- 1 day ago
Through two preseason games, there's been plenty of discourse regarding seventh-overall pick Sonny Styles. Are people overreacting to how he's played so far?
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00:00of saying, hey, Stiles and his 12 snaps or 15 snaps
00:05or whatever, a couple possessions, has graded at X
00:08and therefore is a bust or something.
00:12This is kind of a reaction to a nebulous sort of out there pulse
00:17among some Washington fans, a couple ball knowers
00:20who do film breakdowns, the film watchers guy that I love
00:24on Instagram who's just like an enthusiastic 30-year-old dude.
00:27He's somehow related to the Grudens, I swear.
00:30Feels like it. He feels Gruden-ish.
00:31He just loves breaking down film.
00:33I don't know if he's right or wrong, but he convinces me.
00:35He has some pretty smart insights.
00:37So you see certain people, and I'm not saying he did this or otherwise,
00:40but there's now a very negative pulse on Sonny Stiles.
00:45And again, we're addressing this moving target
00:48that isn't something we can point to and say,
00:50you're right, you're wrong, et cetera.
00:51So I always hesitate to do it, but it's interesting enough
00:54because it's mixed in with this other panic
00:56or this other concern about the football team,
00:59and it's kind of like, and another thing,
01:02they made the wrong pick with Stiles.
01:03He ain't special.
01:05Or I saw some Giants fan, for example,
01:08gloating going, thank goodness the Giants didn't take this guy.
01:10I said it all along.
01:11This is some guy that covers the team
01:13or is Billy the Blogger or something.
01:16I have no idea.
01:16But he's going, he wasn't really that special at Ohio State either.
01:20I know his measurables are off the charts,
01:21but this, this, that, and the other thing.
01:23And so there's a lot of spike in the ball at this point
01:25on Stiles.
01:26And before I get into my solitically about that,
01:29that was kind of my baseline for saying,
01:31I don't like having this conversation,
01:32but now let's have it.
01:34Where are you at on Stiles through a couple games?
01:36He hasn't, he hasn't flashed,
01:38which you certainly would love for a top 10 off-ball linebacker
01:42where there's always questions about,
01:44is this worth it?
01:46If this guy is Fred Warner,
01:48there would still be people that would argue,
01:50eh, I might take the edge rusher, right?
01:52Just because of how much they get paid,
01:54the impact on the game.
01:56So there's always going to be questions about that.
01:59So you'd like to see him flash.
02:00You haven't seen him flash.
02:01I also haven't seen him be egregious
02:04and out of place
02:06and bust written all over him.
02:08So on the Dobbs touchdown run, for example,
02:10it's, I don't think,
02:12having watched it a thousand times too many,
02:14if I can be frank with you,
02:15it's not that much fun to watch.
02:16But I don't think that,
02:19that outside gap
02:20gap was his responsibility.
02:22I think that's the defensive end who got sucked in.
02:24I think TQ even said that today,
02:26is that's Joshua Joseph's responsibility.
02:28Now I would love,
02:28and there you go,
02:29there's your lesson, rookie.
02:30Okay, be sure,
02:32that'll be on tape for someone else to see too.
02:34We play Philadelphia in week one,
02:35so FYI.
02:36But I would love for him to get off that block
02:39and be competitive in that play
02:40instead of totally washed out,
02:42even though I know he had,
02:43if you guys are familiar with the play,
02:44you probably saw it like we did.
02:46Styles is crashing down,
02:48looks like he's responsible either for
02:50the B gap or the C gap,
02:52depending on how the play's going.
02:53I think it's the B gap.
02:54And he's engaged with somebody,
02:56and he's sort of erring on the side
02:58of being inside to take that away.
03:02Then he's out of the play,
03:03and it's over,
03:03and Dobbs is off to the races.
03:05I'd love more than that,
03:07but I don't think he's getting out there
03:08given that that's where his gap was, right?
03:10Yeah.
03:10So if I'm nitpicking,
03:12that's my nitpick.
03:13But back to you.
03:14Yeah, I mean,
03:14that's the tough part.
