Jo-Lonn Dunbar ready to lead Saints linebackers?
 

"Dunbar had begun to show potential the previous season"

No offense, but this guy has shown potential since day one. I never did understand why Williams didn't give him more playing time. He's always around the ball, hits hard, & wraps up!!!

Because contrary to many on here's belief, seniority held more weight with GW than actual skill. I don't care how bad Vilma may play, if able to they are going to play him no matter if someone may be better. It's the only explanation on why they kept putting in a gimpy half speed Vilma and #58.

His coverage needed work. When he graded out badly, it was always coverage, as it is with most young 4-3 MLB's.

Well...if Dunbar's coverage graded badly, what did Shanle's grade??? LOL.

Dunbar should have stayed in the middle last year, Spags prefers a heavier MLB and I wonder if Dunbar or Vilma fit that mold. Dunbar is vicious in the middle though, and I like his intensity.

I have said it from the first day I saw him on the field......

I LOVE ME SOME JO-LONN DUNDAR!

Jo-lonn Dunbar should take over in the games he played, yeah there was a learning curve but that's always going to be the case with a young player that had to learn all of GW's "exciting" (sigh) blitzes

Plus the guy makes plays and seems to always be around the ball, he was the guy that tackled ATL's player to force a 4th and 1 when smith went for it and we won the game. Coach em up spags

That was a great play. That sticks in my head, one on one, pure hustle and great tackle, I don't have a clue how he didn't beat Vilma out of the middle. Still pi$$es me off til' today. Vilma should have rode the pine the rest of the year. Dunbar can play the middle better.

bye bye JV

not going that far. dunbar is needed.

Hold your horses... Dunbar is a good LB, but not great and definitely not at the level where Vilma was in 2009 - before the two seasons with injuries.

If Vilma can overcome the injury-bug of the past two seasons and rehab successfully to his former level - there's no debate about whether or not the Saints should keep him.

But that is a big "if."

Exactly...

Vilma at 100% >>> anyone on our defense.

Vilma at 80% = lets take a closer look at Dunbar.

But this is where the problem is. Vilma was at or below 80% this year. YET he still played even when he was not at full strength. If he is still here with the same pay he will be on the field regardless.

Coach's get in love affairs with players. They say they are going to play the best player but it is just bs to make people feel warm and fuzzy. They are going to play the player making the most money. This is the time of the season to make changes. If we don't see some renegotiated contracts on defense, you know who your starter is going to be.

[QUOTE=CharityMike;377679]Coach's get in love affairs with players./QUOTE]

[see Les Miles/Jordan Jefferson]

I like Dunbar because of his aggressiveness. As much as I like him, I won't say he is better than a 100% Vilma. I do agree Dunbar is better than a 80% Vilma.

I hope Pro Coaches don't let "Favorites" play into "Who plays and who doesn't". I still just don't understand why Shanle was still out there. At some point "favortisim" seems like the only answer. So I see where you're coming from Mike.

The problem is Vilma the last 11/2 years, injury or not Dunbar our performed him hands down, facts are facts and favoritism went a long way in 2011 season. I don't live in the 2009 or whenever he played with the Jets, he should have rode the pine in 2011 and Dunbar should have been in the middle and if, that is a big if, Vilma could have beat Dunbar out in play and not favoritism then and only then should he had got the middle back. Tell me Vilma played up to his pay or even a fraction of his pay, in truth he played about as bad as a starting MLB could have played. I will not miss him if he leaves, we need a better MLB and so far Dunbar is it, if he gets beat out by someone better so be it but until then he earned the right to be the starter.

his knees are done...he makes 2-3 big hits a game that look great...but he is a shadow of his old self...unless he takes a MAJOR pay cut, i see him elsewhere...

I agree he's lacking in that department

But is he lacking in coverage as an OLB or in the middle? His true position is MLB so maybe he needed time to adjust playing outside.

He just doesn't have the lateral quickness for the outside. He's a pretty good 2 down thumper inside... but he's blocked there by Vilma. Tez and Casillas should be our two guys on the outside and I'd have no issues with Dunbar becoming our full time MLB. We need some cap space so something has to give. And if we go smaller on the DL, Vilma's weakness has always been shedding blockers... which is why he struggled in the 3-4. Dunbar would make more sense as he's more physically fit to do so.

How do you know that? Do you have some inside information about how he has rehabbed?

I just think it's too early to make statements like that because we simply don't know definitely if his knees are done - if he's really done I have no doubt that he will retire like Lofa Tatupu did this season and there'll be no need to cut him.

Maybe that's why we took so long hiring all of our coaches. They secretly hoped Vilma would stay on in a different capacity.

NOPE...just my opinion...this is a public forum right? I did not know i had to have insider clearence to post my opinion...Ill clarify now for ya...Im not a doctor, nor do i have medical training...BUT.... i watch the games, same as you..we all have our opinions and mine is that after several knee surgeries, it is the EXCEPTION when players return to their pre-injury abilities...not the RULE...
all the time we hear of a player bucking the odds by rehabing well(a certain QB comes to mind)...but how many more do we not hear about except to announce their retirement or go play 3rd string for some other team...
...JV was awesome in 2009 but he has had more than 1 surgery...didnt he miss a whole year when he was in NY?
just sayin

I hear ya, and of course you can post whatever you want, I never said you couldn't. It's just kind of sad when people are so ready to write off Vilma based on the history you mentioned above, and seemingly disregarding the fact that he was one of the most effective MLBs in the league just 2 seasons removed.

I still want to hold on to the hope that he'll be good as new (or as close to it as possible) come next season, and that he'll dominate that MLB position as very few individuals can. That hope is alive as long as I hear something official about the opposite. In a matter of a fact, I was genuinely asking if you had hear something concrete about his health at this point in time.

just my eyes...he is a classic case of a player using his mind to prolong his carreer...the human body is a finite thing...it gets older,loses ability to heal after injury...JV is a QB on D out there but the MBL needs to make plays too...kinda like sharper, he can be a coach on the field but his phsical skills are eroding...he also has a disease which inhibits healing ESPECIALLY IN THE KNEES
here is a wki link for the disease
Osteochondritis dissecans - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Still, to somewhat counteract what you said, he has access to some of the best health care available, so it's not like he's a lost cause for sure.

so did bo jackson...the doctors can do alot but there is a limit

That was 20 years ago, so I think there's been some new developments in that field since Bo Jackson's days.

i hope you are right...id love to see JV at his elite playing level but i just dont think its happening...he needs to be elite for his contract...

I hope I'm right as well. Not that I really have any specific reason to be, but I'll remain hopeful until I hear something concrete to the opposite.

Not sure this is still the case. If Dunbar had started all those times he probably should have, what would his % have been then.

In my humble opinion Dunbar isn't even close to the level Vilma played in 2009 - if we consider that being Vilma at 100% - no amount of playing time would've changed that.