Talkin Cowboys 8.20

[BigStar]

So the Cowboys are running the Tampa 2 defense right?

In all the successful Tampa 2 defenses I've seen over the years there has always been uber-athletic LBs who were able to run DEEP down the seem with slots WRs, TEs, etc. I am talking the Brian Urlachers, Derrick Brooks, and the young version of London Fletcher with the Rams.

Who in the currently projected set of starting LBs are going to be the guys who are able to do this?

Carter did run a 4.4 (he's just soft and in la-la land)

 

[xwalker]

Derrick Brooks was a WLB. Durant (4.51 forty) and Carter (4.4 forty) have speed.

Rolando McClain's speed is similar to Sean Lee's. He even played in the Nickel defense in Oakland but they pulled him from that because he was wearing down playing 100% of the defensive snaps. He appears to be thinner now than he was then so his speed if probably better. Even in Oakland's base defense as the MLB, they had him dropping into deep zones similar to a Tampa-2 MLB. Urlacher and McClain had the same 10-yard time with Urlacher being a little faster in the forty, 4.59 vs 4.68.

 

[CCBoy]

Derrick Brooks was a WLB. Durant (4.51 forty) and Carter (4.4 forty) have speed.

Rolando McClain's speed is similar to Sean Lee's. He even played in the Nickel defense in Oakland but they pulled him from that because he was wearing down playing 100% of the defensive snaps. He appears to be thinner now than he was then so his speed if probably better. Even in Oakland's base defense as the MLB, they had him dropping into deep zones similar to a Tampa-2 MLB. Urlacher and McClain had the same 10-yard time with Urlacher being a little faster in the forty, 4.59 vs 4.68.

I'll take the faster 40 time. But as to middle linebacker, I was satisfied with a Lewis and his abilities, which were top notched functional.