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LB Omar Gaither, Philadelphia Eagles (1 Viewer)
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Jene Bramel
Footballguy
Recent post with the most recent local news media speculation.
Gaither was getting the bulk of his snaps in the middle until the WLB situation continued to deteriorate. There's been no official statement from the new DC and free agency may play a role as well.
Gaither was getting the bulk of his snaps in the middle until the WLB situation continued to deteriorate. There's been no official statement from the new DC and free agency may play a role as well.
Jene Bramel
Footballguy
Sorry, lost my mind there. The Eagles lost their LB coach to the Giants last month. Jim Johnson is still the DC in Philly. Thanks for the correction. The statement is probably still okay if it read "from Jim Johnson". Hard to know if he'll keep Gaither at WLB or go back to his original plan to get Gaither ready to take over for Trotter.
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Jeff Pasquino
Footballguy
Trotter's not expected to be a 3-down guy going forward, and the Eagles like Gaither.Look for him to get some snaps at MIKE in addition to WILL.
Ash
Footballguy
This whole situation depends on so many things:
1. Can Gocong or Bradley earn the SAM spot? If not, I think Spikes may take that spot by default because they have to get Jones off the field (and maybe the roster)
2. Will Gaither take the bulk of the MLB snaps from Trotter?
Bottom line, Gaither will be on the field at WLB or MLB and Spikes will be on the field at SLB or WLB. Who and where the 3rd guy is won't be decided until camp.
Cheers,
1. Can Gocong or Bradley earn the SAM spot? If not, I think Spikes may take that spot by default because they have to get Jones off the field (and maybe the roster)
2. Will Gaither take the bulk of the MLB snaps from Trotter?
Bottom line, Gaither will be on the field at WLB or MLB and Spikes will be on the field at SLB or WLB. Who and where the 3rd guy is won't be decided until camp.
Cheers,
JaxBill
Footballguy
According to this article, it's Spikes at WIL, Gocong at SAM and Trotter/Gaither at Mike.
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/column...m_06_draft.html
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/column...m_06_draft.html
msommer
Footballguy
If true and Spikes returns to form that could be very big...
Jene Bramel
Footballguy
Was just coming in to post that article. Lot of telling notes in here. Jim Johnson goes on record saying he wants the 2006 draftees to play and doesn't expect Stewart Bradley to have more than a special teams role.
Reading the tea leaves here, if Gaither proves himself better than Trotter in run support and Gocong and Spikes are healthy enough to start, Trotter could easily be released.
While Johnson had nice things to say about all four, including second-round defensive end Victor Abiamiri ("I really like him. I'm going to call him Victor because I can't pronounce his last name.") and 6-4, 254-pound third-round linebacker Stewart Bradley ("Intriguing. We haven't had a guy that size in a while."), he acknowledged that you probably won't be seeing them much this season, except on special-teams duty.
"I don't think we really had to draft anybody that's going to make a big difference right now, except for depth," Johnson said. "I think the key is last year's draft and [having] those guys stepping in. That's what's going to really help this defense get back to where it was."
For now, Johnson said, forget about Abiamiri and Bradley and the two defensive backs they drafted yesterday, C.J. Gaddis and Rashad Barksdale. Focus instead on the four defensive players they selected in the 2006 draft - defensive tackles Brodrick Bunkley and LaJuan Ramsey and linebackers Chris Gocong and Omar Gaither.
"Our draft last year is going to pay off for us this year," Johnson said. "Bunkley, Gocong, Omar, Ramsey . . . if those guys play like we think they're going to play, it's going to be a heck of a draft."
Gaither was the only one of those four who managed to make any kind of an impact as a rookie. The fifth-rounder from Tennessee started five games at weakside linebacker.
Bunkley, the team's highly touted first-rounder, spent most of his first NFL season on the bench. Gocong, a Division I-AA defensive end that the Eagles drafted with the intention of turning into a strongside linebacker, struggled to make the transition and ultimately spent the year on injured reserve. Ramsey dressed for just six games.
