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Let me get this out of the way; I think linebacker Demario Davis is going to be a very good NFL player.
But once again, Rex Ryan and company are putting a draft pick in Canton way too early.
Maybe I’m old-school, but I do subscribe to the Parcells-Belichick mindset of not overdoing the praise for rookies before they have done a darn thing in a game.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have long thought the same way.
Let them earn their stripes.
But for some reason, Ryan thinks that canonizing players, right out of the gate, is the way to go. He did it with Kyle Wilson, Mo Wilkerson, and now this year with his first three picks.
And let me make one thing perfectly clear before I continue – none of this is Demario’s fault – he’s just a hard-working kid, with a great attitude, trying to carve a niche on the NFL level.
But the verbiage from Rex and company about the kid, ever since he was drafted in April in the third round, has been a bit much.
“Wow. … This is amazing. Davis reminds me of Ray (Lewis),” Ryan said at OTA’s.
You see where I’m coming from.
While this quote is a little preposterous, in all fairness, I need to give it perspective. He was talking about Lewis as a leader, not as a player.
But still, even just on the leadership front, that is a quantum leap – right now.
Maybe in a year or two he can emerge as a leader, but right now he’s got way too much on his plate. First of all, he was a college outside linebacker learning to play inside on the highest level of football there is. Secondly, he has a big playbook to learn (much bigger than Arkansas State). Thirdly, he’s got to learn all his special teams’ assignments.
You can’t be a leader until you truly know what you are doing. Davis works so hard, this will come, but until he establishes himself as an NFL inside linebacker player, few are going to listen to him as a leader.
And the level-headed Davis understands this.
“When I’m with the [second and third teams], I’m more vocal,” Davis told the New York post. “I’m a little less vocal with the ones because I’m playing more of a role in that situation. But when I’m with the twos and the threes, the more I feel confident the more I’ll step up and lead.”
What does Rex think of Davis as a player so far?
“I have not been disappointed one bit,” Ryan said.
Oh really, what about when Joe McKnight beat Davis on a wheel route down field in minicamp?
Once again, I want to be reiterate, I’m not being a hater. I think the kid is going to be very good, but it’s going to take time. I’m not going to sit here, and be a Rex repeater, like too many people are in the media – Rex says it, so it’s the gospel.
Mike Pettine was asked about Davis, and his response was “as advertised.”
As advertised where? By Rex and Pettine?
Not everybody was as sold on this player as the Jets.
In scouting circles, there were some concerns, starting with his so-so instincts and stiff hips.
I bring up hips a lot, especially for coverage players. The Jets are touting him as their answer to cover tight ends. But honestly, I see a guy with stiff hips, and this will hurt him at times in space, attempting to change direction with the players he is covering. It’s not his fault. It’s the way he’s built.
Some view this prospect as a guy who will hang around the NFL for a long-time, but might never start, but be a very good role player.
There is no question Davis is a stud athlete. Before the draft, he ran a 4.52 forty, bench-pressed 225, 32 times and had a 38.5 vertical. Those are all outstanding numbers, and show you what an explosive athlete this kid is. He should be an immediate standout on kick and punt coverage.
However, he’s a work-in-progress as an 3-4 ILB, and some of the hype about him from Ryan, Pettine, and some reporters this spring, was probably a little premature.
June 26, 2012
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