Roller skate DL vs Mazi

[SFloridaCowboy]

I remember after Tyrone Crawford had hip surgery, he was worthless, as he could not hold up at the point of the attack. We were deceived as to his ability to play DL. They paid him big bucks out of loyalty, but he simply could not maintain integrity on the line. He looked as if he were on roller skates going backwards on most plays. Now with Mazi Smith, I see a super strength guy who not only holds the line, he pushes opposing OLmen into the backfield. What a breath of fresh air. Our LB's will be able to make more tackles on running plays instead of being blocked by OLmen who dispatched with weak defensive linemen. I like the short yardage defense with both Hankins and Mazi at DT.

 

[Hawkeye19]

A rotation of Mazi and Hankins or a goal line/short yardage package where they are deployed together should be really effective.

It’s been awhile since we have seen a quality rush D. Is it a coincidence that Clarke, Harper, Overshown, LVE, even Cox are getting rave reviews this offseason?

Early returns are positive. Looking forward to seeing what they look like when the real games matter.

 

[Maxmadden]

I like the fact he can play every down. Hankins is basically 1st down and goal line. Regardless, what killed us last year shouldn't be a concern this year.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Why it took the FO so long to see what all us internet GM's said for years about getting some DT's is beyond me. I don't know if Quinn gets the credit for this or they finally figured it out. But I am beyond excited to see some solid play from that position finally!

 

[Sydla]

FWIW, I always believed that the biggest issue with Crawford was that they would yo-yo him between DE and the 3T spot, where he'd be losing weight, gaining weight, etc. Throw in the injuries and it was a bust. They gave him an extension because they thought he was going to blow up and wanted to get him "cheaper" than they thought he would be a year later. They totally miscalculated.

 

[Mac_MaloneV1]

Crawford is a really pointless comparison, because he was a 3T/DE, not a 1T.

 

[Chuck 54]

I can assure you the LBs love the improved DL.
LVE and Jalen Smith took a lot of heat for downfield tackles because our DTs were awful. They were being blown back and the OLs were easily getting guys to the second level. I’m not saying Jalen Smith isn’t a subpar LB, but he and LVE both looked good the one year the DL was close to average.

 

[xwalker]

I remember after Tyrone Crawford had hip surgery, he was worthless, as he could not hold up at the point of the attack. We were deceived as to his ability to play DL. They paid him big bucks out of loyalty, but he simply could not maintain integrity on the line. He looked as if he were on roller skates going backwards on most plays. Now with Mazi Smith, I see a super strength guy who not only holds the line, he pushes opposing OLmen into the backfield. What a breath of fresh air. Our LB's will be able to make more tackles on running plays instead of being blocked by OLmen who dispatched with weak defensive linemen. I like the short yardage defense with both Hankins and Mazi at DT.

Crawford's hip was after he got paid.

Crawford was a passing downs 3-tech.

Mazi is a run downs 1-tech.

 

[Yoshimitsu]

Bohanna has got better too.

 

[nalam]

Bohanna has got better too.

Not so much , I guess he relies on his body size but not have the same effect even against 2nd and 3rd stringers