HB Blades

[TD_washingtonredskins]

This is a random thread, but I was wondering if someone who understands the X's and O's much better than I do could answer a couple questions:

Do you believe we have Fletcher's replacement at MLB?

Is height important at MLB (with Fletcher being the exception to the rule)?

Does Blades possess the same tangible skills as Fletcher (strength, speed, etc.)?

Does Blades appear to have the same mental capacity and leadership for the position?

I would love to feel comfortable that we have a replacement for the heart and soul of our D who isn't getting any younger.

Thanks in advance.

[CRobi21]

To be honest, I don't think so. At least if we're gonna ask him to do all thing same things we ask London to do.

I'm not sure about the X's and O's you asked for, but I think it's the 3rd point you brought up; "Does Blades possess the same tangible skills as Fletcher (strength, speed, etc.)?" I just don't see the same quickness that I do with London. London has AMAZING sideline to sideline speed, especially for his size and age. Then he'll turn his hips and run with RBs on go patterns. I'm not so sure HB could do that. I think HB relies more on his field vision...knowing which whole a RB is looking for, and getting to it before the RB can.

But if we took away some of his responsibilities, I think he could be a solid starter for us for years. He had a GREAT preseason, as of now...I'd feel comfortable if HB had to go in there.

[MWCREDSKINS]

I believe we have London's potential long term replacement but it's Robert Henson. I like HB as a versatile LB who's been good on special teams and shown he can play all the LB positions

[CPortJGibbs89]

To be honest, I don't think so. At least if we're gonna ask him to do all thing same things we ask London to do.

I'm not sure about the X's and O's you asked for, but I think it's the 3rd point you brought up; "Does Blades possess the same tangible skills as Fletcher (strength, speed, etc.)?" I just don't see the same quickness that I do with London. London has AMAZING sideline to sideline speed, especially for his size and age. Then he'll turn his hips and run with RBs on go patterns. I'm not so sure HB could do that. I think HB relies more on his field vision...knowing which whole a RB is looking for, and getting to it before the RB can.

But if we took away some of his responsibilities, I think he could be a solid starter for us for years. He had a GREAT preseason, as of now...I'd feel comfortable if HB had to go in there.

Dont think I could add much more to that. I just think Fletcher is much more physicaly gifted then Blades. I just think he is faster and stronger then Blades. I also think Fletcher is an extremely smart player.

Who knows maybe give Blades another year or two from learning from Fletcher and he may be able to use his head to make up for what he lacks physicaly. But for now I dont see him as a the future MLB. He has showed flashes but I am not comfortable with him being the future.

[Veretax]

I think HB will be nothing more than a good Utility guy that we keep around forever. I think we'll draft another LB next year to either move Orakpo back to DE or to groom for Fletcher

[ddpls]

I think it would be hard to just replace someone like LF because of his experience and preperation. I am not saying that in time HB can't do it, but it may take another year or two to reach his level. My concern right now is who is backing up Rocky? I don't see anyone listed on the depth chart.

[Probos]

At this point I would say no. He's a solid player that can be worked in on certain defensive packages or to spell London on some plays, but I don't see him being London's replacement. And it doesn't have to do with this height/size. There have been successful MLB's that have been on the shorter side, ie, Zach Thomas and Neil Olkewicz.

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

Now your talking TD_W.

HB Blades was a great late round pick up, who's way too oft over looked on here.

As much as I'm down with grooming HB to eventually succeed Fletch in the middle, at present, I'd much rather see him alongside London at SAM, (where he filled in more than adequately when Washington was banged up last year), with Orakpo up on the line doing the job he was brought here for, causing the type of chaos from the end position we've not seen in years, but that's another subject.

Blades, while being undersized as you mentioned, like London, more than makes up for that with his football smarts and fundamentally sound tackling, something that's sadly becoming a lost art in the modern game. Dudes as tough as they come, and would of been one of the first LB's off the board given his college career if it weren't for his size. He's not got lightening speed, but he sure wouldn't let anyone down given the chance.

Hail.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

Thanks for the replies. I mostly asked because I love how young our defense is. The only guy we need to plan on replacing in the next several years is Fletcher (which could be a HUGE loss).

I like to hear that Blades might be adequate or that Henson could fill that void. I was very impressed with both of them this preseason.

Thanks again fellas!

[RenegadeTK]

i think most of the "HB is the future London" talk is pretty limited to size and stature. however, from what i've heard from pitt fans, he has a lot of similar attributes (most importantly a motor that doesnt quit). im not convinced that he is the next london, but i am convinced that he will reach his potential by learning from and watching london.

[darrelgreenie]

Do you believe we have Fletcher's replacement at MLB?