Bunkley is the biggest key to turning around a defense that gave up more than 17 points in 10 of 16 games last season and finished 26th against the run. If he doesn't produce this season, the Eagles are in trouble. But Johnson is confident he will produce.
"I just see a kid who's working harder, who's more serious about it," he said. "He realizes he's got a lot to prove. You can see it in the way he's out there working with [defensive line coach] Pete Jenkins. You just see a different attitude in the kid than you saw last year. We're going to slot him at right tackle and hopefully he'll perform. There's no reason he can't."
Johnson is just as hopeful that Gocong will be able to master the SAM (strongside) linebacker position. But he was hopeful of that a year ago, too, after the Eagles selected the Cal Poly product in the third round.
"The thing about Chris, he's smart enough," he said. "And he's got a lot of natural linebacker instincts about him. Now, he just needs to play. He's going to be slotted in that SAM linebacker if he comes through. And I think he will. I have no doubt in my mind that he won't. But he's got to do it. Because he's really a good athlete out there. He's a very physical guy. He could be a good blitzer, too."
Gaither started the last five regular-season games and the Eagles' two playoff contests at WILL (weakside linebacker). But Johnson plans to put recently acquired Takeo Spikes there and move Gaither inside, where he'll be the middle linebacker in the Eagles' nickel package and also push Jeremiah Trotter for the starting job.
"I like Omar as a MIKE [middle linebacker]," Johnson said.
"I think he can be a good MIKE linebacker in the future. He'll play a lot in our nickel like Shawn Barber did. We won't play Trotter every down. And he'll keep pushing Trotter, too.
It'll be good competition."
Like much of the defense, Trotter didn't play very well last season. His knees are starting to betray him and he can't play the number of snaps he has been playing. But Johnson said he still has the four-time Pro Bowler penciled in as the Eagles' starter in the middle "right now."
"We know he's getting up there in age," Johnson said. "He's got to watch his weight. He knows it. We've just got to keep his snaps down. He's a very physical player. He's a great person. He plays hard. He wants to compete. He knows he can play better [than last season], and we know he can play better. So we'll see."
Reading the tea leaves here, if Gaither proves himself better than Trotter in run support and Gocong and Spikes are healthy enough to start, Trotter could easily be released.
While Johnson had nice things to say about all four, including second-round defensive end Victor Abiamiri ("I really like him. I'm going to call him Victor because I can't pronounce his last name.") and 6-4, 254-pound third-round linebacker Stewart Bradley ("Intriguing. We haven't had a guy that size in a while."), he acknowledged that you probably won't be seeing them much this season, except on special-teams duty.
"I don't think we really had to draft anybody that's going to make a big difference right now, except for depth," Johnson said. "I think the key is last year's draft and [having] those guys stepping in. That's what's going to really help this defense get back to where it was."
For now, Johnson said, forget about Abiamiri and Bradley and the two defensive backs they drafted yesterday, C.J. Gaddis and Rashad Barksdale. Focus instead on the four defensive players they selected in the 2006 draft - defensive tackles Brodrick Bunkley and LaJuan Ramsey and linebackers Chris Gocong and Omar Gaither.
"Our draft last year is going to pay off for us this year," Johnson said. "Bunkley, Gocong, Omar, Ramsey . . . if those guys play like we think they're going to play, it's going to be a heck of a draft."
Gaither was the only one of those four who managed to make any kind of an impact as a rookie. The fifth-rounder from Tennessee started five games at weakside linebacker.
Bunkley, the team's highly touted first-rounder, spent most of his first NFL season on the bench. Gocong, a Division I-AA defensive end that the Eagles drafted with the intention of turning into a strongside linebacker, struggled to make the transition and ultimately spent the year on injured reserve. Ramsey dressed for just six games.
Bunkley is the biggest key to turning around a defense that gave up more than 17 points in 10 of 16 games last season and finished 26th against the run. If he doesn't produce this season, the Eagles are in trouble. But Johnson is confident he will produce.
