2024 3rd Rd #91 Ty’Ron Hopper LB

[gopkrs]

I'm looking forward to watching him. Missouri had a very good team defense. And it sounds like he was one of the reasons. My dark horse, not to take over a starting job, but to come in and give the D a spark. We have at least 3 good linebackers now (better than last year's 3), but there is still room for occasional play from a 4th. And of course I hope special teams will be a strength of his.

 

[RicFlairoftheNFL]

I'm looking forward to watching him. Missouri had a very good team defense. And it sounds like he was one of the reasons. My dark horse, not to take over a starting job, but to come in and give the D a spark. We have at least 3 good linebackers now (better than last year's 3), but there is still room for occasional play from a 4th. And of course I hope special teams will be a strength of his.

I think Hopper is the primary back up early on. Maybe he comes in in passing situations instead of McDuffie but by mid-season McDuffie's back on the taxi squad where he belongs, and Hopper is the starter.

 

[Thirteen Below]

I've read quite a few breakdowns of Hopper the last day or two, but none that said so much with so few keystrokes. You seem to have dead-centered the man. A year from now we can probably look back at this and all agree that wichever way he turns out, you summed up the reasons.

I like this pick. He's not the guy who's going to get us to an NFCCG or a Super Bowl, but he can be one of the guys you still need in order to get there. Guys like him are very important draft choices too, and I think this was a smart pick.

 

[gopkrs]

I think Hopper is the primary back up early on. Maybe he comes in in passing situations instead of McDuffie but by mid-season McDuffie's back on the taxi squad where he belongs, and Hopper is the starter.

I like McDuffie. He plays with intensity that nets some very good plays. If he can just focus a bit more so as not to make bad plays.

 

[Heyjoe4]

I have a hunch I know this answer. I think the dot will be Quay...the Star will be Cooper

This makes the most sense. I don't know how often Walker had the green dot last year or how effective he was at it. Then again, seems only right to take another look at all the players on D with a new DC in the house.

Seems like one of the ILBs has to be the QB of the D. They are closest to both the line and the secondary, and so in a much better position to communicate than, say a safety or CB.

Finally, I think we'll see better play out of Walker this year with a new DC. There is some merit to Campbell's departing comments about being played out of position by Barry. Hafley needs to put an end to that and I'm sure he will.

 

[PikeBadger]

This makes the most sense. I don't know how often Walker had the green dot last year or how effective he was at it. Then again, seems only right to take another look at all the players on D with a new DC in the house.

Seems like one of the ILBs has to be the QB of the D. They are closest to both the line and the secondary, and so in a much better position to communicate than, say a safety or CB.

Finally, I think we'll see better play out of Walker this year with a new DC. There is some merit to Campbell's departing comments about being played out of position by Barry. Hafley needs to put an end to that and I'm sure he will.

Count me as leery about Walker being the full time green dot. I expect it to be McDuffie with a smattering of both Walker and Cooper. I think there will be a significant amount of rotating playing time between those three.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Seems like one of the ILBs has to be the QB of the D. They are closest to both the line and the secondary, and so in a much better position to communicate than, say a safety or CB.

Remember, the green dot just signifies who is in direct communication with the coach and the sound is turned off with 15 seconds left on the play clock. While most teams usually have an ILB wear it, because they are positioned in the middle of people and can communicate better, sometimes a DB is used, if they feel he is the "leader" and has the highest football IQ on the field. Woodson would have been a great selection to have worn the helmet, not sure if he did.

I believe that last season Campbell wore it a lot. Wouldn't surprise me to see Xavier McKinney wear it in 2024.

Whomever the player is that wears that green dot, they need to be an efficient communicator and have a high football IQ that allows them to quickly process, delegate and apply the play delivered from the coaches.

 

[Thirteen Below]

Count me as leery about Walker being the full time green dot. I expect it to be McDuffie with a smattering of both Walker and Cooper. I think there will be a significant amount of rotating playing time between those three.

I'm hoping for less Walker. The dot guy is responsible for telling the other players where to line up, and when the play clock ticks down to the last 15 seconds, he's not getting any information at all from the booth - so he's on his own, and has to make his own decisions on positioning. And from what I saw last year, I don't think he's very good at making those calls on his own.

