Thread: A Buckeye fan calls out Laurinaitis as being overrated

http://www.mikeroberto.com/2008/01/1...nebacker-ever/


Good stuff. But this does a good job of describing what you see when watching Ohio State play, whether its LSU or Minnesota.

Yeah, I do not like JL. I'd much rather have Spikes or Ellerbe. Rey would be okay. There are a ton of good hard nosed MIKE's.

All three of the top MLBs have been criticized for shortcomings in their games -- quite rightly. All of them have talent and would be expected to correct those flaws with coaching. Moreover, D. J. Williams had similar problems at MLB throughout the first two thirds, or so, of 2007, and he remedied those problems (recall the 2nd Oakland game, where he was great), only to be moved back to WLB, for various reasons (bringing in 'Koutou,' to use his speed outside, etc.).

The NC game was Laurinaitis at his worst -- as I recall -- so we already knew that it wasn't representative of what he did in other games. His various awards; the Butkus, the Nagurski, the Lott, etc., were earned by impressing panels of football people who evaluate talent. It's not that there aren't disagreements between professional evaluators, but this critique is coming from a blogger, not someone who's demonstrated a level of competence in evaluating talent. Lau's performance in the NC game is considered when evaluating him for the NFL, and it can be very revealing since it shows potential weaknesses, but his other performances are considered, too.

Laurinaitis isn't viewed as highly now as he was previously, so there is a chance that the Broncos' scouting staff/coaches may decide to pick another player. Whether Lau would be considered "overrated" depends on where you rate him. He looks like a mid round pick right now (Scott Wright has him at #18). His stock has fallen somewhat lately, as scouts have questioned his physicality. His ability to develop further has been questioned, too, as he seems to have plateaued. His size and ability to get bigger without losing weight, combined with speed and demonstrated performance on the field, along with intelligence and good instincts, place him as a very solid mid-round pick. The criticisms of Lau are typical for a pick in this range.

Originally Posted by Max Power

All three of the top MLBs have been criticized for shortcomings in their games -- quite rightly. All of them have talent and would be expected to correct those flaws with coaching. Moreover, D. J. Williams had similar problems at MLB throughout the first two thirds, or so, of 2007, and he remedied those problems (recall the 2nd Oakland game, where he was great), only to be moved back to WLB, for various reasons (bringing in 'Koutou,' to use his speed outside, etc.).

The NC game was Laurinaitis at his worst -- as I recall -- so we already knew that it wasn't representative of what he did in other games. His various awards; the Butkus, the Nagurski, the Lott, etc., were earned by impressing panels of football people who evaluate talent. It's not that there aren't disagreements between professional evaluators, but this critique is coming from a blogger, not someone who's demonstrated a level of competence in evaluating talent. Lau's performance in the NC game is considered when evaluating him for the NFL, and it can be very revealing since it shows potential weaknesses, but his other performances are considered, too.

Laurinaitis isn't viewed as highly now as he was previously, so there is a chance that the Broncos' scouting staff/coaches may decide to pick another player. Whether Lau would be considered "overrated" depends on where you rate him. He looks like a mid round pick right now (Scott Wright has him at #18). His stock has fallen somewhat lately, as scouts have questioned his physicality. His ability to develop further has been questioned, too, as he seems to have plateaued. His size and ability to get bigger without losing weight, combined with speed and demonstrated performance on the field, along with intelligence and good instincts, place him as a very solid mid-round pick. The criticisms of Lau are typical for a pick in this range.

Uhh, no. It is representative of what he did in other games. He also looked bad the year before vs Florida. If this was an isolated instance, this guy who is a Buckeye fan wouldnt be going on about him this way.

What about all the scouts who think JL is a good player and legit 1st rounder? Are they morons?

I'm going to go ahead and take their word for it over that of some blogger.

Originally Posted by Max Power

What about all the scouts who think JL is a good player and legit 1st rounder? Are they morons?

I'm going to go ahead and take their word for it over that of some blogger.

He comes from a school that is known for LBs and has bogusly won some awards for that reason. He also does some things well that show up on film, Im sure. The only problem is that in spite of that, he makes a lot of plays 5 yards down field and he also gets washed out too much.

you guys are all smoking dope, JL is a gamer.

best mlb in the draft. by far!

Originally Posted by lex

Uhh, no. It is representative of what he did in other games. He also looked bad the year before vs Florida. If this was an isolated instance, this guy who is a Buckeye fan wouldnt be going on about him this way.

Come on lex like us fans dont criticize our own players they are not above it if you are a good fan

Comparatively speaking, I would MUCH rather have Curry. (albeit a SAM)

I wasn't aware of this but my dad told me Laurinaitis' dad was one of the Road Warriors from wrestling. I remember back in the day when Iron Man would come on I'd be jumping around cause they were my favorite. Just brought back some memories.

He's still better than any other ILB WE have on the roster.

Out of the three (Laurainitis/Spikes/Maualuga), I'd rade JL as the 3rd best...but I still wouldnt be upset if we drafted him

exactly coach.


how many LB are you going to rate higher than JL.

4-5? thats about it....So saying he is way overrated is just stupid.

If you can draft players and get one of the top 5 LBs in the country, you are doing a good job.

Originally Posted by CoachChaz

Out of the three (Laurainitis/Spikes/Maualuga), I'd rade JL as the 3rd best...but I still wouldnt be upset if we drafted him

i wouldnt either coach. in fact i wouldnt be upset if we got anyone of those 3 guys. i just think jl is better suited for a 4-3 though and if we're going to be going with a 3-4 we need to target players ready for playing that style of defense. rey is the best suited lb for a 3-4 and since we have brought in nolan my opinion is rey might be the best linebacker for the job next to dj.

we could easily keep woodyard at wlb move dj inside next to rey. who knows though, laurinaitis might do very good in a 3-4. i think he is the purest mlb in the draft though. i feel he has more athletic tools then the others.

Bobby Carpenter 2.0

I pray nightly to the football gods that we don't waste a first round pick on this guy.