How good is Bruce Irvin?

While we all hoped Bruce to be a dynamo pass-rusher, that has not been the case. Instead, Bruce has flourished as a 'do everything' linebacker.

How good is Bruce? Also, how much money would he command on the open market?


I would say Bruce is a borderline pro-bowl starter. If he made it he would be deserving, but he's not a snub either. I think he would command a solid 6 million a year on the open market.

I love Bruce but he is the product of a great system. He flourishes here but I doubt he is someone who is going to flourish without it. I hope he is a player who is appreciative of a team who took a huge chance on him and resigns at a team friendly contract. I think he is great but he as good as he is he isn't Von Miller, he has just become an incredibly valuable part of the package and I think the Seahawks will reward him appropriately.

Being a Pro Bowler or All-Pro at the LB position requires big time stats. Irvin will probably never have the tackles or INT total to garner serious consideration for those honors. That's probably why he prioritizes sacks; it's the one statistical category where he can really set himself apart if deployed in the correct way.

He may never be a 15+ sack player while playing SLB in this defense. If he is, it means we're not getting enough pressure from our front four, which is a very bad omen.

I think he's more than solid starter, a true jack of all trades, who does many things extremely well . . . but nothing at an elite, Pro Bowl level. That could change real fast if he continues to make plays like he did at the end of the last game against Carolina.

peppersjap":3tnqrog0 said:

I love Bruce but he is the product of a great system. He flourishes here but I doubt he is someone who is going to flourish without it. I hope he is a player who is appreciative of a team who took a huge chance on him and resigns at a team friendly contract. I think he is great but he as good as he is he isn't Von Miller, he has just become an incredibly valuable part of the package and I think the Seahawks will reward him appropriately.

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he's a product of great coaching. He was raw as hell when he got here. The FO knew that. He still comes in and leads the league as a rookie with 8 sacks. Then he gets moved to OLB...a position he's never played at any level and didn't look out of place doing it. Now he's looking pretty damn good out there. But you're right, he's gotta be appreciative PC and JS had the patience and foresight to draft him so early and mold him into who he is...and I still dont think he's reached his ceiling

Irvin is getting better and better - consider this, he started the season as a rotational player - then a starter but still rotational and slowly increasing his snap count. For the last 6-7 games he's played almost every snap.

Since week 8 he's had 27 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 2 Ints and a forced fumble. Extrapolated over a season that's 48 tackles, 10 sacks, 4 ints and 2 fumbles. That compares pretty nicely to Julian Peterson's 3 pro-bowl years with us (who had more tackles, but as we are well aware, tackle numbers don't tell you much).

I voted Pro Bowl because of how valuable he is to the League's No. 1 defense and how well he fits into our overall scheme. He will never get the credit he's due from outside the Seattle fanbase, but that might help us hang onto him.

I'd like to see his numbers if O-linemen didn't get away with so many obviously blatant holds on him. I don't get that. The flags would drop like confetti if our OL did that so often.

Bruce is so underrated it's criminal. By design his job will never get him numbers, but he does his job as well as anyone not named Earl. Sets the edge, takes away his zone in coverage, and demands attention on rushing the passer. He can also play Leo, SLB, WLB, or safety if he had too. It's my opinion he makes Wagner, not the other way around.

As someone above said, he gets held, alot. That opens up others.

hawksfan515":nv49g1xm said:

While we all hoped Bruce to be a dynamo pass-rusher, that has not been the case. Instead, Bruce has flourished as a 'do everything' linebacker.

How good is Bruce? Also, how much money would he command on the open market?


I would say Bruce is a borderline pro-bowl starter. If he made it he would be deserving, but he's not a snub either. I think he would command a solid 6 million a year on the open market.

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I agree completely with this....and as a 1st round pick that is what you hope for. Someone who can come in and contribute for years to come. Many 1st rounders are busts. Compare the production of Carpenter and Irvin.....Carp isn't a bust but not the same level as Bruce. The perception is 1st round picks are perennial all-pro's. Not the case. First round picks are more a swing for the fences kind of a play. Boom or bust. I also don't think bruce has hit his potential yet either. He has room to improve and still plenty of time make a pro bowl or two.

Jack of all trades, few in the league could do all the things he does. And even fewer at his position have his speed. He,Mebane and to some extent KJ are IMO undervalued due to the other superstars on this defense. 10 years from now this defense will be looked at as a benchmark.

Good article on Irvin's progress and reasons why he's made a rapid improvement this year.

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20150106/SPORTS/150109510

“I feel like I've made a significant stride to becoming a good, consistent ‘backer,” Irvin said. “The biggest thing with me was just being consistent. Last year I'd have a good game, then fall off two games, then have a good game. So that was the biggest thing for me was to try to stay consistent, and I think I've done that pretty well this year.”

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Irvin said the biggest change as been “Just studying more. I wasn't too sold on becoming a ‘backer, because I was a D-end all my life. So I really didn't buy in last year like I was supposed to. But this year, I took it more seriously, I guess you could say, studying my craft, trying to correct my mistakes.”

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I voted Pro Bowl starter. He's not there yet,but I think he will be next year. He's no where near his ceiling.

Like someone else said before, it's criminal how much he gets held. It's almost like the refs are thinking that it's unfair for a guy to rush the passer than runs a 4.4 forty or something. I've seen the kid literally tackled. clipped, and held all with no calls at all.

