Anthony Spencer has shown a lot in run D and pass coverage

[hmcorp]

Anyone who crucifies him for that ONE game needs to get a life. That one game was about recognition and that will come with more game experience.

The guy has a great first step so his pass rush will come. For the most part, he seems to hold up the POA against the run failry well so that's a plus.

doesnt get many sacks. doesnt get many tackles.

doesnt do much of anythign except go on the DL.

forget him. wasted pick.

 

[Doomsday101]

doesnt get many sacks. doesnt get many tackles.

doesnt do much of anythign except go on the DL.

forget him. wasted pick.

I would not go as far as to say wasted pick but a guy who needs to get it in gear as he is entering his 3rd season.

 

[Zimmy Lives]

doesnt get many sacks. doesnt get many tackles.

doesnt do much of anythign except go on the DL.

forget him. wasted pick.

:laugh1:

I'll have to admit that I have not been overly impressed with him either but I'm willing to give him an opportunity to prove himself before I consider him a wasted pick.

 

[GOLDENCHILD1688]

if spencer is healthy i expect and see him reaching double digits in sacks

 

[Doomsday101]

if spencer is healthy i expect and see him reaching double digits in sacks

I hope so. To me it is important that he becomes an overall good OLB who can be tough against the run and drop into coverage as well as get after the QB. I think he shows spurts now and then but he really needs to step it up this season.

 

[Clove]

true, i just meant it in terms of last season it's like he expected the ball carrier to just go down once he touched him. he's gotta wrap up better and finish the tackle.

I really don't know what to make of Spencer, the only thing I can add is, I hope he just starts the whole game, and after 2 or 3 games, if he has nothing or someone has more, then make changes then.

 

[slick325]

I hope he proves his 1st round tag was worth it. I also hope that he actually is put thru a competition for his starting spot. Let him beat out Ellis fair and square and I'll feel much better about him as a player. Competition at every position is a good thing for any team.

 

[burmafrd]

Frankly until he shows some real pass rushing ability he is a busted pick.

 

[sonnyboy]

Anyone who crucifies him for that ONE game needs to get a life. That one game was about recognition and that will come with more game experience.

The guy has a great first step so his pass rush will come. For the most part, he seems to hold up the POA against the run failry well so that's a plus.

I noticed this as well. He's flashed some real nice athleticism. He has explosiveness/burst. The kind you'd expect from a 1st rd pick. You would think he'll be able to generate serious pass rush with his skill set.

I don't subscribe to the 3 year rule for rookies. OL and QB's do take time. But outside of those positions, you usually know/see what you're going to get from a player sometime in his rookie season. Certainly by year two.

The exceptions to this are injury and or a guy just being buried on the depth chart.

These apply to Spencer to an extent. But this is certainly his blank or get off the pot year. If he's ever going to do it, it'll most certainly be this year.

Something else to consider about him and this is pure speculation on my part. He may not be a much of a self starter. He might need the real threat of reduced playing time and posible loss of his roster spot.
Perhaps the rookies we brought in could provide the necessary sense of urgency from him.

 

[21Savage]

I'm pulling for Spencer but sorry I don't think his play has been great and I don't think he has shown the ability to play the run very well. He shows spurts here and there but has not looked like a dominate player by any means. I think Spencer is capable of better than what he has done but he is not there yet.

I'm sorry, but I'll have to question your ability to analyze LOS plays when you see them if you don't feel he's been good against the run. He's been very good for the last 2 years.

 

[21Savage]

I hope he proves his 1st round tag was worth it. I also hope that he actually is put thru a competition for his starting spot. Let him beat out Ellis fair and square and I'll feel much better about him as a player. Competition at every position is a good thing for any team.

I understand your concern but here's the point you're not taking into consideration: He's actually beat out Ellis for the starting job. The competition happened last year and so there'll be no need for one this year when Ellis is a year closer to retirement and Spencer is a year closer to dominance. He'd beat out Ellis in training camp last year and all through the season (when he was healthy), at least on 1st and 2nd downs

 

[Doomsday101]

I'm sorry, but I'll have to question your ability to analyze LOS plays when you see them if you don't feel he's been good against the run. He's been very good for the last 2 years.

You can question it all you want I don't consider myself the experts I have played the game from pop warner to college and been a big fan of the game for over 40 some odd years so while I may not be an expert I do understand what I am watching and what I see is a guy who is looking to get to the QB that often he takes himself out of the play. I have not given up on Spencer and I think he could still end up having a great career but given what I have seen thus far it has not been very good. He has 4 sacks in 2 years? and no in my view is not that good on run defense. He is quick off the ball but I think he has to do a better job than he has and I'm still hopeful that he will. If you disagree that is fine by me.

 

[21Savage]

Exactly! He actually is a better pass rusher than a run support or coverage player. Those are the reasons why he isn't in on 1st and 2nd downs and Ells has been. I agree he's ready to take over the starting job and will be successful, but not sure where this poor pass rush and strong run support observation came from. It's actually more so the opposite.

You actually have that backwards. He's been way better in run D and coverage than Ellis but not as good a pass rusher. That's exactly why to end the season he was there on just about every 1st and 2nd down except the 1st defensive series because it meant much for Ellis to start. From the Bucs game upwards, this was the case.

