Gregory Rousseau is becoming elite

[billsfan89]

The young guns on the Dline have been playing better and Shaq is continuing to have a solid season. AJ got a sack and a pass batted Boogie didn’t light up the stat sheet this past week but I thought he played decently. Von’s impact has been felt off the field.

[NewEra]

1 hour ago, JohnBonhamRocks said:

Above average starter means he’s - what - a top 20-30 NFL DE?
 

I think it’s fair to place him there until he sustains his production over a longer span of time. 

 

 

Eh.  I just go by what I see on the field.  He’s within the top 20 DE’s imo.  He’s does it all and affect the fame in ways others can’t.  I think he’s currently our 2nd best player on D behind Milano. 

[smuvtalker]

On 12/11/2022 at 8:20 PM, KzooMike said:

He's like a fly trap. If you get near him it triggers and you're done. I think he's the best pass rush finisher we have right now. Remember, he has been out for awhile. So as Von departs, Groot rejoins the party. It might even end up being a + situation. He's developing so quickly. 

Love the analogy.  IMO he's without a doubt the best DL on our team.  Yes, his physical tools are a specimen, but what I really love hearing from coaches and players alike is that he's such a student of the game, Frazier and Von specifically come to mind.   Another just really hard to believe tidbit of info....the kid is TWENTY-TWO FREAKIN YEARS OLD!!!  OMG is he even done growing yet?  So many crazy things to think about with this kid in terms of potential.  He played a whopping two games his true freshman year at Miami before suffering a season ending ankle injury.  So his first FULL season, 2019, he begins the year coming off the bench.  Not only does he finish the year as the starting DE, but he wins ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year and finishes the season number TWO in the nation with 15.5 sacks, just one sack shy of the sack leader, who notched 16.5.  In case you were wondering who was number one in the country?  Mr Chase Young.  Not too shabby for a redshirt freshman.  He sits out his entire sophomore year due to Covid.  So basically the kid had one whole year of college ball before declaring for the NFL draft.  If you ask me, he's the defensive equivalent to Josh Allen with regard to pure physical talent.  All the measurables are there.  Now I know this may be a stretch to ask/hope for, but if he makes the progress every year like Josh has, my God.  All jokes aside, when you look in the dictionary next to the phrase, "His potential is limitless.", there should be a big ol picture of him.

 

He has 7 sacks this year, and I don't see any reason why he can't eclipse double digits. 

[GreggTX]

What I like best is that he continues to trend upward. A lot of teams passed on him because he sat out his senior year after a phenominal junior season. It looks like that was no fluke. He may well turn out to be the best DE taken in his draft class. He's better than Oliver.

 

 

 

[Big Turk]

This appears to show Groot has been the 3rd best edge pass rusher in terms of performance over expectation based on his assignments. Only behind Parsons and Garrett.  That's pretty good company.

 

 

[Big Turk]

 

[BullBuchanan]

On 12/11/2022 at 8:21 PM, JerseyBills said:

He's the Edmunds of the DL.

 

 

[JerseyBills]

3 hours ago, BullBuchanan said:

Lol I don't get you guys. Edmunds is an elite LB. Second person to say this , I don't understand.  If Groot turned into the equivalent of Edmunds at DE, that's a great player

[Buffalo716]

On 12/13/2022 at 3:56 AM, GreggTX said:

What I like best is that he continues to trend upward. A lot of teams passed on him because he sat out his senior year after a phenominal junior season. It looks like that was no fluke. He may well turn out to be the best DE taken in his draft class. He's better than Oliver.

 

 

 

He sat out his RS SO year 

 

he had a lot of eligibility left

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

It’s impressive how thick and strong he appears along with the height and long arms. In Interviews he comes across as humble and grounded for such a gifted athlete 

[Thurman#1]

On 12/12/2022 at 11:10 AM, KzooMike said:

7 sacks in 10 starts this season. His length is disruptive. You cant get into his radius and come out ok. He seems to have a really good head on his shoulders. Has said he keeps learning from Von. I wonder how many sacks Von has added by just training with our line? My guess would be at least 5.

 

Groot looks like he will become a force  

 

 

A force? Absolutely.

 

Elite? Certainly not yet.

 

Elite generally in football means top three or four at your position. Groot isn't getting there yet. Still early, though.

 

You may well be right about the sacks Von has added to the other guys here, IMO.

[Dopey]

On 12/12/2022 at 12:04 PM, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

That's just an attempt at pumping up Edmunds.    Edmunds is a great athlete but he is not a play maker.   Rousseau is.    Very different.   They are almost the opposite in this regard.   Groot gets sacks.   He gets his hands on more passes than Edmunds.   He creates turnovers.   He lead the NFL in run stops by a DL last season.    The only thing MORE ridiculous would be to compare Edmunds to Allen or Diggs.  

Does the Edmunds crusade have come here too?!?! 
Holy 💩!!!

[Thurman#1]

On 12/13/2022 at 11:53 AM, NewEra said:

Eh.  I just go by what I see on the field.  He’s within the top 20 DE’s imo.  He’s does it all and affect the fame in ways others can’t.  I think he’s currently our 2nd best player on D behind Milano. 

 

 

Yeah, top twenty DE? I totally agree. Maybe even top fifteen as the season has progressed.

