Malcolm Smith should really be starting next season....

[DavidSeven]

Irvin played LB for 12 regular season games and the playoffs. Malcolm has played LB in Pete's system for like half his life. Bruce will grow and could feasibly be used more as a situational rusher next year. Relax. This isn't an either/or proposition. Pete has found a way to get Malcolm on the field and will continue to do so whether he's a "starter" or not.

Bruce is a weapon on defense, and I think this year as an LB has probably helped him develop as a complete player.

 

[olyfan63]

Irvin played LB for 12 regular season games and the playoffs. Malcolm has played LB in Pete's system for like half his life. Bruce will grow and could feasibly be used more as a situational rusher next year. Relax. This isn't an either/or proposition. Pete has found a way to get Malcolm on the field and will continue to do so whether he's a "starter" or not.

Bruce is a weapon on defense, and I think this year as an LB has probably helped him develop as a complete player.

Are you kidding me? I can't believe the impatience I'm hearing from a lot of people. Smith has been on this team 3 years and has taken 3 years to make any significant impact on this team. Now factor in that Malcolm was in Pete's system at USC and realize he's been playing Pete's scheme for 7 years or so and it's taken that entire time for him to be an impact player.

Meanwhile Bruce just finished a solid season starting a entirely new position. IMO it's ridiculous to expect Bruce to be at Smitty's level of knowledge with just 2 years in the system and 1 in the specific position. Give the guy a chance, he's shown great promise and I expect with a good offseason for him to take a significant leap forward in his consistency and instincts at Lber.

^^^ What these two guys said.
Bruce is a hard worker and has the physical tools. His overall football experience is much, much less. Read the Bruce Irvin story; he hasa gotten very little consistent coaching in his football career. He played safety in JuCo. At West Virginia, they used him as a raw speed pass rusher, not really as a linebacker, and didn't coach him much.
I think Pete decided linebacker is Irvin's future, and bit the bullet this year to move him and break him in. So this year was an Aaron Curry-ish year, just with a lot more effort. What we should, and hope to, see, is Irvin "getting it" and learning the game from the LB spot, where he can then become a force.
Bruce has 4.3 speed, Malcolm has 4.4 speed. Bruce takes 0.5 seconds to read and diagnose and react, Malcolm takes 0.2 seconds to read, diagnose, and react. Thus Malcolm plays "faster" right now, when you factor in "think time". I expect Irvin to gradually improve and become a "Wow!" player during the next 2 years. (Fingers crossed)

 

[Tokadub]

I hate to say it but Irvin seems like a non factor to me. I've watched every game the last 2 seasons some of them I've greatly studied.

Irvin is like mr invisible. Never seem to notice his play unless he gets a sack or forced fumble and you can't miss it.

It seems like the second half of the season he didn't do anything at all. I'm not one to quickly hate on any Hawk and I do believe Irvin has potential. He just doesn't seem to be that good to me yet.

 

[Rob12]

I'm not buying the theory that Irvin disappears or is invincible at all. If that were the case, he would not be on the field as much he is. He just finished his first season playing a new position and he hit some road bumps - that's obvious by his limited amount of snaps in the Super Bowl, but throughout the year he still got a good amount of run from our coaching staff.

We're being thrust into the conversation of possibly having one of the top 3-5 defenses ever - especially when you account for the current offensive environment of the NFL. The fact that he started 12 games tells me enough about his ability and what he does on the field. The coaches know Irvin's abilities much more than I do. And despite what some say, the box score absolutely does not tell the entire story all of the time, whether you're a safety, corner, or outside linebacker.

Someone else said it, but I'll say it again because of its sheer truth - this is not an either/or preposition here. It doesn't matter who starts. Both players figure to be in the future plans of this defense. It's fun to discuss it, but I'm seeing some people saying things like Irvin is invincible and doesn't make his presence known on the field, and I think that's way off the mark.

Either one can start. Both will play, and play well. It will be interesting to see what type of role Irvin has on this defense next year. While some of the fans here think the Irvin LB experiment has failed, the coaches likely have a very different opinion. I want to see him take a big step forward next season and I believe he will.

 

[jblaze]

There's already been significant talk the last month or so about this in inner circles within the organization per reports from the likes of John Clayton, etc.

The talk is that Smith will start next year and Irvin will move back to the DE rotation given we lose Clemons. That should allow us to keep the DE depth as to keep them fresh as well as reward Smith for his great play. Irvin is a fish out of water at LB. He's a pure speed pass rusher and that's what he was drafted for. He got bumped out a bit due to his suspension and PC/JS going after pass rushers to compensate and add depth. He's being asked to add some weight this offseason apparently.

Given this is all conjecture at this point but it certainly makes sense.

 

[TwilightError]

The way Smith stepped in When KJ was hurt was exceptional. He was in a key role in All of the playoff games and really earned the SBMVP. He is the embodiment of Always Compete.

 

[Sarlacc83]

Guess what everybody? .NET now has its 2014 Whipping Boy!

 

[amill87]

As others have mentioned, Irvin and Smith play completely different roles.

Irvin plays as a SAM backer up on the line a lot. Smith plays more as a traditional WILL.

Irvin isn't a star but he is doing what is asked of him (for the record, I hated the idea of switching him to LB). Smith is playing a position that allows him many more opportunities. Let's not kid ourselves, Smith isn't some super star LB. He is the LB version of big play Babs. Babineaux was an average player who had a knack for being in the right place at the right time. That's the vibe I'm getting from Smith.

Smith is going to help us win games by doing what is asked and so is Irvin. Who starts is pretty minor.