Another DJ Thread: Dan Pompei

http://sportingnews.com/experts/dan-pompei/20050415a.html

Texas linebacker Derrick Johnson, who is expected to be a top 10 pick, has been criticized for not being a "take-on" linebacker. But that's like downgrading a Ferrari because it doesn't handle well in off-road conditions.

Basically, there are two kinds of linebackers -- those who try to avoid blockers and run to the ball, and those who try to go through blockers. Johnson is the former. Not coincidentally, almost all of the NFL's best linebackers are similar players, including Atlanta's Keith Brooking, Tampa Bay's Derrick Brooks, Denver's Ian Gold, Baltimore's Ray Lewis and Chicago's Brian Urlacher.

Generally speaking, those who can run around blocks do; those who can't take them on. You wouldn't want a linebacker with Johnson's speed to be wasting it wrestling with ogres nearly twice his size.

The reason Johnson has been criticized is he shows no interest in colliding with blockers. In fact, it isn't unusual to see him kind of curl up when a blocker has a bead on him.

"He surrenders," one general manager says. "He looks worse than the norm."

Because of that, a team that runs a 3-4 defense probably won't have much interest in Johnson.

Johnson should be able to improve at taking on blocks if it's demanded of him. Clearly, it was not demanded of him at Texas. Either way, how Johnson handles blocks should not define him.

Ohhhhhhhh Nooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!1

As I've said over the last week or so, im really warming up to Merriman and really cooling down on DJ. I havent really seen much of Merriman until recently, but he looked pretty damn good adjusting from downlineman to dropback linebacker in the course of one play.

let him drop in the draft and we will see

seriously though.. someone posted some of DJ's highlights (or a link to them) on one of the other threads, I can't remember which one.. One concern I had watching all the hits is whether or not he wraps up.. On that reel ,,he would hit people and they would go down, but makes me wonder if he hit some of the runningbacks like that and not wrap up, if they would just bounce off of him

Bottle-O-Bud said:

Well wolf, it could happen since people are going crazy before draft day. Specially Kiper which has Merriman and Ware over DJ now... basically.

Click to expand...

kiper IMO is quite hillarious.. he has people all over the board all the time.. then when draft day comes he puts a spin on it to make him look smart.. To me he is the Bill Walton of draft day coverage thank goodness for caption