Dekoda Watson All-22 Review

xwalker

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Dekoda Watson
Arm: 32-3/4”
Height: 6013
Weight: 240
40 Yrd Dash: 4.40 (Pro Day)
20 Yrd Dash: 2.60
10 Yrd Dash: 1.54
225 Lb. Bench Reps: 24
Vertical Jump: 40
Broad Jump: 11'02"
20 Yrd Shuttle: 4.11
3-Cone Drill: 6.82

He reminds me of Bruce Carter. He has the physical ability to do anything but it’s the mental side that is hit or miss. He even had one of those Bruce Carter plays where he forgot to touch the player that was down and the player was able to get up and gain some more yards.

Like Carter, he had some blocked kicks in college.

He might not be quite the freak athlete like Carter, but he’s not far behind. I think he can run right with Carter. His burst is really impressive.

He was a backup and spot starter until week 14 of 2013 when he became a full time starter until being out for the final game with an injury. He had off-season hernia surgery.

He signed with Jax for 2014 on a 2 year, 2.25M contract. His missed all training camp and the preseason due to hernia surgery and make his first start in week 10 against the Cowboys in England.

He was cut immediately after the Cowboys game. I didn’t see any reason for the cut based on his play in that game. He had 1 play where he over-played the inside run and Murray bounced outside (Watson’s side) for a big gain, but otherwise he looked solid. I wonder if he got into some kind of trouble while they were over there.

He only has 7 starts in 5 years so he probably is what he is at this point. He probably would have had several more starts but didn’t get credited with the start when the defense opened up in the Nickel.

Game Review:
He generally played on the Strong Side and was often right up on the line.

He is really fast and moves around with ease. On many RB or TE routes in the flat he almost beat them to the sideline. He matched up in man against the freak TE Vernon Davis and ran with him step for step.

He is strong enough to stack and shed blocks by OLinemen and is a good tackler.

He was given a chance to rush the passer a few times in both Tampa and Jax. He lined up as a DE against Dallas and blew past Tyron forcing Romo to step up resulting in a sack by a DT.

The negatives are all about the mental side of the game. Unlike a guy like Brinkley that I reviewed earlier, he is less about anticipating the play based on film study or instincts and is more of a reactionary type player. There were times that he did play with good instincts but was not consistent in this area. In the NFL one wrong step can get you boxed out against the run.

He did not play in the Nickel but I think that was more about being the #3 LB on the team than an inability to do it. He was behind guys like Paul Posluszny in Jax and Levonte David in Tampa (note that he was in Tampa before Lovie was the HC). He did OK in man coverage in the base but was inconsistent in zone coverage. Again more of a mental issue than physical.

He was a top special teams player; although, with the Cowboys he did have one knucklehead play where he ran into the kicker and gave the opponent a new set of downs.

On special teams he plays with his hair on fire, but on defense he is more conservative.

Summary: I don't know if he will push for any playing time at LB, but as a special teams player he has way more upside as a possible LB than Cam Lawrence. His future is about how well he takes coaching and how dedicated he is or isn't in regards to learning the scheme and watching film.
 

speedkilz88

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Sounds exactly like Bruce Carter. Because of his mental/inconsistencies he's probably better suited for the sam side like Bruce despite the speed for the will.
 

NeonDeion21

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I've heard rumblings that DAL may use an "OTTO" LB this year more than a "SAM" LB. Watson is familiar with that position as he played it in JAX.
 

NeonDeion21

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Does that go with the Leo - rush end?

Sort of. Typically, the OTTO LB will be more of a pass rusher than an off the ball LB. I've seen teams use it differently.

Honestly, it's not all that different than Wade Phillips 3-4 defense. Wade basically always rushed 5 in DAL with 2 off the ball LBs.
 

boysfanindc

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I've heard rumblings that DAL may use an "OTTO" LB this year more than a "SAM" LB. Watson is familiar with that position as he played it in JAX.

A little know fact, is the OTTO LB position was actually named after the first player whom manned the position.

th
 

xwalker

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Does that go with the Leo - rush end?

Both the Leo or Otto seem to be similar to 3-4 OLBs in that they want a 3-tool player that can rush, cover and player the run. I can see physically why they thought Watson would be good in that role, but I can see where mentally he would not.

My understanding is that the LEO is more of a DE that performs some LB type duties; whereas, the Otto is more of a LB that performs some DE duties if that makes sense.

It probably compares somewhat to the SOLB role in Wade's or RR's defenses which the the position that Spencer played. Spencer was valuable in that role because he could do all 3 and had a great understanding of it mentally. The Cowboys had trouble finding other players to take snaps at that position because is was too complex. Victor Butler could rush but he struggled to know when to rush, play the run or cover. If he knew pre-snap which one he needed to do he probably had the physical ability to do it, but he just didn't have the mental ability to make that decision on the fly. It involved reading the RB on some plays and the TE on others.

Here is an article about the Otto position and Bradley's plan to use Watson in that role.
http://www.bigcatcountry.com/2014/5/22/5741638/explaining-46-defense-jaguars-otto-linebacker

The Jacksonville Jaguars will be introducing a new position to their defense this season called the OTTO linebacker. While I doubt that it's entirely new position to the world of football, much like the LEO is a modified/renamed ELEPHANT end, it's something in the Jaguars lexicon we'll all need to be familiar with.

The Jaguars signed former Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Dekoda Watson in free agency, of which we thought would solidify their strong side linebacker (SAM) position, which also doubles as a pass rusher at times in Gus Bradley's defense. The Jaguars plan to use Watson as their new OTTO linebacker going forward, as well as second-year linebacker LaRoy Reynolds, according to defensive coordinator Bob Babich.

"OTTO is kind of going to be on the edge, we'd like to have some pass rush ability, in a pinch he could go down in a third-down situation to blitz him off the edge," Babich told Mark Long and Mike Dempsey in an interview with Jaguars Today on 1010XL.

"It's something that's new to us, so formulating exactly what he's gonna be. But, it's gone really well and our guys have adjusted to it and our guys are excited about it," Babich continued. "He can be strong or weak and most of the time he's going to be on the line of scrimmage, standing up."

The OTTO position sounds similar to that of the JACK linebacker in the old 46 defense, where the linebacker is up on the line of scrimmage and will either rush the passer or buzz back in coverage, which is exactly what the Jaguars signed Watson for.

Make sense?

TL, DR: The Jaguars will be playing a more aggressive defensive front this season that harkens back to the 46 defense of the famed 1985 Bears and will utilize a new position called the OTTO, which will be played be Dekoda Watson and LaRoy Reynolds, more than likely. This is also not likely to be a base defense, but more a common sub-package.
 
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jobberone

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I've heard rumblings that DAL may use an "OTTO" LB this year more than a "SAM" LB. Watson is familiar with that position as he played it in JAX.

He was running after Dez against the jags so he's got some wheels

It's jungle out there. Leo ends and Otto Sam LBers as well as a hybrid Elephant DE in a Bear defense. LOL. Nothing really new here although I love the lexicon. However, put the 46 together with the Otto and Leo and I'm not sure what that has been in the past. We've had an Elephant end line up with a 'Otto' on the inside not outside of the end.
 

BAT

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Sounds exactly like Bruce Carter. Because of his mental/inconsistencies he's probably better suited for the sam side like Bruce despite the speed for the will.

Maybe similar athletes but Carter is the better football player obviously. Under Marinelli Watson could see considerable growth, depends on his want to.
 
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