Spencer Among Game's Best OLBs In 3-4?

[sbk92]

Posted by jellis at 7/18/2011 10:47 AM CDT on dallascowboys.com


I'll freely admit that I have been down on Anthony Spencer as much as anyone since last season after to seemed to regress from a great finish in 2009.

After 2010, a lot of people got the feeling that Spencer was always going to be an OK player, but a step short of good-to-great. His new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan was not one of those people, for what it's worth.

Apparently Ryan's not alone, either. The guys at ProFootballFocus.com are at it again with their in-depth analysis, this time ranking the game's best 3-4 outside linebackers over the last three seasons, and it turns out DeMarcus Ware wasn't alone at the top.

Spencer comes in fifth, behind Ware, two Pittsburgh Steelers and Tamba Hali of Kansas City.

The guys over there weren't exactly enamored with Spencer's 2010 campaign either, penning the excellent line "he seemed to find the shadow of DeMarcus Ware and rest in it," but they say the overall body of work - especially in the running game - is still comparable to some of the league's best.

It'll be interesting to see if Spencer makes the same list a year from now, which will have everything to do with how he reacts to Ryan's new defense.

 

[Cr122]

He is, you could of fooled me.

I mean I hope he turns it around, but I wouldn't put him there yet.

 

[LAZARUS_LOGAN]

He is, you could of fooled me.

I mean I hope he turns it around, but I wouldn't put him there yet.

They said OLB, not pass rusher. Spencer is very underrated. He's excellant against the run and in coverage, but for most people it's all about the sacks.

And feeling myself is not very hard to do.

 

[Sheik]

They said OLB, not pass rusher. Spencer is very underrated. He's excellant against the run and in coverage, but for most people it's all aboit the sacks.

And feeling myself is not very hard to do.

DAYUMM!!!!!!!!!! lol

 

[Rock Slamdance]

the board sits patiently awaiting cr's response...

 

[sbk92]

the board sits patiently awaiting cr's response...

He can answer the both of you if his response is in the form of a funny joke.

 

[Rock Slamdance]

He can answer the both of you if his response is in the form of a funny joke.

yuk yuk yuk.

 

[Rock Slamdance]

On to Spencer, I understand he is good against the run and secent in coverage, but like it or not, in the 34 that OLB needs to get sacks.

 

[Cythim]

This same group of nerds said Roy was better than Miles.

 

[LAZARUS_LOGAN]

On to Spencer, I understand he is good against the run and secent in coverage, but like it or not, in the 34 that OLB needs to get sacks.

It's not all about sacks. It's about getting QB pressures, which naturally includes sacks, but is not limited to sacks. If Spencer is helping to collapse the pocket and pressuring the QB tio where someone else gets the sack, to me that's just as good. And being the subject of this thread is about OLBs and not pass rushers, Spencer's low sack number clearly wasn't a factor in making their determination. Spencer's sack total is comparable to other 3-4 strong side LBs.

Personally, I'd rather have an OLB that is excellant against the run and in coverage but average as a pass rusher, than to have an excellant pass rusher but is a liability against the run and/or in coverage. A player can do certain things to become a better pass rusher, but it's not so easy to become better agaisnt the run and in coverage.

This is not for me to say and agree that Spencer is the 5th best OLB---because I don't agree with that, but I don't think he should be dismissed because of his low sack total.

 

[2233boys]

Or lack of QB pressures?

 

[dbair1967]

He was really dominant the 2nd half of 2009. He definitely has the ability to be an excellent player. He just has to do it consistently. Last yr I think he showed up for a total of 3 games or so.

 

[LAZARUS_LOGAN]

Or lack of QB pressures?

Actually, Spencer gets alot of QB pressures. He's not called Almost Anthony for nothing.

 

[2233boys]

Actually, Spencer gets alot of QB pressures. He's not called Almost Anthony for nothing.

Actually he didn't. He had the second most on the team, but I heard it was less than 20 for the year. (may hav even been less than 15)

 

[LAZARUS_LOGAN]

Actually he didn't. He had the second most on the team, but I heard it was less than 20 for the year. (may hav even been less than 15)

Do you know the exact numbers and quote your source. Because the year before last, Spencer led the league in QB hurries, Ware was a close second, and this was from the same pro-football focus.

 

[Midswat]

I've never heard anyone call Anthony Spencer "Almost Anthony."

Personally, I want more production from a starting OLB in a 3-4 than what Spencer has provided.

 

[dbair1967]

I've never heard anyone call Anthony Spencer "Almost Anthony."

Personally, I want more production from a starting OLB in a 3-4 than what Spencer has provided.

If he played 16 games like he did the 2nd half of 2009, I think everyone would be thrilled. He was outstanding then.

But last yr was a major step back.

 

[Cr122]

They said OLB, not pass rusher. Spencer is very underrated. He's excellant against the run and in coverage, but for most people it's all about the sacks.

And fooling you is not very hard to do.

 

[LAZARUS_LOGAN]

Can you try to be any more f.ucking original? Midswat already did that.

 

[2233boys]

Do you know the exact numbers and quote your source. Because the year before last, Spencer led the league in QB hurries, Ware was a close second, and this was from the same pro-football focus.

Jun 16

4:08

PM CT


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By Todd Archer

IRVING, Texas -- Over at NFL.com, Pat Kirwan has put together his top pass rushers in the league and it is no surprise that DeMarcus Ware is in the A group.

Ware is joined by Minnesota’s Jared Allen, Indianapolis’ Dwight Freeney, Pittsburgh’s James Harrison and Chicago’s Julius Peppers. Ware has 80 sacks in his career and has led the NFL in two of the last three seasons.

More interesting, however, was that Allen, Freeney and Harrison had teammates on the list, too. Ware did not.

Allen had Ray Edwards. Freeney had Robert Mathis and Harrison and LaMarr Woodley.

How much does it help Allen, Freeney and Harrison to have such a threat on the opposite side?

For the Cowboys defense to return to a top-10 level in 2011, they need Anthony Spencer to play the way he did over the last eight games of the 2009 season. In the chicken-and-egg debate, I’m now of the belief a pass rush makes a secondary and not the other way around. If the Cowboys can disrupt a quarterback, then Terence Newman, Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick become better players.

That’s what happened in 2009.

That’s what didn’t happen in 2010.

Spencer had only six sacks in 2009 but he was a dominating presence. He was credited with 36 pressures. In 2010, he had five sacks and 14 pressures. He simply was not as active.

To me, Spencer becomes Rob Ryan’s most important project. Ryan should benefit from the fact that Spencer is entering a contract year. He must put up numbers in order to get a big-time contract. That can be a great motivator.

http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/cowboys/tag/_/name/anthony-spencer