For a few games yeah Blades would suffice, long term i don't know but my hunch says no

Is height important at MLB (with Fletcher being the exception to the rule)?

I don't think its all that important, i don't think Blades height is an issue

Does Blades possess the same tangible skills as Fletcher (strength, speed, etc.)?

I don't know about strength, but Fletch seems to hit with more pop then Blades

Fletch is fast.

Not fast for a MLB.

Fletch is just plain fast.

I think when he was drafted he around a 4.3-4.4 if i'm not mistaken

Does Blades appear to have the same mental capacity and leadership for the position?

Blades was being mentored by Fletch and he knows all the LB positions

I would love to feel comfortable that we have a replacement for the heart and soul of our D who isn't getting any younger.

Personally i like the way the Henson kid plays, and i've only read good things about Young and both have more speed then Blades

I hope were grooming Henson and Young as eventual replacements and give them a chance to eventual take his place

HTTR!

[TD_washingtonredskins]

Personally i like the way the Henson kid plays, and i've only read good things about Young and both have more speed then Blades

I hope were grooming Henson and Young as eventual replacements and give them a chance to eventual take his place

HTTR!

I haven't paid attention...is Henson playing MLB when he's in there?

[darrell1106]

This is a random thread, but I was wondering if someone who understands the X's and O's much better than I do could answer a couple questions:

Do you believe we have Fletcher's replacement at MLB?

Is height important at MLB (with Fletcher being the exception to the rule)?

Does Blades possess the same tangible skills as Fletcher (strength, speed, etc.)?

Does Blades appear to have the same mental capacity and leadership for the position?

I would love to feel comfortable that we have a replacement for the heart and soul of our D who isn't getting any younger.

Thanks in advance.

To add to the question, what type of player is needed to fill that position? I would like to believe that once could find a talented MLB in a Buddy Ryan type of defense in the later rounds of the draft.

When was AP & London drafted? Henson or Blades should be able to fill in if they are truly as studious and intelligent as their predicessors are reported to be. Just curious because LBs (4-3 LBs) seem to be available all throughout the draft.

[darrelgreenie]

I haven't paid attention...is Henson playing MLB when he's in there?

He was at MLB in the Jags game and he was MLB in college.

RH: Right now [linebackers coach Kirk] Olivadotti has me playing "Mike" Linebacker, which is the middle linebacker in the defense. It is a very good position; I feel very comfortable playing there.

^^From his interview with Rich Tandler

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/174091-redskins-robert-henson-could-be-a-special-player

[Assassin 21]

When was AP & London drafted? Henson or Blades should be able to fill in if they are truly as studious and intelligent as their predicessors are reported to be. Just curious because LBs (4-3 LBs) seem to be available all throughout the draft.

Fletcher was undrafted I believe

[LeftCoast Skinz FAN]

I don't think HB has the "all around" skills that Fletch has but I feel comfortable if he had to go in to replace Fletch. HB has his special set of skills. He has great vision and field presence to know where the ball is going. He can attack the RB coming out of the back field with power and clog holes with the best of them. How can you not learn how to be a good MLB with Fletch as a teacher?

[IbleedBnG83]

What Blades lacks for in size, he makes up for in mental accuity and overall toughness. I'm not sure he has ever missed a game in his NFL career. He is a SURE tackler. He always has a nose for the ball and moves well for his size (ie, not height, but agility and speed wise).

HB seems athletic enough, but he needs to hone in his prowess and raise his football IQ. If he were Fletcher's replacement, I think we would have seen more out of him. He seems to have hit a plateau. He needs to further elevate himself if he is going to sniff a starting role.

[cphil006]

I think by the time Fletcher actually retires, we'll find a replacement other than Blades. He may play more or may even start for a season, but we'll be looking for a stud MLB after Fletcher leaves.

[JMSSMJ7]

This is a random thread, but I was wondering if someone who understands the X's and O's much better than I do could answer a couple questions:

Do you believe we have Fletcher's replacement at MLB?

Is height important at MLB (with Fletcher being the exception to the rule)?

Does Blades possess the same tangible skills as Fletcher (strength, speed, etc.)?

Does Blades appear to have the same mental capacity and leadership for the position?

I would love to feel comfortable that we have a replacement for the heart and soul of our D who isn't getting any younger.

Thanks in advance.

To be honest, no I don't think Blades has the same tangible skills as Fletcher. But, to me at least, he seems like a player. What I mean by that is he doesn't have the unbelievable speed or the size or the great hitting ability. However to me he seems like a guy that would show up on the stat sheet after games. He's tough and has a knack for being in on plays from what I've seen. You don't need to be flashy to be a good player. But if you do your job, have the mental aspect of the game down, and are willing to learn you put yourself in a great position.

