Manny Lawson experiment

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Linebacker
This unit will be the strength of the Tide's defense. DeMarco Ryans, Alabama's leading tackler as a sophomore, set a school record with 25 tackles vs. Arkansas. He covers an enormous amount of ground from his strong-side position. Freddie Roach mans the middle for the Tide. He excels in both pass coverage and pressuring quarterbacks. Juwan Garth is the weak-side backer who, like the other starters, has good speed and quickness, but at only 208 pounds desperately needs to bulk up before SEC play. This is a very athletic, but somewhat small, group that will have trouble if the defensive line does not occupy blockers.
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edit - fixed image
-mags

edit edit - image doesn't like to be hotlinked, goes to an advertisement. Sorry.
-mags

 

Ryans is good - but probably a weakside player by most accounts. Since I'm kinda looking for another ultra-fast, active, instinctive LB on the outside, I could deal with he or Davis at SLB.




While reading a little bit in an article looking for Ryans' combine 40 time, I read where Carpenter and the other starting OSU LBs had let their hair grow long in honor of Pat Tillman. Also found the below about Ryans:



Tide's Ryans ready to take his game to NFL

Some players come to the NFL Scouting Combine expecting to answer questions about past indiscretions.

DeMeco Ryans' biggest issue will be explaining time management.

From graduating cum laude one semester early at Alabama to helping Hurricane Katrina victims last fall to emerging as one of the top linebackers in this year's draft, Ryans has seemingly done it all — on and off the field.

"He's a genius, a really smart guy," safety Roman Harper, one of Ryans' college teammates, said Sunday. "He just finds a way to get things done. That's how you live life."

Ryans is a different kind of NFL prospect: There are few questions about his character or talent.

At 6-foot-1.50 and 236 pounds, Ryans plans a rare feat in Indy — to take all the skills' tests — and hopes to run 4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash. Most top prospects only endure the grueling medical checks and measurements, then opt out of the drills.

But that wouldn't fit Ryans' personality.

He considers football a small part of life, preferring instead to take pride in life away from the field. Ryans finished with a 3.5 GPA and academic All-America honors; he wants to become an entrepreneur perhaps in real estate when football ends; he served as a spokesman for a county DARE program in Alabama; and last fall he helped spearhead the Crimson Tide's relief effort.

Among the hurricane victims was Ryans' brother, who moved back to his parents' home after his apartment was destroyed.

But Ryans wanted to do more than merely provide moral support for others. So at a team meeting, he and several teammates proposed Alabama players donate their $25 per diem to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. Coach Mike Shula agreed to match the players' total, bringing the amount to what Ryans estimated at $4,000 to $5,000.

"Nobody had any questions about it," Ryans said.

The fundraising drive was only a start. Ryans quickly arranged for 17 players, including himself, to spend Memorial Day working at the student recreation center where victims were temporarily housed.

For two hours, the players talked to evacuees, played with children and used their muscle-bound bodies for something more productive than punishing opponents.

"We went up there and we helped with anything they needed like moving different things to the trucks," Ryans said. "We served things to the elderly people who couldn't come down and get the food."

As a player, Ryans appears more menace than genius.

His emotion has led to some brash talk, but he's backed it up with strong performances.

Ryans is one of only five Alabama players to ever top 300 tackles, finishing with 307, and his five sacks this season were second on the team. He also set a single-game school record for tackles with 25 against Arkansas against in 2003.

His naturally quick instincts make him tough to block, and Ryans also uses intelligence to his advantage. In high school, Ryans said he learned to defend plays by listening to the opposing quarterback call signals, a skill he has honed in college.

"I just catch on to it and I look for that now when I am out there, different signals and different audibles they may do, and relay them to my teammates," he said. "Everybody knows where the ball is and it makes it easier."

Ryans was good enough to become one of three finalists for the Butkus Award, given to the nation's top linebacker; a semifinalist for the Lombardi Award, given to the nation's top college lineman or linebacker; and won the Lott Trophy, an award given to the nation's top player but is also based on academics and community service.

But Ryans takes even more pride in other awards — like winning the 2005 Arthur Ashe sports scholarship or being named to the Southeastern Conference Good Works team.

