Defensive ROY (1 Viewer)

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

John Clayton on inside the huddle said it's a three dog race between Tatupu,Thurman and Merriman.What say you?

 

[Jiggyonthehut]

All three are excellent choices and very impressive. But I do think the race is split on another two levels. Lofa vs. Odell and Merriman on his own. Its debatable whether sacks, the amount of which is very impressive for a rookie, is equatable to the on-field actions of a LB but I wont get into that. But I do think between Lofa and Odell, Thurman wins out. If you'll note, Lofa has come up big with Tackles in close games (against Washington and St. Louis) but his biggest games outside of tackles (sacks and INT's) came in blowout wins (again the exception being the St. Louis game.) Lofa has come on strong the last few weeks which might help his position.Odell on the other hand has come up shallow the last few weeks but is monstrous when the game is on the line. In an 8 point victory over Tennessee, he had a pick that was returned for a TD that ultimately proved to be the game breaker. He also came up with 2 picks against Green Bay in a 7 point victory. And a very important pick in a 7 point shootout victory over Pitt along with a forced fumble. Sure the tackles aren't as impressive as Lofa but he's come up very big when the game is on the line. For that its Odell vs. Merriman for me, and depending on what the rookie record for sacks is, the race is very close. ( I believe its 12 by Terrell Suggs in '03. Correct me if its wrong.)

 

[fridayfrenzy]

Lofa.The stats for Lofa and Odell are very similar, but I give the nod to Lofa for coming into Seattle and leading the defense and being responsible for being the leader and play caller on defense. Odell was stripped of his duties earlier in the season because he couldn't handle them.

 

[AhrnCityPahnder]

John Clayton on inside the huddle said it's a three dog race between Tatupu,Thurman and Merriman.

What say you?

about the same. heh.Shawne Merriman [ 4 ] ** [30.77%]

Lofa Tatupu [ 4 ] ** [30.77%]

Odell Thurman [ 4 ] ** [30.77%]

 

[slinky]

Lofa.

The stats for Lofa and Odell are very similar, but I give the nod to Lofa for coming into Seattle and leading the defense and being responsible for being the leader and play caller on defense. Odell was stripped of his duties earlier in the season because he couldn't handle them.

I have to agree. Lofa has really stepped up big in Seattle's defense and has taken on a major role. The guy has a motor that doesn't stop and is an effective leader for that squad.Odell has all the talent and instincts that Lofa has, but is still lacking some of the leadership skills. Another example would be where he was taken out of the starters role by Lewis because of off-field issues.

 

[wannabee]

Lofa

 

[Texasmouth]

Ware was a monster the first three or four games of the season but he has been invisible lately and when he is forced to actually play linebacker, he gets burned almost every time. I don't think he should be in the running and I am a Dallas homer. I am still a little mad that we passed on Merriman, that guy is just a beast.

 

[Bloom]

Lofa - not only has he been excellent, but his addition has raised the level of play of the whole defense.

 

[fridayfrenzy]

Here are some stats for comparison.

Lofa Tatupu

14 GP

98 Tackles (80 Solo, 18 Ast)

4 Sacks

3 Ints

3 Pass Def

1 Fum Rec.

1 DEF TD

MLB and Leader of 4th best Defense in the NFL (Scoring)

Odell Thurman

14 GP

84 Tackles (56 solo, 28 Ast)

1.5 Sacks

5 Ints

4 Pass Def

4 FF, and 1 Fum Rec

1 DEF TD.

MLB on 16th best NFL defense (scoring)

Shawne Merriman

13 GP

49 Tackles (37 solo, 12 Ast)

9 Sacks

0 Ints

3 Pass Def

2 FF

0 DEF TD

OLB

Simply looking at their stats, it seems Odell and Lofa are a tiny bit better than Merriman. Merriman's sacks are impressive, but he does not have the all around stats that Odell and Lofa do. Lofa has double the amount of Solo tackles than Merriman.

 

[onionsack]

Merriman's sacks are impressive, but he does not have the all around stats that Odell and Lofa do. Lofa has double the amount of Solo tackles than Merriman.

Apples and oranges...you'd expect smaller solo numbers from someone playing on the outside of a 3-4 as opposed to someone playing the Mike position. You can make a strong case for all of these guys. Should be interesting watching how it plays out.

 

[FUBAR]

John Clayton on inside the huddle said it's a three dog race between Tatupu,Thurman and Merriman.

What say you?

about the same. heh.Shawne Merriman [ 4 ] ** [30.77%]

Lofa Tatupu [ 4 ] ** [30.77%]

Odell Thurman [ 4 ] ** [30.77%]

Two dog race here:Shawne Merriman [ 20 ] [37.74%]

Lofa Tatupu [ 19 ] [35.85%]

Odell Thurman [ 10 ] [18.87%]

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

Merriman's sacks are impressive, but he does not have the all around stats that Odell and Lofa do.  Lofa has double the amount of Solo tackles than Merriman.

