Kenneth Murray to wear green dot over Sanborn?

[Chasing6]

This team has been clearly awful vs the run for going on a decade now and they continue to do everything to fix it except whats actually necessary.

Mazi is probably a bust and they refuse to accept that. Even if he isn’t, they aren’t deep enough there by any reach. But Jerry is like….I gave a big contract and used a first rounder…I want my ROI.

Then it’s tears and shock in January.

Murray will eventually learn this up front and close when a guard has a head of steam headed right at him because no one up front is worth a crap vs the run.

Honestly what good is having six pass rushers when the other team doesnt have to pass because they have a lead and can run it at will?

Philly is going to run the ball 40+ times in week one, but it will be Dak's fault.

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

Suddenly, things are looking up for our line backing.
If we develop a credible wall in the interior front,it this could be a defining point of our defence.
Blimey.
The things I say...

 

[Zekeats]

I think he'll be good in this system. You don't want him in coverage though.

I still think we add another LB before the season.

Good, I've been waiting for one of these old school non finesse MLB to come through here for a long time.

 

[Bullflop]

Yeah LB is still a problem area for this team. Collectively they have some great depth and role pieces, but they really dont have a complete backer on the team who can consistently play 3 downs at a high level. I'm anticipating a very up and down year from that group.

All the more reason why there may well be another LB being added to this group. We'll see.

 

[TwentyOne]

Great newz!

How does he take responsibility if they do not?

Pay every fan 10.000 Dollar for talking crap during the offseason?

I mean big words should be backed up by big deeds.

 

[boysfanindc]

Murray has been horrible with both the Chargers and Titans. Both teams got caught up with his athletic profile that just never translated to the field. Both teams fans could not wait to get rid of him.

I sure hope Eberflus has magic up his sleeve if they are going to roll with him in the middle.

 

[Coogiguy03]

Philly is going to run the ball 40+ times in week one, but it will be Dak's fault.

he keeps giving the ball back to them, then it is his fault!

 

[ChronicCowboy]

Murray had the fourth lowest run stuffing grade of all qualified LBers last season. This defense is in trouble because the staff has been obsessed with adding undersized players for years. I’d imagine this defense finishes bottom 10 because stopping the run is the most important thing in the NFL.

 

[gimmesix]

That's good I think we assumed it would be the guy that actually played in the system before

It may mean that Eberflus sees him as the middle linebacker, who usually makes the calls. Sanborn played some MLB for Eberflus but was the strongside linebacker last year, so maybe Eberflus believes that is the role he needs to fill. I had thought that Sanborn would be MLB and Murray WLB, both because Sanborn knows the system and because Murray is a speed linebacker who is best when he doesn't have to take on blockers. I figured Liufau would be the SLB, but maybe we see him more as a WLB (since he also plays with his hair on fire) to hold down the spot until Overshown returns.

I think Overshown is pretty much the perfect the perfect WLB for this system because of his tremendous burst getting to the ball carrier. WLB in this system is the most protected front seven player and if the system is executed properly, he's the one who should be unblocked. I thought that fit Murray well, especially with Overshown out, but Murray is also our biggest linebacker (but not that much bigger than Liufau or Sanborn, who is 234 to Murray's 241).

 

[gimmesix]

Murray had the fourth lowest run stuffing grade of all qualified LBers last season. This defense is in trouble because the staff has been obsessed with adding undersized players for years. I’d imagine this defense finishes bottom 10 because stopping the run is the most important thing in the NFL.

I think we believe that Murray's problem is being asked to think too much. He's a fast player (4.5), but he has trouble processing, which slows him down. Eberflus's system cuts down on the thinking to try to up the reacting. We'll see how it goes.

 

[diamonddelts]

A toddler could go for a buck on the ground against Dallas this coming season.

 

[gimmesix]

I don’t know if I feel good about the room but I feel it’s improved.

Not sure. Even a diminished Kendricks on his last legs might be better than Murray in the prime of his career. Kendricks' advantage is his understanding of the game. Players who see what is coming quickly can get there faster.

We're relying on Murray not having to diagnose plays as much and just using his physical abilities to get to where he is supposed to be on a given call before the blocking can get to him. Not sure how much success we'll have with that.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

I think we’ll likely see a mix of good and bad with Murray.

 

[conner01]

He hasn't even been a marginal player. His instincts are practically non existent

That’s the most important trait for a LB. Doesn’t how big, strong, athletic you are if you don’t have the instincts to play the position

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Not sure. Even a diminished Kendricks on his last legs might be better than Murray in the prime of his career. Kendricks' advantage is his understanding of the game. Players who see what is coming quickly can get there faster.

We're relying on Murray not having to diagnose plays as much and just using his physical abilities to get to where he is supposed to be on a given call before the blocking can get to him. Not sure how much success we'll have with that.

I don’t think Kendrick’s was not replaceable…..he didn’t hurt us but I feel you can count the plays he made on one hand.

 

[gimmesix]

I don’t think Kendrick’s was not replaceable…..he didn’t hurt us but I feel you can count the plays he made on one hand.

I won't argue against that. I think he had some really good games and several meh ones. The only thing I question is replacing him with a failed first-round pick. Maybe we're just smarter than the other two teams Murray has been on and will maximize his talent, or maybe we just think we're smarter than everyone else.

Last year, we relied on a player we could get for cheap because he was close to being a shell of what he was at the top of his game. This year, we're relying on a player who is in his prime, but his prime might be just backup quality because his recognition skills are always going to make him late to react.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

That’s the most important trait for a LB. Doesn’t how big, strong, athletic you are if you don’t have the instincts to play the position

While true….i think this is where Eberflus shows his value being a linebacker whisperer.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

I won't argue against that. I think he had some really good games and several meh ones. The only thing I question is replacing him with a failed first-round pick. Maybe we're just smarter than the other two teams Murray has been on and will maximize his talent, or maybe we just think we're smarter than everyone else.

Last year, we relied on a player we could get for cheap because he was close to being a shell of what he was at the top of his game. This year, we're relying on a player who is in his prime, but his prime might be just backup quality because his recognition skills are always going to make him late to react.

Is it strictly Murray though? Seems like it’s gonna be a committee. I’m with you I don’t know what to expect but I think as a unit they did improve. It’s bottom heavy but not sure about the top.

 

[gimmesix]

Murray has been horrible with both the Chargers and Titans. Both teams got caught up with his athletic profile that just never translated to the field. Both teams fans could not wait to get rid of him.

I sure hope Eberflus has magic up his sleeve if they are going to roll with him in the middle.

His numbers were pretty good with the Chargers his last year (107 tackles w/79 solo and 3 sacks), which is why the Titans signed him for two years, $18 million. But his problems continued to show up instead of improving.

Apparently, his main issue was coverage. Same with Sanborn. So I guess Eberflus feels that his scheme can fix their coverage issues. They will be dropping into zones instead of doing a lot of one-on-one coverage.

 

[gimmesix]

Is it strictly Murray though? Seems like it’s gonna be a committee.

Don't know. Eberflus plays a huge amount of nickel defense, among the most in the league, so we'll have two linebackers out there most of the time.

I think when we use three linebackers, we don't have much of a committee to choose from. Pretty much, Sanborn, Murray and Luifau are all we've got until Overshown comes back. Maybe Damone Clark will rebound in this system or maybe one of the rookies (James or Barron) will shine from the get-go. I kind of like Buddy Johnson, but I don't know if he'll ever be more than a reserve.

It will be interesting to see which two linebackers are out there in the nickel. Liufau is better in coverage, but it will primarily depend on who is best in Cover 3 zone.