Any Noise about a Potential Hawk Trade?

[Waldo]

There is an art to timing being the block eater.

Worst thing that could happen, the LB gets flattened, the blocker keeps going.
A not much better case is to run around a block or shed it too soon, and miss a tackle.
A little better, but still poor play, is for the LB to get blocked and pushed out of the hole, however holding up the blocker to take him out of the play.
Better still is for the LB to get blocked, hold strong and plug up the gap, but be unable to shed it.
Best case is to get blocked, hold the gap, shed the block the instant the back gets to/by the blocking and make the tackle.

Our buck should mostly be doing the last two items, and not do the first two items at all.

[Fritz]

I dunno. It all sounds pretty bucked up to me.

[mission]

There is an art to timing being the block eater.

Worst thing that could happen, the LB gets flattened, the blocker keeps going.
A not much better case is to run around a block or shed it too soon, and miss a tackle.
A little better, but still poor play, is for the LB to get blocked and pushed out of the hole, however holding up the blocker to take him out of the play.
Better still is for the LB to get blocked, hold strong and plug up the gap, but be unable to shed it.
Best case is to get blocked, hold the gap, shed the block the instant the back gets to/by the blocking and make the tackle.

Our buck should mostly be doing the last two items, and not do the first two items at all.

Makes sense. And nice latest post on your blog, Waldo. Look forward to more!

[Fred's Slacks]

There is an art to timing being the block eater.

Worst thing that could happen, the LB gets flattened, the blocker keeps going.
A not much better case is to run around a block or shed it too soon, and miss a tackle.
A little better, but still poor play, is for the LB to get blocked and pushed out of the hole, however holding up the blocker to take him out of the play.
Better still is for the LB to get blocked, hold strong and plug up the gap, but be unable to shed it.
Best case is to get blocked, hold the gap, shed the block the instant the back gets to/by the blocking and make the tackle.

Our buck should mostly be doing the last two items, and not do the first two items at all.

Makes sense. And nice latest post on your blog, Waldo. Look forward to more!

seconded on the blog post. anyone needing (or wanting) to learn more about how a 3-4 works fundamentally, give it a read. great stuff.

[Lurker64]

Interestingly, Bishop could, potentially, be very good at Hawk's position *IF* he develops better instincts (which is possible, with experience). His problem has always been that he guesses the proper gap to attack, which is very good if he guesses right and very bad if he guesses wrong.

Failing to hit the right gap is the biggest sin that a Buck LB can commit, as suddenly the Mack is blocked and he's out of position to make the tackle and you've given up a big running play right there. So I don't know if Bishop is quite ready to play in the Buck spot, even though he's pencilled in there behind Hawk IIRC. He's done well in the Mack spot where his gap responsibilities are limited to "attack an assigned gap" (on a blitz) or "follow the Buck and make the tackle" (on a running play). Lansanah has looked pretty good at Buck in the preseason and may have won himself a roster spot for that reason alone. I haven't seen Bishop play it much, but he could play it well with some seasoning. He definitely has the personality and the physicality to be a banger, which is what the Buck is there for.

[MOBB DEEP]

And I thought Hawk--for the first time in forever--was kind of fired up and playing with a lot of outward emotion. He was pissed that he didn't get the TD off his strip of the QB! When I saw him all worked up I asked myself if I had EVER seen him geeked up in a game! I liked it

qft