Nice article on AJ Hawk

[b bulldog]

It only matters how much the team that wants to move up is in love with the player thy covet. I remembver a few years back, one team gave their second to move up two or three spots.

[RashanGary]

I think Hawk is alot better than Sims. Sims can make big plays but he's so inconsistant and brittle. I think there is a big difference and it showed up in the Lions game.

I think Ryans is pretty close as far as just making tackles and doing the right thing but I think Hawk is going to show a higher playmaking ceiling with sacks, int's and forced fumbles. I think Hawk is an impact, top level talent and Ryans is a very solid, not spectacular Barnett.

I like Willis almost as much as Hawk. If you want to find a LB that is close to Hawk, I don't think you can find him in the 06 draft, but there is one in the 07 draft IMO.

I completely disagree that the other LBs are almost as good as Hawk. We'll find out after year 2.

[b bulldog]

I was looking back at the posts and I did lthink that Carp, Sims, Ryans and Greenway were just a tick behind Hawk. I also thought Young was the best QB in the draft and I noted many times that the best players in the draft were Bush,Mario and Ferguson. I stated numerous times that I thought it would take Mario a year and a half to play at the level I expected him to play and Nick said that it would take two seasons.

[b bulldog]

wELL THE VOTERS THOUGHT rYANS WAS BETTER THIS YEAR.

[RashanGary]

I think we were one of the few that really like Ryans too bulldog. I had a whole thread on it and I think everyone laughed me out of town when I said he was a top 20 player.

Sims = big plays, inconsistant
Ryans = very consistant, no big plays
Hawk = big plays, consistant

As similar as he is to Ryans in consistancy and Sims in playmaking, it is rare that a player brings it all together. Hawk is a rare palyer and the other two have different but major holes.

I think Willis is close though. He might be better than Hawk as far as making big plays but a little less consistant. He's no Simms though; Sims is a gambler and a weak link on many plays.

[RashanGary]

They mentioned in that artical that Hawk lost alot of attn by playing in footballs smallest town on a team that was deemed from the beginning "irrelivant"

We'll find out after year 2. I think Hawk proves to be the better player. I think Willis proves to be one of this years top 5 too. He is a great player IMO.

[Bretsky]

I think we were one of the few that really like Ryans too bulldog. I had a whole thread on it and I think everyone laughed me out of town when I said he was a top 20 player.

Sims = big plays, inconsistant
Ryans = very consistant, no big plays
Hawk = big plays, consistant

As similar as he is to Ryans in consistancy and Sims in playmaking, it is rare that a player brings it all together. Hawk is a rare palyer and the other two have different but major holes.

I think Willis is close though. He might be better than Hawk as far as making big plays but a little less consistant. He's no Simms though; Sims is a gambler and a weak link on many plays.

IF Willis would somehow fall to GB at 16 I'd have no problem with them taking him. That wouldl give them three outstanding LB's for many years to come, assuming TT signs Barnett.

Now if he'd take Willis and let Barnett go, I'm forumulating a bonfire and throwing TT in it

[RashanGary]

I wouldn't mind if we got soemthing good for Barnett Bretsky. If we could get a high 2nd for him, it mgiht work out. Poppinga has consistantly gotten better. Barnett has made like 5 big plays in 4 years it's not like we're losing a gamechanger.

I agree though, having Hawk and Barnett on the outside and Willis in the middle would be a dream come true. I like Willis alot but I'm certain he will not be there. I would not be at all suprised if he goes in the top 10.

[RashanGary]

http://www2.jsonline.com/idealbb/view.asp?topicID=26135&pageNo=1&num=&catID=7&sessi onID={9F32C7E7-3531-4E8D-B4D4-985770DCF2D3}

LMAO..I can't believe how much I though I knew back then. God, I've changed in a year....

I had to edit it a little. I changed the hip fluidity thing but then I noticed Nutz quoted it and I'm screwed...LOL...

Regardless, I thought alot of Ryans going in. I was one of the few not to toot my own horn or anything

[The Leaper]

Ryans has more chances to make plays...he's on a team that is behind by 10+ points most of the time. Teams RUN and RUN and RUN and RUN...get my point? He also didn't have a tackler like Barnett on his team either...taking away 100+ chances.

Hawk's long term upside is better IMO.

[RashanGary]

Ryans has more chances to make plays...he's on a team that is behind by 10+ points most of the time. Teams RUN and RUN and RUN and RUN...get my point? He also didn't have a tackler like Barnett on his team either...taking away 100+ chances.

Hawk's long term upside is better IMO.

Well said, I agree. I watched some DeMeco Ryans and he was very unspectacular from what I saw. Hawk seems to have more playmaking upside. I think Ryans is just as good of a tackler though and got more chances in his rookie year. I think Hawk will prove to be a much better player, long term.

[Guiness]

Would you trade A.J. Hawk for Lance Briggs? Who do you think would have more impact on a defense?

Interesting question. I don't think I would make that trade. I don't know if Briggs is much of an upgrade even now. When Hawk has another year or two of experience, he might be the better player.

Briggs was a very good linebacker on a very good defense.
Hawk was a good linebacker on a so-so defense.
If you reversed them, I wonder what the result would be?

When in doubt, I will gladly take the player that is 3 or 4 years younger. NFL careers are so short, by the time most players reach 30 their best years are behind them. A 10 year vet is pretty old. Briggs is about half-way there.

I like Hawk a lot, but I have to disagree with this. Briggs is a Pro-Bowler. Hawk is a potential Pro-Bowler. Briggs didn't go to the pro-bowl because he's a veteran who got voted in on a popularity contest - he well deserved to be there. Also, Briggs is by no means near the end of his career - if you were to sign him to a 4 or 5 year contract, you could expect him to play it out at his current level.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Long-term, I'll take Hawk over Ryans. I don't care who got what awards.

As far as saying you could find similar LBs later in the draft, what position couldn't you say that for?

Young went #1 at QB. I'd take Cutler and possibly Leinart over him long-term.
Bush went #1 at RB. I might take MJD over him.
Ferguson went #1 at OT, but there were other OTs that were nearly as good.
Mario Williams went #1 at DE, and there were better rookie DEs.

The only top guy that was clearly better than other prospects at a position was Vernon Davis at TE, and he wasn't really that good last year.

[BallHawk]

Hey, that was me who started that thread! Back when I was known as OneMoreYear.

[b bulldog]

The thing was last years draft was loaded with solid LB's as this years draft is with WR's. When a draft is super in one position, you can find very good p-layers in that position after round one.