Kirk Morrison (1 Viewer)

[Islander]

Don't get me wrong, I am always happy to get 6+3 out of a LB, that would project to 144 over the year. So Morrison's week #1 performance is nothing to sneeze at.

However I am concerned about "only" getting 6+3 when the Raiders D was on the field so much and the opposing team ran so much.

I personally think it was a very weak 6+3 and will hesitate to start him again if I have other options.

Opinions?

PS: I did not see the game, so I don't know how he looked

 

[Markus P Dub]

I feel the same way. I had him active and I wasn’t impressed. I figured he would be a good test against SD and was expecting to see him fly all over the field. We’re allowed to play 3 IDPs, not as many as some of you here and I had him starting over Mike Peterson who I was assuming would be out. Woops. So I waived Morrison and should have put a claim out on D. Ryans but I needed another WR and can’t afford to carry 4 IDPs.

 

[Jene Bramel]

Morrison had some trouble behind Sapp and Kelly, as did most of the Raiders. Howard made a few tackles in pursuit that the MLB by rights should have cleaned up. Things were different after that -- Terdell Sands played better (well enough to make 3 or 4 tackles in run support) than Sapp and Morrison played better.

It was a little disappointing to not see a big number facing 30 plus rushing attempts. But I'd be patient before releasing a probable top 15-20 LB with an even higher ceiling. Way too early to declare him a third tier MLB just yet IMO.

This week, the stats for Morrison and Ryans could be reversed.

 

[nortobc]

Morrison had some trouble behind Sapp and Kelly, as did most of the Raiders. Howard made a few tackles in pursuit that the MLB by rights should have cleaned up. Things were different after that -- Terdell Sands played better (well enough to make 3 or 4 tackles in run support) than Sapp and Morrison played better.

Try 8 solo tackles for T. Sands. He was like the cookie monster and gobbled up anything that passed through the line of scrimmage. Everytime LT tried to run up the middle, Sands would just sit on him.

 

[lord_helmet]

Morrison had some trouble behind Sapp and Kelly, as did most of the Raiders. Howard made a few tackles in pursuit that the MLB by rights should have cleaned up. Things were different after that -- Terdell Sands played better (well enough to make 3 or 4 tackles in run support) than Sapp and Morrison played better. It was a little disappointing to not see a big number facing 30 plus rushing attempts. But I'd be patient before releasing a probable top 15-20 LB with an even higher ceiling. Way too early to declare him a third tier MLB just yet IMO.This week, the stats for Morrison and Ryans could be reversed.

On the other hand Howard is for real and just as important a speedster, him stealing Morrisons tackles could be a trend. Or don't you see it that way ?

 

[Jene Bramel]

Morrison had some trouble behind Sapp and Kelly, as did most of the Raiders. Howard made a few tackles in pursuit that the MLB by rights should have cleaned up. Things were different after that -- Terdell Sands played better (well enough to make 3 or 4 tackles in run support) than Sapp and Morrison played better.

Try 8 solo tackles for T. Sands. He was like the cookie monster and gobbled up anything that passed through the line of scrimmage. Everytime LT tried to run up the middle, Sands would just sit on him.

Be careful here though. Many of those tackles came on simple dive plays, nothing off tackle or end runs. No fancy trap blocking. Had this been a competitive game, things would've been much different. Marty was running clock on the road from the first snap of the third quarter.The issue lord_helmet brings up is more important. Will Morrison be able to make enough plays behind a suspect defensive line and a solid pursuit option in Howard? There's nothing in the scheme to suggest he can't. My point about Sands was that there may be a new option up front to push Sapp and Kelly to play better at the point of attack, freeing Morrison up to make more plays.

 

[Islander]

Morrison had some trouble behind Sapp and Kelly, as did most of the Raiders. Howard made a few tackles in pursuit that the MLB by rights should have cleaned up. Things were different after that -- Terdell Sands played better (well enough to make 3 or 4 tackles in run support) than Sapp and Morrison played better.

It was a little disappointing to not see a big number facing 30 plus rushing attempts. But I'd be patient before releasing a probable top 15-20 LB with an even higher ceiling. Way too early to declare him a third tier MLB just yet IMO.

This week, the stats for Morrison and Ryans could be reversed.

Well of course anything is possible, but I would bet a large amount of money that it won't be the case. Last week Ryans beat Morrison by 4 T+A. I would take Ryans +4 vs Morrison for all you want I don't see why the Ravens is a better matchup for Morrison than the Chargers in week #1. And I don't see why the Colts matchup is a significantly different matchup for Ryans than the Eagles in week #1. Both the Colts and Eagles are passing teams who will be on the field a lot. I would prefer a running offense rather than a passing offense, but Ryans did well in week #1 nonetheless.

I think lord_helmet has a good point too regarding T Howard.

 

[stevegamer]

Eagles & Colts are 2 different kinds of passing teams: One focuses more on WR's, one on TE, FB & HB. I'd think you'll see more LB pass coverage on the TE/HB/FB that WR, so that's a difference.

I think SD RB's > BAL RB's, but philosophy probably works in the advantage of SD.