The negatives about him in the pass rush is that he doesn't use his hands very well if his first step doesn't work and barely uses his strength. He just prefers to dance around instead of showing tenacity like Ware in getting to the passer at all costs. This is weird because coming out of college, he was said to have a very good bull rush.

 

[Doomsday101]

I understand your concern but here's the point you're not taking into consideration: He's actually beat out Ellis for the starting job. The competition happened last year and so there'll be no need for one this year when Ellis is a year closer to retirement and Spencer is a year closer to dominance. He'd beat out Ellis in training camp last year and all through the season (when he was healthy), at least on 1st and 2nd downs

He beat Ellis out? He was given the job prior to training camp when the team talked about reducing the role of Ellis and getting the younger player (Spencer) more playing time. That comptition did not exist and in the meantime the old man still out played Spencer. Spencer is an OLB in a 3-4 and had 1.5 sacks on the season and you are glorifying his play?

 

[jterrell]

No, he hasn't shown a lot.

He was a high draft pick and has been all but begged to put Greg Ellis out to pasture yet can't.

I actually played OLB in a 3-4 in high school. Its not exactly a hard position to play. You do not let anyone get outside you(keep your outside shoulder and arm free) and you rush the passer. Spencer is a former DE so he should be much stronger at the point of attack.

What Spencer has shown is good speed when totally unblocked. Gratz, to the next Carl Lewis.

There are players that deserve championing and then there are head scratchers this is a head scratcher player at this point.

Good versus the run??? He had 3 less solo tackles than that nasty, tough tackling machine Mike Jenkins....

He ended up with not only marginal pass rush production, he also had less tackles than Greg Ellis.

If I sound frustrated with him I am. He was banged up but he ended up with half his 2007 sack production and few tackles. I know he played in a few less games but he actually "played" a lot more in the games and was a de facto starter down the stretch when our defense went to pot.

 

[jterrell]

I understand your concern but here's the point you're not taking into consideration: He's actually beat out Ellis for the starting job. The competition happened last year and so there'll be no need for one this year when Ellis is a year closer to retirement and Spencer is a year closer to dominance. He'd beat out Ellis in training camp last year and all through the season (when he was healthy), at least on 1st and 2nd downs

You are delusional.

Spencer was given the starting nod because he "underachieved" in 2007, presumably because he couldn't get on the field. So Wade set out to get him more snaps and to keep Ellis from wearing down as he does every season.

Spencer and Ellis played about equal snaps on the year except Ellis didn't suck. It really isn't hard to see who was better in 2008.

Ellis is a very limited player in many ways but that just makes Spencer's totals that much worse.

This defense is designed for OLBs to make plays and Spencer just hasn't made many. Does Ware really need to have 10 times as many sacks???

 

[jterrell]

Spencer was 8th on the team in sacks and 15th in tackles.

 

[21Savage]

You are delusional.

Spencer was given the starting nod because he "underachieved" in 2007, presumably because he couldn't get on the field. So Wade set out to get him more snaps and to keep Ellis from wearing down as he does every season.

Spencer and Ellis played about equal snaps on the year except Ellis didn't suck. It really isn't hard to see who was better in 2008.

Ellis is a very limited player in many ways but that just makes Spencer's totals that much worse.

This defense is designed for OLBs to make plays and Spencer just hasn't made many. Does Ware really need to have 10 times as many sacks???

I don't even know how to debate this. Spencer has been given the job because he underachieved? I guess we must've given Bobby the starting job too ugh?

And don't give me blind stats about what rank he was on our team in sacks. That's just stupid. I know he didn't play 3rd downs because Ellis is at this point a superior pass rusher to him. I also know he had way more tackles than Ellis when he was playing the downs Ellis was playing earlier in the year. You can look on dallascowboys.com for the stats in games where he played the majority of the snaps. You can also bring up those tackle stats and the QB pressures if you feel like.

 

[BAT]

He just hasn't shown a whole lot in rushing the passer. And that is largely due to two pass rush specialists being ahead of him. And him not coming into his own yet.

I hear people say this all the time, fans and reporters alike, about how he's shown very little. No! He's shown a whole lot in run D and in coverage. Do these guys watch the game? You should see him at the POA. Sure he gives up the edge every now and then, but he also bites inside a lot and makes a few more plays on inside runs than Ware does (not to be misconstrued as him being as good a run stopper as Ware is).

He's done so much, he's already been awarded the starting job opposite Ware. A job he'd been given since the end of last season if not for Wade's indulgence in superficial aesthetic to warm up a whiner's hear.

I'm sick of hearing that he hasn't done enough. For the SSOLB, he's done a lot already. He just has to do more in terms of pass rush and keep Ellis on the bench more.

I actually saw the opposite. Spencer was better pressuring the passer, which is not the same as getting sacks. I did not think Spencer showed "a whole lot" in coverage or even against the run, and not just that Ravens game.


Spencer is a natural pass rusher but his numbers don't reflect this b/c he was taken out during most 3rd down and sure passing situations. That said, I don't think Spencer is that instinctive against the run, or comfortable in space/coverage, and needs to improve his film study & work ethic. He does have a nastiness to him though, so that gives me hope.