Twitter: Rod Marinelli is the reason we have Taco instead of TJ Watt

[links18]

McClay really liked TJ that year. The coaches (Rod) thought Taco would be a better fit because he played with his hand in the dirt in college, whereas Watt was more of a projection since he mostly rushed the passer while standing.

Imagine where this defense would be if we had Watt at RE. Rod gotta go.

How much difference is there rushing the passer from a stance versus standing up, really? At some point the superior athlete is just the superior athlete, right?

 

[jblaze2004]

Rod needs to retire. Him, Garrett, Jerry Jones and Witten needs to retire lol

 

[jterrell]

Some will say without a doubt. He is listed at 6'4" 252 lbs. How much weight would he have to put on to be an every down player and then learn to play with his hand in the dirt.

And some will laugh at that.
Watt wasn't playing RDE here because the guy who decided NOT to draft him makes that call.
Dudes thinking they are smarter than Rod crack me up. He is a HOF DL coach and fans are stupid.,

Watt went where he was supposed to, to a 3-4 team.

 

[Jake]

McClay really liked TJ that year. The coaches (Rod) thought Taco would be a better fit because he played with his hand in the dirt in college, whereas Watt was more of a projection since he mostly rushed the passer while standing.

Imagine where this defense would be if we had Watt at RE. Rod gotta go.

All you can do is imagine, because TJ was a LB then and he's a LB now. He doesn't just rush the passer, he drops back in coverage as well...you know, like a LB.

 

[JBell]

And some will laugh at that.
Watt wasn't playing RDE here because the guy who decided NOT to draft him makes that call.
Dudes thinking they are smarter than Rod crack me up. He is a HOF DL coach and fans are stupid.,

Watt went where he was supposed to, to a 3-4 team.

Are you ignoring the tweet or choosing not to believe it? McClay has pull but he can get overruled as he did in this situation.

All you can do is imagine, because TJ was a LB then and he's a LB now. He doesn't just rush the passer, he drops back in coverage as well...you know, like a LB.

So put him at strongside linebacker on run downs, and put him at DE on obvious passing downs. He could've been used like Anthony Barr.

 

[jterrell]

Are you ignoring the tweet or choosing not to believe it? McClay has pull but he can get overruled as he did in this situation.

So put him at strongside linebacker on run downs, and put him at DE on obvious passing downs. He could've been used like Anthony Barr.

Rod overruled the Scouts on Shariff Floyd too. Wonder why that isn't mentioned by same silly fans?
I read the tweet.
Rod took player drafted at 34 overall and made him a 20+M a year DE.
Plugs in bums at NT and makes that work well too.

DAL has the best LB trio in football. They don't need Watt there. IF DAL trades or lets DLaw walk in FA they will need Taco.

Watt is the prototype 3-4 OLB.
He also came with a ton of risk.
He was always going to a 3-4 or wide 9 type team.

Really not very smart bloggers have decided you can lump all edge guys together in a barrel but you can't.
They do fit specific schemes and roles.

 

[CyberB0b]

An assistant coach really shouldn't have this much impact on who the defacto GM decides to draft. More of the circus mentality.

 

[DuncanIso]

I'm curious. What do you think the main underlying issues are with the cowboys?

A lack of consistent QB play and the lack of elite coaching at the DC position.

 

[FaSho]

I don't get the infatuation with Watt, it just be his name. I remember an article last season that showed most of his sacks were untouched.

Regardless, I'd take him over Taco.

 

[Number1]

McClay really liked TJ that year. The coaches (Rod) thought Taco would be a better fit because he played with his hand in the dirt in college, whereas Watt was more of a projection since he mostly rushed the passer while standing.

Imagine where this defense would be if we had Watt at RE. Rod gotta go.

Taco may just surprise. The choice wasn't as simple as this guy or that guy. Taco is a full service DE who plays either side run or pass (that's more rare than most imagine). Basically, TJ didn't bring anything DLaw and Randy didn't

Also Taco may have had legit issues - what if he were out performing others in practice but not getting pass rush snaps?

that's a multi-million dollar stuff for Taco ... Jerry world is a odd place to work

 

[America's Cowboy]

And some will laugh at that.
Watt wasn't playing RDE here because the guy who decided NOT to draft him makes that call.
Dudes thinking they are smarter than Rod crack me up. He is a HOF DL coach and fans are stupid.,

Watt went where he was supposed to, to a 3-4 team.

Marinelli seriously did not make a HOF decision by passing on Watt over Taco. Ridiculous move.

You say Watt is a stand up edge OLB for the Steelers, yet half of the time, the Steelers run 4 down linemen with Watt half of those times playing with his hand in the dirt. Yes, the rest of the times, Watt plays standing up, but so did D-Ware half the way and it never affected his play as an edge rusher and edge container against the run.

 

[noshame]

Please retire

 

[Fastpitch Dad]

You could write a long list of draft picks that didn't work out as well as the next guys for all 32 franchises. So what. you pay your money and you take your choice. Not being able to see into the future doesn't make anybody an idiot or incompetent. All us message board geniuses would get some wrong and some right so playing the 'I told you' card is nonsense.

Best post on the thread.

 

[Stash]

Are you ignoring the tweet or choosing not to believe it? McClay has pull but he can get overruled as he did in this situation.

So put him at strongside linebacker on run downs, and put him at DE on obvious passing downs. He could've been used like Anthony Barr.

Are you familiar with the saying "you can't teach an old dog new tricks"?

Our defensive line coach is an old dog. Old Yeller in fact.

