Spencer-potential star/role player/bust

[Gryphon]

Originally posted by cowboyny from another sports forum:

Anthony Spencer is entering his third season in the league. Per Tom Landry rule, a player must make an impact by his third year or they will find his replacement, no matter how high he was drafted.

Good

-show explosive pass rushing skills
-a force in the running game
-one of the most physical, nasty players that we have on our roster

Bad

-pass coverage skills need to improve
-needs to become more displine in gap control
-injuries last season, hurt his development
-Work Ethic

Ugly

-offseason alcohol incident

Outlook

This is a very important season for Spencer to make an impact and to successfully replace Greg Ellis. He has shown great explosive pass rushing skills, along with being stout against the run. Scouts believe he has as much talent as DeMarcus Ware, but he doesn't possess Ware's tremendous work ethic. We heard in last season's camp, he was the toughess pass rusher to contain, even more of a difficult than Ware. He got hurt and took him several weeks to get back on the field.

Is Spencer a potential Superstar? Maybe. He needs to get 10 sacks and he a force against the run. He must show us on the field that he can be a dominate player at the position.

Is Spencer a potential role player? Most likely. A season of 6-8 sacks with solid run support. He is our Crayton/Austin on Defense. If he can win his one on one matchups, blocking schemes will losen up for Ware/Ratliff (coverage against Roy/Witten) to become more successful.

Is Spencer a potential bust? Less than likely. If he continues to have trouble staying healthy, have off the field incidents or fails to become more consistent, than maybe.

In my opinion, Spencer will be somewhere in between a Superstar/Role Player. I believe if healthy for the full season, we will see 8-10 sacks with better run support that Ellis provided. He is one of the few physical defensive players on our roster that needs to start making a impact on the field at a consisent level. Spencer's development is a major key to take our defense to the next level.

 

[DallasDW00ds0n]

I mean I would agree.

He needs to just stay on the field healthy, hes been on and off the field too much.

 

[ravidubey]

Crayton is a poor analogy. Columbo is a better one, but not quite. More like Harper to Ware's Irvin. A first round pick who should make an impact but might not stay with the team long term.

 

[bayeslife]

Now that Ellis is gone he's finally going to be able to play...

 

[zrinkill]

Bad
-Work Ethic

Where did that come from? Ware says he picks things up faster than even he did (though I do not believe that) and the only thing that was keeping him off the field was a great experienced player in front of him.

Now I know many here do not consider Ellis a great player ...... but I would have loved to have a young (and not so paranoid) Ellis playing with Ware his entire career.

 

[ddh33]

Wade Phillips knows a little something about LBs, and he seems to love him.

I think he hasn't gotten much of a chance to play. He's fought some nagging injuries, and he's had a locker room politician working everyone in the organization to keep the young kid on the bench.

Unlike a guy like Carpenter who can't seem to force himself onto the field, Spencer has. I think he's going to break out this year. And if it wasn't for Greg Ellis, I think he already would have.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

I don't think Spencer is going to be a dominant player

a potentially very good one who will get his and take pressure off of Ware? most def

 

[jrumann59]

Originally posted by cowboyny from another sports forum:

Anthony Spencer is entering his third season in the league. Per Tom Landry rule, a player must make an impact by his third year or they will find his replacement, no matter how high he was drafted.

Good

-show explosive pass rushing skills
-a force in the running game
-one of the most physical, nasty players that we have on our roster

Bad

-pass coverage skills need to improve
-needs to become more displine in gap control
-injuries last season, hurt his development
-Work Ethic

Ugly

-offseason alcohol incident

Outlook

This is a very important season for Spencer to make an impact and to successfully replace Greg Ellis. He has shown great explosive pass rushing skills, along with being stout against the run. Scouts believe he has as much talent as DeMarcus Ware, but he doesn't possess Ware's tremendous work ethic. We heard in last season's camp, he was the toughess pass rusher to contain, even more of a difficult than Ware. He got hurt and took him several weeks to get back on the field.

Is Spencer a potential Superstar? Maybe. He needs to get 10 sacks and he a force against the run. He must show us on the field that he can be a dominate player at the position.

Is Spencer a potential role player? Most likely. A season of 6-8 sacks with solid run support. He is our Crayton/Austin on Defense. If he can win his one on one matchups, blocking schemes will losen up for Ware/Ratliff (coverage against Roy/Witten) to become more successful.

Is Spencer a potential bust? Less than likely. If he continues to have trouble staying healthy, have off the field incidents or fails to become more consistent, than maybe.

In my opinion, Spencer will be somewhere in between a Superstar/Role Player. I believe if healthy for the full season, we will see 8-10 sacks with better run support that Ellis provided. He is one of the few physical defensive players on our roster that needs to start making a impact on the field at a consisent level. Spencer's development is a major key to take our defense to the next level.

In the baltimore game he was jumping around blocks and ultimately it put him out of position on a few key plays.

 

[sonnyboy]

I don't think Spencer is going to be a dominant player

a potentially very good one who will get his and take pressure off of Ware? most def

That's all we need and it would be huge for us.

He's one of the keys guys that can take our defense to the next level.

Our defense had an odd year. At times it looked like the leagues best and certainly improved throughout the year til our week 16-17 collapse.

Spencer, Jenkins, Scandrick and Sensabugh are on my short list of difference makers. (2008 to 2009)

They have to for us to make the jump to a top 5 defense

 

[ThreeSportStar80]

Spencer will be get 10 to 12 sacks.

 

[jobberone]

I'm more concerned with his discipline on runs than his ability to rush the passer, too.

 

[Monster Heel]

Looks like a role player to me. I just don't see it in him as a pass rusher. He always seems a step late. I'm sure he'll get SOME sacks and some pressures, but he will not be elite or even that good in that aspect of the game. He seems pretty fluid in coverage and is athletic enough to be good in run support though.

 

[Doomsday101]

I have hope he will be more than just a role player, thus far he has not lived up to expectation but has a chance to turn that around. Bob Lilly once said all players do not develop at the same rate. This is Spencers 3rd season and it is not to late in his career to become an impact player for this team.

 

[odog422]

In the baltimore game he was jumping around blocks and ultimately it put him out of position on a few key plays.

CORRECTION: 2 key plays - the back to back long TD jaunts. Both plays he jumped around the blocks and the defense we were in there was no one there. Yes, Hamlin should have made tackles but had he played his gap, those are one yard to no gain.

 

[OAM]

Crayton/Austin of the defense? The guy was our first round pick 3 drafts ago and sat behind a guy who registered 12 and 8 sacks the past 2 seasons. Furthermore Ellis was an 8th overall pick and a long time defensive captain for this team.

This is not even taking into regard Spencer's injuries. Even Ellis himself said the guy was pushing him for the starting role the year he was drafted. Anthony Spencer was drafted to become that 2nd pass rusher like Shaun Phillips in San Diego. Not some compliment or role player.

The compliments and role players were drafted this year at the OLB, ILB and DB positions. Another journalist who needs to write about something and hasn't taken the time to watch this teams offseason's the last 3 seasons before doing so.