Quote:
Originally Posted by CowboyChris
Goose on with Norm. great listen
you need 8 DL in place, we have 8 LB's, lot harder to find DL than LB's
Ware doesnt fit at DE
Spencer doesnt fit at all
Ratliff isnt a Warren Sapp
we dont have a 3 tech DT
we dont have a WLB
we dont have the safety in place either, really emphasizing Safety, high round pick
http://stationcaster.com/player_skin...=4891&f=987191 |
I finally got around to doing some research concerning Gosselin's comment about Derrick Thomas and the 93 Chiefs.
First off, I questioned Thomas's size. I thought Ware would be much bigger. Well, it depends on your source. NFL.com and Wikipedia have Thomas at 255, while Pro-Football-Reference.com has him at 243. Ware is currently listed at 254 at DallasCowboys.com. So, Ware is either about the same size, or somewhat bigger.
Not all that relevant.
However, I did find something very interesting in my research. In no year, on either NFL or PFR, is Derrick Thomas listed as a DE for that year. Not only that, but, PFR indicates that the switch to 4-3 was done in 94, not in 93.
Here are links to the two seasons:
http://www.pro-football-reference.co...s/kan/1993.htm
http://www.pro-football-reference.co...s/kan/1994.htm
Scroll down to the 'Defense & Fumbles' section and check out the players, their position, and the games played and started. In 93, the Chiefs had 2 ILBs and a NT who all started at least 14 games. Thomas started 15 games at ROLB. He had 8 sacks, but was still selected to the Pro Bowl. In 94, they had an MLB and 2 DTs who all started at least 14 games. Thomas is listed as an RLB, starting 15 games. He had 11 sacks and was again selected to the Pro Bowl.
Now, I do not believe for a minute that Thomas had 11 sacks just from blitzing from an outside position in a 4-3. I suspect that on passing downs, he did put his hand on the ground and rushed as a DE. However, it appears that he at least started those games as a linebacker in a base 4-3 defense, but not until 1994.
To confuse the matter even further, I found this from Scout.com:
Quote:
From 1989-1991, Thomas played in a 3-4 scheme, primarily as a blitzing linebacker in passing situations. During this period he amassed 44 sacks, averaging 14.5 sacks per season.
The rest of Thomas’ career (1992-1999), he would work out of various 4-3 schemes. In 1997, Chiefs defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham came up with "The Falcon" position in an attempt to take advantage of Thomas’ pass-rush skills. During this period he amassed 82.5 sacks, averaging 10 sacks per year.
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http://kan.scout.com/2/724526.html
By the way, Dave Adolph was the Chiefs' defensive coordinator from 1992-1994 (under Schottenheimer) after which Cunningham took over.
Regardless, at no time was Thomas listed as anything but a linebacker at any site I visited.