Another question that may come up for next season is what will they do with Clowney? Move him back to OLB or leave him at DE opposite Watt? I know when he was asked by RAC to move to DE he said something along the lines that he preferred OLB but would move because of the situation and what was best for the team. With Watt coming back do you think they will move Clowney back to his old position or keep him at DE? What do you think he wants to do?
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Clowney - DE or OLB?
- Thread starter Insideop
- Start date
Defensive End Backer Outside
TexansBull
Hall of Fame
xtruroyaltyx
Hall of Fame
He's a guy.
We don't now know what if any there will be in different defensive schems/formation between new DC Vrabel and Vrabels predecessor. The differecces may be slight or they could be very substantial.
But with the kind of talent Vrabels will have at his disposal especially is we assume a reasonably healthy JJ Watt I see a defense that's predominantly run from a traditional base 4-3. A 4-3 means of course JD is at weakside DE.
But with the kind of talent Vrabels will have at his disposal especially is we assume a reasonably healthy JJ Watt I see a defense that's predominantly run from a traditional base 4-3. A 4-3 means of course JD is at weakside DE.
Yep! This whole HC/OC (BOB), Asst HC (RAC), and DC (Vrabel) triumvirate has me wondering who's in charge of what exactly! Especially on the defensive side of the ball! Will RAC leave Vrabel alone to see what he can do by himself or will he be there watching over his shoulder all the time telling him what to do? I hope they leave him alone but offer help if he asks.
ROO
Tweak the offense already!
Wondering the same thing. Seems to me that O'brien is the offensive head coach and coordinator, RAC is the defensive head coach and coordinator, and Vrabel got a better title so he can be kept with the Texans.
welsh texan
You may say I’m a dreamer but I’m not the only one
Personally I hope the move is just a change of job description and our excellent D of last season doesn't get messed with too much.
Add a bit of versatility at ILB and improve the Safety position and this D could be primed to shut down modern high powered O's even in this pass friendly era.
Look what they achieved this year despite a turd of an Offense and then think about plugging those holes and the return of Watt.
xtruroyaltyx
Hall of Fame
I think that RAC is going to take some of the HC duties off of OB's plate so OB can focus more specifically on offense. RAC has been around for a while and he's been a HC so he has the experience of course.
From a game day perspective I think this will help OB be able to focus more on offense and not have all the HC duties as well. He can give some of that to RAC.
Remember when OB got caught not knowing what was happening on the field when there was a challenge situation and we saw him sitting down going through offensive plays ?
Yeah... it wasn't a good moment....
So instead of hiring an offensive coordinator and giving those duties to someone else, it appears they felt it was best to go the other way and give some of his HC duties away.
Now I'm not expecting to see RAC walking around with the challenge flag in his pocket, but when the defense is on the field, instead of being the guy focusing on personnel and play calls, he'll be looking at the bigger picture and may be the one communicating with the guys upstairs on whether to challenge...being in charge of timeouts...getting on the refs for things...and then telling OB what's up...
That means OB can focus more on how he wants the offense to approach the next possession....
This is just my best guess at how things will work in general.
Was saying pretty much this to my uncle yesterday when discussing the new arrangement, and you just absolutely nailed the written articulation of it.
Spot on, completely agree.
I almost thought someone hacked your account. You actually made sense... then I read it again paying attention to spelling and grammar and realized that it's still you and the guys on the other forum are getting smarter
yeah, that play where Clowney nailed (and I mean NAILED) Brady he came straight up the middle.
So, yeah, does it really matter what they call him? RAC put him where he would do the most damage.
jradMIT
Veteran
I think it will be personnel driven. Depending on what acquisitions/losses on that side of the ball. RAC/Vrabel will try to get the guys out there who make the defense the best. Clowney will move around depending on the situation, if they strengthen the D-line, he'll be at OLB more, if they add another pass rushing OLB he'll play inside more especially during passing situations. Its all fluid when you factor in injuries as well, personally I think he is more valuable coming from up the middle in a bull rush, thats hard to find.
TheRealJoker
Hall of Fame
Part of our success on defense is because we've got 3 people who can provide a rush up the middle in Clowney, Mercilus and Mckinney. Not many teams have 1 guy who can consistently provide that.