03:15On that singular play,
03:16if he hands the ball off,
03:17if Joseph does his job,
03:20so if you understand football
03:21just in a basic sense,
03:23on the read option,
03:23you're reading that end.
03:24If they crash down,
03:25you keep it with the quarterback, right?
03:27That's what happens.
03:28Joseph crashes down.
03:29If Joseph stays home,
03:30and he hands the ball off,
03:31maybe Styles is in on the tackle
03:33on that one.
03:33And you saw him around some piles
03:35making some tackles.
03:36Now, understandably so,
03:37when you draft a guy
03:38that is as freakish as he is,
03:40and with the draft capital that he is,
03:42I don't want to see 52
03:44just right on the outside of piles
03:46as the fourth guy
03:47to tackle the runner.
03:49I need to see him
03:50making plays
03:51all over the football field,
03:52and we haven't seen that.
03:53So if that's your panic,
03:55I can understand it.
03:57If you want to say,
03:57hey, it's not worth the draft pick,
03:59fine, whatever.
04:00I still think there's
04:01so much time for this,
04:02and I think there's
04:02a bunch of different ways
04:03that he can be used.
04:05I think the difficult part
04:06about this one, Danny,
04:07and I'm curious to see
04:09how it plays out in the season,
04:10I almost wonder
04:11if there are certain things
04:13that he's going to be used to do
04:14that we non-expert football people
04:19won't be able to notice.
04:20Where, you know,
04:22I think about this
04:23Durante Jones style of defense,
04:24where they want to have
04:26seven guys lined up
04:27across the line of scrimmage.
04:28Being able to have a guy
04:30like Sonny Stiles
04:31that I can say,
04:32hey, I need you to drop
04:32into the deep middle of the field
04:34like a Tampa 2,
04:35I don't think the average fan
04:37is going to look like,
04:38man, Stiles really had an impact,
04:40but if you ask the quarterback,
04:42he goes, yeah,
04:42I was looking at that post,
04:43but Stiles got back there so soon.
04:45Right?
04:45Like, I don't know
04:46if we're going to be able
04:47to notice that.
04:47So that's the part where
04:49I'm interested to see
04:50how they use him.
04:51If it's something
04:51that it's obvious where,
04:52hey, he's blitzing up the middle,
04:54he's coming off of an edge,
04:55he's stuffing the run,
04:56which, you know,
04:57that's going to be part
04:57of his responsibility regardless,
04:58and I'm hoping that he gets
04:59a little bit better in that sense.
05:00But I'm wondering
05:01if some of the stuff
05:02in pass coverage,
05:03it's going to look like,
05:04oh, well,
05:04he didn't do anything,
05:05but in reality,
05:06he took away the first read,
05:07the second read of a quarterback,
05:08and it's maybe something
05:09we won't be able to tell right away.
05:11So you just touched on something.
05:14I said this
05:15for the first couple
05:16of preseason games,
05:17which I know we just finished
05:18the second one.
05:20If this is it,
05:22that's a bad pick at seven.
05:23Not because Stiles can't play.
05:25If he's simply a
05:27read and react
05:28middle linebacker,
05:29go get Jonathan Bostic,
05:31go get Derek Smith,
05:33go get Will Compton.
05:33Well, by the way,
05:34that actually will come.
05:35You know what I mean?
05:35You already have to,
05:36if that's the case.
05:37You have Frankie Louvoo
05:38and Leo Chanel.
05:38Then that should have been
05:39Jordan McGee's job,
05:40and you do something else.
05:42Now,
05:43what I'm willing to give
05:44a lot of space,
05:46Dan Quinstow,
05:47for is the idea
05:48that they're going
05:49to use him
05:50in ways that you
05:51and I cannot fathom.
05:54And my response
05:55to that is,
05:55that better be it.
05:57You see what I'm saying?
05:58Like,
05:58you had best
06:01have all of these
06:02incredible
06:05ideas
06:06and designs
06:07to make it
06:08so that he's not
06:09just a regular
06:10old middle linebacker.