Apples and oranges...you'd expect smaller solo numbers from someone playing on the outside of a 3-4 as opposed to someone playing the Mike position. You can make a strong case for all of these guys. Should be interesting watching how it plays out.

 

[mad sweeney]

Don't know how much this will affect it, but Merriman was the only one voted to the pro-bowl.Who votes for the ROYs? Odell was held up several times in his development by off field issues, as has been mentioned, and Merriman essentially 'delayed' his entry by holding out in preseason and not gelling until a few games in. Lofa won the job in TC and has led the D since day one on arguably the most improved D in the league. Does this affect the voting? How Trotter beat him out for the pro-bowl is beyond me, aside from the normal idiot-syncracies of the pro-bowl voting.

 

[Bob Magaw]

there is a precedent where 3-4 OLBs that were basically sack specialists have won DROY in recent seasons... ie - peter boulware & terrell suggs, both with the ravens. i don't recall, but likely there were not as formidable a competition as tatupu & thurman in those years.merriman seems to be more than a sack specialist... don't forget that one reason his numbers may be depressed is he signed very late, got injured & didn't start until about half way thru season... as he has got more comfortable, he has had several monster tacklegames in past month or so. but his overall numbers will suffer in comparison with other two, & it not there fault he signed late & got off to slow start.which is why i favor tatupu or thurman. all three get high marks as far as changing tenor of defense.thurman let his team down with team violation recently & tatupu has been the better overall defensive leader from day one... making all the calls (see above).tatupu would be my choice.another factor which i don't know if it is a criteria, but is is important to finish strong, & tatupu is doing better job of that than thurman.

 

[cowboyz]

Ware was a monster the first three or four games of the season but he has been invisible lately and when he is forced to actually play linebacker, he gets burned almost every time. I don't think he should be in the running and I am a Dallas homer. I am still a little mad that we passed on Merriman, that guy is just a beast.

i think it was because parcells wanted a good guy, which ware is. one important note though, merriman is on a much better defensive frontline and has steve foley. while ware has almost no one to help alleviate the pressure. hopefully ware is just starting slow and will be much better next year.

 

[GRIDIRON ASSASSIN]

I say Thurman.Then the Tatupu.Then Merriman.Don't get so hung up on the numbers (as that's only PART of the equation), which team's defense had the biggest turnaround from last year.Offensive Rookie of the Year: Kyle Orton - the guy won ten games as a rookie QB. Who's the last guy to pull that off and NOT win the OROY?

 

[cracKer]

Had Merriman started/produced from day one the way that he has over the last two months, he'd win in a landslide. Based on the entire season, it has to be Tatupu.In the future, Merriman pulls away from the class.

 

[fridayfrenzy]

PFW Week 15 Rookie of the Year meter

1. Seahawks MLB Lofa TatupuSeason stats (14 games): 98 tackles, four sacks, three interceptions (TD return); six passes defended, fumble recoveryWeek 15 stats: five tacklesLast week’s ranking: 1Stock: STEADYTatupu had another steady game — not the ridiculous performances he has turned in lately, just solid — in helping to hold the Titans to 3.1 yards per carry. He also did a decent job keeping most of the pass plays in front of him.

http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/Featu...05/rookie15.htm

 

[Newman]

Ware was a monster the first three or four games of the season but he has been invisible lately and when he is forced to actually play linebacker, he gets burned almost every time. I don't think he should be in the running and I am a Dallas homer. I am still a little mad that we passed on Merriman, that guy is just a beast.

I'd probably still take Merriman, but the day that Ware had today was just ridiculous - 9 tackles, 3 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles. He was a beast. Hadn't seen that since the early part of the season.

 

[Cowboys#1]

ware was an absoloute MONSTER today.i have not seen a better defensive effort by a rookie all year.even still, my vote goes to Lofa, he really adds the most to the teams D and he is a great playmaker.

 

[mad sweeney]

Are the ROYs picked after the superbowl, playoffs included in the decision or is it just for the regular season? When do they get announced?

 

[reg]

I say Thurman.

Then the Tatupu.

Then Merriman.

Don't get so hung up on the numbers (as that's only PART of the equation), which team's defense had the biggest turnaround from last year.

This year Seattle is ranked 15th in total defense, Cinci is ranked 22. (Link)Last year Seattle was ranked 26th, while Cinci was ranked 19th. (Link)

If you mean scoring then

Seattle is ranked 4th this year, Cinci 19 (Link)

Last year Seattle was 22nd, Cinci 21st (Link)

So to answer your question about which team had the biggest turnaround, I would say Seattle.