"I just see a kid who's working harder, who's more serious about it," he said. "He realizes he's got a lot to prove. You can see it in the way he's out there working with [defensive line coach] Pete Jenkins. You just see a different attitude in the kid than you saw last year. We're going to slot him at right tackle and hopefully he'll perform. There's no reason he can't."
Johnson is just as hopeful that Gocong will be able to master the SAM (strongside) linebacker position. But he was hopeful of that a year ago, too, after the Eagles selected the Cal Poly product in the third round.
"The thing about Chris, he's smart enough," he said. "And he's got a lot of natural linebacker instincts about him. Now, he just needs to play. He's going to be slotted in that SAM linebacker if he comes through. And I think he will. I have no doubt in my mind that he won't. But he's got to do it. Because he's really a good athlete out there. He's a very physical guy. He could be a good blitzer, too."
Gaither started the last five regular-season games and the Eagles' two playoff contests at WILL (weakside linebacker). But Johnson plans to put recently acquired Takeo Spikes there and move Gaither inside, where he'll be the middle linebacker in the Eagles' nickel package and also push Jeremiah Trotter for the starting job.
"I like Omar as a MIKE [middle linebacker]," Johnson said.
"I think he can be a good MIKE linebacker in the future. He'll play a lot in our nickel like Shawn Barber did. We won't play Trotter every down. And he'll keep pushing Trotter, too.
It'll be good competition."
Like much of the defense, Trotter didn't play very well last season. His knees are starting to betray him and he can't play the number of snaps he has been playing. But Johnson said he still has the four-time Pro Bowler penciled in as the Eagles' starter in the middle "right now."
"We know he's getting up there in age," Johnson said. "He's got to watch his weight. He knows it. We've just got to keep his snaps down. He's a very physical player. He's a great person. He plays hard. He wants to compete. He knows he can play better [than last season], and we know he can play better. So we'll see."
Zoomanji
Footballguy
I have him on a Taxi Squad and I'm going to promote him and give him a "long-term' deal FWIWjgb95 said:thanks guyswould you guys extend a guy like Omar?I have him a few leagues with one year remaining. He's cheap and to extend him now might land me a steal!!!Or should i just let him play out to his contract year and franchise him to limit his movement?thanks in advance!!
Jene Bramel
Footballguy
Because I struggle with ranking players this time of year.
NorrisB, you may find this inconsistent with my take on Brooks from last night when I said I couldn't project Brooks higher until I hear he'll play in the nickel. And it probably is to some extent. I don't buy that the Eagles want Trotter in the middle this year, but they can't boot him until Spikes and Gocong prove themselves ready (or Bradley or McCoy or Daniels show they can play at this level). I also don't buy that Gaither, arguably their best backer down the stretch last year, is going to sit 60% of the snaps. Add in the fact that all three starting backers are a big injury risk and I think he's going to play and a lot. So, for me, it's an upside thing. Gaither, in an every down role in the middle of that aggressive defense that highlights the MLB, has very nice upside. Even if he ends up filling a three down WLB role, he projected to a 91 solo, 121 total tackle, 2 sack, 2 INT, 7 PD season last year when examining his stats after becoming the starter in Week 13 (includes two playoff games).In that huge tier of low level MLBs and top performing OLBs, that upside is important in redraft leagues. Finding LB2 production from a guy you draft with a bunch of LB4-5s is what you're looking for in those leagues. When you get to a list of players that look the same, everybody has one or two in their lineup. You win by hitting on the guy who outperforms that tier and you can always grab a guy off the waiver wire who performs close to a LB3 level. You don't lose much relatively speaking with the waiver wire guy but you gain big with the outperformer.I should maybe have him higher in my dynasty rankings than 27, but I use a 1-2 year window for those rankings and they usually end up very close to my redraft rankings.
