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DE Jadeveon Clowney, DAL (1 Viewer)

Ian Rapoport ‏@RapSheet 2h

All the criticism Jadeveon Clowney took for effort issues and it turns out he played through a sports hernia. Should cause some re-thinking
Those effort issues were always nonsense.
So is thinking that he had a sports hernia all last season, through the combine and personal workouts, through OTAs, and only just this past month had it addressed If you watched him play - and I did - it was obvious he was dogging a significant number of plays. It's a whole lot more reasonable to say he did it to protect his pro career than it is to simply pretend it didn't happen.

 
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Will McGinest says Clowney has looked "dominant" in LB drills. I guess he's transitioning to playing in space well.

 
Clowney may be the strongest guy in the NFL, but there's no question he has an extremely narrow frame. I always questioned, for all his athleticism, length and explosiveness, whether he could be an effective 3-point stance 4-3 DE. I was afraid he'd have balance anchoring problems when engaged with massive blockers.

However, I like to see the Texans using his as an OLB, or more likely in the elephant role. I'd think he'd be best used as a stand up DE/OLB hybrid where he lines up about 3 yards off the ball in the weak side and use his athleticism and instincts to step up and engage if forced to. But can easily run sideline to sideline, or drop back over a TE or RB on a pass play. Think the transition DeMarcus Ware made.

 
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He looked terrible in coverage, he's still learning obviously.

Man moves on the line though, that play to blow up Taylor was very nice.

 
He looked terrible in coverage, he's still learning obviously.

Man moves on the line though, that play to blow up Taylor was very nice.
If they wanted a cover guy they should have drafted Mack. It's preseason though and they are just seeing what he can do.

 
The Insane Clowney Posse showed up with another bone crushing TFL (albeit unblocked) and added his first sack, I think.

He was lined up near the LOS on both plays, which accentuates his lightning quick first step.

If he can add to his repertoire of moves (uses bull and swim, could add a spin, hump and more counters) and the urgency and intensity of JJ Watt ("What is that, chamomile tea? You wanna take a nap!?") and Brian Cushing rubs off on him, with his stellar, off the charts physical tools, it will be interesting to see if he has a Jevon Kearse-type rookie season and impact as a pass rusher (though "The Freak" was a DE).

What is the over/under on his number of sacks in 2014? Below are some of the top rookie sack numbers, by DL and LBs.

His most recent comps might be Mario Williams (1.1, like Clowney) and Julius Peppers (1.2). Williams had 4.5 sacks as a rookie (than 14 in his second year) and Peppers had 12 sacks. Kearse (1.16) holds the NFL rookie record with 14.5 sacks. Von Miller (1.2) had 11.5 sacks and Aldon Smith (1.7) had 14 sacks. Dwight Freeney (1.11) had 13 sacks as a rookie. Simeon Rice (1.3) and Leslie O'Neal (1.8) each had 12.5 sacks. Bruce Smith (1.1) had 6.5 sacks, and it is hard to compare Reggie White because he began his professional career in the USFL and wasn't really a "rookie" by the time he began playing in the NFL. Teammate JJ Watt (1.11) had 5.5. Lawrence Taylor (1.2) didn't crack DD sacks until his fourth year. Derrick Thomas (1.4) had 10 (20 in his second season). DeMarcus Ware (1.11) had 8 sacks. JPP (1.15) had 4.5 sacks as a rookie (16.5 in his second season).

Kearse supposedly ran a sub 4.5 at his Florida pro day, after a 4.58 at the combine (4.43 same as Watkins and OBJs official time at combine), but he was 10 lbs. lighter than Clowney.

 
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I think he was blocked on the sack.
Baker got his hands on him but it was a futile effort. Clowney got him out of position immediately with his burst and speed and drove through the attempt with leverage. It's also funny that his ability to not be blocked is being diminished here. On the run play his rare athleticism allowed him to make that play and not get blocked. Very few, many be none actually, behave the physical ability to pull off the that play.

