Lofton: Back-door slam of the Falcons

Mardigras9 · 08-14-2012, 12:16 PM

Whatever Atlanta fans have to say is a non-factor. We are glad to have him, he has shown great promise thus far.

TheOak · 08-14-2012, 01:00 PM

So Lofton is the pitcher and the Falcons are the catcher?

I knew they liked it way too much in the tunnel.

Speedy Ron · 08-14-2012, 03:22 PM

Lofton (IMO) > Vilma in his prime

FinSaint · 08-14-2012, 04:37 PM

Originally Posted by Speedy Ron

Lofton (IMO) > Vilma in his prime

IDK, Vilma in his prime was an excellent player with better mobility and pass coverage than Lofton has, but I'd give it to Lofton when it comes to tackling. Vilma's 40 y/d from combine was 4.65 while Lofton's was 4.79, and Vilma's vertical was 37 inches while Lofton's was 24.5 inches. And actually Vilma beat Lofton in all of the combine measurables, except for bench reps in which they tied, so that to me might suggest that Vilma was a better athlete in his prime - or at least when entering the league - than Lofton was.

The thing that probably puts Vilma (in his prime) before Lofton in my opinion is his leadership qualities on and off the field, and although we've heard great things all offseason about Lofton's abilities in this regard as well - he is still an unproven commodity and that is why I'd still place Vilma (in his prime) above Lofton overall. Vilma has (or had) this great ability to make players around him better just by his presence and leadership alone, and hopefully Lofton will be able to do the same with the Saints... he sure wasn't able to do it with the Failclowns' players, but then again, who could?!

Regardless, I'm so happy that the Saints were able to sign him, and that he wanted to become a Saint in the first place.

228jits · 08-18-2012, 12:32 AM

Originally Posted by FinSaint

The thing that probably puts Vilma (in his prime) before Lofton in my opinion is his leadership qualities on and off the field, and although we've heard great things all offseason about Lofton's abilities in this regard as well - he is still an unproven commodity and that is why I'd still place Vilma (in his prime) above Lofton overall. Vilma has (or had) this great ability to make players around him better just by his presence and leadership alone, and hopefully Lofton will be able to do the same with the Saints... he sure wasn't able to do it with the Failclowns' players, but then again, who could?!

Regardless, I'm so happy that the Saints were able to sign him, and that he wanted to become a Saint in the first place.

Lofton has always been the leader on the field. He was menacing at Oklahoma, in every play in Atlanta, and proving it here in Black and Gold too.

Danno · 08-14-2012, 05:24 PM

Originally Posted by Speedy Ron

Lofton (IMO) > Vilma in his prime

Agree with a lot of Fin's comments, but I think it also depends on what type of scheme you put them in.

If your scheme requires your MLB to cover more ground, then a young Vilma is your guy.

If your 4-3 scheme doesn't require your MLB to drop as deep into coverage, then Lofton's your guy.

From what I gather about Spags, his scheme will not be as demanding on the MLB in coverage.

But we're probably splitting hairs with the comparisons. Lofton's better in traffic, Vilma's better in coverage. I'd be happy with either one as my MLB.

Speedy Ron · 08-15-2012, 09:00 AM

Originally Posted by Danno

Agree with a lot of Fin's comments, but I think it also depends on what type of scheme you put them in.

If your scheme requires your MLB to cover more ground, then a young Vilma is your guy.

If your 4-3 scheme doesn't require your MLB to drop as deep into coverage, then Lofton's your guy.

From what I gather about Spags, his scheme will not be as demanding on the MLB in coverage.

But we're probably splitting hairs with the comparisons. Lofton's better in traffic, Vilma's better in coverage. I'd be happy with either one as my MLB.

I see where yall are going. But i and everyone on here has seen vilma get run over at the goal line or first down. Lofton looks like he delivers the blow way harder than vilma and is a little more agressive at the line of scrimmage. he makes back field tackles where i think vilma would have met the guy at the line. Vilma may be better in pass but i have not had the chnace to watch lofton in too many passing situations yet. However..this is a great problme to have when we tiff over 1a and 1b. Both are prob the best LB we have had in years. Both on the field together would be awesome. Lofton says healthier than vilma i think too

FinSaint · 08-15-2012, 11:14 AM

Originally Posted by Speedy Ron

I see where yall are going. But i and everyone on here has seen vilma get run over at the goal line or first down. Lofton looks like he delivers the blow way harder than vilma and is a little more agressive at the line of scrimmage. he makes back field tackles where i think vilma would have met the guy at the line. Vilma may be better in pass but i have not had the chnace to watch lofton in too many passing situations yet. However..this is a great problme to have when we tiff over 1a and 1b. Both are prob the best LB we have had in years. Both on the field together would be awesome. Lofton says healthier than vilma i think too

Originally Posted by Budsdrinker

The difference I noticed between Vilma and Lofton and this is from last year when watching Lofton play for the failcons is that Lofton would shead his blocker quicker than Vilma and get to the ball. Vilma would stay engaged with his blocker longer and I'm not sure if that was GW's system or just Vilma.

