Leighton continues to impress!

[JJHLH1]

LVE is very impressive, especially for a 21 year old rookie. Great draft pick. He an Jaylon are going to be a formidable duo for many years.

 

[T-RO]

He has one less combined tackle than J.Smith.
No sacks where J.Smith has 3 at this time.

J. Smith made some wow tackles last night.
However nobody should be belittling LVE at all right now.
He might not make the wow tackles but he does make the majority of the tackles.
I was going to post earlier that some of this tackles seem odd that he is not slamming people or being big hits but at the same
time he is not missing most of them either nor getting any penalties for them. He is very steady and making the tackles.

This will become even more impressive once he gets bigger, stronger and gets more experience in the system.
As fast as he plays now you can still see him thinking before attacking.
When he has played enough that his exp kicks in he will be making even more tackles and my guess is those will turn into more
tackles for losses unless he is in coverage.

All true and I’d add this: they’ve been using Jaylon on a ton of blitzes. They don’t use LVE much in that capacity. So the lack of sacks isn’t surprising.

 

[keysersoze]

I watched last night when they would spread out and we have LVE and Damien Wilson covering wrs out of the slot. Marinelli and richard both suck for that.

Yea. I noticed that too. That was just stupid.

 

[Twin]

Great draft pick!
Great instincts and his wingspan and tackling ability is impressive to watch.

Jeff Heath and Jaylon were sure fun to watch tonight as well..saved a couple touchdowns for sure.

yea he shining but u telling me if Lee was 100 percent u wouldn't have him n a heartbeat relax he is a gud rookie that has Sean Lee n his ear on the sideline u kno kinda like Romo did with dak chill before turnin this rookie into a HALL OF FAMER

 

[DiResta]

My only issue with LVE is he's not a thumper. All of his tackles are drag downs, whereas someone like Jaylon actually brings the thump. Maybe it's because he's so tall, so he's losing leverage battles and it's not like he isn't a good tackler, it's just that with his size and athleticism, I expected a little more violence in his game.

he had some physical plays around the line btw
he also destroyed Watson on that goal line hit which was neat


(2:54)
the sideline view showed it better
Watson is a tough dude

 

[Gaede]

I'll give the team credit for picking LVE. He looks incredible. With Jaylon playing well, I'm encouraged about our defence for the next few years

 

[Risen Star]

Curious, why do you say that over Smith?

Good question. I guess I trust Vander Esch more to be a player going forward. I see him as the glue guy.

 

[mahoneybill]

His man coverage will need some improvement. But tackling wise the dude is on point.

Agree. he gets his hands on you , its over

 

[Supercowboy1986]

Not being a thumper is a positive in today’s game.

My only issue with LVE is he's not a thumper. All of his tackles are drag downs, whereas someone like Jaylon actually brings the thump. Maybe it's because he's so tall, so he's losing leverage battles and it's not like he isn't a good tackler, it's just that with his size and athleticism, I expected a little more violence in his game.

 

[keysersoze]

I would say covering is his greatest strength.

A completion or 2 doesn't change that.

Looked like a liability last night. He’s not good at it yet. Give him time tho. Maybe he will be.

 

[ghst187]

No doubt looking good. Making a ton of tackles is what a good LB is supposed to do. The great ones rack up those tackles numbers for a reason, or two: 1) they use good technique and most importantly 2) they diagnose the play quickly and know where to be to make that tackle.
#2 is why unheralded guys like Dat, Dexter, and Morgan can lead teams in tackles and make pro bowls and why guys like Sean Lee and Bowman who have both the athletic ability to combine with the recognition and can end up All Pro year after year.

 

[OmerV]

Vander Esch is doing fine, but I'm ready to see him make some plays. He has one TFL and 0 passes defended on the year. Yes, he's racking up a ton of solo tackles, which is great, but it's time to start seeing some impact plays. Jaylon was our best player last night, flying around and laying the wood to Watson a few times. 3 TFL, a sack, a pass defended 2 more hits on the QB.

I would call holding people to no gain and keeping players out of the end zone are impact plays. I agree Jaylon was the best player last night, but LVE wasn't much behind. 11 tackles and 2 assists is pretty damn good

 

[OmerV]

He has one less combined tackle than J.Smith.
No sacks where J.Smith has 3 at this time.

J. Smith made some wow tackles last night.
However nobody should be belittling LVE at all right now.
He might not make the wow tackles but he does make the majority of the tackles.
I was going to post earlier that some of this tackles seem odd that he is not slamming people or being big hits but at the same
time he is not missing most of them either nor getting any penalties for them. He is very steady and making the tackles.

This will become even more impressive once he gets bigger, stronger and gets more experience in the system.
As fast as he plays now you can still see him thinking before attacking.
When he has played enough that his exp kicks in he will be making even more tackles and my guess is those will turn into more
tackles for losses unless he is in coverage.

He's played fewer minutes and snaps than Smith and he's in his rookie season, so his stats being in the same ballpark as Smith's is very good. Sure it would be nice to see a few more big hits, although he actually did have a few pretty solid hits last night, but the guy doesn't miss tackles. He easily appears to be the most sure tackler on the team.

 

[cern]

best game for vanderesch so far. best game for Jaylon so far. we should have blitzed more. Deshaun Watson chose last night to have his most accurate passing game. there should be sodomy laws to protect us against what deiondre Thompson did to our backfield. and nothing can excuse our poor coaching again. both sides of the ball.

 

[stilltheguru88]

Good question. I guess I trust Vander Esch more to be a player going forward. I see him as the glue guy.

He’s a hard working lunch pail guy huh?

 

[keysersoze]

He's played fewer minutes and snaps than Smith and he's in his rookie season, so his stats being in the same ballpark as Smith's is very good. Sure it would be nice to see a few more big hits, although he actually did have a few pretty solid hits last night, but the guy doesn't miss tackles. He easily appears to be the most sure tackler on the team.

What’s the deal with this LVE vs Jaylon competition? That’s ignorance. Jaylon is a pure football player recovering from what should’ve been a career ending injury. I’d say he’s doing a damned good job.
LVE is more of a wrestler turned linebacker who also has some upside. But in no way, shape, form or fashion do I believe LVE will have a better career than Jaylon. And I honestly don’t see what makes any of you think otherwise. But I’m sure interested in hearing what makes anyone believe so.

This should be interesting

 

[btcutter]

My only issue with LVE is he's not a thumper. All of his tackles are drag downs, whereas someone like Jaylon actually brings the thump. Maybe it's because he's so tall, so he's losing leverage battles and it's not like he isn't a good tackler, it's just that with his size and athleticism, I expected a little more violence in his game.

Lee isn't a thumper either and no one is complaining. LVE just needs little more lessons from Lee and if he's the next Lee with size and no injury issues.... we struck gold.

 

[keysersoze]

Good question. I guess I trust Vander Esch more to be a player going forward. I see him as the glue guy.

Can you elaborate on why you think this?

 

[Risen Star]

Can you elaborate on why you think this?

Because Vander Esch isn't working on a bad wheel. He's not as straight-linish as Jaylon post injury.

 

[keysersoze]

Because Vander Esch isn't working on a bad wheel. He's not as straight-linish as Jaylon post injury.

Bad wheel? Straight line-ish??? Did you see Jaylon beat Watson to the edge and cream him? LVE will probably NEVER make that play against Watson.
LVE wrestles people to the ground. No pop and not much stopping power at the point of attack. Ball carriers drag him quite a bit.