Hawkfan77":2wn5tqzk said:
Lady Talon":2wn5tqzk said:
Welker didn't get paid to battle 300+ lb OL that hang onto to you, lean on you, drive you around, etc etc. It isn't just Clem's own weight that this knee has to regularly support. How is he going to be planting his feet and not getting pushed out of his lane vs. the run? How's he going to to cut a corner on an edge rush with a 350lb left tackle applying force on him?
Skill players are one thing, they have to support their own weight until they get the ball and are tackled.
If you play in the trenches, you're getting substantial force applied to nearly every move you make from snap to whistle.
You said it's never been done before, I simply gave you an example that it had been done before.
I never said Clem would be back week 1, but it wouldn't be unheard if he was. With everything these guys have at their disposal, these aren't the career ending injuries they used to be.
What AP has done has never been done before, and to assume because he did what he did and come back better then ever to challenge for the rushing record and win an MVP can be applied to every knee injury we see in the near future is pushing the limits of credibility.
If some have the opinion that Clem can come back in week 1 better then ever and challenge for the NFL's all time single season sack leaders, that's fine. I simply said that Clem won't be the same 3 down player he was, is likely to take longer then he states and as I have demonstrated faces a whole different set of challenges then a slot receiver like Welker or a CB like Revis. He is after all, an undersized LEO facing off against what is usually the best, heaviest and strongest OL the opposition has to offer, and constantly bearing a significant amount of weight in addition to his own. He's not getting a weak jam off the line and running a route unimpeded until he touches the ball maybe 12 times a game and enduring a tackle afterwards. Welker himself was impeded by the injury in 2010, was down 30-40 receptions from surrounding years and was under 10 yards per reception for the only time in his career while Brady passed for 5k and won the MVP unanimously.
It's my opinion if they want to generate a significantly better pass rush this year compared to 2012 they ought to move on to a younger FA and cut him. Unless we can draft a miracle, do it all, ready to start, stud DT that generates the lion's share of sacks and QB pressures, Clem will fail being our featured pass rusher.