[21forlyfe]

Now your talking TD_W.

HB Blades was a great late round pick up, who's way too oft over looked on here.

As much as I'm down with grooming HB to eventually succeed Fletch in the middle, at present, I'd much rather see him alongside London at SAM, (where he filled in more than adequately when Washington was banged up last year), with Orakpo up on the line doing the job he was brought here for, causing the type of chaos from the end position we've not seen in years, but that's another subject.

Blades, while being undersized as you mentioned, like London, more than makes up for that with his football smarts and fundamentally sound tackling, something that's sadly becoming a lost art in the modern game. Dudes as tough as they come, and would of been one of the first LB's off the board given his college career if it weren't for his size. He's not got lightening speed, but he sure wouldn't let anyone down given the chance.

Hail.

Amazing post :1stplace:

[DGREENHULK]

I believe we have London's potential long term replacement but it's Robert Henson. I like HB as a versatile LB who's been good on special teams and shown he can play all the LB positions

I'm with you. Henson has the tools to be a beast. When was the last time you saw HB flying around making plays like Henson was during the JAC game....HB is a solid Backup and good Special teamer but thats about it.

[darrelgreenie]

I'm with you. Henson has the tools to be a beast. When was the last time you saw HB flying around making plays like Henson was during the JAC game....HB is a solid Backup and good Special teamer but thats about it.

I think Henson tackles have more thump more pop

H.B. is a sound tackler but he's seems more of a wrap and drag tackler then a thumper

[CliffBattles]

I like Blades, but honestly I just don't think he is fast enough to do what we need at the Mike position.

[darrelgreenie]

Does Blades possess the same tangible skills as Fletcher (strength, speed, etc.)?

I looked up the speed of our MLB 'interns'

Blades: 4.69 fast-4.64

http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=9284&draftyear=2007&genpos=ILB

Henson: 4.70 fast-4.64

http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=33693&draftyear=2009&genpos=ILB

Young: 4.59 fast-4.52 *dude played some safety in college

http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=86577&draftyear=2009&genpos=ILB

I was surprised to see that Henson and Blades have the same timed speed

If were going by pure timed speed Young is closer to Fletch, i can't find it anywhere, but i know i read somewhere that London used to run in 4.3 range

[Going Commando]

I think you guys are underestimating Blades. We haven't hardly seen anything from him so far to warrant much of an evaluation. And Blades may be short but he isn't small. He might only be 5'9" but he's a rock solid 250. And he's definitely fast enough to do everything we'll ask him to do at Mike in our defense. The only thing he might struggle with is playing cover 2 because I don't know how rangy he is when he has to turn his hips and run with guys. We saw him struggle a bit with this playing SAM last season. But I think he's instinctive enough to eventually be effective in short-intermediate zones covering the middle of the field. Competent at least.

His strengths are a lot like Fletcher's IMO. He diagnoses and plays the run exceptionally well and he flies to the ball in the box. He's a big hitter too. At this point in their careers, I'd probably give the edge to him over Fletcher in that respect. Have we already forgotten what he did two weeks ago in the Patriots game?

He's versatile enough to help us out in a pinch, but he's not a great fit at OLB and I think he needs to stay at MLB. It's early, but I am very confident he can step in for Fletcher. He probably isn't as good as Fletcher no, but he's way better than Lemar Marshall.

We don't run a whole lot of Cover 2 so we don't need that super athletic MLB for our scheme. We need a guy who thrives in the box like Blades and Fletcher. Instead, we want to put our athletes on the outside because those are the guys who fly around the field. Therefore, if we were looking to upgrade our line-backing corps, we'd be much better off getting a super athletic OLB like Sean Weatherspoon out of Missouri. If you want to talk about speed in a linebacker, that guy is fast. He flies to the ball quicker than anyone we've had since Taylor or Lavar. He's also really strong and has got great hands for shedding blocks and working his way towards the ball. He is a stud, easily the best linebacker in next year's class.

Another great option for adding talent to our linebacker corps would be Sergio Kindle from Texas. He's kind of Orakpo's protege only he is rangier and far more experienced at standing up. He's not as good a pass-rusher as Orakpo was, but that still leaves room for him to be excellent and he is. He'd probably be stuck on the strong side whereas Weatherspoon is a classic WLB, but he'd be yet another great pass rusher for offenses to have to deal with and he's got good range to play all of the way to the sideline.

A McIntosh -- Blades -- Kindle/Weatherspoon lineup with Orakpo playing on the line would easily beat a McIntosh -- Spikes -- Blades (plus the first set would keep Orakpo at end full time.)