Cushing gets the Publicity, but is Joseph the real Defensive MVP ?

[devo-x]

J. Joseph is the best CB on the Texans since Aaron Glenn

[LikeMike]

Originally Posted by Kthx

I think Hawk is regarded as elite to the people who pay attention the most in GB but he sorta gets thrown on the backburner when there are people like Matthews and Woodson.

Just thinking that we could`ve snapped him for Slaton last season...

As to the question of the defensive MVP: JoJo changed this defense - perhaps not singlehandedly, but with his ability to stick with his guy, and KJ and Allen not having to cover the best WR, it really opened up the pass rush and really made the whole team better.

Cushing may be playing better right now (really hard to compare) - but he didn`t change the defense (perhaps the mentality a bit)... so my vote is going to JoJo

[badboy]

Originally Posted by IDEXAN

The premiere position among 3-4 LBs is OLB because that's where the primary pass-rush is derived. With the exception of Patrick Willis (who is indeed a great football player), few steller performers make their living on the inside, but among OLBs the names of elite players are lengthy: Demarcus Ware, Clay Matthews, Terrel Suggs, LaMar Woodly, Mario williams (for a short time), and so on and and so forth.
In positional value, draft-value, free-agency value the ILBs are subordinate to OLBs. Anybody who doesn't know that is uninformed about the 3-4, because the 3-4 defense (or any defense for that matter) is diddly without competant pass-rushers.

As it applies to the Texans, with our Dline the ILB shuts down the running lanes . Regardless of the "name" OLB, all a Qb would have to do is dump ball to a RB. WIthout all our D we would have a poor team.

[IDEXAN]

Originally Posted by Vinny

Lewis is a HOF player and the glue to that defense. No way that team has that elite a defense all these years without Lewis and his sideline to sideline presence....much like Cushing is doing now. Suggs is a top player too, but not the player Lewis has been over the years.

A Lewis/Cushing comparison ? Man, you've gone all-in on that Cush-Koolaid, you must be consuming that stuff by the cases over at your place these days ? Hey, I'm a Cushing fan, but I'm not even going to say he's as good as that ILB I saw playing this last Monday night for the Chiefs much less drop his name in the same sentence with Ray-Ray.
And Lewis "was" that good, but in recent years he's been gliding on the coattails of Ngata & Cody (the one from 'Bama) and Suggs. Besides the Lewis resume is as much about a classic 4-3 MLB as a 3-4 ILB, which is our conversation here.