So you don't think they already have a good idea of where they want to see Clowney line up at more before going into FA and the draft?
Wouldn't the acquired players be a result of where they'd prefer to see Clowney instead of the other way around?
Unless they do like some want them to and go BPA regardless of fit or need
Which I think as a fluid philosophy is sometimes completely appropriate. And in the event that it forces them to see Clowney shift then it means they nailed a real talent where there wasn't one necessarily projected, and awesome. Strategy wise though in the meantime I'd imagine they have some vision/idea of what they think is best from him from a chess piece standpoint.
jradMIT
Veteran
I think you have to consider the whole picture, so BPA fits into that. If they are picking and there is DE/DT that they consider makes the D better than adding a OLB then you might see him play more on the outside. Basically they may like him more from the inside in a vacuum, but going through the off season they acquire a few players that are plus inside rushers, so they move him outside because that's the best d they can put on the field.
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I think you should consider reading the post directly above the one I'm quoting now, where I pretty much covered all of that.
I'm pretty sure they look at versatility & smarts. If they add another smart versatile player it will only increase what they will be able to do.
Mercilus, Clowney, McKinney... they've used all these guys inside, outside, in coverage, against the run, rushing the passer...
jradMIT
Veteran
It's not but if a plus pass rusher happens to fall (not likely), I can see them doing it similar to the year they added Mercilus. You can never have too much pass rush on D or to a lesser extent cornerbacks as well
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So you don't think they have a preference for where Clowney's strengths are best suited?
I think they value his versatility more than a "best suited position."
So you're answer is no?
I thought Mercilus was a "lets get someone to compliment Watt" pick...
Edit:
Oh and Mario had just shuffled off to Buffalo during the off season
Last edited:
leebigeztx
Keep it Movin!
Check the other Clowney thread and read what I wrote.
Didn't see this post
CloakNNNdagger
Hall of Fame
For those expecting Watt to return mostly to his typical strong side defender position, after his bilateral sports hernia repairs and 2 back surgeries, he may not be able to hold or defend that position.
But can he beat the crap out of a tire with a 20lb sledge?
TheRealJoker
Hall of Fame
Hoping the likes of Joel Heath and Christian Covington can step up big next season to allow Clowney more time at OLB and take pressure off of JJ.
Anybody know what was up with Covington this season? I guess I expected a bigger jump in year 2 from him given his late season success as a rookie. Similar to Heath this season....
Anybody know what was up with Covington this season? I guess I expected a bigger jump in year 2 from him given his late season success as a rookie. Similar to Heath this season....
CloakNNNdagger
Hall of Fame
Up until the end of the season, he was dogged by groin, wrist, and quad issues.
The really question should be, should JJ lose some weight and play primarily at OLB and De in a 4/3 base as a pass rusher? In other words, used primarily as an outside pass rusher. If his back is going to be a problem then why not use him on passing downs only? Let him get after thee QB.
CloakNNNdagger
Hall of Fame
As a good pass rusher, you specifically need some good spin moves. One of the worse strains on a lumbar segment that has already undergone 2 microdiscectomies is any activity that twists/torques that segment.
powda
The bridge between stupid and useless is short.
Considering the franchise tag salaries are higher for a de then an olb he'd probably prefer the de title. Personally i dont care either way as long as he's in the best position to succeed. If he swaps game to game or in game all the better. Lets keep offenses guessing.
Watt is a great pass r
I don't see not using a spin move slowing down Watt when rushing from the outside. I do see watt putting significant strain on his back if they continue to use him as they've have the last couple of years.
I don't see not using a spin move slowing down Watt when rushing from the outside. I do see watt putting significant strain on his back if they continue to use him as they've have the last couple of years.
CloakNNNdagger
Hall of Fame
I agree on your last statement, but Watt can't survive on a bull rush alone.
infantrycak
Hall of Fame
He really has never spun much. He's speed, dip and power.
& hands. He's got a really fast & powerful swim move.
CloakNNNdagger
Hall of Fame
Power against resistance will likely no longer be kind to Watts core.