06:11Because if he's a
06:12regular middle linebacker,
06:1390% of the time,
06:15it's not a good pick.
06:16The whole point of him
06:17is that he can do
06:18multiple things.
06:19He can run,
06:20he can cover,
06:21he can back up
06:22off the ball,
06:23he can blitz.
06:24If he's just
06:25doing what he's done
06:26in a couple preseason games,
06:27and I'm not saying
06:28that's all he's going to do,
06:28then you go,
06:30well,
06:30why do I have to invest
06:32the top 10 overall pick
06:32in that?
06:33And there's a reason
06:33that position makes
06:34less than everybody else
06:35pretty much at this stage.
06:36There's a reason,
06:37I'm not telling you
06:37you were right,
06:38but there's a reason
06:39that Rivera and
06:40old dust-up
06:41didn't really care
06:42about that middle
06:43linebacker spot.
06:44They didn't care too bad.
06:45They go,
06:45we'll fill that with anybody.
06:46Now,
06:46they suffer
06:47because it was too bad,
06:48but as long as
06:49you're baseline there,
06:50you emphasize
06:51pass rush,
06:52cornerback,
06:53maybe a dynamic
06:54center fielder,
06:54maybe a nickelback
06:55at this stage,
06:56whatever,
06:57but if he's only
06:59a middle linebacker
07:00that's flowing
07:00to the football,
07:01and as you said,
07:01the fourth guy there,
07:03wrong.
07:03That's not good.
07:05I'm hoping,
07:06no,
07:07let me back off.
07:08I'm demanding
07:10it's door number two,
07:13that there's something
07:14so special
07:15that my P little brain,
07:17that my Tyrannosaurus Rex
07:18little P brain
07:18cannot comprehend.
07:20There's got to be
07:21some unbelievably
07:23dynamic usage
07:24that's forthcoming.
07:25And there'll be,
07:25you'll always find some,
07:26the double A gap
07:27mug up blitz
07:28where this guy's
07:29curling around.
07:30And again,
07:30you could do that
07:31with Lou Vu or Chanel.
07:33You could do that
07:34with a lot of guys.
07:35There's got to be
07:36a reason
07:37that this
07:39never before seen
07:40athlete at this position
07:42who's this big,
07:42this fast,
07:43this strong,
07:43this quick,
07:44this agile,
07:44who hits like a freight train.
07:46There's got to be
07:47some sort of special
07:48fader that gets turned up
07:50and it has to happen
07:51really,
07:52really soon.
07:54That's probably not fair.
07:55Honestly,
07:56for most,
07:57a lot of positions
07:58take a minute
07:58for these.
08:00I mean,
08:00the guy's got to learn
08:00a million different things.
08:01He's drinking through
08:02a fire hose,
08:02I'm sure.
08:03And it's the NFL.
08:04But my point is
08:04through a couple
08:05of preseason games,
08:06I'm just kind of,
08:06as you said,
08:07watching a guy,
08:08you know,
08:09hands on his quads
08:10and okay,
08:11that's the place going left.
08:12I'll run left
08:12and see what happens.
08:14That's not exciting.
08:15Yeah.
08:15And I want the excitement.
08:16He has to be
08:17an impact player
08:19for that to be worth
08:20the pick
08:20at that position.
08:21Has to be.
08:22If he's just the guy
08:23going to look like,
08:23what does it bear down
08:24on that?
08:24What's that look like?
08:25I think he's a little
08:26bit of everything.
08:26I mean,
08:27I think it's tackles
08:28for loss in the backfield,
08:29being really good
08:30in the run game.
08:30Think Bobby Wagner,
08:31what he's doing
08:32in that sort of sense.
08:33He's not as strong
08:33as Bobby Wagner
08:34at this point.
08:35I think he's still
08:35got to fill out.
08:36I think he plays
08:36a little bit high
08:37just from what I've
08:38heard from various people.
08:39So,
08:39you know,
08:40still got to learn
08:40from that sense
08:41just from his height
08:41and just the way
08:42that he plays.
08:43But I think he'll be
08:44good in that.
