8/22 vs Lions
Most of the time Kam lined up at LOLB. I think he lined up as the RE/ROLB 2 or 3 times, mainly in some non base sets I believe.
The positive thing about his run defense is that he was able to consistently set the edge and hold up at the point of attack, even coming off some blocks and making tackles. Most of the time he was up against RT Gosder Cherilus and/or TE Will Heller. The couple times that he went up against rookie TE Dan Gronkowski he got dealt with, which could be a bad sign.
I did notice him using some different moves, he had some quick inside stuff. They weren't really counter moves, just slips inside. He appeared to lower his shoulder and hit the blocker at times, which caused him to not see the ball on a couple occasions. I don't know what he was trying to do with this tactic, except maybe collapse a running lane, but it really wasn't effective in my mind. Mostly it was the type of hit you see a linebacker use to blow up a fullback, but he was doing it against a RT who was set in front of him. He made one pass rush play where he got the blocker to lean outside then he tried to rip and counter back inside, but wasn't strong enough to move him. This is what I want to see from him, his speed and functional strength should be good enough to win one on ones pass rushes if he gets an average lineman off balance.
His coverage skills still disappoint in that he is rarely in position to shadow properly and his jam isn't that physical. He is fast in the open field, but in traffic he seems to be running at 90% as if he can't diagnose the things around him quick enough.
Overall I thought this game was a big improvement for him, because he wasn't getting blown off the ball and actually did his job at the point of attack. I think he even got 1 or 2 hits on the QB, no sacks though. The hits he got were mainly because he was the free man on blitzes. I don't think his quickness at the snap was very impressive, he needs to improve on this so he can get that bend around the edge of the pocket.
The question I have is does he continue to improve and I also wonder if much of his success in this game was due in part to the guys he was up against. Next week will be a big test for him against Tennessee. If Michael Otto starts in place of Stewart at RT Kam should light him up, he's got a very suspect outside shoulder. If he doesn't play well against Otto I think it would be a step backwards, a healthy Stewart will probably drive him into the ground though. It'll be interesting either way, and throw in some work against Alge too.
I genuinely saw some improvement fundamentally, although many areas of his technique need work to allow his raw athleticism shine through. A red flag in my mind would be a regression in the things he has improved on. I expect him to continue to make mistakes, the key is that he can't keep making the same mistakes.
One other point that might be worth noting is that the Browns RTs looked terrible to me. I assume he gets plenty of work against St. Clair, Foster, and Tucker. So I would take camp reports with some caution unless they talk about who he is matched up against. I respect Ryan Tucker, but he's just not back from injury and that's clear. St. Clair and Foster seem so sloppy and aren't complete packages. I don't even know what the Wimbley reports from camp are like, I'm just saying the RT situation is a real weak link on an otherwise very good line.
I didn't see all of Alex Hall's snaps. It seemed like he didn't play that much, but he was in early and seems to play with better leverage than Kam. He was able to hold up at the point and make a nice tackle, that's about all I remember about his game good or bad.
I'm not rostering Wimbley unless I'm in a very deep big play scoring league and have a roster spot to burn. He just reads like the kind of guy that doesn't make a statistical push until his contract year (which is 2010).
Can't agree more. I think he's a great play this week. I've had him rostered for 3 weeks now, mostly because our league has him listed as a DE and that really bumps his value IMO.
