Larry Marmie-How does he best utilize Terrell Suggs?

[Lomax to Green 84]

I finally sat down last night and pulled out a few Cards tapes from last season. Wow, I really have been blind. I can't bear the thought of seeing Jeff Garcia go to his 5th read and still not have a guy within 5 yards of him. The offseason (away from Cards football) Holian wants us to take Leftwich and build for the future, but the realistic Holian knows that he will be throwing shoes through his brand new big screen TV if he has to endure another season of no pass rush.

That being said, here is what I would do with Terrell Suggs if I could be Larry Marmie for 2003:
1. Create a position just for him just the way the Chiefs did for Derek Thomas in the late 80's. You can call it the elephant like the Chiefs did, but basically it is a position that allows him to have some freelancing opportunities to get to the quarterback.
2. Avoid making him just a right defensive end-Watch film of Suggs and quite a few of his sacks come lining up on the left side.
3. Play basically a 3-2-5 alignment as your base with Suggs being the wild card floating between a down lineman and standing up on the edge. Get your best 11 athletes on the field at one time. Get Justin Lucus on the field a bunch and use Adrian Wilson as kind of a safety/linebacker rover.
4. Attack, attack, attack-Don't take the instincts out of him the way they did with Wadsworth. I pulled out an old FSU game last night Wads senior year and the guy looks like a bullet shot out of a gun when he comes off the edge. I then threw in a 98 Cards video and noticed that the Cards had changed his defensive stance and he was doing alot of dancing with the O-Tackle instead of just attacking like he did in college.

Man those clips they showed of Suggs last night on ESPN solidified in me that the 40 time means absolutely nothing. Great game speed, great initial quickness.

 

[Ed B]

The Marmie-McGinnis-Tobin defensive philosophy for the last 8 years has been nowhere near that creative. Sadly, the best way to utilize Suggs's skills would be to just plop him at right DE. I swear to god, in 8 years these people have not figured out how to use an OLB as a pass rusher. Ray Thompson got a few sacks last season but that was when he was being used down on the line in passing situations.

And if you think the 49ers games are nauseating, pop in a tape of Carolina (Peete had all day, and Carolina isn't even any good!) or the Donovan-McNabb-ankle game.

Ugh. I defy anyone to watch that and tell me this team won't be 4-12 again if we don't acquire some pass rush help. I think some people are forgetting just how bad it really was last year.

 

[Stout]

I'm not forgetting how bad it was last year (and it was bad!). I'm just remembering those games and thinking to myself, 'you know, I may be Joe Schmo football fan, and I may not be an expert, but if you did X or Y, maybe we might have a pass rush. Maybe if you blitzed a wounded QB, we'd get some pressure. Maybe...' So, in my opinion, if we actually grew some cajones, created a pass rush, maybe had a few guys develop and took a shot or two at a pass rush specialist in the draft (ala KGB) we could have at least a decent rush.

Of course, the other side of me doesn't really give a damn about the pass rush this year, for several reasons. Pass rushers can be had a heck of a lot easier than franchise QBs (assuming both Suggs and Lefty pan out). Even with a solid pass rush (and Suggs doesn't guarantee that) we probably won't be in the playoffs (see defensive depth, DT play and WR depth).

In the long run, I'd rather take a shot at #6 with a Leftwich than with a Suggs. The bust potential, IMO, is the same but the boom potential is by far with Leftwich.

 

[azdad1978]

The thing with Suggs is this. You draft a player with his caliber the team that drafts him should use his strengths and exploit it all to creat a lot of mismatches. If we have to blitz send him in as a OLB or ILB. Line him up with KVB or just send the guy upfield. I for once is getting sick and tired of the opposite QB have time to write his resume and look for his other option. Even if we miss out on Leftwich who wouldn't say or predict another QB like his stature won't come out 2 years from now? Another Big Arm QB who is poise, great leadership skills and accurate? All I'm saying is we need to build the defense in the trenches and we need the horses to make them work.

 

[Stout]

All the folks that believe a quality QB can be had next year or the year after are being awefully shortsighted. I want Lefty now because I think he's special and in 2-3 years may be a great starter. Now, if you wait 1-2 years to draft that special QB, you're talking about not having a special QB starting for you until 3-4 years down the road. That's why, if a special QB falls to you, you take him. Period. Unless you just drafted one (and no, I don't think McCown comes even close to qualifying).

 

[azdad1978]

Originally posted by Stout
All the folks that believe a quality QB can be had next year or the year after are being awefully shortsighted. I want Lefty now because I think he's special and in 2-3 years may be a great starter. Now, if you wait 1-2 years to draft that special QB, you're talking about not having a special QB starting for you until 3-4 years down the road. That's why, if a special QB falls to you, you take him. Period. Unless you just drafted one (and no, I don't think McCown comes even close to qualifying).

Stout Leftwich is not a Mcnabb nor a Vick to be called "special".

