Re: AD plays a DT...a position that is sooo much harder

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SunTzu_vs_Camus
to do what he's done than a DE/EDGE rusher. imo

I mean, a DT that does what AD does...is so so rare as to be unheard of...and he's just starting.
AD routinely is able to tackle the QB/RB at the mesh point of a hand-off...
I swear, he'll tip one away/intercept a hand-off one of these days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AD is the best DT I have EVER seen in my lifetime. imo

And Brooks, who ought to know better, gets it wrong.

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BROOKS: From a statistical standpoint, the argument doesn't necessarily hold up when looking at the sack numbers from the 2017 season. The top 23 sack producers were listed as defensive ends/outside linebackers before Geno Atkins appears on the list with 9.0 sacks as a defensive tackle. (Donald is listed as a 3-4 defensive end, but plays inside in the Rams' nickel rush package.)

Brooks's article sets up a debate about which is better to have, an outside rusher or an inside rusher. Most of the league personnel he talks to either outright favor the inside rusher, or say that Donald makes them re-think their former view. Then it's time to add up numbers, and, Brooks lists Donald as an OUTSIDE guy.

Obviously Donald does not line up at DE (well sometimes but that's not his base position). He lines up at DT. So no it's not true that 23 rushers appear on the list of 2017 sack producers before you get an inside rusher. Donald is tied for 11th. And he's (obviously, as in duh) an inside rusher.

Now that I am done correcting Bucky Brooks, there's also this. Of the 35 players who got 8 or more sacks last year, only 3 were DTs (Donald, Atkins, Malik Jackson). That;s more or less consistent with what you see every year. What that tells me is this. It's just *FAR* easier to find an outside rusher than it is to find a generational, transcendent talent like Donald who is an inside rusher.

So if you have a Donald it is not that hard to add an outside rusher to the mix and then you have a tough pair.

It's next to impossible to do that the other way around. You can feature an outside rusher, but pairing him with an inside rusher of that caliber is pretty much impossible.

So if you had to choose between a top outside rusher and Donald, you take Donald. And then, add an outside rusher. It's extremely unlikely you can do it the other way around.