Both of you have valid points, but I seem to remember Vilma being all over the place making tackles, especially in 2008 when he joined the Saints. What has stuck with me about his play back then is that he had awesome east-west pursuit capabilities and solid tackling, both of which stood out within the Saints' defense. I didn't really see him play for the Jets, and the 3-4 really didn't suit him like he has openly stated afterwards, so I can't say if 2008 was a sample of him being in his prime.

The issue is that we were talking about the comparison between Vilma in his prime and Lofton as he is at the moment, and those kind of comparisons are always troublesome for many obvious reasons. If I were to make the hypothetical choice between the two above mentioned players - I'd choose Vilma, but only by a very small margin, and because I haven't seen enough of Lofton yet to make a better evaluation of his skill-set and capabilities. But with that said, today's Vilma is probably nowhere near where he was in his prime, and so I'm more than happy having Lofton occupy the MLB spot on the Saints' defense.

ChrisXVI · 08-14-2012, 04:33 PM

Lofton's gonna be phenomenal with an actual fanbase pumping him up and celebrating the success he'll have. He'll realize it's nice to be appreciated!

Budsdrinker · 08-15-2012, 09:09 AM

The difference I noticed between Vilma and Lofton and this is from last year when watching Lofton play for the failcons is that Lofton would shead his blocker quicker than Vilma and get to the ball. Vilma would stay engaged with his blocker longer and I'm not sure if that was GW's system or just Vilma.

08-14-2012, 12:16 PM	#1
Mardigras9 Site Donor 2015 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Land Mass between LA and AL Posts: 4,375	Re: Lofton: Back-door slam of the Falcons Whatever Atlanta fans have to say is a non-factor. We are glad to have him, he has shown great promise thus far.

08-14-2012, 01:00 PM	#2
TheOak 10000 POST CLUB Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Cypress Tx. Posts: 19,051	Re: Lofton: Back-door slam of the Falcons So Lofton is the pitcher and the Falcons are the catcher? I knew they liked it way too much in the tunnel.

08-14-2012, 03:22 PM	#3
Speedy Ron I'm an A hole Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Metry Posts: 1,173	Re: Lofton: Back-door slam of the Falcons Lofton (IMO) > Vilma in his prime

08-14-2012, 04:37 PM	#4
FinSaint Site Donor 2015 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Finland... formerly Southern Virginia Posts: 4,964	Re: Lofton: Back-door slam of the Falcons Originally Posted by Speedy Ron Lofton (IMO) > Vilma in his prime IDK, Vilma in his prime was an excellent player with better mobility and pass coverage than Lofton has, but I'd give it to Lofton when it comes to tackling. Vilma's 40 y/d from combine was 4.65 while Lofton's was 4.79, and Vilma's vertical was 37 inches while Lofton's was 24.5 inches. And actually Vilma beat Lofton in all of the combine measurables, except for bench reps in which they tied, so that to me might suggest that Vilma was a better athlete in his prime - or at least when entering the league - than Lofton was. The thing that probably puts Vilma (in his prime) before Lofton in my opinion is his leadership qualities on and off the field, and although we've heard great things all offseason about Lofton's abilities in this regard as well - he is still an unproven commodity and that is why I'd still place Vilma (in his prime) above Lofton overall. Vilma has (or had) this great ability to make players around him better just by his presence and leadership alone, and hopefully Lofton will be able to do the same with the Saints... he sure wasn't able to do it with the Failclowns' players, but then again, who could?! Regardless, I'm so happy that the Saints were able to sign him, and that he wanted to become a Saint in the first place. Stealthman likes this.
	"I'm not bashing people, I'm bashing their opinions because in my opinion their opinion is wrong" - Danno

08-18-2012, 12:32 AM	#5
228jits Southern Sooner Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Gulfcoast, MS Posts: 83	Re: Lofton: Back-door slam of the Falcons Originally Posted by FinSaint The thing that probably puts Vilma (in his prime) before Lofton in my opinion is his leadership qualities on and off the field, and although we've heard great things all offseason about Lofton's abilities in this regard as well - he is still an unproven commodity and that is why I'd still place Vilma (in his prime) above Lofton overall. Vilma has (or had) this great ability to make players around him better just by his presence and leadership alone, and hopefully Lofton will be able to do the same with the Saints... he sure wasn't able to do it with the Failclowns' players, but then again, who could?! Regardless, I'm so happy that the Saints were able to sign him, and that he wanted to become a Saint in the first place. Lofton has always been the leader on the field. He was menacing at Oklahoma, in every play in Atlanta, and proving it here in Black and Gold too.

