ALERT: Loomis on Sirius NFL Radio in 10AM hour {merged} (1 Viewer)

[Torgo]

One thing about our FO... they won't "call a spade a spade"... they'll back their players 100%... very rarely would these guys bad-mouth a player publicly. If Sim was so good we wouldn't be looking for another MLB...

And if he was as bad as people around here think, they wouldn't have re-signed him.

 

[fr3sh]

He has few tackles because he's on the field for probably less than 50% of the teams defensive snaps. Simoneau does not play in nickel or dime defense.

This has been pointed at a lot and it makes complete sense. Teams try to hide their weaknesses and the best way to accomplish this was by putting Simoneau on the sideline. I would imagine that if our starters were Shanle-Vilma-Fujita, on a standard nickel defense our linebackers would be just Vilma and Fujita instead of Fujita and Shanle, like we saw last year.

 

[Pdlc]

MM and Deuce WAY ahead of schedule?

Too good to be true.

 

[Torgo]

There was a play in the Chicago that is a perfect example of this. They kept showing the replay and there is Simoneau unblocked and the running back running right through the hole and he couldn't make the tackle. I don't even think he got a hand on him and it was a big gain.

Actually, you might be thinking of the the 3rd and 20+ yard conversion Chicago had when one of the Bears back up RBs took about a five yard dump off pass and shook off a SCOTT FUJITA tackle to run for a big gain and a first down. Go back and watch it.

Why people just refuse to accept that Mark Simoneau is simply a solid, but unspactular player that the coaches trust to be where he's supposed to be and do what he's supposed to do is beyond me. If he was as horrible as people always say he is, the team never would have re-signed him. Simoneau would have been sent packing just like Courtney Watson, James Allen and Colby Bockwoldt.

The team likes Simoneau because he's a decent, consistent player that they have no problem putting in the starting line up if or when necessary. They knew they still needed an upgrade at MLB. That's why they went after Zach Thomas and were pursuing Dan Morgan before the opportunity to get Vilma came along.

I'm thrilled the team pulled the trigger on Vilma. I think he will be for our defense what Brees is to our offense. He is a huge upgrade at MLB--by light years. At the same time, it doesn't mean that Simoneau is completely awful. He's not.

 

[Torgo]

I would imagine that if our starters were Shanle-Vilma-Fujita, on a standard nickel defense our linebackers would be just Vilma and Fujita instead of Fujita and Shanle, like we saw last year.

I completely agree with that. The last two years, Shanle and Fujita have been our nickel LBs. When they went to dime, Shanle went to the sideline. I firmly believe this team will want Vilma on the field for every down. He's too much a play-maker. I think Vilma will be in on nickel and dime, then he can rack up the those big tackle stats that everyone here craves.