 

Politely disagree about him being our 2nd best behind Milano, though. Poyer, White and Edmunds are right up there, IMO. Hyde certainly too before the injury. Most of those guys are pretty close to maxed out, though, and Groot is improving. A lot.

Edited December 15, 2022 by Thurman#1

[NewEra]

16 minutes ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

 

Yeah, top twenty DE? I totally agree. Maybe even top fifteen as the season has progressed.

 

Politely disagree about him being our 2nd best behind Milano, though. Poyer, White and Edmunds are right up there, IMO. Hyde certainly too before the injury. Most of those guys are pretty close to maxed out, though, and Groot is improving. A lot.

Poyer, I can see.  That’s my dude.  But he’s a safety.  
 

edmunds- I wouldn’t argue about who’s better.  Both similar talents playing different positions.  Both stars now.  

 

white-  Rousseau is clearly the better player based on their play this year….and that’s what I’m talking about.  Play this year.  Rousseau has been a game changer.  White hasn’t.  
 

i say this because I’ve focused on solely him and rewatched every snap he’s taken since returning from injury.  He’s made massive strides since last year.  Unless you really focus on him, I don’t think you can see how dominant he’s been.

[Thurman#1]

31 minutes ago, NewEra said:

Poyer, I can see.  That’s my dude.  But he’s a safety.  
 

edmunds- I wouldn’t argue about who’s better.  Both similar talents playing different positions.  Both stars now.  

 

white-  Rousseau is clearly the better player based on their play this year….and that’s what I’m talking about.  Play this year.  Rousseau has been a game changer.  White hasn’t.  
 

i say this because I’ve focused on solely him and rewatched every snap he’s taken since returning from injury.  He’s made massive strides since last year.  Unless you really focus on him, I don’t think you can see how dominant he’s been.

 

 

White hasn't this year ... yet. IMO he's trending in that direction and we'll see him get there soon. I could be wrong about that, certainly, but it looks that way to me.

 

And I might even throw DaQuan in there this year, with a bit more time to think. That guy has been playing great the whole year.

 

[NewEra]

3 minutes ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

 

White hasn't this year ... yet. IMO he's trending in that direction and we'll see him get there soon. I could be wrong about that, certainly, but it looks that way to me.

 

And I might even throw DaQuan in there this year, with a bit more time to think. That guy has been playing great the whole year.

 

Thumbs up to daquan.  He’s been dominant and exactly what this defense has needed for years.  
 

I hope you’re right about Tre, but I think Rousseau is different.  Agree to disagree 

Edited December 15, 2022 by NewEra

[BullBuchanan]

15 hours ago, JerseyBills said:

Lol I don't get you guys. Edmunds is an elite LB. Second person to say this , I don't understand.  If Groot turned into the equivalent of Edmunds at DE, that's a great player

Edmunds is far, far from "elite".  After 5 years he's finally playing at an above average level but he's still not even a top 20 LB. If that's groot's future, we'll need a legitimate #1 EDGE.

Edited December 15, 2022 by BullBuchanan

[Big Turk]

1 hour ago, BullBuchanan said:

Edmunds is far, far from "elite".  After 5 years he's finally playing at an above average level but he's still not even a top 20 LB. If that's groot's future, we'll need a legitimate #1 EDGE.

 

There are a lot of former NFL players and analysts who disagree with this. I think I'd trust their opinion over yours.

[BullBuchanan]

14 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

 

There are a lot of former NFL players and analysts who disagree with this. I think I'd trust their opinion over yours.

There are? Who? I've seen zero people who rank him in the top 20 across every list I've seen and his stats back it up. For all the ballwashing that goes on for Edmunds, he's not even close to the actual elite LB he's playing next to.

18 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

 

There are a lot of former NFL players and analysts who disagree with this. I think I'd trust their opinion over yours.

https://www.nfl.com/news/2022-nfl-season-s-top-10-off-ball-linebackers-roquan-smith-trade-gives-ravens-tw
https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-linebacker-rankings-and-tiers-monson-2022
https://www.scottfujita.com/best-linebackers-in-nfl/
https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/49ers/ranking-best-linebackers-2022-nfl-season

https://www.sportskeeda.com/nfl/nfl-s-top-10-linebackers-2022

 

[Alphadawg7]

On 12/11/2022 at 6:31 PM, thenorthremembers said:

He is becoming a good starting defensive end rather than just a guy in a rotation.   Elite is a pretty strong term.  Maybe he will be there but right now elite is a long way off.  

 

He is closer to elite than just a good starting DE.  He is on pace for 12 sacks in just his 2nd season after coming in raw as a rookie, and that is after missing 3 games.  He is also excellent against the run, which many of the top pass rushers are not.  

 

Having a guy who is very good at rushing the passer and very good at defending the run is not as common as people think.  Look at who is regarded as the best pass rusher in the NFL out of the front 7 players...Parsons in Dallas.  People drool over an elite pass rusher like Parsons, but he is utterly atrocious against the run and bad teams keep exploiting the Dallas defense to keep games close by running the football.  

 

I will put it this way...is Groot tradeable right now?  I would say he is as close to as untouchable as Diggs and Allen, and he is probably the only such player on the defense right now that the front office 100% would not trade.  And if they were to trade Groot, he would fetch a bounty with his unique build and his growth and production in just his second season.  

 

So while I agree, maybe saying he is "elite" right now is a bit premature, but I just think he is a lot closer to elite than you think he is.