TheDeuce |
06-04-2006 12:13 AM |
First of all I just want to go ahead and say that signing Polley is an amazing thing. The following is from a Len Pasquarelli article about a week ago:
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His detractors claim Tommy Polley is too soft, but we've always liked the five-year veteran and former second-round draft choice, and can't figure out why he isn't signed. Polley has started, at various points of his career, at all three linebacker spots and has been fairly productive. The critics say he's a "drag-down" tackler and makes a lot of stops three yards upfield, but he's still posted 100 more tackles in four of his five seasons in the league, including a team-best 134 tackles for Baltimore last season.
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Awesome. He can play all three positions. That gives us two guys (Polley and Simmons) who can play ILB, and still leave us with enough solid players to fill the outside LB spots. This means our starting LB corps could be Fujita, Simmons, and Polley. That's a humongous upgrade over last year. Then, with Grant, Smith, Hollis Thomas, and Brian Young up front, and McKenzie, Dwight, and Bullocks in the secondary, we have a pretty solid defense. Plus you add Bush and Brees to the offense, WOW. I'm pumped.
Here's Polley's scouting report:
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Is disruptive, plays sideline-to-sideline and has a lot of big play potential. Shows great closing speed and is relentless in pursuit. Also has the speed and quickness to shoot interior gaps as a blitzer. Shows good ball skills and is a little bit of a playmaker. However, Polley has durability and consistency concerns. Polley will also have to improve his consistency and leverage at the point of attack. He plays too high in the phone booth and he lets blockers get into his body. He's lanky and plays more like a rush end at times. Does not show a consistent ability to stack at the point of attack and has some trouble disengaging once locked on.
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Good speed and athletic ability. I'm not really sure why they say he has such durability concerns if he's posted 100+ tackles in four of his five seasons...
Here's one for Foreman:
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He is a solid player that was playing well prior to his injury. He is a player that relies more on his quickness than strength to make plays within their scheme. Shows solid initial quickness and reacts well at the snap. He shows the quickness to beat blockers to spots on the field. He is an active player in pursuit and takes solid angles to the ball. Has the short area quickness to match up with backs coming out of the backfield. He is alert and aware in coverage. He will attack the LOS when asked to blitz, but he is not adept to avoiding blockers and can get washed in-line. He will get out of position running around blocks. He is a player that needs to be protected up front so he can stay free and run to the ball.
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At the worst, a solid backup. Could be a good player though.
Overall, I am very happy with these signings. It gives us good depth at LB, and should give us the final piece to our starting LBs. Polley could be a good one along with Simmons and Fujita.
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