Zack Baun: Top Graded LB / DPOY cand. [Why Isn’t Baun Still a Saint Thread] ………. [Eagles re-sign Baun to 3-year, $51 million contract on March 5]

platinumvinnyv said

Not arguing your stats but i think the reason alot of posters call him a pass rush specialist because when he was drafted most of his highlights was him getting to the qb and that kind of stuck.

But i think your post is on point. His biggest problem was and wouldve been was opportunity. I always felt DA ran this Big Nickel Base defense where the Nickel was like the 3rd LB, CG Johnson and Alontae Taylor were both very physical and had decent coverage skills so it always feels the SAM LB never gets a chance to shine in his defense

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In this passing league it’s going to be hard to consistently field 3 LBs for the majority of the snaps. To get a third LB out there regularly, one of them would either have to be the equivalent of a Lawrence Taylor-Von Miller-Derrick Thomas mold at rushing the QB from a two-point stance, or a Karlos Dansby-Derrick Brooks-KJ Wright level pass coverage guy against receiving backs, tight ends, and slot WRs, and probably both, with a third LB in the Jon Vilma-Mike Singletary-Patrick Willis role of being a rangy, open-field tackler who calls the defenses and diagnoses the offense each down. It is hard to have all three of those, and pay them. Plan B would be to run a 3-3-5 but that would involve radically overhauling the DEs on the roster.