Big men win championships. Not so fast? Maybe.

[Panthers8969]

8 hours ago, ecu88 said:

That’s what she said

Girth*

[PandaPancake]

You guys love to find every little excuse in the world as to why we didn't win more.

[LinvilleGorge]

7 hours ago, OnlyPantherFaninMaine said:

I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that one of Hooker or Adams will be available at 8. Stick either of them behind Bradberry and Worley and this front 7 and our defense is just scary. There's always a surprise pick early in drafts. I want all QB prospects to crush the combine and have like 2 or 3 go ahead of our pick.

What front seven? We don't even know what it'll look like yet, specifically DE. Both of our starting DEs are pending free agents. Not only that, but four of the five DEs who received playing time this year are pending FAs. Kony Ealy is the only DE in last year's rotation that's actually under contract for next season.

[Salisburysean98]

We have linebackers who can actually cover. A lot of teams don't have that, they just simply have the speed. You mean to tell me that Kuechly, Davis, or Shaq wouldn't have made an interception on that Brady incomplete pass he threw perfectly in Vic Beasley's path  at the 2 yardline? I'd be willing to wager any one of our guys I mentioned above would have made that play. 

[top dawg]

13 hours ago, panthers1234 said:

DG is referring to big men on the line. When you get down to the final quarter of the game, size matters. If you want a fast speedy guy on the line think Everette Brown. Speed matters in the secondary, lbs, and wrs. 

Gettleman does not limit his penchant for big men just to the line. 

 

"The next night, Gettleman traded his third- and sixth-round picks to the Rams to move up 12 spots and secure Funchess out of Michigan.

“Did I want another big guy? Sure,” Gettleman said. “I say all the time it’s a big man’s game."

https://www.google.com/amp/s/charlotteobserver.relaymedia.com/amp/sports/nfl/carolina-panthers/article99659987.html

 

"Gettleman said the choice of Benjamin over the 6-foot, 192-pound Lee came down to size."

"You can't coach 6-5, 240..." 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/charlotteobserver.relaymedia.com/amp/sports/nfl/carolina-panthers/article9120029.html

 

Even when talking about the line, Vic Beasley is probably the most undersized edge rusher in the league, and he had the fastest 40 time.

http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2015/3/6/8135681/vic-beasley-breakdown

So, yeah, there can be an argument made about speed vs. size.

Personally, I don't believe there is only one way to build a championship team. Some flexibility seems key in my opinion.

[L-TownCat]

15 hours ago, Cyberjag said:

The phrase was, "Big men allow you to compete."  Without Beasley creating pressure, how well would Neal have looked?  And how often did those smaller guys lose a step late in games as they got tired?  I think building a roster like the 2007 Giants is smarter than what the Falcons have done.

Did you know the Falcons blew a 25 pt lead?

[Khyber53]

There's a lot of ways to build a team. Big guy teams can always compete.

The Falcons' defense broke down because their guys were gassed by the start of the fourth quarter. One of the most difficult parts of playing in a defensive backfield is that you've got to work hard to cover receivers on every play -- whether they are rushing or passing plays. And on the passing plays, the receivers know who should get the ball each time and can adjust their play accordingly, resting just a bit.

Fast teams do work fairly well, but they aren't built for the long haul, they don't have long-term endurance. Fast defenses require high scoring offenses as well, because they need to move the opposing team into a pass first mentality. Fast defenses break down quickly when subjected to a grind it out running teams that attempt to maul their opponents.

Remember that under Al Davis, the Raiders mantra for drafting was speed, baby, speed and speed kills. He ended up with a lot of track stars and a decade or two of complete irrelevance.

The best bet is similar to the Patriots and what we are doing. Heavy and tall on the lines, rangy and durable at the LB and RB positions and physical defensive back fields and receivers.

And I don't think any of the fans begrudge the size and strength of our QB.

[top dawg]

7 hours ago, frash.exe said:

love how we have one losing season and every fuging discussion gets steered to the appeal to doubt our business model

 

5 hours ago, PandaPancake said:

You guys love to find every little excuse in the world as to why we didn't win more.

That's not what's going on here.  

My late uncle, a preacher, counseled me one time when I was having issues with certain churches and their members claiming that they were holier than thou, and as such they believed they were the "one true church," and the only ones that would be saved. My uncle basically told me that so-called Christians who thought like that are in error. He told me to think of Heaven like getting to Raleigh. He said that some people would take highway 401, some would take US1, some would take highway 70, while others still would take I40. In the end, he said, all the people would end up in Raleigh though they took different ways to get there. He said it's the same way with Heaven.

Personally, I don't believe there is one right way to build a championship team. I believe that there has to be a certain amount of flexibility depending upon circumstances. Call it situational team building.

I simply brought it up as an interesting point of discussion (as the thread title kind of suggests). Speed on defense is obviously the flavor of the day, if you will.