Taco's sack against the Rams

[texbumthelife]

Yep, Im aware of all that. But they rush the passer and they play the run. They will either be good at it or not. And one guy will do it better than the other.

I see what you're saying. They're going to be graded on how they perform, period.

However, expecting a DE to produce sack totals or "splash plays" on par with a pass rushing 34 OLB is setting the guy up for failure. Very few DE's are good enough to replicate what a good pass rushing LB can do, they just have too much responsibility to pin their ears back every play.

I don't think they can be compared in a vacuum.

 

[Section446]

I agree. 1st game he had 0 stats , no sacks and no tackles. This game with limited number of snaps he had 3 tackles and a sack. The kid showed some improvement, there is a long way to go for him but as he gets himself ready to the reg season. Like the 1st game they will go into the film room they will look at both the positives and negatives and he will continue to work on improving himself.

This is my stance as well... Better than game one, no doubt, but a long way to go.

 

[Irvin88_4life]

Yes, Taco is a different type of rusher, never going to have that quick twitch get off like Ware.

He will need to win with his length, short area quickness and power (something the team specific weight training program should develop in time) as you mention along with a new repertoire of moves as others have noted.

I am not displeased with Taco thus far, he just needs more development, instruction and playing time.

It is way too early to categorize him either way.

I disagree about the quick get off. Taco was the first off the ball almost every snap Saturday

 

[texbumthelife]

If I am not communicating properly, then let me give you my complete view:

-Not big on the pick of Taco but I could see where he has the measurables. Minus the speed.
-Doesnt play mean or nasty. I dont see a high motor on him.
-I dont expect much out of defensive rookies so not shocked he is struggling some
-Like the sack, but the rest of the game was NOT a good showing. Maybe for a rookie it was ok. I didnt see anything else to be excited about. Its pretty much what I expected. He struggled. Watched every snap at least twice.
-Glad to see he got his first sack and did improve.

Let me also makes sure I am being 100% clear. I don't think the kid is ready for showtime or that he's even a lock to be a starting DE for this team week one. I do, however, think the potential is there and I see improvement already. He's a late first rounder with good measurables drafted to be a rotational guy, not an elite pass rusher. I think he fits that mold perfectly.

 

[CowboyRoy]

I agree with a lot of what you're saying, I'm just not sure where you're getting this "he struggled" part from. I don't see any way he struggled against the Rams. Maybe if the expectation was he would get pressure on every drop back? I saw a player that was active and aggressive and though he's still "thinking" a little too much, his athleticism and ability showed up. He had three tackles, including one for a loss as well as the sack. That's good production for an entire game, yet he played what, 1/3 of the game?

I think as he gets more comfortable you'll see a little more nasty in his play, which he showed at Michigan quite a bit. You can see him processing out there and not feeling 100% comfortable yet. As he's able to just pin his ears back I think you're going to see increased production.

I don't think he's ever going to be a 15 sack guy, but I think he will have some double digit sack seasons and probably average closer to 8-9.

He did NOT have a tackle for a loss. The sack was the tackle for a loss and it was also one of his tackles. He had two other tackles other than the sack. One of those two other tackles was 9 yards down the field pushing him out of bounds. I looked in detail at all his plays in 6 drives and other than two plays, he was not disruptive. In fact he was stone walled.

 

[Doomsday101]

what I am seeing is those who did not like the pick are being the harshest critics. Myself I'm pretty much neutral with the pick. Right now all I want to see is steady improvement from Charlton.

 

[texbumthelife]

He did NOT have a tackle for a loss. The sack was the tackle for a loss and it was also one of his tackles. He had two other tackles other than the sack. One of those two other tackles was 9 yards down the field pushing him out of bounds. I looked in detail at all his plays in 6 drives and other than two plays, he was not disruptive. In fact he was stone walled.

I saw him stoned a few times. More often I saw a player not forcefully rushing the passer because he was worried about executing all of his responsibilities. Even on his sack, you could see him processing as he locked on the OT. From the GL camera its very clear he was watching/waiting and not just rushing the passer.

 

[CowboyRoy]

what I am seeing is those who did not like the pick are being the harshest critics. Myself I'm pretty much neutral with the pick. Right now all I want to see is steady improvement from Charlton.

Saying a guy was not impressive other then the sack is not harsh. Its reality. Some people just cant handle criticism so they get offended. Or they watch ONE replay on sports center and assume the kid did well.

