Where's Elam?
- Thread starter Statelinecatfan
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Sitting on the bench, beaten out by Melvin Lewis. 2016 is Elam's year, but he will have to learn to play with his pads lower.
Elam still has a lot to learn. It doesn't matter if you're one of the most physically imposing players on the team if you have mediocre technique. Just like in wrestling, strength alone and technique alone won't get you a state championship. Elam needs to really buckle down and learn.
Honestly , imo Elam REALLY needed a redshirt year to be all he can be .
Lewis can't do it all. We still need a backup nose tackle and Elam is doing that. Providing depth and taking snaps. Just because he's not making sacks doesn't mean he's not helping our team win games. We can't play only 22 players and redshirt the other 60
I saw Elam blow up his man and drive him 3 yards into the backfield...Space eating...that is his job
Tend to agree here...Right now Elam is a backup DL and we certainly need that. Let's let him have 2 years of backup duty under his belt and should be starting NT next year. It would have nice to been able to RS him...but it just wasn't in our depth chart to afford that luxury.
He is clearly a backup right now, but I wish he lined up closer on the line. By the time he makes contact with the opposing offensive lineman, they are under him and he has lost leverage. He needs to blow the line up more and demand double teams.
Remember "Mount Cody" at Alabama? Dude was a beast. We could only hope he could become that player and I'm sure Saban recruited him with that in mind.
Remember "Mount Cody" at Alabama? Dude was a beast. We could only hope he could become that player and I'm sure Saban recruited him with that in mind.
On one play Elam ate up 3 blockers....both guards and the center. Took on the double team lost his balance and fell into the other guard taking all 3 to the ground. Doesn't matter how you do it, anytime you can eat up 3 blockers it's pretty impressive.
I know I saw him on one play being held like the centers life depended on it last night. I only remember because It was after we'd been called for 3 holding penalties in a row and was wondering when South Carolina was due one.
They were passing more in the second half as well as going east and west in the run game. That is not Elam's strength so he didn't get rotated in as much.
Hyde blew up the guy on the edge for Jojo's TD run
Hyde blew up the guy on the edge for Jojo's TD run
Yeah, Elam definitely walked their guard or center into the QBs lap on one of the pass plays.
He's still not ready for prime time, but to say he was invisible last night means you weren't paying attention.
He's still not ready for prime time, but to say he was invisible last night means you weren't paying attention.
Watched the game again and Big Matt did play several plays and a few times when he was on dead rush it took a double team to keep him out of backfield. There is one play where he drove two players 3 yards past line of scrimmage. didn't make tackle but cleared way for Josh to get rusher. I think Matt is effective but has to be in better shape to stay on field. Get's tired really quick.
Eating up blockers is Elams job for the most part, I didnt pay a lot of attention to that during the game but that is really how he should be judged. Somebody mentioned Mt Cody earlier, lets keep in mind that he had 24 tackles and 4.5 tfl his junior year and 28 tackles and 6 tfl his senior year. He was one of the most dominant defensive lineman in college football his 2 years at Alabama but NT in a 3-4 is not a position that is going to put up a lot of great numbers.
Dead on. Think of a major difference maker like Ted Washington (yeah, I know he was a Card.) Then go look at career stats...
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WashTe01.htm
A lot of people say that about Elam, but that really is the limit of his ability so they just assume that's his job and saying so can somehow be complimentary. He isn't contributing much. Late in the 2nd half he was briefly caught in a camera shot sitting on the bench during all of the excitement. He did not look excited. Hopefully there will be good days to come for Matt Elam, but unless a miracle happens he will always play behind somebody with the ability to come off blocks and put pressure on the ball. Some people will say that just isn't the job of an SEC defensive tackle. They're full of bs.
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That's the job of a 3-technique defensive tackle, not a 0/1-technique like Elam; you are just wrong. Obviously it is ideal if he can eat up blockers AND get to the QB (although find me some examples of 0/1 tech guys who routinely pressure the QB), but his job is to take up 2 blockers and allow the two 3-technique guys and the LBs get through.
Elam is comparable to Vince Wilfork or Haloti Ngata. They have averaged about 3 sacks and 30 tackles a season. That equals out to 2 tackles a game and a sack once every 5 games. Again, you are incorrect about Elam and Melvin Lewis' assignments in this defense.
AMen... That is his job!! He was pushing back the single blocker first time he was in.. Center ended up almost in QB's lap..
I'll be happy as all get-out the moment Matt Elam records his first unassisted sack in SEC play and will jump for joy if he does it 3 times in a season. And I didn't say to just put pressure on the QB. I said put pressure on the ball, which is meant to imply to come off blocks and make tackles on the ball carrier. And no, the typical of a starting SEC defensive lineman is not the job of Matt Elam. To that point we are in complete agreement. That is why I was saying he will never be first in the pecking order at his position. This is a point that I would love for the young Mr. Elam to prove me wrong.
2 tackles a game is what Ngata and Wilfork average. Elam is playing behind a senior who is getting most of the snaps. What kind of production, stats wise, do you think a backup 0/1 technique DT should get?
He crushed the DE/LBer on the end. Not sure it was necessary for the TD, but it was fun to watch. Gave me an idea as to how Flannigan was injured.
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