 
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I think he was blocked on the sack.
Baker got his hands on him but it was a futile effort. Clowney got him out of position immediately with his burst and speed and drove through the attempt with leverage. It's also funny that his ability to not be blocked is being diminished here. On the run play his rare athleticism allowed him to make that play and not get blocked. Very few, many be none actually, behave the physical ability to pull off the that play.
:lmao:

 
I did hedge my bet saying his only hope was Watt pushing him. But I still stand behind my assessment.
:popcorn:
Yea, the guy is a phenomenal playmaker when unblocked.
:lol:

Don't be a Sabertooth.

 
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I did hedge my bet saying his only hope was Watt pushing him. But I still stand behind my assessment.
:popcorn:
Yea, the guy is a phenomenal playmaker when unblocked.
:lol: Don't be a Sabertooth.
Look, for the kids sake I hope he is an all-time great. The general consensus is he is the next Reggie White though, the Michael Jordan of defensive pass rushers and I just because i'm not ready to anoint him a combo of Bruce Smith Lawrence Taylor and Reggie White, that shouldn't make me a curmudgeon.

 
Look, for the kids sake I hope he is an all-time great. The general consensus is he is the next Reggie White though, the Michael Jordan of defensive pass rushers and I just because i'm not ready to anoint him a combo of Bruce Smith Lawrence Taylor and Reggie White, that shouldn't make me a curmudgeon.
He doesn't need to be those guys to be worth the #1 pick. You seem to be letting the hype cloud your judgement.

 
On Saturday night, Texans rookie defensive end Jadeveon Clowney impressed everyone with a pair of hits on Falcons players. Everyone was impressed. Except one of the guys Clowney hit.“Just a guy,” running back Antone Smith said, via 610 Sports Radio in Houston. “I don’t see anything special. He’s just a guy. He’s a guy who plays defensive end. He plays pretty good. Made a good play.”
:lmao:

Does ANTONE SMITH not see the humor in him calling someone else just a guy?

 
How good can the HOU defense be this year? They should get a ton of sacks, right? And it seems like their CBs aren't too bad either. But not sure about run stopping ability. Anyone else thinking about them as a Team Defense this year? How do you stack them up against other non-elite defenses that might emerge?

 
jurb26 said:
Bob Magaw said:
I think he was blocked on the sack.
Baker got his hands on him but it was a futile effort. Clowney got him out of position immediately with his burst and speed and drove through the attempt with leverage. It's also funny that his ability to not be blocked is being diminished here. On the run play his rare athleticism allowed him to make that play and not get blocked. Very few, many be none actually, behave the physical ability to pull off the that play.
This is :goodposting:

Rewatch the play... He was unblocked because of his ridiculous athleticism... Its not like they didn't account for him. The pulling guard had no shot to get there.

 
jurb26 said:
Bob Magaw said:
I think he was blocked on the sack.
Baker got his hands on him but it was a futile effort. Clowney got him out of position immediately with his burst and speed and drove through the attempt with leverage.It's also funny that his ability to not be blocked is being diminished here. On the run play his rare athleticism allowed him to make that play and not get blocked. Very few, many be none actually, behave the physical ability to pull off the that play.
This is :goodposting:

Rewatch the play... He was unblocked because of his ridiculous athleticism... Its not like they didn't account for him. The pulling guard had no shot to get there.
Right.

He was "unblocked" on the play like Calvin Johnson is "uncovered" when he beats a CB for a catch.

The Falcons tried to block him. He was just too quick.

It should be really interesting to see how this affects teams' gameplanning going forward.

 
It should be really interesting to see how this affects teams' gameplanning going forward.
All I can say is "Good luck" with Watt on the other side and Nix returning from injury.

 
Stud. Dripping studly-ness all over the floor, when he's not wrapped in swaddling studly. When people started using the word 'stud', they were referring to this kid without knowing it.

