Marques Douglas lives in a VAN down by THE RIVER

by Fooch on May 18, 2007 11:50 AM PDT in News Comment 7 comments

Ok, the title has only a little bit to do with an article I recently read. I came across an article at Real Football 365 about Marques Douglas, which mentions that in the offseason, Douglas is a motivational speaker.

That's as good a segue as I could think of to the article. The article is basically meant to illustrate the fact that every year players come after Marques Douglas's starting job and every year he battles them off. All this in spite of being a relatively undersized defensive end. Aside from the glaring error stating that Douglas and Melvin Oliver top the 49ers DE depth chart (that would be Bryant Young), the article is definitely meant to show some of the strengths of Douglas.

Although he's considered a relatively weak pass rusher, stopping the run is where he excels. The Scouts, Inc. report at ESPN.com says,

Douglas is active, competitive and works hard. He is a high-motor player and an excellent penetrator. He shows very good quickness off the snap and can get into blockers quickly. He consistently winds up playing on the other side of the line. He can get into gaps and redirect running backs. He plays with excellent leverage and has good burst to the ball. He can make plays flowing laterally. He has quick hands and doesn't get cut-blocked often. He has the burst to work the edges as a pass rusher. He flashes a little bull-rush strength. He keeps pushing forward and gets some hustle sacks. He is quick coming off stunts. He plays under control and is a solid tackler. But Douglas lacks ideal size, strength and edge speed. He does everything pretty well but nothing exceptionally. He can get engulfed by double-team blocks or sealed off from the inside run. He can get wide with his hands and expose his chest. He lacks closing speed and countermoves on the pass rush. He isn't a great finisher.

So it leaves the question out there, what kind of contribution does Marques Douglas bring to the table in 2007? Considering the 3-4 requires the defensive line to open up holes for the linebackers, will a 280 pound lineman be able to do that?

With Ray McDonald joining the competition and Joe Cohen potentially moving from DT to DE, there will certainly be plenty of competition for Douglas. I definitely see a lot of platooning happening along the defensive line. The team wants to spell Bryant Young on occasion to keep him fresh so that could mean a rotation of upwards of 5-8 guys at the defensive end spot, especially if you factor in linebackers lining up down there on occasion (Haralson, Lawson, Moore, etc...).

The struggles of the defensive line last year are well known and don't need to be rehashed. It's going to simply be a matter of who steps up in the preseason and once the season gets going. It'd be nice to have a clearcut three-some at the tackle and end spots. While BY, Franklin and Douglas might be that 3 to start, I definitely see plenty of rotating going on down there.

The question is, will it benefit the new defensive scheme?

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Will what benefit the defensive scheme?

If you're asking about the rotation, I definitely see it helping out down there. The trenches is where most of the grunt work is done, so a lot of energy is used to do those jobs right. Letting guys know that there are guys behind them who could pick up the slack and give you a breather (and perform at the same high level) allows players to go all out on each and every play they're in there.

I don't think you can really say the players will platoon anywhere. There are a couple of guys that will be fixed at specific positions, and thats Young, Franklin, and Douglas. The remaining defensive linemen, however, all have the capabilities of rotating throughout the line (except maybe Melvin Oliver). Ronald Fields, Joe Cohen, Ray McDonald, and Issac Sopoaga are all capable of playing any of the three spots on the line, and thats a huge benefit.

If the surgery "rumors" are true, then McDonald may not be much of a factor in the rotation, at least initially. But that leaves Oliver, Fields, and Cohen rotating at the two end positions (with Young and Douglas). Fields, Cohen and Sopoaga can assist in the NT rotation.

The depth at every position on the line is the reason why I think this line will be a lot more successful than years past. They have a potentially solid rotation(s), and that should translate to improved play from each member of the rotation(s).

Remember, during the Ravens reign (and consistent threat) of the AFC, they implemented a solid rotation up front. Guys were hardly ever in there for more than 2 or three plays at a time. I think Nolan is trying to reproduce that here.

by sfgfan on May 18, 2007 12:14 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

BTW

I think the writer's "error" may not have been that he missed B.Y. on the depth chart. Maybe he was looking at RE, which is where Nolan had Douglas playing last year (and where Oliver took over before being hurt).

by sfgfan on May 18, 2007 2:30 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

depth chart

Good point. I was just thinking about that and that would certainly make sense.

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by Fooch on May 18, 2007 2:51 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

scheme

Yea, I was just wondering if rotating these guys is good for the scheme. I'm still a relative new-bie to the 3-4 defense so plenty to learn. If you've got quality depth then it makes sense that it would be beneficial.

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by Fooch on May 18, 2007 2:55 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Rotation

There will be a rotation but the idea that a lot of the guys will play DE and NT is a stretch. They may have the build to play both but the two positions have different responsibilities. I have played with guys that rotate at both positions (obviously not at that level) but sometimes in the heat of battle they can get confused and make an inside move while playing DE and the defense could be severely vulnerable then. Other mistakes similar to that take place when you ask a guy to play both.

I think Cohen will only play NT.
Fields can play both

by Qbgetter13 on May 19, 2007 12:25 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

hmmm

You do make an interesting point about the possible dangers of a system in which players are rotated en masse, but I would kind of lose faith in the world if I couldn't expect a professional football player to be able to manage as few as two sets of responsibilities.

That's, of course, the very simple version, but it succinctly communicates what I would expect, almost as a minimum, from a guy who is getting paid to keep his sh*t straight.

Then again... who knows what football players are getting paid for these days. Professionalism (to use my own word) at large is not what it used to be in the NFL

I keep reliving the moment when Steve Young almost fell down... over and over...

by howtheyscored on May 19, 2007 1:52 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hey Fooch

I see you doing write-ups on players that are sort of a ? mark or how they are going to play into the 49ers plans...... I think the next should be Keith Lewis..... will he hold the spot? Will the 49ers look to Goldson to contribute? Will Hudson move back to Safety? Will Vaughn contribute at all? Will the 49ers platoon at that spot as well? Just something for us to debate.

Another post could be Niners first rounder next year, at least what position they will take.....this, although a little early, would be fun to debate. Just some suggestions, i could email u but i figure you'll read this

by Qbgetter13 on May 21, 2007 1:48 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs