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Middle Linebacker

Jonathan Casillas: more walk than talk

by Jermaine Lockett August 13, 2016

written by Jermaine Lockett

Casillas-Getty-Images

Jonathan Casillas: more walk than talk

I absolutely LOVE players who let their gameplay do the talking. For the NY Giants‘ D, there is no better example of that than seven-year veteran Jonathan Casillas.

G-Men LB nearly has two

The middle LB put on quite the show early with what looked like a pick in the first quarter, but former Wisconsin player could not get his feet in bounds. He made up for the play later on in the quarter with a happy-feet interception on the Miami Dolphins’ Matt Moore. I say happy feet because if you go back and watch the tape, Casillas is constantly shifting and dancing based off of where Moore’s eyes went on the play. You could almost see the disappointment in Moore upon the release of the ball because he knew Casillas was in position to make the play.

Usually about the offense

The Giants aren’t usually known for defense unless you speak about Jason Pierre-Paul combined with some discussion of his hand and a fireworks incident. The team was ranked dead last in defense last season, allowing 420 (no pun intended) yards per game. Casillas shed some light on the capabilities of this unit and shows a bit of promise for the upcoming season.

The former Saints, Bucs, and Pats player had 88-tackles and 2-sacks for the G-Men in 2015. You have to consider creating turnovers in the preseason a sign of good things to come the seven-year player. His contributions helped shut out the Phins in the first quarter.

I have a feeling the fans will still be reeling about Sterling Shepard 24-yd reception that stole the show. Hopefully, they see that their defense is showing promise early despite what a preseason scoreboard will show you.

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Jermaine Lockett is a Writer and CEO for Couch Rider Report. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.

August 13, 2016 0 comment

Arthur Brown, Albert McClellan, Zachary Orr ILB Competition.

AFC North Baltimore Ravens NFL

The Ravens’ starting ILB is…

by Jermaine Lockett May 21, 2016

written by Jermaine Lockett

Arthur Brown, Albert McClellan, Zachary Orr ILB Competition.

Ravens’ Nation, we have been completely spoiled when it comes to the MLB position. For 17 years we had a lynchpin in the middle of the defense, exercising leadership, initiative, and overall Hall Of Fame talent. When the Baltimore Ravens lost Ray Lewis to retirement, the GM Genius Ozzie Newsome stepped up and placed an experienced veteran in Daryl Smith in the fold to help fill the huge void left by Lewis. He has now gone on to greener pastures, which creates a vacancy at the ILB spot.

Competition for the spot?

C.J. Mosley clearly asserted himself in one of the ILB spots. But who does the other position belong to? Who will be the guy to dominate in the 2016 offseason to claim the position? Below are the candidates:

45 Beyer, Brennen

50 McClellan, Albert

59 Brown, Arthur

54 Orr, Zach

46 Luckett, Cavellis

Brown Underrated?

I have my favorite and even had this to say about the competition in a previous article about the draft:

“The Ravens have been threatening to get rid of Brown since a year after they drafted him. He continues to fight to keep out of hot water. Albert seems to do just enough to inspire but not enough to provoke. The jury is still out on Orr.”

You can find that article here.

Arthur is an athletic freak that has been buried on the depth chart since 2013. Being a huge fan, I am glad John Harbaugh is actually allowing him to compete this year.

Buried on depth chart

Let’s be honest, in the past, with the politics of football, there is no way a team places a first round pick (C.J. Mosley) on the bench for Brown. They especially won’t when Ozzie Newsome is in your ear yelling “Roll Tide” in favor of his new Alabama product. Some have even went as far as saying he needs to be better against the run.

In the ever-changing game that is the NFL, the Ravens need a guy who is better against the pass. I believe that pass defense is Brown’s strength. When the team starts facing these teams with slot receivers like Julian Edelman or RBs coming out of the backfield, Brown will be the best suited to take them on.

Hi Haters!

Of course the haters will continue to hate though.

Rotoworld.com is especially good at blasting the grinder saying:

“Brown has provided nothing to the team since being taken with the 56th overall pick in the 2013 draft, but the Ravens are having a hard time giving up on the former second-round pick. Odds are he’ll be inactive more often than not.”

