QuahHawk
Well-known member
Who do you this is/was better? I'd love to not only hear your subjective opinions but very interested in some objective statistics.
Popeyejones":3hrhs65l said:Today as football players I think everyone would prefer Clark just because he's eight years younger than Bennett, who is closing out his career.
Better, I don't know.
On the football field I have a slight preference for Bennett just because he was a movable chess piece.
In watching them I think Bennett is more of a fox (very good at many different things) whereas Clark is more of a hedgehog (excellent at just one thing).
I think beyond pressures/sacks Clark isn't a liability in other areas anymore, but he's still, in my view, a pass rushing specialist who you can now at least keep on the field when it's not exclusively a pass rushing situation.
Ultimately though, what Clark is really good at is really valuable, so for me it really just comes down to preferences.
To use an NBA example, do you prefer a Draymond Green type who does everything very well, or do you prefer a great scorer who doesn't really get many rebounds, assists, or play much defense?
I don't think one of those is by definition better than the other.
It's a good comparison in that it's a really fair one IMO, and gets to the heart of what someone wants from a player.
Clark, to me, is like a slightly superior Cliff Avril. I obviously see the value in that, but just prefer Bennett as a matter of taste.
EDIT: If we take it out of a vacuum and have to consider what it costs to have a peak Bennett vs. a peak Clark, I think that leans me even a little bit more to Bennett (operating under the assumption that they're equivalently valuable players, but the thing that Clark is superior to Bennett in gets paid more).
iigakusei":21e99tz5 said:In his prime Bennett no question.
My thought as well.12AngryHawks":24ofgb1t said:Bennett for sure, he was more consistent, and good against both the run & the pass.
Spin Doctor":154nj554 said:Bennett was the better football player, period. Bennett was a guy that could play every position on the D-line, and was a very disruptive force from the middle, and at the DE position. Teams had to account for where he was on any given snap. One play he'd be on the outside, the next he'd be running a stunt at the DT position. He didn't have the gaudy sack numbers, but it seemed he always made plays happen. He was always blowing up plays at the LOS, and getting consistent pressure.
Frank Clark on the other hand is a more specialized player. Rushing the passer is about all he is good for. Clark isn't that great at much else. One thing that I've noticed is he is not very good at stopping the run. He seemed to be washed out on running plays quite frequently. Stats bear this out too, look at his TFL compared to the other probowl pass rushers for the NFC: https://www.fieldgulls.com/2018/12/19/1 ... elen-jones
As a pass rusher, Frank Clark also didn't seem to pop out. He got big sack numbers, but he never seemed like a disruptive force. There were too many games for my liking that I completely forgot he was even playing. I don't see the guy as top tier talent. Between Bobby, Russ, and Clark, I would let go of Clark. His play just doesn't pop like some of the other top tier D-lineman. I understand that he plays arguably the second most important position in football -- but if you're going to pay a DE over 100 million dollars they better be special. I think he is a good player that is really rough around the edges.