Mitchell, Dunbar shine for Saints ‘D’

Danno · 01-01-2011, 10:17 AM

I can only guess that Dunbar made some mental mistakes that the coaches thought were bad enough to bring Clark in.

Clark was a solid LB in his day, but its obvious he's lost a step.

Dunbar is a natural MLB so its not surprising that he did well against the run. Dunbar isn't the fastest guy so he has to make up for it with mental quickness, no wasted steps.

Sometimes a guy like him tries to think too much, and that slight hesitation is the difference between a tackle at the line, and a big gainer as he arrives a 1/2 second too late.

A perfect example is Ray Lewis. Ray timed slow at the combine, but his reaction time and flow to the ball (no wasted steps or hesitation) are second to none in this league.

Players like Dunbar have to be nearly perfect mentally, or their mediocre speed will be exploited.

01-01-2011, 10:17 AM	#2
Danno Truth Addict Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Spanish Fort, AL (via NO and B/R) Posts: 24,758	I can only guess that Dunbar made some mental mistakes that the coaches thought were bad enough to bring Clark in. Clark was a solid LB in his day, but its obvious he's lost a step. Dunbar is a natural MLB so its not surprising that he did well against the run. Dunbar isn't the fastest guy so he has to make up for it with mental quickness, no wasted steps. Sometimes a guy like him tries to think too much, and that slight hesitation is the difference between a tackle at the line, and a big gainer as he arrives a 1/2 second too late. A perfect example is Ray Lewis. Ray timed slow at the combine, but his reaction time and flow to the ball (no wasted steps or hesitation) are second to none in this league. Players like Dunbar have to be nearly perfect mentally, or their mediocre speed will be exploited.