Jeff Pasquino
Footballguy
I'd like to think that if there's one team I could have the jump on Jene, it'd be Philly.They are going to do whatever they can to put the best 3 LBs on the field in Philly - and Gaither is arguably one of those 3.Trotter will be the "old man in the middle", at least to start pre-season / camp. Now, they want Gaither to be that guy come 2008, so look for him to get ample work in camp / pre-season at both there and at WILL.Right now, WILL is slated to be Takeo and Gocong would be the SAM.Now, if Gaither is the 4th LB (starters: Takeo/Trotter/Gocong), then they'll get him into the mix at least on 3rd down for Trotter.If Gocong isn't ready, there's a distinct possibility that Takeo moves to SAM and Gaither goes to WILL, leaving Trot in the middle.If Trotter's a mess, Gaither could be a 3-down guy in the middle between Takeo and Gocong.The rest of the wildcards (rookie Stewart Bradley and Torrance Daniels) will compete for outside spots, most likely at SAM. Bradley could be tried some at WILL just to see if he could be the guy there for 08, where Philly could be very young (Bradley/Gaither/Gocong, for example).It is really speculative right now before camp, but that's what I know so far.I'll be venturing up to Lehigh at some point this year.
Jene Bramel
Footballguy
:(I'm no personnel man, but it seems to me that benching Gaither in favor of two veteran guys who've arguably lost at least a half step and still have questionable legs and a second year player who's had all of a few months' worth of OTA experience at LB. It will be a very good thing for the Eagle defense if that crew is good enough to keep Gaither benched the majority of the time.Anything is possible, but I don't see Gaither ending up on the strong side. He'd have a harder time than Spikes (and Bradley) taking on blocks at the point of attack and IMO he's clearly the best backer in space. I've been fooled before -- Thomas Davis, DJ Williams to name two -- but those guys have skill sets better suited to the strong side than Gaither.
to Bremel and JP I like these aggressive rankings
redman
Footballguy
I don't know much about Spikes, but Trotter sounds to me like a good candidate for a guy who will be used primarily on short-yardage and running downs, perhaps making him the ostensible (first-down) starter but not the guy you'd want. At this point I'd probably want to keep him as fresh as possible and try to limit him to maybe 25 or so defensive snaps per game to optimize him over the course of the season.
Has there been any discussion of this, Jeff and Jene?
Has there been any discussion of this, Jeff and Jene?
Jene Bramel
Footballguy
Yep, that's pretty much what will happen. There is a quote/link somewhere in one of these threads about it. The Eagles have said that Trotter will play approximately 60% of the snaps and will only rarely play in the nickel package -- if the rest of the unit shakes out according to plan. I think that'll work out to closer to 40 snaps a game, but you're right, he's not a reliable option this year.
stevegamer
Footballguy
Gaither is definitely right now the Eagles primary LB reserve.
I think what has been said about Trotter is dead on - he can play, but needs to be used properly. He's the grizzled vet, literally on his last legs, so he'll probably get to be the nominal starter all year, and be a run-situation backer.
Spikes is the starter at WLB for now, he's going to play somewhere. As long as they find an adequate SLB, he'll stay weak.
I really think Torrance Daniels wins the SLB job - I can't exactly put my finger on why I love what I've seen from him, but in the limited game action he's had - it was first "Who is this guy?", followed by "Daniels, again." I've been sort of following him since last pre-season, and I hope to get to Lehigh to check out the Eagles once this year.
I think what has been said about Trotter is dead on - he can play, but needs to be used properly. He's the grizzled vet, literally on his last legs, so he'll probably get to be the nominal starter all year, and be a run-situation backer.
Spikes is the starter at WLB for now, he's going to play somewhere. As long as they find an adequate SLB, he'll stay weak.
I really think Torrance Daniels wins the SLB job - I can't exactly put my finger on why I love what I've seen from him, but in the limited game action he's had - it was first "Who is this guy?", followed by "Daniels, again." I've been sort of following him since last pre-season, and I hope to get to Lehigh to check out the Eagles once this year.
