LB Preview & Discussion thread

Who leads the LB in tackles ?

  • Brian Orkapo - 87ovr

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Derrick Morgan -87ovr

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Zach Brown - 75ovr

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Wesley Woodyard - 77ovr

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    1
  • Poll closed .

georgiafan

Hall of Famer
Present
Brian Orakpo signed a 4 year deal and that was huge both in real life and maybe even more so in madden since his overall is a 87. He didn't become the elite pass rusher many thought he would become earlier in his career. Still he has over 8.5 sacks 4 different times in his career. The other starter was rumored to be leaving this offseason though he was brought back is former 1st rounder Derrick Morgan. He is more of a run stuffer and all around OLB then Orakpo and has had 6 sacks 3 years in a row.

Keeping them two healthy will be a key bc the backups won't be rated very high in Jonathon Massaquoi and Deiontrez Mount. Massaquoi was suppose to be another draft steal from Troy. But he was never able to do in it Atlanta and that was with a team that was desperate for pass rush. Mount is a 6th round rookie from Louisville who has the size at 6'5 249.

The two starting ILB will be a pair of young guys in Zach Brown and Avery Williamson. Zach was a 2nd round draft pick and his 2 years has been one of the best playmakers on the defense. In those 2 years he has 184 tackles, 9.5 sacks, and 4 interceptions. Avery saw a lot of playing time as a 5th round rookie and had 79 tackles, 3 sacks and 2 FR. If i had to project the ratings for these guys I would say 78-83 overall.

The top backup at ILB and maybe even OLB is undersized vet Wesley Woodyard who like Avery played at Kentucky. Wesley has over 500 career tackles and is still under 30. Another player with a uphill battle for playing time is Zavier Gooden a former 3rd round pick in 2013 who has very little production.


Future
The future at the position at ILB looks pretty good as Brown is 25 and Williamson is only 23 so they should be around for the next 5+ years. There overall should be in the mid-high 80's a few years down the line.

Derrick Morgan was brought back and he is just 26 but at this point he is what he is and his upside is limited. Orakpo is 29 and was rated higher then he should have been so he will have 2-3 more good years till he starts to regress. He is coming off a injury so thats something to keep a eye on. The rookie Mount is unlikely to develop into a starter.

If the titans have the chance to take a elite pass rusher in the top 10 then It will be hard to pass up on that position. But they would like to wait till atleast round 2 as other positons will have higher priorties. How good this unit becomes in the future will depend on the ratings of the two young ILB


The Star - Brian Orakpo
The unknown - Avery Williams
Start packing your bags - Zavier Gooden
Priority - Mild
 

georgiafan

Hall of Famer
Final 2015 Stats

Derrick Morgan - 44 tackles, 8 TFL, 4 sacks, 2 Int.
Brian Orkapo- 68 tackles, 10 TFL, 10 sacks
Zach Brown - 105 tackles, 7 TFL, 3 sacks, 3 Int.
Avery Williams - 104 tackles, 10 TFL, 2 sacks, 3 Int.
Wesley Woodyard - 32 tackles, 1 TFL

Thoughts
With a 3-4 defense and all 4 LB's on the field even in the base nickel defense it was expected that the unit would put up good stats. But this is a unit that really came into light this year and is the bright spot of the defense. The two young ILB both had over 100 tackles and made plays both with sacks and interceptions. There has even been some trade intrest for Williams but the titans are not intrested in trading him away unless they get a good offer. Brian Orkapo was the pass rushing threat he needed to be with 10 sacks. Woodyard was the backup at all 4 spots and played special teams. The worst the defense finished in any area was 16th in pass defense. The scoring would have been much higher if it wasn't for games when the CPU played and gave up 45 and 41 points.

Grade A
 

georgiafan

Hall of Famer
2016 LB PREVIEW

The LB group was one of the strengths last year and 3 of the 4 starters return with the one loss being Zach Brown who went to the lions. The team tried to resign him but failed to reach a deal. Despite the loss this is still the strength of the defense with additions of vet Demarcus Ware and rookie 3rd rounder Mike Lindsay.

Derrick Morgan (84 ovr) had a bit of a down year last year but he will still get the start this year. Alongside him is Brian Orkapo (89 ovr) the leader of the LB unit and lead the team with 10 sacks last year. Avery Williams (83 ovr) should be the MLB for many years to come and has improved to a 93 tackle and 87 block sheeding.

34 year old Demarcus Ware (79 ovr) was brought over on a 1 year deal and was expected to add much needed depth at OLB. But after drafting Mike Lindsay they was able to move him to MLB and he has looked well in preseason and is expected to get the start week 1. The rookie Lindsay (80 ovr) we talked about was the biggest steal in the draft for the team and plays one of the most important positions on the team. He was a 3rd round pick but on pure talent he was the 16th overall player. It has now allowed the titans to not have to spend a future high round pick on OLB. He isn't expected to get a lot of playing time he will brought along slowly so look for him to make more of a impact in year 2 with his quick devloplment.

Another vet LB on the team who was the main backup at OLB and ILB last year was Wesley Woodyard (78 ovr) who the team is comfortable starting as he still has good speed. Deiontrez Mount (68 ovr) isn't expected to make the final roster. Now its time to talk about the wildcard of the bunch as the gm has said "we have to find a way to get this guy on the field period" That player is Zavier Gooden while his grade is only a 69 overall he is one of the fastest LB In the NFL with 89 speed, 87 agility and 91 acceleration and 77 tackle. So basically for the 2nd starting ILB spot you have 3 players to pick from and the 2 vets the speedy Woodyard, slower but more reliable tackler in Ware or the unproven but fast as lighting Gooden.


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georgiafan

Hall of Famer
2020 LB Preview

Last year LB was the spot on the team that had the least amount of depth and oh what a difference a year makes. Now a 25 year old OLB with a 81 overall rating will likely be cut.

Zach Gooden is still at age 30 one of the fastest LB in the league and puts that speed to good use as he is a known playmaker with over 5 sacks last year. Avery Williams is the steady veteran MLB who seems like he has been around forever and is somehow only 28 years old. He is a perfect 2 down LB with 96 tackling, 92 play recognition and 88 block shedding. Mike Lindsay lead the team in tackles last year and can do everything you need a LB to do .


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The team has lacked depth at MLB for years now and they took Deron Jackson with a 2nd round pick. He comes in with superstar development and has been all over the field in the preseason. He has played so well he may end up starting over Williams. His 75 overall rating may seem modest until you look closer at his ratings. If he was moved to OLB he would already be a 85 overall.

Lary Powell is another former 1st round pick that comes in with fast development and is only 25 years old. He has good speed and his best rating is his pursuit. He even has some pass rushing skills with 81 finesse move and block shedding. He spent his last few years on the Bengals.

Jacoby Gordon another young guy that could easily start as he has a 83 overall rating. He has great speed and is known for being a big hitter despite being only 233 pounds. He also will not miss many tackles, but he does struggle in coverage. He is a similar player to Marquis Flower who is also a reserve LB.
 

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