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Critiquing Vic Beasley


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Beasley has been a touchy subject for people here it seems, and I was hoping to have a discussion on what he is bringing to the table. Looking at Kayoh's PFF post, some things pops out:

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A few things:

1. The two team leaders in sacks are Adrian Clayborn, and Vic Beasley. They are tied. Adrian Clayborn was drafted in the first round by Tampa in 2011. He has had time to refine his skills and is tied with a rookie, after a much longer time in the league.

2. Who leads this team in QB hurries? Beasley with 11. The much-maligned first round pick that this post is about. The next closest is Schofield, a seasoned rusher whom many of us were happy about getting in the offseason, with 9 hurries. He is also 4th in hits and hovering above average in other critical stats. (Edit: He also is third overall on defense for pass rush)

3. He is receiving double teams and extra focus from teams on a lot of his snaps. A lot of the time he is seconds away from a sack or a hit (as evidenced by his high hurry numbers).

Anyone who has been here for even a year should know that I made threads specifically bashing/questioning why people would want Beasley. I was very down on him.

Now I find myself in the strange position of defending him.

If you were expecting Beasley to put up 10+ sacks his first season you should really have taken a look at the history of pass rushers taken in the 1st.

We should expect this fella to put up 4+ sacks his rookie season along with some other fun stats like FFs, Hits, etc... enjoy watching a guy that will be well on his way to being a dominant rusher getting his licks in as a rookie. We got a steal from this guy.

Some people may say "Oh but Randy Gregory!" ... well guess what Greg Hardy was a 6th round pick. Pass rushers are difficult to find. Some picks show up and many more bust. Right now Beasley is on a steady track. He is already looking leagues better than Jadeveon Clowney, whom some people on these boards wanted to give up half our draft for (and some of those are now down on Beasley).

Perspective is key here. We all want Beasley to put up absurd numbers his rookie season but the track he is on is a good one, and he will have great coaches setting him up to continue his rise.

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I've seen more plays where I was screaming for holding on Vic than I've seen plays I thought he did a bad job.

I will say though that if his first move doesn't work, it doesn't seem like he does much afterwards. It's not a big deal right now but it's something I'm keeping an eye on because that very thing worried me pre-draft.

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Just a little tweaking here and there, a tiny bit of refinement here and there, a little bit better understanding of what is happening presnap for him, and he's got 6 or 7 sacks already. Just give the kid a little bit more time, probably an offseason to give his body a break and another training camp and I think the kid beasts.

This QB hits prove he's really, really close already. I think he's burning up a lot of energy trying so hard he was flat worn out by the Saints game on 3 days rest. The bye week will be good for him but next year is when I think we'll see the big jump to actual sacks.

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I've seen more plays where I was screaming for holding on Vic than I've seen plays I thought he did a bad job.

I will say though that if his first move doesn't work, it doesn't seem like he does much afterwards. It's not a big deal right now but it's something I'm keeping an eye on because that very thing worried me pre-draft.

I should've included this in my post as well. Dude gets held a LOT.

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Half Of these guys are looking stats and not the actual game. The other half are trying to defer their agenda of wanting another place in that spot. I watch the games and I watch the all 22. I'm seeing him playing hard and getting extra attention every game. You don't do that to somebody that's not even remotely a threat. He'll be just fine.

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Getting extra attention? Give me a break. He got handled easily by the Saints 3rd string tackle all by himself.

Yea he gets extra attention every game. And if your game plan is to get the ball out fast then you can stand up against a 4 man rush. Brees was getting rid of the ball do fast it didn't matter. I watch every game and in every game he's getting doubled or chipped by a RB. And just because a guy is 3rd string doesn't mean he can't play. Brady is down to 3rd string lineman in some spots. Not stopping them. Why keep a 3rd stringer that can't play? Makes no sense.
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Dude hasn't been truly playing Leo all season. Leos are 9-techniques, and it's looked like Beasley was a 7-technique, or basic 4-3 DE, on most snaps he's been out there. He needs to play a true Leo style or move to LB imo

He's in wide 9 a lot. On obvious passing situations. He's def been playing Leo.

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I think he has some promise, but there is some precedent for rookies coming in and making an impact right off the bat. Jevon Kearse had 14.5 sacks as a rook, Terrell Suggs had 12 and Aldon Smith had 14.

That being said, those first 2 guys are likely HOFers. While that may be a high bar, right now he's on track for a 5-sack rookie season. I think the expectations were higher than that in preseason.

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I think Beasley will be very good or great throughout his career. The two major flaws I see is his reliance to run around tackles causing him to go wider to avoid contact to try and get a free. If we had a DT that could periodically collapse the inside of the pocket this wouldn't be a big deal. His bull rush was actually very good the times I saw him use it but he has to catch the OT off guard.

The second weakness is that once outside he doesn't have a reliable move to cut back inside. I personally think he's too light for the spin to be effective through contact. .... maybe an inside swim or something.

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He has to get more violent with his hands and develop an inside swim/rip move. I really hope that Beasley hooks up with Chuck Smith this offseason.

That initial burst combined with Smith's tutelage and mentoring will make Beasley a ton more effective.

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