This surprises me a bit. I thought his coverage skills would be great at dog.

 

Any insight as to what would make him a better Cat (Shembo) than Dog (Spond)?

This surprises me a bit. I thought his coverage skills would be great at dog.

 

Any insight as to what would make him a better Cat (Shembo) than Dog (Spond)?

 

Cuz he can rush the passer like few LB's currently on our roster? He's like Isahq 2.0, now with extra hustle!!

because Doug Randolph and a guy like Mattingly might be only dog linebacker prospects, whereas Smith could play any of the 4 spots

because Doug Randolph and a guy like Mattingly might be only dog linebacker prospects, whereas Smith could play any of the 4 spots

 

Though I just saw that Randolph had like 4 sacks in his last game on Sat, didn't I?

yeah but Doug Randolph is a Carbon Copy of Spond (6.3 around 240, 4.65 40 time) physically if you look beyond stats, think profile, that what Diaco does.

Edited October 23, 201212 yr by FaithInIrishForever

yeah but Doug Randolph is a Carbon Copy of Spond (6.3 around 240, 4.65 40 time) physically if you look beyond stats, think profile, that what Diaco does.

 

You may be right...

lol, I doubt it... but whatever, as long as he is on the field I guess.

Randolph a while mentioned being recruited as a CAT believe it was an isd article. Get them all signed and on campus, then figure it out.

This surprises me a bit. I thought his coverage skills would be great at dog.

 

Any insight as to what would make him a better Cat (Shembo) than Dog (Spond)?

Jaylon would make a great CAT but it would be a waste of his insanely good coverage skills.

 

I get the appeal of wanting to be CAT OLB because it's the glory position that's going to get more opportunities to sack the QB. Whereas the DOG OLB is a thankless position amongst the average fan because they are the strongside OLB dropping into coverage more than they rush the QB.

 

The TE position is becoming more and more prominent so thats leading to more of a need than ever for LB's that are great in coverage.

 

Jaylon is elite and he will thrive at either position but finding elite DOG's are much harder to find and the fact that he can cover like an elite CB seems to be wasting such a great part of his game.

I understand the coverage aspects and their importance, but nothing changes a game like a sack and possible fumble. I think the coaches told him he can come in, learn under Shembo, and take over in 2014. Besides, Spond, Councell and Okwara are pretty impressive. Even Prosise is over there. He could be like a bigger version of Slaughter. We seem to have more Dogs then Cats at this juncture and this would even up the scale.

We seem to have more Dogs then Cats at this juncture and this would even up the scale.

And this is a good thing. In all seriousness, our future at linebacker is looking good. Agree with BlackIrish about the Randolph-Spond comparison, although I believe Randolph may turn out to be a better pass rusher. Hopefully, Anzalone will stay on board.

Doesn't much matter what they say now. A year ago, Troy Niklas was an outside linebacker - now look where he is. Look at guys like Jackson and Farley too. Shembo and Riddick have also bounced around.

 

It's all talk and projection until they get on campus - and even at that, it isn't always the end of moving around.

 

It is interesting that they're thinking Cat - I'll say that much. Time will tell where his skillset is needed most, both at the beginning and the end of his career.

It seems like CAT will be the quickest way for them to get him on the field. It is easier to let a younger guy loose and let him get after the passer using his athletic ability. But youd have to think that with his coverage skills he wont stay at CAT his entire career at ND.

I just remembered something (saw it by another poster). Diaco stated that ideally both sides of the defense should be the same so that the offense doesnt know where the blitz or stunts are coming from. Ideally, Diaco would like to have a player like Jaylon at CAT and DOG and simply mesh the two positions together. Maybe Diaco would like to get rid of the DOG and CAT roles and simply blend the two together and have two on the field at the same time.

 

Still, Jaylon's coverage skills > pass rushing

On the flip side Okie: Okwara's pass rushing > coverage

 

Both seem to be good at both, but I do consider Jaylon and Okwara opposite of where they are or what they think they are right now. Just imagine, in a couple years, we could have Okwara and Jaylon as the two OLBs

If he were a Dog it's possible that he would be on the sidelines quite a bit due to us being in a nickel package. Cat keeps him on the field. IMO

I just remembered something (saw it by another poster). Diaco stated that ideally both sides of the defense should be the same so that the offense doesnt know where the blitz or stunts are coming from. Ideally, Diaco would like to have a player like Jaylon at CAT and DOG and simply mesh the two positions together. Maybe Diaco would like to get rid of the DOG and CAT roles and simply blend the two together and have two on the field at the same time.

 

Still, Jaylon's coverage skills > pass rushing

On the flip side Okie: Okwara's pass rushing > coverage

 

Both seem to be good at both, but I do consider Jaylon and Okwara opposite of where they are or what they think they are right now. Just imagine, in a couple years, we could have Okwara and Jaylon as the two OLBs

 

This is all assuming that Okwara doesn't grow into an end. A number of people envision that happening, and considering how young he is, anything is possible at this early stage in his career.

I don't know what this means, but my Cat can whip the crap out of my dog even though the dog is bigger.