Apparently there were a lot of teams shopping there third for him, but we had the highest.

I also don’t like the move though, we already have two great OLBs in Morrison and Howard.

and we’ll get the pick back when they give us their third rounder in exchange for Kirk Morrison anyways

He’s more than a special player. He’s arguably the greatest of all time. I don’t think we can compare McClain to him.

If we run the 34 or stay with the 43 we still need a NT. I think Kelly would be dominant if he had a beast NT next to him in the 43.

I think a more obvious speculation is that Morrison will be traded leaving us with the still lingering need of a MLB.

Not at all. Sorry guys. Browns fan here. He is a pass rush specialist and not super spectacular at that.

He has above average tackling ability, but nowhere near the tackling ability to be a 4-3 LB. He is a solid tackler for an Edge Rusher in a 3-4 or a 4-3 DE but he is not the kind of guy who could be anything more than an average starter at 4-3 LB with his tackling ability.

He has average skills against the run. when I talk about his skills (in the first sentence) I am talking about them strictly as an edge rusher in a 3-4. He has average to below average skills against the run for a 3-4 Edge rusher but isn’t as exposed as a 4-3 DE. He doesn’t have the skills to stop the run to be a full time 4-3 Linebacker though.

He is decent in Coverage. WImbley is solid in coverage for an Edge Rusher but that isn’t saying much. For a true linebacker though he is pretty much average. he won’t hurt you but he won’t make significant plays. in 4 seasons he had only 4 passes defended and one interception. He doesn’t have a ton of blown coverages but doesn’t make plays in coverage.

I would probably not trust him as a weak side OLB let alone a MLB. the MLB usually has to do the bulk of the work in coverage and stopping the run when it comes to 4-3 LBs. that is why they are always valued higher.

I am not saying that wimbley is a bad player. you just have to let him play to his strengths. his strengths are rushing the passer.

Sadly, for al, it is the opposite.

Wimbley is a good player no doubt but He should never been drafted that high. If you get 6-7 sacks out of him, it is a good deal. that is about all i think he can get

(and a correction, he only had 12 career college sacks)

will they go back to it? I don’t know but wish they would.

actually this is false. We had david bowens on the other side who had about 6 sacks in the first 9-10 games when he played on the outside (before he switched to the inside). We also had matt roth at the end of the season.

In fact, it is ironic that once we started developing a more consistent pass rush by the end of the season, he actually dropped off the map really.

Wimbley reminds me in many ways of JPP. They both are (or will be) overdrafted because of physical skills. wimbley never produced really in college. he has always been an inconsistent and streaky player with great physical skills…no wonder al davis picked him up.

The problem was not at all lack of playmakers, it was lack of development on wimbley’s part. He cannot bullrush defenders and relies purely on speed. the problem is. speed isn’t everything. his pass rushing moves have not gotten significantly better over 4 years.

much like Denver’s fans questioned McD until that point of the season. Of course they started questioning McD again about 7 games later.

what site are you checking…most people at DBN (the SBN website for the browns) are in support of this trade. We are intelligent fans who saw him play firsthand and most are not throwing fits. Granted, most of us were not fans of the delhomme signing but we got a solid RB/FB for Quinn and he really wasn’t a good fit with the regime anymore.

Honestly, I feel sorry for you guys that you took him. I was one of the few people that wasn’t salivating over his arm. I have always thought arm strength is overrated. I think if you have enough arm strength to make all the throws and enough zip to occasionally fit the ball into tight spots, you should be fine. drew brees has enough arm strength in my book. I

I love the Jamarcus eating everything joke. As long as we don’t have to pay him money, i would take him just in some ways out of pity…not that i pity raiders fans, but right now you have it bad…we both do.

I agree it is good for 6-7 sacks out of him…but it is HIGHLY unlikley that he will get 9-11. he isn’t a rookie anymore. He has averaged about 5 sacks a season for the last 3 seasons. I think what he did this year is what he will be in the pros. a streaky player that can get 6-7 sacks a season.

I think it is more likely that his production DROPS in a 4-3 for many reasons

a) He is not that big. he is a true tweener guy. he is 6’3 255 pounds which is still a little small for a 4-3 DE.

b) He doesn’t have good strength. He gets overpowered when he matches up against a decent tackle

c) he still doesn’t have great pass rushing moves. as a 3-4 Rush Linebacker he could get the speed up to just run past Tackles occasionally. he didn’t use much pass rush moves his first year when he got 11 sacks. however, defenses started to gameplan against him and he couldn’t speed rush as effectively. he had to use pass rushing moves such as the swim and arm over. however, in 3 years these moves have not developed much. as a 4-3 DE you rely usually more on pass rush moves. that is what made reggie white so great. guys who are pure speed aren’t often effective in a 4-3.

d) He struggled in traffic and much of his inconsistencies came when he got caught up in traffic. as a 3-4 Linebacker, you get a lot more open shots at the QB. when playing on the line in a 3 point stance, you are playing in traffic a lot more. to be a 4-3 DE you have to be at least solid in traffic. this is the weakest part of his game and was one of the major causes of his inconsistencies. he would be a great player if he could rush unblocked, but he can’t. this would happen even less in a 4-3.

I am not denying that he is a good player, however, he might not be as effective in a 4-3. I highly doubt that he gets the type of production you are predicting. even if he isn’t as effective in a 4-3 defense, he still will get IMO about as many sacks as last year because he is in a contract year.

Get a huge NT who takes up two blockers yet still provides a pass rush and run stuff, and Kirk wouldnt have pulling guards hitting him.