The game passes everyone by eventually, ask Rod's mentor Monte Kiffin about it.

 

[Stash]

Rod overruled the Scouts on Shariff Floyd too. Wonder why that isn't mentioned by same silly fans?
I read the tweet.
Rod took player drafted at 34 overall and made him a 20+M a year DE.
Plugs in bums at NT and makes that work well too.

DAL has the best LB trio in football. They don't need Watt there. IF DAL trades or lets DLaw walk in FA they will need Taco.

Watt is the prototype 3-4 OLB.
He also came with a ton of risk.
He was always going to a 3-4 or wide 9 type team.

Really not very smart bloggers have decided you can lump all edge guys together in a barrel but you can't.
They do fit specific schemes and roles.

Until teams decide to switch them. Like this very team has done whenever it's suited them.

Like they did with Charles Haley, Demarcus Ware, Anthony Spencer, Benson Mayowa, Randy Gregory, and whoever else they had at the time they wanted to.

But when they don't? No, then it "can't be done!"

Then they're a "OLB only!!!!!"

 

[Stash]

Taco may just surprise. The choice wasn't as simple as this guy or that guy. Taco is a full service DE who plays either side run or pass (that's more rare than most imagine). Basically, TJ didn't bring anything DLaw and Randy didn't

Also Taco may have had legit issues - what if he were out performing others in practice but not getting pass rush snaps?

that's a multi-million dollar stuff for Taco ... Jerry world is a odd place to work

Oh brother...

 

[jterrell]

Marinelli seriously did not make a HOF decision by passing on Watt over Taco. Ridiculous move.

You say Watt is a stand up edge OLB for the Steelers, yet half of the time, the Steelers run 4 down linemen with Watt half of those times playing with his hand in the dirt. Yes, the rest of the times, Watt plays standing up, but so did D-Ware half the way and it never affected his play as an edge rusher and edge container against the run.

That's every sack last year of TJ Watt.
He had zero as a hand in dirt RDE. ZERO.

Pitt used him as stand up ROLB, LOLB and wide 9 SDE.

He never lined up inline directly over an OT.

 

[Sydla]

Rod overruled the Scouts on Shariff Floyd too. Wonder why that isn't mentioned by same silly fans?
I read the tweet.
Rod took player drafted at 34 overall and made him a 20+M a year DE.
Plugs in bums at NT and makes that work well too.

DAL has the best LB trio in football. They don't need Watt there. IF DAL trades or lets DLaw walk in FA they will need Taco.

Watt is the prototype 3-4 OLB.
He also came with a ton of risk.
He was always going to a 3-4 or wide 9 type team.

Really not very smart bloggers have decided you can lump all edge guys together in a barrel but you can't.
They do fit specific schemes and roles.

Watt could also play in a 4-3. Sure he's an ideal fit in a 3-4 but to say he couldn't play in a 4-3 is ridiculous.

The Cowboys screwed up in that draft. It's OK at admit that. No one will question your fandom.

 

[jterrell]

Until teams decide to switch them. Like this very team has done whenever it's suited them.

Like they did with Charles Haley, Demarcus Ware, Anthony Spencer, Benson Mayowa, Randy Gregory, and whoever else they had at the time they wanted to.

But when they don't? No, then it "can't be done!"

Then they're a "OLB only!!!!!"

Schemes vary mightily.
This Cowboys team uses a strong front 4 to control the run with an expectation all 4 guys can handle their assigned lanes.

This isn't the 3-4. Or some weird wide 9 defense.

Watt could have likely eventually grown into a solid RDE here. But he was on 8000 calorie a day diet already to play 3-4 OLB in Pitt.
Goofballs ignore we had a similar guy in Randy Gregory and it took him 3 years to get starter snaps and he was a much better pure pass rusher coming out of college.
He played only 45% of the snaps last year as a starting RDE 4 years after he was drafted, 23% as a rookie.

Benson Mawoya played 33% of the snaps here. He was a cheap role player.
DAL wasn't using an R1 pick on a guy to play 35% of the snaps as Watt would by DESIGN.
They want DLaw and TyCrawford 66% of the snaps with R1 picks.

Rod knows this defense, fans mostly know nothing.

 

[Stash]

Schemes vary mightily.
This Cowboys team uses a strong front 4 to control the run with an expectation all 4 guys can handle their assigned lanes.

This isn't the 3-4. Or some weird wide 9 defense.

Watt could have likely eventually grown into a solid RDE here. But he was on 8000 calorie a day diet already to play 3-4 OLB in Pitt.

And yet we're good with Randy Gregory at 235 lbs. The inconsistencies in the stories really show through.

Goofballs ignore we had a similar guy in Randy Gregory and it took him 3 years to get starter snaps and he was a much better pure pass rusher coming out of college.
He played only 45% of the snaps last year as a starting RDE 4 years after he was drafted, 23% as a rookie.

And Gregory getting suspended for nearly two years had nothing to do with that? That's being purposefully misleading. Goofballs try to ignore that too.

Benson Mawoya played 33% of the snaps here. He was a cheap role player.
DAL wasn't using an R1 pick on a guy to play 35% of the snaps as Watt would by DESIGN.[/quote]

Anyone whose "design" inckudes that is the real "goifball".

They want DLaw and TyCrawford 66% of the snaps with R1 picks.

Especially any "goofball" that thinks putting Tyrone Crawford at RDE is in any way, shape, or form, a good thing.

Rod knows this defense, fans mostly know nothing.

Funny, Rod didn't seem to "know" his own tells while he and his "Rushmen" had their ***** handed to 'em.