 

[Stout]

Originally posted by azdad1978
Stout Leftwich is not a Mcnabb nor a Vick to be called "special".

Everyone, wait, stop, hold the presses...Azdad doesn't think Lefty is 'special' so he isn't.

That's a bold statement. I seriously doubt-no wait, I flat-out know-you aren't qualified to make that statement.

Lefty is not as touted as Vick is coming out. No one ever was, and few, if any, ever will. I can't recall correctly, but I think the only thing McNabb had over Lefty was that he was the #1 ranked QB and, of course, he didn't have the injury concern.

Well, Palmer is the #1 ranked QB and, though he may be good, I feel Lefty can be special too. Many NFL experts (as has been stated the last week or two) feel he can be 'special' too. So where's your idea he is not to be called 'special' coming from?

Not to be too harsh, but that sentence was just plain silly! Now, saying 'Stout, I don't think Leftwich is a McNabb or a Vick to be called 'special'l would be accurate, but making an unqualified statement of fact that clearly is not true? Like I said, that's just plain silly!

 

[Krangodnzr]

Originally posted by azdad1978
Stout Leftwich is not a Mcnabb nor a Vick to be called "special".

Leftwich IS a much better passer, and that is the primary function of a QB.

 

[azdad1978]

Originally posted by Stout
Everyone, wait, stop, hold the presses...Azdad doesn't think Lefty is 'special' so he isn't.

That's a bold statement. I seriously doubt-no wait, I flat-out know-you aren't qualified to make that statement.

Lefty is not as touted as Vick is coming out. No one ever was, and few, if any, ever will. I can't recall correctly, but I think the only thing McNabb had over Lefty was that he was the #1 ranked QB and, of course, he didn't have the injury concern.

Well, Palmer is the #1 ranked QB and, though he may be good, I feel Lefty can be special too. Many NFL experts (as has been stated the last week or two) feel he can be 'special' too. So where's your idea he is not to be called 'special' coming from?

Not to be too harsh, but that sentence was just plain silly! Now, saying 'Stout, I don't think Leftwich is a McNabb or a Vick to be called 'special'l would be accurate, but making an unqualified statement of fact that clearly is not true? Like I said, that's just plain silly!

We both know you're not as qualified to annoint him "special". The bust potential in the draft is in the QB lines. You said it himself its a crap shoot when it it comes to picking a QB. We can all fall in love with the physical traits but before you annoint him "special" maybe you should give him a chance to play a whole season. The conference that Leftwich played in is not a good conference. Culpepper and Mcnair came from a school that didn't face a major opponent. And Both of them took their time to where they are right now. So to annoint him "special" is a big word. He can be a good QB but "special"? And what crystal ball are you looking at? Maybe you can also predict the winning powerball numbers tomorrow so I can pay off my bills.

 

[kerouac9]

Originally posted by Krangthebrain
Leftwich IS a much better passer, and that is the primary function of a QB.

Vick is as good or better a passer than Leftwich is. Vick has equal or better arm strength, equivalent accuracy, and a smaller medical file.

 

[Capital Card]

Man, I remember when being called "special" was an insult, and meant you had to ride the short bus.

 

[azdad1978]

Originally posted by Capital Card
Man, I remember when being called "special" was an insult, and meant you had to ride the short bus.

hahahaha

 

[JeffGollin]

The question was how Marmie could best use Suggs. However, the last 6 - 9 posts were about Leftwich.

Getting back to Marmie and Suggs - I think you may find the Cards lining him up wide.

Based on ASU tape, no doubt you'd sometimes see Suggs spotted over on the left side; and even dropped back into coverage. And I wouldn't rule out ROLB in a 3-4 but only occasionally - not as a base defense.

But the most fun might actually occur in the secondary where our DB's will have more opportunities to make plays due to errant throws by QB's in more of a hurry.

 

[Stout]

Sorry Azdad, I didn't mean that 'special' to come off as fact. I was retorting to an opinion that a special QB could be had next year or the year after, and I noted how long the development of a special QB would take. I didn't mean to insinuate Lefty IS special. In my mind, and in a lot of experts' minds, he is, but that doesn't make it necessarily so.

 

[azdad1978]

Originally posted by Stout
Sorry Azdad, I didn't mean that 'special' to come off as fact. I was retorting to an opinion that a special QB could be had next year or the year after, and I noted how long the development of a special QB would take. I didn't mean to insinuate Lefty IS special. In my mind, and in a lot of experts' minds, he is, but that doesn't make it necessarily so.

Stout no need to explain. Even I'm torn the past month on my wish list for the Cards to pick. I want Leftwich cause like you said he will be a very good QB. I also want Suggs cause the 40 dash is irrevelant but he can be a very good DE. All I want is for our team to succeed and make our draft pick not a bust anymore. This draft they have to hit on all their picks and not miss at all. We need depth and talent in this team. I'll see you guys in the draft party and we can change opinions back and fourth like true Cards fan that we all are.