08-14-2012, 05:24 PM	#6
Danno Truth Addict Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Spanish Fort, AL (via NO and B/R) Posts: 24,758	Re: Lofton: Back-door slam of the Falcons Originally Posted by Speedy Ron Lofton (IMO) > Vilma in his prime Agree with a lot of Fin's comments, but I think it also depends on what type of scheme you put them in. If your scheme requires your MLB to cover more ground, then a young Vilma is your guy. If your 4-3 scheme doesn't require your MLB to drop as deep into coverage, then Lofton's your guy. From what I gather about Spags, his scheme will not be as demanding on the MLB in coverage. But we're probably splitting hairs with the comparisons. Lofton's better in traffic, Vilma's better in coverage. I'd be happy with either one as my MLB. Stealthman, Shoe. and sharke like this.

08-15-2012, 09:00 AM	#7
Speedy Ron I'm an A hole Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Metry Posts: 1,173	Re: Lofton: Back-door slam of the Falcons Originally Posted by Danno Agree with a lot of Fin's comments, but I think it also depends on what type of scheme you put them in. If your scheme requires your MLB to cover more ground, then a young Vilma is your guy. If your 4-3 scheme doesn't require your MLB to drop as deep into coverage, then Lofton's your guy. From what I gather about Spags, his scheme will not be as demanding on the MLB in coverage. But we're probably splitting hairs with the comparisons. Lofton's better in traffic, Vilma's better in coverage. I'd be happy with either one as my MLB. I see where yall are going. But i and everyone on here has seen vilma get run over at the goal line or first down. Lofton looks like he delivers the blow way harder than vilma and is a little more agressive at the line of scrimmage. he makes back field tackles where i think vilma would have met the guy at the line. Vilma may be better in pass but i have not had the chnace to watch lofton in too many passing situations yet. However..this is a great problme to have when we tiff over 1a and 1b. Both are prob the best LB we have had in years. Both on the field together would be awesome. Lofton says healthier than vilma i think too Stealthman likes this.

08-15-2012, 11:14 AM	#8
FinSaint Site Donor 2015 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Finland... formerly Southern Virginia Posts: 4,964	Re: Lofton: Back-door slam of the Falcons Originally Posted by Speedy Ron I see where yall are going. But i and everyone on here has seen vilma get run over at the goal line or first down. Lofton looks like he delivers the blow way harder than vilma and is a little more agressive at the line of scrimmage. he makes back field tackles where i think vilma would have met the guy at the line. Vilma may be better in pass but i have not had the chnace to watch lofton in too many passing situations yet. However..this is a great problme to have when we tiff over 1a and 1b. Both are prob the best LB we have had in years. Both on the field together would be awesome. Lofton says healthier than vilma i think too Originally Posted by Budsdrinker The difference I noticed between Vilma and Lofton and this is from last year when watching Lofton play for the failcons is that Lofton would shead his blocker quicker than Vilma and get to the ball. Vilma would stay engaged with his blocker longer and I'm not sure if that was GW's system or just Vilma. Both of you have valid points, but I seem to remember Vilma being all over the place making tackles, especially in 2008 when he joined the Saints. What has stuck with me about his play back then is that he had awesome east-west pursuit capabilities and solid tackling, both of which stood out within the Saints' defense. I didn't really see him play for the Jets, and the 3-4 really didn't suit him like he has openly stated afterwards, so I can't say if 2008 was a sample of him being in his prime. The issue is that we were talking about the comparison between Vilma in his prime and Lofton as he is at the moment, and those kind of comparisons are always troublesome for many obvious reasons. If I were to make the hypothetical choice between the two above mentioned players - I'd choose Vilma, but only by a very small margin, and because I haven't seen enough of Lofton yet to make a better evaluation of his skill-set and capabilities. But with that said, today's Vilma is probably nowhere near where he was in his prime, and so I'm more than happy having Lofton occupy the MLB spot on the Saints' defense. Stealthman likes this.
	"I'm not bashing people, I'm bashing their opinions because in my opinion their opinion is wrong" - Danno

08-14-2012, 04:33 PM	#9
ChrisXVI 10000 POST CLUB Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Madison, WI Posts: 11,482	Re: Lofton: Back-door slam of the Falcons Lofton's gonna be phenomenal with an actual fanbase pumping him up and celebrating the success he'll have. He'll realize it's nice to be appreciated! Stealthman likes this.

08-15-2012, 09:09 AM	#10
Budsdrinker A Cajun Transforming TX Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: The Woodlands, Texas Posts: 2,787	Re: Lofton: Back-door slam of the Falcons The difference I noticed between Vilma and Lofton and this is from last year when watching Lofton play for the failcons is that Lofton would shead his blocker quicker than Vilma and get to the ball. Vilma would stay engaged with his blocker longer and I'm not sure if that was GW's system or just Vilma.

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