08:44But I think it's just
08:45different ways.
08:45I think it's used
08:46as a blitzer.
08:47I think it's dropping
08:48into coverage.
08:48And sometimes
08:49in those zones,
08:50I don't think
08:50it'll be obvious,
08:51but I think it'll be
08:52obvious if Dallas
08:52Goddard runs a seam
08:53route and Bobby Wagner
08:55were in coverage
08:55and Goddard runs away
08:56and instead Sonny Stiles
08:58is stride for stride.
08:59I think Stiles
09:00gives you that.
09:01And hopefully
09:02there are certain
09:03things that we can notice.
09:04But that's,
09:05to your point,
09:07sometimes we talk
09:08about these different
09:08positions.
09:09Like last year,
09:10I think the lightning
09:11rod guy,
09:11a guy that I went
09:12hard in the paint on
09:14all the time
09:14was Javon Kinlaw
09:15and some of the
09:16quote-unquote
09:16ball knowers
09:17would tell you
09:18he was great
09:18and this and that
09:19and this and that.
09:20I didn't see him
09:20impact a lot of
09:21football games,
09:22right?
09:22So if they go back
09:24in the film room
09:25and say he's fantastic,
09:26then that's fine.
09:28I personally,
09:29as the casual
09:29or maybe slightly
09:30more than casual fan,
09:32did not notice
09:32him impact.
09:33I can't use a
09:34number seven overall
09:34pick on a linebacker
09:36and the casual
09:37or slightly more casual
09:38fan can't notice it.
09:40You know what I'm saying?
09:40Like that guy needs
09:42to be evident.
09:42You watch Fred Warner
09:43in San Francisco,
09:44that guy is evident.
09:46And frankly,
09:47you watch a lot of
09:47off-ball linebackers
09:48around the NFL
09:49at this point
09:50in the way that it
09:51works, Danny.
09:51There aren't that many
09:52that stand out
09:53immediately.
09:53Like Bond a couple
09:54of years ago
09:55in Philadelphia did.
09:56He didn't really
09:56stand out a lot
09:57last year.
09:58So Styles has to
09:59stand out.
10:00There's no question
10:01about it.
10:01If he's just a
10:02run-of-the-mill
10:03linebacker,
10:03you're right.
10:04It's not worth the
10:04pick.
10:05But also,
10:06I don't think that
10:07through two preseason
10:08games,
10:08I don't want to
10:08look at it and say,
10:09bust.
10:10Of course.
10:10And that's also
10:11as negative as I
10:12just sounded.
10:13It's a,
10:14hey,
10:14my point is,
10:15this isn't it.
10:17But my point is,
10:18if this is it,
10:19we should be really
10:20upset that that was
10:21the pick.
10:21And that's my point
10:22is there's more
10:22coming.
10:23How much more,
10:23I don't know.
10:24And that's kind of
10:25the variable here.
10:25So I guess we've
10:27now kind of addressed
10:28the Sonny Styles thing
10:28and I'll argue
10:29against everybody.
10:30So this is the
10:31classic me I set up
10:32somehow.
10:33Everybody's mad at me,
10:34the people that think
10:34I'm too positive,
10:35too negative.
10:35Danny lives right
10:36down the middle.
10:36Everything in between,
10:37just getting crunched
10:38by both sides of
10:38traffic.
10:39800-636-1067.
10:41You got a style
10:42stop kind of
10:43responding to some
10:44of the online
10:45irritation and upset,
10:46maybe premature
10:48slimming of the gavel
10:49on his whole career.
10:50I think that's
10:51probably erroneous.
10:51But I also think
10:52it's fair to ask
10:53a couple questions
10:53here at this point
10:54because we haven't
10:55seen very much
10:55and you have to
10:57kind of wonder
10:57what else is out there.
10:59So I want to ask
10:59about that and also
11:00just again,
11:01your general feelings
11:02about what we've
11:03seen this preseason.
11:04And it's very little,
11:05especially for the
11:05starting offense.
11:06How you feeling
11:06after the dresser
11:07800-636-1067.
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