I think it all depends on what Sam Williams we get each game, the mental mistakes have to go! He's tough, and has good speed, we just want him to clean up the unnecessary mistakes he makes getting flags. If Kneeland displays that motor and toughness, I think we will see a lot of him, what are your thoughts?? He's probably the D-law replacement (maybe)
Good post.
Zimmer can handle guys like Williams. What Zim won't deal with is guys who don't do exactly what they are coached to do. Sam is a freak. His size/athleticism. In Quinns D, guys were improvising if not freelancing. This led to mistakes by everybody. I think it hurt our run D more than our personnel hurt it (cutting all of our linebackers didn't help, though). Sam is young, and I don't think he was put in a position to succeed. He has the strength and size and ability to set the edge. If he doesn't have to think but can just do exactly what the coaches tell him to do, he absolutely fits Zim's D, both with his hand in the dirt and even standing up as a SLB or Joker. We should really hope for that because you just don't find a lot of guys like him.
Sam has an additional path to the 53 as a gunner. I find it hard to believe that Zim won't use him, at least as a pass rusher, if he is on the 53. Getting a real defensive coordinator with a viable grown-man D gives Williams a chance. He doesn't have to be smart, just coachable.
Kneeland... Dude. His tape is fire. His technique, strength, smarts, attitude, and body type make him NFL ready with a high floor and higher ceiling. If you watch game tape and listen to what the coaches say about his responsibilities in the D, you should be excited about this guy. This is a blue collar, Mike Zimmer defensive end. I know people keep comparing him to D-Law, but when I watch I see more Jared Allen or Greg Ellis, but he's probably more NFL ready coming out than either of them. And, his ceiling may be higher than either, certianly from a physical standpoint. He doesn't have the natural bend that D-Law had coming out of college. That's something that can't be taught. But, he is a better rookie than D-Law was. This narrative about his pass rush is just not true. He isn't Parsons, obviously. But, he will bring pressure and free up guys like Parsons to finish while giving the QB nowhere to go... He won't give the QB a running lane chasing the sack. Most important, he'll keep bodies off of our linebackers (career year for Parsons?!).
Zim's D is about stopping the run and then making the QB make decisions on passing plays. He does this pre-snap with his alignments and shifts. Post-snap with coverages that force the QB to hold on to the ball a tick longer while forced to throw into tight spaces.
Kneeland was made for this REAL NFL defense (which Quinns D was not). He is a 10+ year starter. Not a flashy pick, but a smart one. The kind of guy this D needs to help our stars really shine.
Williams was the flashy pick. But, his floor is much lower and his ceiling much higher.
It will, hopefully, be more fun than frustrating watching the development and competition along the front seven.