And although he wants to become a first round pick in April's draft, Ryans has taken his mother's advice and strived for success in the classroom while becoming the epitome of a role model.

The only question is how he gets it all done.

"I take a lot of pride in academics, it means everything to me because I know football isn't going to last forever." he said. "You have to have degree to fall back on just in case things don't go like they're planned.

"Anything I receive with academics, that shows what the real college athlete is about, being a scholar and an athlete."

 

Too small?! Have you guys seen him play? Have you heard of a man named Sam Mills? Have you heard of a small LB named London Fletcher? What about this guy you are all so high on, Will Witherspoon? Dat Nguyen? Dexter Coakley? All these guys are pretty damn good to be "small". Witherspoon is the biggest of the bunch at 6'1, 238. Is one inch a big difference and we all know each player once in the NFL will gain size, unless they are obese. I just think Sims would be a good addition to our defense. Either that or we take a WR. CNNSI says we will take a RB, the one from Minnesota, and they also have Sims gone in the middle of round one so my argument may not matter!

Just saw that Sims was listed this past season at 6'0, 220, BTW

 

wow, settle down there. First off, none of our LBs have ever been "tall".
Yeah, guys who are "small" can sometimes play. Mills and Coakley, both short, were still over 230. 5'9 and 235 is a lot different than 6'0, 220. If Sims were athletic at 6'0, 235, right now, that'd be different. Sometimes you can overcome a 220 frame at SLB, but it hasn't happened in a long time in the pros.
I do think it'd be interesting to see a player there that's like Ryans, or Davis, at SLB, but in general, you'd rather have a bigger player taking on blocks. Ryans and Davis would be on the risky edge of that limit, where Sims would simply get pushed around.

 

This is something I wanted to revisit.
I believe that Lawson could probably start and play the early downs. I don't want him in coverage that much right off, but him getting some snaps in coverage wouldn't be awful. I do think that he'd be the least likely to be on the field on 3rd down as a LB anyway, so that's not such a bad thing.

Speaking of which, I guess Morgan comes back into nickel again. We really need someone who can cover as depth, because I don't like Draft in the nickel. Since we don't have a specific backup WLB, that might not be awfully hard to find a good fit.

A lot of which was 3-4, where he was considered, technically, the weakside. Which is simply to say he was an ILB, not a classic MLB.



And Tharan, I'm really warming to Ryans. I know the idea of having two ultra-mobile OLBs isn't on everyone's list, but that guy's ridiculously instinctive. He was painted as ordinary at the Sr Bowl, though.

 

Dude chill. I think Sims could be a WLB, but he still needs to add weight, but its like this Jarrod Cooper was bigger than this guy. He's too small to play Strong Side linebacker. Davis COULD be put a SLB, but I think he's better suited for WLB himself. That leaves a spot missing. If you're a Coach you should know that.

 

I'm not upset or anything like that, damn, you guys need to chill. I'm just pointing out what is obvious, the kid can flat play. Being a coach, I know that. As for him not being athletic, once again, have you seen him play? I would assume so. He will add weight when he gets in the NFL, that happens. Is he too small right now, probably yes. But, I don't see that being a factor. Everytime you watched FSU play, he was all over the field. He has instincts, he has fire and he makes plays. He will be on the field for someone, and if he's available at the end of the first round then I say the Panthers should take him. I went to NC State, and pull hard for the Wolfpack, but I would take him any day over Manny Lawson. He is just a better player. The only situation where I would not take him is if Lendale White was available. Then I would take White instead. I apologize if you guys thought I was upset, I was just throwing in my 2 cents.

 

>>As for him not being athletic

didn't say that. Said if he were that athletic at 235...

either way, welcome, hang around.

 

:supergrin But yeah, I agree on the "no" to Sims at SLB.

Oh, and btw Brain, Sims is bigger than Davis and has more upper body strength as well.

 

he did measure at 230, which is a good bit bigger than previously listed, but not actually bigger than Davis. He also measured in at 5'11. That's not bigger either.

I'm sure you have a reason why you believe those quotes are funny. They say basically the same thing (and something the team agreed with).