setting the strong-side edge, and he has shown zero ability to rush the passer. I don't see him as a SAM at all.

As for paying so much for a Sam LB, as you have noted, I am asking him to do much more. Do not get hung up on a positioin title. I see his responsibilities being pretty much what they were before.

Of course, this is all moot if we can't afford Spencer.