Was listening to Sirius NFL Radio today and they were talking about how the new Browns defensive coordinator has taken a bunch of unknown players (outside of guys like Hayden and Kruger) and crafted one of the top defenses in the league.
Mike Zimmer in Cincinnati has turned several lesser players into near-household names.
So, I started thinking about the Giants defense. Lots of names, but no results.
So it is bad enough that we have guys playing below expectations -- but when was the last player to consistently perform above expectations under Perry Fewell?
We are dealing with both.
Blackburn overachieved? Well if you expected him to play below average and he was serviceable, then I guess that is overachieving.
It is also setting the bar REALLY low.
Talk about low expectations.
We can say Prince too. But overall I doubt we had a lot of players who overachieved.
Antrell Rolle
Michael Boley
Chase Blackburn
Ryan Mundy
Aaron Ross
Prince Amukamura
JPP
Kiwi
All have been outstanding for us. Albeit at different times due to injury and absence. But this year the Defense is lights out until they run out of gas after being on the field for 45 minutes out of 60. We need to stop worrying about the Defense and start talking about this year's offense.
Stevie Brown? Sometimes when you play center field people hit fly balls to you.
Webster comes to mind first but outside of him and maybe Rolle, which player has really underachieved due to Fewell? Tuck's not underachieving due to scheme. Our shit LBs aren't underachieving due to scheme.
Not a Fewell fan but a lot of the blame should be placed on the defensive talent on top of the scheme.
And you can't include first round picks like JPP, Kiwi, and Prince.
Underachievement, hmmm. That's a good way of looking at it. I think Canty and Osi are having better years than they had last year. They are also being utilized in a 3-4 scheme I believe.
Linval Joseph has turned into a good player, probably above expectations for where he was picked in the draft. But I'm sure that won't count.
Prince is a good player, I'm sure that won't count.
Stevie Brown undeniably overachieved, but we've already established that he doesn't count.
Look at the Buffalo D when Fewell was there, Stevie Brown fits the epitome of what Fewell likes to do.
I don't give a guy with one off the league leading interception total up to luckily being in the right place at the right time.
In come Spags, and Webster's play took off. He became a totally different player from then on. So this can even happen with first rounders.
None of the LB'ers have been healthy more than 3 games it seems to make a difference..Hill and Sash has been suspended..Hosley keeps getting banged up..J Williams, Rivers, and Paysinger has been hurt most of their time here..So who else is out there..
i can see if they have had some guys on the team for a few years, healthy and able to contribute but that has not been the case..i think this not a fair criticism of Fewell..
Kawika Mitchell
Jay Alford
RW McQuarters
Sam Madison
Reggie Torbor
Man, I wish I could go through life with such low expectations.
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As far as the last 3 years, Ill say Stevie Brown, he may not have been great, but he was a very good ST players for us who created TOs. No one expected anything close to that when we signed him.