Mitch
Crawled Through 5 FB Fields
Adding a veteran like 34DE Brett Keisel to help solidify the depth at LDE would be favorable.
However, the Cardinals actually have a couple of interesting options in house. In addition to turning to veteran DE Frostee Rucker, who, in his own right, provides strong leadership on the field and in the clubhouse...and happens to be playing very well at the present time...a player who could potentially shine there is Matt Shaughnessy.
Some claim that 34DE is Shaughnessy's most natural position and with good reason. He is very strong at the point of attack and he is athletic enough to chase down plays and penetrate gaps.
Alex Okafor played a good game at LOLB this past week---and what particularly impressed me was how he kept contain on flow his way---how he did so in textbook fashion, as he kept his outside should free on the blocks. On one play he strung it out and because he kept his outside shoulder free he was able to make the tackle for a two yard loss.
Marcus Benard is a strong LOLB option as well.
What also would be fascinating to see is what Dan Williams could do at LDE when Almeda Ta'amu returns at NT. Williams was quite the interior force at the DT position his senior year at Tennessee. The thought of playing Williams and Taa'amu at the same time, especially versus running teams like the Seahawks and 49ers, is very intriguing.
It's a good thing too that Steve Keim drafted both Kareem Martin and Ed Stinson. Both are starting to learn proper technique---as they both have a tendency to stand up too quickly off the snap and thus lose their leverage too soon which stops their feet. The good news is that they are generating good initial contact---with added technique they could start being productive.
However, the Cardinals actually have a couple of interesting options in house. In addition to turning to veteran DE Frostee Rucker, who, in his own right, provides strong leadership on the field and in the clubhouse...and happens to be playing very well at the present time...a player who could potentially shine there is Matt Shaughnessy.
Some claim that 34DE is Shaughnessy's most natural position and with good reason. He is very strong at the point of attack and he is athletic enough to chase down plays and penetrate gaps.
Alex Okafor played a good game at LOLB this past week---and what particularly impressed me was how he kept contain on flow his way---how he did so in textbook fashion, as he kept his outside should free on the blocks. On one play he strung it out and because he kept his outside shoulder free he was able to make the tackle for a two yard loss.
Marcus Benard is a strong LOLB option as well.
What also would be fascinating to see is what Dan Williams could do at LDE when Almeda Ta'amu returns at NT. Williams was quite the interior force at the DT position his senior year at Tennessee. The thought of playing Williams and Taa'amu at the same time, especially versus running teams like the Seahawks and 49ers, is very intriguing.
It's a good thing too that Steve Keim drafted both Kareem Martin and Ed Stinson. Both are starting to learn proper technique---as they both have a tendency to stand up too quickly off the snap and thus lose their leverage too soon which stops their feet. The good news is that they are generating good initial contact---with added technique they could start being productive.