Young defense getting another asset

[phillyesq]

You mean guys like Ziggy Hood?
Share with me all that "talent" we drafted that was squandered during the LeBeau era?

Your hated Jarvis Jones is all the proof we need that Butler can't "fix" bad picks any more that LeBeau could.

I keep waiting for Ovi to send us the list of great young talent that sat here and flourished elsewhere.

[phillyesq]

Don't tell JuJu that because by the look at things he is a starter

The issue is we did not have an elite defense and the rookies still weren't playing. What we had were aging players who use to be part of an elite defense that wasnt any more...and still not playing the young guys

Which young guys? Cortez Allen - a raw fourth rounder who played as a rookie? Ziggy Hood - who was mediocre at best here and never amounted to anything elsewhere?

[Captain Lemming]

The issue is we did not have an elite defense and the rookies still weren't playing. What we had were aging players who use to be part of an elite defense that wasnt any more...and still not playing the young guys

Be specific. What "young player" was denied opportunity because we stubbornly stuck with an over the hill veteran?

All those young high pick safeties behind Troy? Corners behind Ike? We let Harrison walk and the defense colapsed the very next season. Dropped from 6th to 16 when he left.

Heck right up until LAST SEASON you can make a direct correlation between JH starts and defensive success. TJ is a worthy replacement, but we saw with JJ the stupidity of youth for youths sake.

[NJ-STEELER]

Anyone notice how for years we had rookie offensive starters up until we drafted Bell?

Nowadays......not so much.

Does that speak to a philosophy change, or about the superior talent on the offensive side of the roster?

I think we all know the answer. Same deal when we weren't starting a bunch of rookies on an elite defense.

if you have an elite defense then why the hell were they using top picks on defense.

face it, ART 2 came out and said it, they needed to get high defensive draft picks on the field quicker. that was a direct shot to DL.

[Captain Lemming]

if you have an elite defense then why the hell were they using top picks on defense.

face it, ART 2 came out and said it, they needed to get high defensive draft picks on the field quicker. that was a direct shot to DL.

They weren’t using many top picks on defense NJ. Certainly nobody that deserved to take someone’s job. Name all these players. Be specific.

[NJ-STEELER]

They weren’t using many top picks on defense NJ. Certainly nobody that deserved to take someone’s job. Name all these players. Be specific.

hood 1st rder. smith/keisel on roster. smith listed as training camp starter into ziggy's 3rd year

worldis - mid 2nd rder drafted with woodely and harrison were enthrenched starters.

heyward. doesn't break starting line up until 1.5 year into his career

[Captain Lemming]

hood 1st rder. smith/keisel on roster. smith listed as training camp starter into ziggy's 3rd year

worldis - mid 2nd rder drafted with woodely and harrison were enthrenched starters.

heyward. doesn't break starting line up until 1.5 year into his career

Ziggy? Over who? As a rookie? Hood was never better than Smith /Keisel. Even when they were old.
Yeah lets start rookie Worilds over 10 sack Woodley and 10 sack Harrison. Brilliant! Honestly tell me YOU would do that.

Heyward is the only player you can make a possible case being better than a starter as a rookie and his problem was that our weakest starter was young Ziggy, just getting HIS chance to prove he was useless.

BTW, that season, 2011 featured rookie Heyward and young Worilds as backups. Ziggy started the season as a backup, replaced injured Smith. All three player you highlight.
That season of old players starting with youth on the bench was the last season we had BOTH the leagues number one yardage and scoring defense.

By contrast, 2013
Ziggy, Heyward, Worilds AND current rookie Jarvis Jones ALL get plenty of starts.
Old foggies Smith and Harrison GONE.
Worst defensive result in over a decade.

Interestingly, right up to LAST SEASON you can make a direct correlation between old man Harrison starts and team success. In TJ he finally has a worthy heir.