Remember that 4th down conversion in the Carolina game, when Bryce Young kept the ball on 4th and 1 and just plowed through a wide-open A gap that was completely uncovered? That was on Quay. Nixon saw that play coming, and moved into position to defend that gap, and Quay yelled at him and waved him back off the line of scrimmage. Nixon pointed at the hole, and made a "WTF?" gesture with his hands, but Walker shook his head and moved him back about 6 yards off the line. You could see Nixon wasn't happy, but he did as he was told, and sure enough that was exactly where Young went.

Nixon made an incredible play to try to close that hole the instant the ball was snapped - he hit Young head-on just as Young crossed the line - but he was a split-second too late. He covered those 6 yards in the same time that Bryce covered a yard and a half, and threw himself headfirst at Young, but it was just too far.

That conversion was entirely on Walker, and I can't think of a single sensible reason he would have thought that was the right call. I can't even imagine what was going through his head.

Then I looked up his Wonderlic score - it was 9. I'm just not sure a guy with a Wonderlic of 9 is the right choice to be making those key strategic decisions on the field.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

I'm hoping for less Walker. The dot guy is responsible for telling the other players where to line up, and when the play clock ticks down to the last 15 seconds, he's not getting any information at all from the booth - so he's on his own, and has to make his own decisions on positioning. And from what I saw last year, I don't think he's very good at making those calls on his own.

Remember that 4th down conversion in the Carolina game, when Bryce Young kept the ball on 4th and 1 and just plowed through a wide-open A gap that was completely uncovered? That was on Quay. Nixon saw that play coming, and moved into position to defend that gap, and Quay yelled at him and waved him back off the line of scrimmage. Nixon pointed at the hole, and made a "WTF?" gesture with his hands, but Walker shook his head and moved him back about 6 yards off the line. You could see Nixon wasn't happy, but he did as he was told, and sure enough that was exactly where Young went.

Nixon made an incredible play to try to close that hole the instant the ball was snapped - he hit Young head-on just as Young crossed the line - but he was a split-second too late. He covered those 6 yards in the same time that Bryce covered a yard and a half, and threw himself headfirst at Young, but it was just too far.

That conversion was entirely on Walker, and I can't think of a single sensible reason he would have thought that was the right call. I can't even imagine what was going through his head.

Then I looked up his Wonderlic score - it was 9. I'm just not sure a guy with a Wonderlic of 9 is the right choice to be making those key strategic decisions on the field.

Has anybody found a site that lists players that "wore the green dot" and for how many snaps? The only site I found (below) was a June 2023 article that listed the 2023 players that were projected to wear it. Campbell was listed for the Packers. We all know that he missed quite a bit of snaps, so was it Walker who wore it when Campbell was out?

I agree that a football smart player should be the "QB" of the defense and it sounds like Walker isn't that guy.

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[Thirteen Below]

Has anybody found a site that lists players that "wore the green dot" and for how many snaps? The only site I found (below) was a June 2023 article that listed the 2023 players that were projected to wear it. Campbell was listed for the Packers. We all know that he missed quite a bit of snaps, so was it Walker who wore it when Campbell was out?

Oh, you know what? You called it. I just looked it up - that was Week 16, and Campbell was listed as out on the injury report. That was also 2 days after he spoke out in the press and said he wasn't going to play hurt anymore.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Oh, you know what? You called it. I just looked it up - that was Week 16, and Campbell was listed as out on the injury report. That was also 2 days after he spoke out in the press and said he wasn't going to play hurt anymore.

I remember seeing it on Campbell. If Walker was wearing it and did a poor job with it, time to pass it to someone else. Like I said, Xavier wore it for the Giants and from I have read, he has a very high Football IQ, so maybe he will be wearing it in 2024.

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[Thirteen Below]

I remember seeing it on Campbell. If Walker was wearing it and did a poor job with it, time to pass it to someone else. Like I said, Xavier wore it for the Giants and from I have read, he has a very high Football IQ, so maybe he will be wearing it in 2024.

When I saw we'd signed Xavier, that was practically my very first thought. Within 10 seconds. First thing I thought of was, "Isn't he a captain?" and very next thing was "There's our defensive signal caller.

Some teams might be reluctant to put the dot on a player who's brand new to the D, but the whole defensive schem is going to b brand new anyway. I think McKinney's our guy. I'm not sure I'm ready to say he's this generation's Charles Woodson, but if someone else were to say it I wouldn't exactly argue with them.