I said it in another thread, but I think that by the end of next year, Irvin is our best LBer, and I think Wagner is a top 3 MLB in this league. He compares favorably to Von Miller (he's actually more athletic and stronger), he's faster, and I believe now he's the same size or larger than Miller is. Seriously, we're talking Khalil Mack with 5-10 extra lbs.

QBs know it too. They knew where he lines up, and when starts around that edge, they automatically start to climb the pocket. It's been helping Hill and Bennett on the inside a lot.

I don't know what he could get on the FA market, as he doesn't have the stats yet, but honestly, if we could sign him to the 6 mil/year someone mentioned above, I'd do it in a heartbeat and not look back. He gets any better and he's worth 8-10 mil/year.

Irvin is in a great place for us. His skills are up there and only getting better, but the progression is slow enough that he's not going to command a high pricetag to keep. I think we have a solid core of young guys, and if we can keep finding great veterans like Williams to step up year to year, we can keep this defense for a long time to come

He is better than some who made the pro-bowl this year. I think it would be kind of crazy to let him walk.

He has improved and matured so much this season its special to see.

I put him as a solid starter but I agree with the op hes a borderline pro bowler.

Ive always wondered how well he would do in a primarily 3-4 scheme in an Aldon Smith type roll.

He seems to have really hit the fast track on his development. He has the physical tools to be an All-Pro. He's not there yet, but keep him in this defense and anything is possible. He's gonna be very hard to keep though, especially if the Seahawks win another Bowl. Teams will be lining up to pay Seahawk free agents, looking to get some of the magic and he will likely be one.

I think Irvin gets paid but I think Irvin also believe Irvin will sign for less than what Wagner and Wright will get as well.

Both of those players are unquestionable leaders and were starters right out of the gates and Irvin would have pocketed $ 9 million from his rookie deal while those guys made significantly less for their contributions. I also do not think he has the ego of wanting more than Bennett, Avril, and Wright contracts. And would settle for a little hometown discount to the team that showed tremendous faith in his ability and gave him a huge opportunity.

4 years, 26 million extension seems like a reasonable starting point for Irvin. Start low, end high: 5, 6, 7, 8 cap hits with mostly guaranteed money in the first two years plus a player option after year 2 of his extension if he's tremendously out-performing his deal so he can seek a bigger contract before his age 31 season.

age 28: 2015
age 29: 2016
age 30: 2017
*player option*
age 31: 2018
age 32: 2019


To answer the OP's question:

Bruce Irvin in just his 2nd year at SAM is probably already one of the most dynamic players at the position comparatively to other 4-3 SAMbackers in the league.

At 6'3, 255 ish with DB athleticism, he can do it all:

Set The Edge
Match Up In Coverage Against TEs/Bigger WRs
Spy Athletic QBs
Take Away The Flat
Plus Pass Rush Ability

and he's still learning, he's still learning how to be an active tackler, he's still learning how to play with instincts rather than rely on his athletic ability.

And if he can continue to develop his tackling and instincts to above average in the next 3-4 years... Irvin could develop into a more athletic, more dangerous, more dynamic Chris Clemons someday.

He is a solid starter, but when all our starters were healthy he was the "worst" starter on our team. He earned his spot on the team and there is nothing wrong with being the "worst" starter on the best defense in the nfl, but that'that's what he is.

Saying Irvin deserves to be a pro - bowler is like saying we should have at least 11 pro bowlers on defense.

Pandion Haliaetus":f6ueuewh said:

I think Irvin gets paid but I think Irvin also believe Irvin will sign for less than what Wagner and Wright will get as well.

Both of those players are unquestionable leaders and were starters right out of the gates and Irvin would have pocketed $ 9 million from his rookie deal while those guys made significantly less for their contributions. I also do not think he has the ego of wanting more than Bennett, Avril, and Wright contracts. And would settle for a little hometown discount to the team that showed tremendous faith in his ability and gave him a huge opportunity.
<snip>
To answer the OP's question:

Bruce Irvin in just his 2nd year at SAM is probably already one of the most dynamic players at the position comparatively to other 4-3 SAMbackers in the league.

At 6'3, 255 ish with DB athleticism, he can do it all:

Set The Edge
Match Up In Coverage Against TEs/Bigger WRs
Spy Athletic QBs
Take Away The Flat
Plus Pass Rush Ability

and he's still learning, he's still learning how to be an active tackler, he's still learning how to play with instincts rather than rely on his athletic ability.

And if he can continue to develop his tackling and instincts to above average in the next 3-4 years... Irvin could develop into a more athletic, more dangerous, more dynamic Chris Clemons someday.

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Irvin has been playing at a Pro-Bowl level.
Pandion pretty much nailed it in his post. Except he's already more valuable to the team than Chris Clemons was in his prime. We have to resign him.

People overlook/forget that the only reason "The Tip" happened is that Kaepernick knew he couldn't run away from Irvin; Irvin was spying him on that play, so Kaep chose to throw it. The rest is history.

kearly":24svicqx said:

He is better than some who made the pro-bowl this year. I think it would be kind of crazy to let him walk.

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He's just the kind of unique player Pete covets. I imagine there aren't many, if any, LBers in the league who can do all of the things he does as well as he does them. His hard work will pay off when it's contract time, no matter who he ends up with, but I gotta believe Pete's defense is his best fit.