There is a reason this guy has managed to make the 53 since 2013. My expectation is that Brown shocks the world and claims the depth chart spot next to Mosely with authority. Anyway, on to the next legitimate competitor for the position. Zachary Orr

Favorite on social media

Many pegged Orr to replace Daryl Smith. Why is that? Did he really shine the last two seasons? No. Not exactly. He had 22 total tackles in 2015 and even had some pretty good Pro Football Focus grades, but there is no substantial tape on the young North Texas product to make that determination. He wasn’t exactly the thriller of preseason either.

In fact it was Brown who set that stage with his 5^th ranked 23 tackles in the 2015 preseason. Orr had 19, which still put him in the top-20 of preseason tacklers that year. Orr has special teams value, which is what may have given him the edge over Brown in the past, but is it enough to solidify him as the guy this year?

Wildcard or just depth?

I am not sure the special teams card will be in play here because the Ravens went out of their way to pick up a ST standout in Cavellis Luckett as an undrafted free-agent. The former Middle Tennessee player is a speedster who really excels at breaking down and wrapping up defending against kickoff returners. He will be fighting for roster spot not a starting job.

Most game time experience…

The most intriguing prospect in my opinion is Albert McClellan. This is a guy just signed a three-year extension to remain with the team. He has made the move inside to ILB and has the experience to lead. He played 161 snaps last season and had 17-tackles, 1-sack, 1 pass def, and 1-fumble recovery. He has been with the Ravens since 2010 and has been listed 4^th on the depth chart at OLB. Can his transition to the inside mean Harbs and Dean Pees are looking at him being the favorite? It would be cool to see such a talented guy finally getting his shot at starting. With arms like tree trunks, you have to put him on the field somewhere.

I am excited to see who rises to the top in this competition now that it actually is a competition. Either way C.J. will have a great sidekick come game come of 2016.

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Jermaine Lockett is a Writer and CEO for Couch Rider Report. Follow us BY CLICKING for Facebook or twitter.

May 21, 2016 0 comment

NFC South NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Bucs’ David looking to cash in on last three years

by Jermaine Lockett July 27, 2015

written by Jermaine Lockett

View image | gettyimages.com

Sometimes it gets hard to break away from my constant obsession with dynamic players in the skilled positions. Primarily the WRs catch more of this Couch Rider’s attention than most anything. However, when I do take a break from such an awesome position (not the biased opinion of a former WR at all) I choose Defense. And today I choose to highlight the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ best defensive chess piece, Lavonte David.

I love a player who can move the power pigs around him in a 4-3 scheme in such a way that it literally guides the RBs straight to a special place I like to call “pound town”. This is where the MLB (or as my coach called him “bad ass”) gets to play “bully” and knock the daylights out of some unsuspecting ball carrier all because he took the right gap. Yes I said right. We are rooting for the “D” here aren’t we?

David is one of those hungry ready to knock somebody down type of players. What I love about this guy is his tenacity. If David is blocked initially on a running play, don’t blink, because the drive in this guy won’t allow him to be stuck on a block for long.

He will shed linemen with ease, find your ball-carrier and he will EAT THEIR LUNCH! Sure he could take better angles when approaching, but that reckless abandon that he has would suffer if he tried to control his tackling approach.

With 101 solo tackles (145 total) on the season in 2014, it is easy to say he is not a “gang-tackler”. He wants his own trophies and he refuses to be a guy who pads stats by jumping on the pile.

David is a guy who is not going to get the glory of a DE or OLB, but he will find a way onto your stat chart. Four forced fumbles on the year doesn’t come easy. He alone produced half of the team total forced fumbles. That surely gives ball-carriers something to thing about when coming to TB.

The 6-1, 233 pounder is in the last year of his rookie deal and according to the Pewter Report the Bucs were looking to extend David prior to training camp, however with the 430-tackles, 10-sacks, 6-interceptions and a safety in the past 3 seasons, it may be hard to sign this stellar athlete.

He may command a salary of 6-7 million dollars per year. He probably could have asked for even more if he had a better supporting cast. The unit as a whole was the 25^th ranked Defense in yards allowed per game. That is definitely a stat the Bucs’ management is bringing to the table to negotiate with.

Either way I hope the guy gets paid and gets back to making heads roll for Lovie Smith. Cheers Lavonte, the Couch’s change is on you to lead the league in tackles in 2015.

Jermaine Lockett is a Writer and CEO for Couch Rider Report. Follow us on Facebook or twitter.

July 27, 2015 0 comment