 
Not wanting to hijack the thread, but a bit surprised Khalil Mack doesn't even get mentioned in the article. Even if just in a "this is why he isn't in my list" sense.
http://www.sbnation.com/2014/8/19/6044533/nfl-rookie-updates-jadeveon-clowney-sammy-watkins-greg-robinson

Question marks and red flags Khalil Mack, OLB, Oakland RaidersI didn't comment on Khalil Mack last week and almost didn't this week because, well, it's hard to say just how he is doing. And that isn't his fault. I'm just not sure that playing the No. 5 pick in the draft at SAM linebacker is a great idea. Why? Because he comes off the field in nickel, and most teams play a looooootta nickel. Now, he could also be a pass rusher in nickel, BUT that would mean either LaMarr Woodley or Justin Tuck, two big offseason additions, would either have to come off the field or kick inside to pass rush. Tuck has rushed inside plenty, but so far he has been rushing from defensive end a lot on passing downs this preseason. Woodley could probably also rush inside, but it's not something he is known for doing. So where will Mack's pass-rushing reps come from during the season if nobody gets hurt?

I'm starting to wonder if trying to make him a jack of all trades and putting him at SAM linebacker may actually hold him back for a while.
That's not to say that Mack is a one-trick pony who can only pass rush. It's hard as hell to make a contribution from the sideline. It's also hard for guys who haven't been pass rushing all game to suddenly go in on third-and-long and rush. I saw a couple of Mack's pass rushes against the Lions and they looked so damn average I had to double-check and make sure it was actually him. For a guy with a ton of athleticism and who showed last year in college that he does have good pass-rushing technique, he just looked out of sorts to me, unsure whether to try to use his speed or his power or a combination of both.

I actually thought Mack would have a pretty smooth transition to the pros because he played a true linebacker position and was a big-time pass rusher in college. Now, I'm starting to wonder if trying to make him a jack of all trades and putting him at SAM linebacker may actually hold him back for a while.
I'm starting to worry about Mack in his SAM role and the coaches trying to force too much on him at one time. He sometimes looks lost out there, not sure whether to use his power or speed or both. I'm not a big fan of the entire coaching staff, let alone the DC Tarver, but all I can hope for is that if and when they replace him, they bring in someone that focuses Mack in a defined pass rushing role.

From the same article:

Anthony Barr, DE, Minnesota Vikings

I honestly think the Raiders could take some notes from the Vikings on how they've integrated Barr into their defense at linebacker and as a rush defensive end. The advantage Barr has over Khalil Mack right now is that Barr hardly ever comes off the field, no matter the situation. Barr appears to be making a smoother transition to the NFL so far than Mack.

Against the Cardinals, Barr wasn't making a lot of tackles, but he was all over the field taking on blocks, looking pretty decent dropping in coverage, blitzing and, yes, rushing the passer. He had a sack-fumble to end the half on what wasn't a great pass rush, but he was relentless and kept coming while the quarterback tried to scramble. He was also very physical and looked sure of himself on almost every play. Basically, he looked like he knew what the hell he was doing; as G.I. Joe used to say, knowing is half the battle.
 
How good can the HOU defense be this year? They should get a ton of sacks, right? And it seems like their CBs aren't too bad either. But not sure about run stopping ability. Anyone else thinking about them as a Team Defense this year? How do you stack them up against other non-elite defenses that might emerge?
As a Watt owner, I really hope so! Two years ago they were 5th in the league with 44 sacks, Watt getting just under half of those (20.5). Last year they dropped all the way down to 29th in sacks - 32 total, Watt with 10.5 of those.

With Clowney there now, and everyone healthy and hopefully playing for something - I can see a return to 40-50 sacks this year.

 
In the article, Daniel Jeremiah mentions he would be surprised if Clowney doesn't get 12 sacks.

That won't surprise me, but it won't if he does, either.

If HOU gets 40-50 sacks, that is potentially a lot to go around for Watt and Clowney.

Cushing is an important piece to the puzzle, if he can stay healthy. They are a different defense when he is on the field.

 
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