the difference in a 5.0 and a 5.4 is a step which equals just out of reach which means missed tackle which mens getting hammered by fans. i personally like the guy but i did see him just miss lots of big time stops. like he was almost there. but in no way is he a bad player.

Both Shanle and Fujita needed to upgraded. Both are merely average NFL LB's.

If Fujita was still here we'd be saying the exact same things about him as we are Shanle. In fact, we were saying it about both before Fujita left.

That is very true. People were dogging on Fujita quite a bit, up until I dunno, the '09 streak got to 7 or 8 or 9 or 10 games in a row, then it quieted down A LOT. Then when Fujita left, it was like he was suddenly everybody's favorite player or something. But he's merely average.

One aspect of the Gregg Williams D thing is, you can plug average to good players in there, and it should WORK. It doesn't require a lot of superstars. Most times, when it breaks down or doesn't work (like the one big long groan-inducing running play, that people seemed to get against us every game in 2009) it's usually because somebody individually screwed up their assignment, messed up their mission on that play, or wasn't where they were supposed to be -- it's not really because somebody got manhandled or totally whupped athletically by the other team, all day long (not counting Harper in Seattle, which was ugly). I mean. other than days when there's tons of sloppy tackling, I don't feel like Shanle, or any starter on our defense, has been totally outclassed physically, week after week after week. It's more like, a "that dude has got to do better" kind of a thing. Even if they don't replace Shanle, I bet some healthy competition for his spot would probably improve things.

i agree totally.

i tuned to the nfl net. yesterday and they where showing guess who seattle and the bolts. i watched clemons (seattles) de just give phillip leafriver fits all game. he has speed around the corner like nothing we've seen from smith in a long time. it made me want a de pic in the draft even more, just my opinion. olb is just as important too!

I have been one of the guys on Shanle's butt. However, I watched replays and targeted just Scott. Like JP said, I noticed him playing the position and not playing for style or highlight time on sportscenter. If Scott is anything, he's dependable.

As far as him missing tackles, I would like to see the list of Defensive players that never or have never missed a tackle.