RuntheDamnBall Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 He should, at the very least, be good for clogging things up!! And allowing the other DL to flush out the pocket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bills_fan Posted February 13, 2007 Author Share Posted February 13, 2007 Okoye is one hell of a football player and will be easily playing at 300+ in the NFL. He would solidify the line for years to come and would almost certainly take care of the run defense problem (our biggest problem) next year. Free agents at corner and perhaps middle linebacker are a better bet than trying a rookie at either position. I say draft Okoye or Branch...and if we end up with Blaylock go with some like Harrel out of Tennessee in the second. Why do you say that? How do you know he will gain the weight? How will he solidfy our run D? Branch I can see just due to his size and the type of player he's gone against in the Big 10 for the last couple of years. But Okoye, I'm not sure. The kid is 19. A good player for a 19 year old sure, but what happens when he goes against 330 lb guards, who are jacked and in their primes? Will he have the strength and weight to hold his ground? Has he been successful at the college level taking on guards and stopping the run? If we have two penetrating type DTs, who cleans up the mess if they miss? The MLB after shedding the blocks of the guards? Also, given that an athlete in football generally hits their prime between 24-29 years old, are we just developing Okoye for the next team a la Nate Clements? I have concerns about Okoye. His upside certainly intrigues me but I don't want a project on my hands. I, of course, may regret those words but... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozymandius Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 Yeah, I would reduce Okoye's potential impact from "almost certainly take care of the run defense" to "possibly take care of...". He's a nice player but a bit overrated on this board right now as a runstopper. I'm sure just as many teams project him as a 3-technique knifer as a 1-technique clogger right now. Sands would be a good pickup. A bit risky because he's only really had one good season and who knows how hard he'll work once he gets some money. But he was dominant at times. In that first Monday night game of the year, SD at Oakland, he really gave the SD o-line some fits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozymandius Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 Here's footage of Sands against San Diego in 2005: He's a big boy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozymandius Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 In that first play, he just powers Nick Hardwick to the ground and chases down Drew Brees. In the second play, Sand takes on a double team, holds his ground, sheds, and nails Michael Turner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bills_fan Posted February 13, 2007 Author Share Posted February 13, 2007 Thanks for the great footage Ozymandius. I think signing him and drafting Patrick Willis would go a long way toward improving our run D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennesseeboy Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 Why do you say that? How do you know he will gain the weight? How will he solidfy our run D? Branch I can see just due to his size and the type of player he's gone against in the Big 10 for the last couple of years. But Okoye, I'm not sure. The kid is 19. A good player for a 19 year old sure, but what happens when he goes against 330 lb guards, who are jacked and in their primes? Will he have the strength and weight to hold his ground? Has he been successful at the college level taking on guards and stopping the run? If we have two penetrating type DTs, who cleans up the mess if they miss? The MLB after shedding the blocks of the guards? Also, given that an athlete in football generally hits their prime between 24-29 years old, are we just developing Okoye for the next team a la Nate Clements? I have concerns about Okoye. His upside certainly intrigues me but I don't want a project on my hands. I, of course, may regret those words but... Start with the weight issue. The kid played last season at 315. He showed up at the Senior Bowl at 287 (mcCargo is eight pounds heavier than that) and said in an interview after the game he was going home to put on weight at the combine. He'll be 20 at training camp, a college graduate and a hell of a lot more mature than many who show up at training camp at 21 or 22. He was successful at the senior bowl at stopping the run and the pass...and the guy played some top flight college teams at Louisville. He was and continues to be successful. Branch is a good second option. The other guy I would go for at our position is Blaylock. If we can't get one of the three trade down and see what we can do with the pickings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dibs Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 Correct, but both guys penetrate and disrupt the play. Neitehr is a stay-at-home, take-on-2-blockers type of player....... What makes you think that we are even considering that type of DT?????? From everything I've heard.....& by looking at the cover 2 Ds around the league(& historically)....they don't target DTs over 110lbs. You may want us to get one........and you who are reading this may want one.....but if the scheme requires a quick first move & penetration ability from all the DTs, I don't see how all yall can continually holler for a BIG DT. Simply.....we need a good DT....not a big DT. If a big guy can get the job done....good, get him. If a little guy can get the job done....get him. From what I understand, the system prefers not to have the immovable lump in the middle. Can somebody who actually knows the details of all of this please educate us here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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