It's hard to shoot the gap when your interior front are getting knocked back. I think the interior will be way better this year, and it should allow the linebackers to flow, especially someone like Gay with his size and speed.
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We dont have Mike Pennel
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So what you're saying is that there's no objective truth that Clark is that great of a run defender and it's something you just gotta feel and believe and tell yourself? Yeah seems like it.
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No what I am saying is you most likely are a couch junkie who's probably never played, and if you did, didn't understand the game. Look at tape of Dee Ford, or those attempting last Sunday playing the edge, and then look at Frank Clark last year. One got abused continuously or ran themselves upfield and out of the play consistently, one is setting the edge and turning it back inside. You can bitch about Frank's pass rush, but you look really silly with your comments on his play against the run...
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You're right. I hope we start getting some push from Nnadi and Reed.

It will help.
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This team's D was built to compete in the pass happy AFC West, not the smash mouth teams. Unfortunately for us, we'll be playing the Browns and other run first teams in the playoffs. While we haven't had superior LB play since DJ left the team, I noticed that we've gone to more nickel than in previous years, so we really don't have a "front 7" to counter the run. Spags needs to adjust his D instead of relying on a one-size-fits-all.
Yes we can flip the game on a dime as long as we have PMII, Kelce, and Hill, But what happens when one of them is out or our O line gets mauled? If the other team controls the clock, they also control our opportunities to score.
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Why do you keep citing guys who are bad at setting the edge as your millpost for claiming Clark is excellent at it?

I've already said it once - when Clark's not fighting the trots or whatever, he's a solid run defender. His main selling point, however, was that he'd be a top end pass rusher who didn't have to trade his run defense to be a pass rusher. He'd provide 90% of Ford's pass rush ability with solid 3-down run defense on the edge which Ford was never able to provide.

Then when it turns out he was an ineffective pass rusher for all but about 5 of his games here, suddenly the fringe component of the game is something he's 'elite' at. Bullshit.

Clark has never been a premier run defender. He's simply fine at it. He's not a liability, nor is he some mauler on the edge. He's average to slightly above average in defending the run - when healthy. Last year he wasn't even that. He wasn't close, in fact.

And we don't know if he's gotten a handle on that health stuff OR if his hamstring will hold up to actual football.

Again - if he's healthy, he's an upgrade on the guys we have doing it now. Said that already so I'm not sure why we're talking about him being better than some green-ass 4th round rookie who never got any coaching to speak of at FSU or an undersized rotational lineman thrust into a starting role. Congrats dude - you're better than a project pick and a 5th rounder. HUZZAH!!

Y'all are overselling a healthy Frank Clark without even knowing if the healthy version is the Frank Clark we're going to get. Will he be an upgrade - Christ I hope so. But let's stop sucking his dick here - he's not a great run defender and he never has been.
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Cool. So why is it that we average roughly the same yards given up with and without Clark? The math doesn't quite add up.
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Did you not read the earlier post? In the playoff game last year 70 of Chubb and Hunts 98 yards were between the tackles. That wasn't the case on Sunday.
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In my earlier post, I said you can complain about Clark's pass rush. He obviously isn't living up to his contract in that regards. However, I would take him over Dee Ford in 2018 today? I assume you would as well. Also, I stated Clark would have made a difference against the run against the Browns. The rotation, playing in his role on Sunday, made Dee Ford look good. Clark is pretty darn good at setting the edge and containment but is not getting to the QB and unfortunately, we are paying him to do both.
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Ever hear of 'Nichols Law of Catcher's Defense'?

It states that a Catcher's defensive reputation is inversely proportional to his offensive production.

In other words, if a guy's a major league catcher and sucks at hitting, we just assume he must be a good defender because afterall, he's on a big league roster and it's clearly not because of his offense.

It's often completely wrong. Sometimes a guy just isn't good at anything.

Clark's getting that treatment with his run defense. People have been slowly 'improving' the quality of his run defense the more apparent his failures as a pass rusher have become. When we thought we got a 16 sack/season guy, he was a 'solid run defender'. After 2 seasons where he's been ineffective as a rusher more often than not, suddenly we're calling him 'excellent' at it despite NOTHING that he's done here to demonstrate excellence in that regard. It's because his reputation as a pass-rusher has declined, so his supporters are trying to make it up on the run defense ledger.

I mean, I don't know how much work you're asking 'pretty darn' to do in your statement there, but if maybe 5-10% better than league average at run defense makes one 'pretty darn' good, then I guess I won't quibble too much. But he's nothing approaching excellent or great or elite or anything truly laudatory. He's...fine. He's the Teddy Bridgewater of run defenders.

And again, that presumes he's healthy - something he just rarely is. And I've tried to find any sort of objective measure that says he was anything other than a bad run defender last year and it simply doesn't exist. You're welcome to present otherwise but by any attempts to quantify his performance in the run game last year that I've been able to find, he was bad. Not average, not disappointing - flat out bad.

So if that's what you get from an unhealthy Clark, and you can't presume Clark is going to give you a single truly healthy snap this season, I don't know how much faith you can put in the guy being a genuine difference maker apart from being an upgrade on guys who shouldn't be asked to be doing what we're asking in the first place.
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Nick Bolton will keep improving week to week. Will Gay stay healthy?


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Will gay , Bolton and hitch be on the field at the same time?
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Does the fact that they go up the middle instead of to the left or right change how many yards they are?

Is a game where they give up 5 yards per carry up the middle somehow better than game where they get 5 yards a carry to the left better to you?
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Worst defensive DVOA through Week 1:

32) Chicago Bears, 45.2%
31) Kansas City Chiefs, 41.9%
30) Detroit Lions, 35.9%
29) Green Bay Packers, 31.9%
28) Cleveland Browns, 30.3%
27) Atlanta Falcons, 25.5%
26) Tennessee Titans, 23.7%
25) Indianapolis Colts, 23.5%


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