Darryl Taylor

pmedic920

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For as much as some like Clowney and how much they dislike Taylor, Clowney has never had a better sack season total than Taylor has.
And it’s crazy. I actually have always liked Clowney but his actual numbers aren’t really impressive.
I think maybe that one viral hit he had in college always stuck in my mind, and that’s what I see when I think of him.
 

Spin Doctor

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And it’s crazy. I actually have always liked Clowney but his actual numbers aren’t really impressive.
I think maybe that one viral hit he had in college always stuck in my mind, and that’s what I see when I think of him.
Clowney is a decent player. He is a force to be reckoned with in run defense and as a pass rusher, he still gets good pressure despite his sack numbers. He just has always had a hard time closing the deal on sacks. As a roleplayer, Clowney is a solid asset -- he may never be a top tier pass rusher, but he does everything well.

Now, Taylor on the other hand is the opposite of Clowney. His game is an absolute mess in every way. He's a liability in every situation other than rushing the passer on an obvious pass rushing situation. Even his pass rushing isn't as good as the numbers indicate. Taylor has utility as a situational pass rusher, but as a 3 down player he is god awful.
 

cheese22

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Now, Taylor on the other hand is the opposite of Clowney. His game is an absolute mess in every way. He's a liability in every situation other than rushing the passer on an obvious pass rushing situation. Even his pass rushing isn't as good as the numbers indicate. Taylor has utility as a situational pass rusher, but as a 3 down player he is god awful.
And that was on a contract year for Taylor. He kind of reminds me of a young Bruce Irvin. (Calm down. I said kind of)
 

Spin Doctor

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And that was on a contract year for Taylor. He kind of reminds me of a young Bruce Irvin. (Calm down. I said kind of)
I wouldn't say that. Irvin was good at setting the edge, his pass rushing skills are what was very hit or miss. I'd say that Irvin was more similar to Clowney than anything. Perhaps in his rookie year we could've said that about Irvin, but when he was switched to LB he became an all around player that could do everything well, but nothing great.

Taylor going into his fourth year still rushes the passer with reckless abandon. He oftentimes drops his responsibility in pursuit of a sack.
 

GemCity

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Man…they must see something. They’re cleaning house so, to have him remain on the roster when it’s the perfect time to let him go says something.

Of course, a lot of us don’t see it. I certainly don’t.

Being somewhat of a defensive mastermind, I trust that MM is going to get him going.
 

BASF

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Clint Hurrt was a bad defensive line coach Taylor's first season. He was a much worse defensive coordinator for Taylor's year two and three. I have defended Taylor more than anyone on this board and I wanted him gone. However, given Hurtt's lack of ability, Taylor may be a lump of clay waiting to be molded by someone who actually knows what they are doing.
 
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SoulfishHawk

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He gets a chance, if he doesn't ball out, he'll be sent packing. I hope to be wrong about the guy. I just don't think he's that good overall. But I don't know 5 percent what Mike Macdonald does about football, let alone defenses.
 

KinesProf

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New staff on both offense and defense came in without any biases or preconceived notions regarding any of the players that they were inheriting.

I will defer to these professionals regarding the decisions that led them to retaining Taylor and Eskridge. Probably largely due to the affordability and minimal risk involved. If they improve with new coaching - awesome! If not, neither probably makes the team.
 

AgentDib

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Taylor's a cheap gamble both in salary but also that it doesn't cost a comp pick like it would if we replaced him with a similar FA. Ideally we would have gone with a rookie instead but they're trying to be competitive this year.
Clowney is a decent player. He is a force to be reckoned with in run defense and as a pass rusher, he still gets good pressure despite his sack numbers. He just has always had a hard time closing the deal on sacks. As a roleplayer, Clowney is a solid asset -- he may never be a top tier pass rusher, but he does everything well.

Now, Taylor on the other hand is the opposite of Clowney. His game is an absolute mess in every way. He's a liability in every situation other than rushing the passer on an obvious pass rushing situation. Even his pass rushing isn't as good as the numbers indicate. Taylor has utility as a situational pass rusher, but as a 3 down player he is god awful.
I think if anything this is understating the differences, and these players are a prime example of how sack statistics are just one minor component to the overall job requirements. Clowney is a good DE who executes his responsibilities very well, while Taylor is strictly a maximum alignment pass rusher who does a terrible job with his assignments.

It doesn't make sense to me to blame the coaching staff when Taylor has been benched over and over for not being fundamentally sound on his assignments. That's the most any coaching staff can do to an NFL athlete no matter how disciplinarian they are inclined to be. Maybe it's an old school mentality but players should bear the responsibility of their own actions, particularly when it comes to areas like lack of effort/conditioning, or failing to follow their assignments.
 

strohmin

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Taylor's been a good pass rusher. He's just awful in run defense. I actually think he's a good fit in Macdonald's defense as a rotational player because the scheme will help hide his deficiencies.
Hes like the de version of kelly Jenning. He gets to qbs but cant tackle them just like kelly could stick with receivers but was useless in preventing them from catching passes.
 
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