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Posted by nickeatman at 2/10/2011 4:50 PM CST on truebluefanclub.com
For the last year or so, there has been plenty of discussion – mostly fans and media conjecture – regarding a possibly position move for Jay Ratliff.
Despite his three straight Pro Bowl selections at nose tackle, it’s long been discussed that he eventually move back to defensive end, opening the middle for a true nose tackle. And when I say true, I’m talking about the stereo-type of 3-4 tackles, the huge, run-stuffing, space-eating pluggers that usually weigh in the 330-350 range. And obviously, that’s not Ratliff (6-4, 303).
It’s come up again with the release of Shaun Rogers, who fits that nose tackle stereo-type just fine, and spent the last two years with Rob Ryan in Cleveland.
But let’s not just assume that Ratliff is going to be 100 percent on board with a move. Remember, he’s done his job rather well if he’s making three straight Pro Bowls. And since Ratliff has just two years left on his current contract and you can make the case that he’s outplayed his contract already, he may not be too thrilled about moving out to 3-4 end, where stats seem to be even harder to come by.
Now, obviously a position change isn’t really his decision. Anyone can say “tough, just deal with it” if the Cowboys decided to move Ratliff, but a player’s happiness should at least be one factor into a move.
Last week when asked about it on our radio show “The Lunch Break,” Ratliff didn’t exactly address the question with open arms, just stating that he’s heard it for two years. It almost sounded like he’d be disrespected by the move, considering he’s done so well at that spot.
Personally, I think moving Ratliff out to end would be one step into prolonging his career.
But like any position, you can only think about that if you’ve got an ample replacement. Josh Brent has some work to do before he gets to that point. But let’s just not assume that moving Ratliff out to end will just solve all problems.
For the last year or so, there has been plenty of discussion – mostly fans and media conjecture – regarding a possibly position move for Jay Ratliff.
Despite his three straight Pro Bowl selections at nose tackle, it’s long been discussed that he eventually move back to defensive end, opening the middle for a true nose tackle. And when I say true, I’m talking about the stereo-type of 3-4 tackles, the huge, run-stuffing, space-eating pluggers that usually weigh in the 330-350 range. And obviously, that’s not Ratliff (6-4, 303).
It’s come up again with the release of Shaun Rogers, who fits that nose tackle stereo-type just fine, and spent the last two years with Rob Ryan in Cleveland.
But let’s not just assume that Ratliff is going to be 100 percent on board with a move. Remember, he’s done his job rather well if he’s making three straight Pro Bowls. And since Ratliff has just two years left on his current contract and you can make the case that he’s outplayed his contract already, he may not be too thrilled about moving out to 3-4 end, where stats seem to be even harder to come by.
Now, obviously a position change isn’t really his decision. Anyone can say “tough, just deal with it” if the Cowboys decided to move Ratliff, but a player’s happiness should at least be one factor into a move.
Last week when asked about it on our radio show “The Lunch Break,” Ratliff didn’t exactly address the question with open arms, just stating that he’s heard it for two years. It almost sounded like he’d be disrespected by the move, considering he’s done so well at that spot.
Personally, I think moving Ratliff out to end would be one step into prolonging his career.
But like any position, you can only think about that if you’ve got an ample replacement. Josh Brent has some work to do before he gets to that point. But let’s just not assume that moving Ratliff out to end will just solve all problems.
