Some surprises today

[georgewashington]

there is a difference between leading a team and being around the tackles. 4 assists is not what a linebacker should have. He has less that one of the defensive tackles!

[aj.]

i found it interesting in looking at the stats that Babin only has 4 assists in tackles. To me that shows a lack of pursuit. Maybe im wrong but when you see the other three linebackers with assists in the teens, that shows they are pursuing and making group tackles.

Review of the game tape helps in situations like this. Sometimes the stat sheet doesn't tell much of the story.

I just ran tape into the 4th quarter again with focus on Babin and it's pretty obvious why he had a low number of tackles and/or assists. Some things don't show up on stat sheets but there are a few clues in the gamebook as to his low number of tackles/assists that can be confirmed by watching the game tape. The titans ran his way twice - maybe three times. When the titans run off guard or even off-tackle right, Babin is playing outside contain and is not trying to defeat his block to the inside. If he does that, there's a risk (when C Brown is in the game at least) that he gets outside - the Cardinal Sin for the OLB.

From what I could see, Babin did fine on run support except for one play (6:58 mark of 2nd qtr) where he bit right on his key (FB Holcombe 35) and got caught up in traffic before he was able to recover contain left. If he would have recognized the misdirection and stayed home, he could have had a tackle for a loss. Simmons and Coleman came up and made the play which was a 3 yd gain by C Brown. Even into the 4th quarter, it appears that Babin did a good job on contain on off-tackle right. That's most likely his primary assignment.

His biggest challenge appears to be defeating blockers in pass rush situations. He needs to shed better. He did a good job hurrying McNair twice with strong outside rushes (beating Miller around the edge when there was no TE or FB) and once on an inside stunt at around the 7:00 mark in the 3rd but in many cases (in the first half especially) he was getting double teamed and stopped in his tracks. I saw one case where he couldn't beat Miller one-on-one with a series of moves as McNair moved around in the pocket. As the game went on, I saw Babin apply good pressure even though he didn't get his hands on McN. Peek came in for Babin a few times late in the 3rd and early 4th. He did nothing good - nothing bad. He seemed to have trouble with Miller one-on-one as well.

One of Babin's assists came on a play where he was lined up against Berlin in the slot receiver but he recognized run and came up to help stop Antowain.

All in all I think Babin held his own - at least into the 4th quarter. He didn't make any mistakes but he didn't make any big plays either. He's only played the position for 6 games in his life. I think he's still focusing on fundamentals now and his assignment, i.e., the playbook is running through his head when he comes up to the line. As he gets more experience, he will rely more on instincts than thinking about what he's supposed to do. Now if Peek only had a playbook ...

[HJam72]

Yeah, # of tackles and tackle assists are very misleading.

[powda]

awesome post aj.

something i'd like to add about babin goes back to the vikings game......if u watch the tape and specifically the first half you'll find babin caused awesome havoc in the game. i believe he got 1 sack but was within a step or a fraction of a second away from having 2-3 more sacks. it seemed the texans pretty much unleashed him on the qb...i cant recall more then a handfull of plays in wich he went into coverage.

going back to the kc game it was apparent to me the chiefs were determined to run at babin...and babin had a poor game. but he is improving as evidenced by the vikings and titans not running to his side nearly as often. sometimes its easiest to see how a player is doing by watching wether or not a team ------an offensive coordinator------has specifically picked him out to take advantage of him.

[georgewashington]

thats a stupid comment, the chiefs ran at him and he played terrible and was pulled. how would that game make the vikings and titans afraid of him? i doubt that anyone in the NFL is afraid of running at him. I am sure they would much rather run at wong who makes ridiculous plays every game right? why is it also the other teams always run their draws and bootlegs to his side? cuz he bites on them

[texan279]

why is it also the other teams always run their draws and bootlegs to his side? cuz he bites on them

Maybe it's because the majority of QB's in the NFL are right handed. Have you ever tried running to YOUR LEFT (Wong's side) and throw? Not easy at all.

[georgewashington]

actually good quarterbacks do roll out to both sides, because it is unexpected. Ever watch games with Garcia and Plummer, mobile quarter backs use their feet to get them into position to make plays then they throw.

[chuckm]

Originally Posted by georgewashington

thats a stupid comment, the chiefs ran at him and he played terrible and was pulled. how would that game make the vikings and titans afraid of him? i doubt that anyone in the NFL is afraid of running at him. I am sure they would much rather run at wong who makes ridiculous plays every game right? why is it also the other teams always run their draws and bootlegs to his side? cuz he bites on them

Ok after reading this thread a few times I think I'm ready to try out for linebacker ... I know exactly what to do and not to do ..... I want you George to be my agent if you're not to busy with Peek ... I'm a bit out of shape but what the heck ..... let's see ...... don't fall down, don't bull rush every play, don't bite on run fakes but make sure I pursue, .... awww forget it, that's way too much to remember ... I'll stick to drinking beer and yelling during the game ....

[texan279]

actually good quarterbacks do roll out to both sides, because it is unexpected. Ever watch games with Garcia and Plummer, mobile quarter backs use their feet to get them into position to make plays then they throw.

I didn't say it was impossible, but it is as hard as hell to do it accurately.

[powda]

is it a stupid comment?

teams make in game adjustments throughout the game and as long as babin plays his assignments well...teams will stray and look for other weaknesses.
babin had an awesome 1st half against minnesota. the vikes adjusted. the titans saw the tape. sometimes his assignment is a wide blitz or contain...they're not running at him as much as they are running inside him...ie the de on that side. lets not forget that a good portion of the time the right side is the strong side and when teams run outside they tend to run that way more often then not...

and its pretty much common knowledge most quarterbacks throw better going to the right if theyre right handed.

how stupid is that?