 

[CowboyRoy]

I saw him stoned a few times. More often I saw a player not forcefully rushing the passer because he was worried about executing all of his responsibilities. Even on his sack, you could see him processing as he locked on the OT. From the GL camera its very clear he was watching/waiting and not just rushing the passer.

Ah..........ok well you may have a point there. So you took it as thinking too much? certainly makes sense.

Did you see the roll out play where he would have had an easy sack unblocked but he fell down?

 

[texbumthelife]

Ah..........ok well you may have a point there. So you took it as thinking too much? certainly makes sense.

Did you see the roll out play where he would have had an easy sack unblocked but he fell down?

Do you mean the read-option play against Az?

 

[texbumthelife]

Saying a guy was not impressive other then the sack is not harsh. Its reality. Some people just cant handle criticism so they get offended. Or they watch ONE replay on sports center and assume the kid did well.

You have to also consider, saying a guy "wasn't impressive" and saying he was "bad" are two vastly different things as well.

I haven't been particularly "impressed" with Taco to this point, but I like what I am seeing as he seems to be getting better and I like that up against what we know about him from his time at Michigan--which is unfortunately all we really have to go on at this point.

 

[Verdict]

I know you've decided to envelop yourself in a cloud of negativity and spew hyperbole and acidity, but at least learn how to read.

I said I think Strahan is a good comparison for how he will need to evolve as a player. See, that means Strahan is the player I think he most needs to try and mimic. Notice how I didn't say he IS Strahan or is as good as Strahan?

Move along short bus.

Who are you referring to?

 

[texbumthelife]

Who are you referring to?

CowboysRoy, but we hashed it out. We cool.

 

[Fletch]

Blimey!
He is a perfectly good pick.
Give him a year to hone his football cahones.

Aye!

 

[Verdict]

I did not state how Taco will do, I said it was encouraging from game 1 to game 2 in pre season. He will move on to game 3 and not all the people he faced were scrubs in the 1st qrt of play.

I want this to be clear .... first of all I am not attacking you, this is just a discussion among friends. I am not even saying Taco will be a bust, as I have never said that.

My main contentions are that I don't care for his measurables (which are not the end all), I haven't seen much out of him so far to justify his draft position, I don't take any comfort in the training camp reports coming out on him, he is probably too much of a project to justify the 28th draft slot, and I am not seeing the burst some others claim to see.

In fact I think he will contribute to some degree at left DE and be a good run stuffer.

 

[Verdict]

CowboysRoy, but we hashed it out. We cool.

Thanks. I was wondering if I had raised your ire over something that I didn't recall saying. Lol.

 

[texbumthelife]

I want this to be clear .... first of all I am not attacking you, this is just a discussion among friends. I am not even saying Taco will be a bust, as I have never said that.

My main contentions are that I don't care for his measurables (which are not the end all), I haven't seen much out of him so far to justify his draft position, I don't take any comfort in the training camp reports coming out on him, he is probably too much of a project to justify the 28th draft slot, and I am not seeing the burst some others claim to see.

In fact I think he will contribute to some degree at left DE and be a good run stuffer.

What were you expecting out of a late first-round defensive end? Historically, these types of players take a year or two. It's not like we burned a top-10 pick on the guy. If he can put up 5-6 sacks and 30 tackles this year, I would be very happy with that production given the players around him and the responsibilities he will have.

 

[CowboyRoy]

Do you mean the read-option play against Az?

No. The play against the Rams where I believe it was a fake handoff roll out. Taco slipped. Then got up and ran at the QB and he got it off just before he got there. Completed the pass for a first down. Same type of play where Watt made the sack.

 

[CowboyRoy]

You have to also consider, saying a guy "wasn't impressive" and saying he was "bad" are two vastly different things as well.

I haven't been particularly "impressed" with Taco to this point, but I like what I am seeing as he seems to be getting better and I like that up against what we know about him from his time at Michigan--which is unfortunately all we really have to go on at this point.

Agreed. I can be overly harsh in the face of overzealous homerism.

 

[jday]

Depends on how much he plays. And what he looks like when he plays. Putting a number on it is a little too simple. But that sounds about right if he looked good in other areas.

No, you are right; context is certainly important. But 5 sacks over the course of the year in a rotation would be a good number for him. Of course, another disclaimer I should point out is that he may get zero sacks and still be considered solid as a player. Sacks are huge, but they aren't the end-all-be-all deciding factor in rather or not a player is good in his role.