Is this the beginning of the end for Demarcus Ware?

[john van brocklin]

I think this is like the Witten talk that has went on for 3-4 years now. Entirely premature and winds up looking very foolish.

It's not foolish to have a conversation like this.
If you feel like the facts are in your favor, please present them, and share your knowledge.

 

[john van brocklin]

Why are early 30s considered the wrong side of 30?

Because Pro Ball is such a violent game, it's almost always been a young mans game.

 

[dragon_mikal]

Well maybe if the refs called it when Ware gets hugged to the ground once in a while he'd be more productive. I mean I've never send so many choke holds not get called, lol.

Injuries are a concern but I think he has a few more productive years left. We had this same discussion last year about Witten and we all know how that turned out.

 

[john van brocklin]

He's in the HOF already; he just has to sit for his bust and deliver his speech.

His stingers give me some concern. I keep wondering if he has a bit of cervical stenosis along with maybe some bulge. We could be seeing a less than healthy Ware off and on. You can't make those kinds of predictions based on guessing. We'll just have to wait and see. But I share the OPs concerns although I wouldn't quite present it that way.

Hey Jobber, have always respected your posts.
Have other retired DEs with Ware's current stats made the Hall ?
It does not seem to me that they have, but i could be wrong.

 

[john van brocklin]

Well maybe if the refs called it when Ware gets hugged to the ground once in a while he'd be more productive. I mean I've never send so many choke holds not get called, lol.

Injuries are a concern but I think he has a few more productive years left. We had this same discussion last year about Witten and we all know how that turned out.

I admit I had the same concerns about Witten as well, and am I glad I was wrong!

 

[Zekeats]

Because Pro Ball is such a violent game, it's almost always been a young mans game.

I know that, I just hate when people say it because it doesn't make any sense

 

[john van brocklin]

I know that, I just hate when people say it because it doesn't make any sense

30 is generally when you start seeing a decline. Not always and sometimes not very much.
It is very rare when a players performace gets better after 30.

 

[Frozen700]

Wrong side of 30? He's 31! Lol

Exactly, which is the wrong side.

The good side would be 29 and below.

Anyways....Ware has been on Decline for some time, he can still play, but he can't take over a game like before. Still a Hofer, but we are only fooling ourselves if we still believe he is a huge dominate force.

He can get after the QB and still have good intincs, and put the right guys with him, you will have a great pass rush.

If he was a 10/10 before he is about 7/10 of a player now. Which is not bad, at all, compared to most in the league

 

[SportsGuru80]

*yawns* Ok

 

[T-RO]

I know that, I just hate when people say it because it doesn't make any sense

It makes total sense and studies have shown it to be factual. And it's not just football.

What has masked the fact in recent decades is the use of steroids. With steroids you see players enjoying some of their best seasons after 30. That is pretty rare w/out PEDs.

 

[T-RO]

Exactly, which is the wrong side.

The good side would be 29 and below.

Anyways....Ware has been on Decline for some time, he can still play, but he can't take over a game like before. Still a Hofer, but we are only fooling ourselves if we still believe he is a huge dominate force.

He can get after the QB and still have good intincs, and put the right guys with him, you will have a great pass rush.

If he was a 10/10 before he is about 7/10 of a player now. Which is not bad, at all, compared to most in the league

Well put. He's gone from dominant to a little above average. Perhaps an even bigger issue is the chronic injuries...which again is part of the baggage for players later in their careers.

 

[honyock]

Exactly, which is the wrong side.

The good side would be 29 and below.

Anyways....Ware has been on Decline for some time, he can still play, but he can't take over a game like before. Still a Hofer, but we are only fooling ourselves if we still believe he is a huge dominate force.

He can get after the QB and still have good intincs, and put the right guys with him, you will have a great pass rush.

