| In Monday’s
"In Our Opinion" column, Jeff "the Answer Man" Agrest talked about
the importance of middle linebackers, called "Mikes" in football parlance. (By
the way, there’s no one better at explaining the vagaries of football’s X’s
and O’s than Agrest. If you haven’t read his column yet, check it out —
that is, as soon as you’ve finished this one.)
Anyway, it got me thinking about Mike, Sam (strong-side ’backers) and Will
(weak-side ’backers). Oh yeah, and Rover.
Who’s Rover, you may ask? Rover is just the most intriguing player in this
year’s NFL draft.
A bit of explanation is required here. Rover is New Mexico’s Brian Urlacher,
projected by many to be a top-10 pick come April 15. I call him Rover because that’s
the position he primarily played for the Lobos last season.
(A note to Mr. Urlacher, if he’s reading: The term "Rover" is not meant
to insinuate that you are a dog in any way, shape or fashion. Please don’t beat me
up.)
Urlacher may be the most physically impressive player available in the draft. At 6-3
3/4, 258 pounds, he runs about a 4.62 40-time. And yes, he could beat me up in no time
flat if he wanted to. He put on a show at the Indianapolis Combine, taking part in all the
drills — a rarity for top prospects — and passed each test with flying colors.
But there’s a hitch. Urlacher basically played safety in college, with a little
linebacker and tight end thrown in. He was also a killer on special teams and even brought
back a few kickoffs and punts. It all begs the question: Where do you put him in the pros?
That’s the question NFL teams must answer. But after the success of Jevon Kearse,
another outstanding athlete who didn’t easily fit the NFL’s usual position
profiles, Urlacher is drawing a lot of interest. Arizona (seventh overall pick) and
Chicago (ninth overall) are rumored to be strongly considering Urlacher, and with good
reason. You don’t often get a chance to grab a guy with that kind of size and speed.
But where do you put him?
I’m no scout, but my hunch is that Urlacher will first get a shot as a Sam. He has
the size to stop the run and was a tackling machine in college, but he also has enough
speed that he should be able to cover a tight end one-on-one. Most teams use their strong
safety against the tight end, but bigger TEs can push a lot of those defensive backs
around. That wouldn’t be the case with Urlacher.
It wouldn’t be a shock if Urlacher saw some snaps at tight end either. He had six
TD catches last season — a sign that he did more than dabble on offense. While he has
a lot to learn about blocking, he has good hands and could contribute in multiple-TE sets.
And before you laugh that off as a college gimmick, consider that the Chargers started
using Junior Seau, a linebacker, as a tight end on occasion last season.
Those are just some projections as to how a team could use Urlacher. I’m sure NFL
coaches have a lot more (and better) ideas on the subject. And it may take some creativity
and a little time to figure out how best to use Urlacher.
But even if Rover doesn’t exactly fit into the Sam-Mike-Will scheme, he’s
going to make a name for himself in the pros. I don’t see any way he ends up as just
another dog. |