If he was a 10/10 before he is about 7/10 of a player now. Which is not bad, at all, compared to most in the league

I think it's overstating it a bit to say he has been in decline for some time. At least in terms of sacks, the decline started the last six games of 2012. He had 10 sacks through the first 10 games of the season, putting him on pace to have the third best sack total of his career. Then with all the stingers/shoulder issues, he only recorded 1.5 sacks his last six games. And he had a great year in 2011 with 19.5 sacks, second only to his 2008 season total.

Here are his sacks and combined tackle numbers by year: (sorry for the terrible formatting)

Year Combined tackles Sacks
2005..............58................8
2006..............73 ..............11.5
2007..............84..............14
2008..............84..............20
2009..............57..............11
2010..............66..............15.5
2011..............58..............19.5
2012..............66..............11.5
2013..............51*..............11*

*Projected based on six game totals this year

I agree that the injuries that have nagged him since the middle of last year are a worry. I'm more worried about the neck and shoulder issues that keep popping up than about the quad injury. But he was still playing at a very high level last year until the last third of the year. I don't see a pattern of decline that has been going on for awhile now. I see an injured player over roughly his past 12 games, that may or may not be the sign of declining health for an over-30 player.

 

[Zekeats]

30 is generally when you start seeing a decline. Not always and sometimes not very much.
It is very rare when a players performace gets better after 30.

I understand.............JUST SAY HE IS 30 THEN......NO NEED TO SAY WRONG SIDE OF. IT'S A STUPID ANALOGY THAT MAKES NO SENSE

 

[Zekeats]

AND IT'S NOT EVEN AN ANALOGY, ITS JUST A STUPID SAYING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Zekeats]

EVERYONE, JUST SAY HE IS 30 THEN.........STOP SAYING WRONG SIDE OF 30 IF THERE IS NO RIGHT SIDE OF 30!!!!!!!!!
GOOD GRIEF, I FEEL LIKE IM IN A SEINFELD EPISODE

 

[T-RO]

I understand.............JUST SAY HE IS 30 THEN......NO NEED TO SAY WRONG SIDE OF. IT'S A STUPID ANALOGY THAT MAKES NO SENSE

It's an expression that has enjoyed wide usage for some time in sports chat. And it makes total sense. The expression survives as it is both truthful and colorful. Get over it.

And btw....kill the SHOUTING CAPS.

 

[windward]

At any rate we need to add to our Dline depth. Have a feeling next offseason will be Dline and safety centric

 

[TheRomoSexual]

He's not done, but he's probably close to being done as a full-time player. If we can get some more decent DE help and a franchise 3-tech, we can probably utilize him in a heavy rotation and he'll remain fresh and a 10+ sack guy for three to five more years.

 

[Zekeats]

I love how the guy pulls his groin one time and everybody around here is ending his career or labeling him as being a rotational player.......The guy had 4 sacks in 5 1/2 weeks people, and still looks as good as he did 4-5 years ago.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

It's not foolish to have a conversation like this.
If you feel like the facts are in your favor, please present them, and share your knowledge.

I'm saying that we've seen conversations like this in the past, with Witten being a great example, and it wound up looking extremely foolish for those who just knew Witten was done. He was on the down side of his career. He should be traded or cut.

Only to watch him go out and continue to produce at a very high level each and every year that it's come up.

Ware is hurt right now. He had what 11 sacks last year while being plagued by injury? I think that more than shows the guy still has plenty left in the tank. I can understand the concern that people have that maybe he won't stay healthy at this point. I understand that but I'm going to put my money on the guy who has been giving everything he has, and then some, and producing and is still plenty young enough to produce over the worries of some average joe fans sitting on their couches.

I have no doubt, at all, that Ware can, and will, get healthy and play as good as he ever has.

One thing that being injuried like this does is if they don't rush him back, and I fear they might because of how thin we are on D-L, is that he can actually get healthy and not rush back and play through injuries.

He had 4 sacks in the first 3 or 4 games before he started to have the stinger and back issues. So he obviously can still get to the passer when he's not having to play hurt. I want him to get healthy and then he'll comeback just fine.