Frank Clark weight down to 257.

titan3131 · Mar 8, 2016

https://mobile.twitter.com/TheRealFrank ... 0676191232

Think this means that are projecting him at the Leo position.

hawknation2016 · Mar 8, 2016

titan3131":1a6ykjf4 said:
https://mobile.twitter.com/TheRealFrankC_/status/707423610676191232

Think this means that are projecting him at the Leo position.

Yes . . . not sure I like this very much. Clark is our best run stopper, in addition to being a promising pass rusher, and I would have liked to seen him more inside at the three technique in the base offense. Dropping this much weight makes playing inside a lot less likely.

getnasty · Mar 8, 2016

I always thought he was projected as a LEO

chris98251 · Mar 8, 2016

257 MLB size, maybe Wags to the edge? The idea to get all the playmakers on the field you can at one time and be more physical this year. Wags can play the edge with his speed as well.

McGruff · Mar 8, 2016

titan3131":axes5nc4 said:
https://mobile.twitter.com/TheRealFrankC_/status/707423610676191232

Think this means that are projecting him at the Leo position.

I'd like to see a flip-flop of him and Marsh. Slim down Frank and take advantage of his natural athletic ability as a LEO/Pass rushing OLB and bulk Marsh back up to play a Michael Bennett type role.

vin.couve12 · Mar 8, 2016

Clark is NOT our best run defender by a longshot. That would likely go to Mebane, followed by Wagner, who are responsible for the A gaps first and foremost, who would then be followed by Rubin. Your "inside triangle" is the single most important aspect of run defense and we had the best in the league last year by a good margin. You could also argue that for their respective position, Bennett is one of the best run defenders in the league.

Also, weight is not the single most important factor in playing a position. Your inside guys have to be naturally adept at leverage. A 6'3 long limbed guy like Clark, isn't best suited there as a MLB. You want him on the edge. Avril's health has been a major problem in 3 out of the last 4 years in playoff/superbowl games we've lost. We need a plan B pass rusher there BADLY. 1st world upper echelon NFL team problems, yes; but a problem none the less.

pehawk · Mar 8, 2016

Man. Sure seems like a waste of his unique skills at 280. Dude was a force in stretches...without even knowing the pro game.

DJrmb · Mar 8, 2016

To be honest this caught me by surprise. I figured Clark to be Bennett 2.0 but clearly Pete and the staff have different plans. I trust them to make the most out of Clark's athleticism and ability just like they did when they moved Irvin to OLB. I'm excited to see how they plan to use him and really excited to see what Clark does next year in whatever role they play him.

vin.couve12 · Mar 8, 2016

DJrmb":rqem3zmp said:
To be honest this caught me by surprise. I figured Clark to be Bennett 2.0 but clearly Pete and the staff have different plans. I trust them to make the most out of Clark's athleticism and ability just like they did when they moved Irvin to OLB. I'm excited to see how they plan to use him and really excited to see what Clark does next year in whatever role they play him.

Particularly in your early 20s, the your body is highly moldable, but once the late 20s start to come around, there's no stopping that filling out like a man. Clark can still very much be that Bennett 2.0. He's just not a man yet....so to speak anyway.

pehawk · Mar 8, 2016

Vin. is such an underrated poster. He's killing it....as always.

TDOTSEAHAWK · Mar 8, 2016

Lots of weird things being said in this thread.

There is zero chance he moves to MLB for many reasons. This is not even a real option. LEO and MLB are just apples and oranges with completely different skill sets.

Also, not sure how he is our best rush defender. He wasn't even in on the base defense.

Without a doubt this move means we are grooming him as a LEO and he will probably take a bunch of snaps as the LDE on passing downs opposite Avril with Bennett in the middle. I like that as a pass rushing trio. It also focuses our need for an inside pass rusher in the draft.

I also think this is a move to strengthen depth at the LEO position as Clark was a bit out of place last year being used all over the place. I think this lets him focus on edge rushing and sets in case we have any issues with

vin.couve12 · Mar 8, 2016

pehawk":1wggwpyy said:
Vin. is such an underrated poster. He's killing it....as always.

Wow, man. Thanks. Much appreciated.

pehawk · Mar 8, 2016

Maybe Clark is now the base Leo and Avril/Bennett can reduce snap counts?

Yeah, it's nutty to say Clark is the Hawks best run defender, but he's good.

kearly · Mar 8, 2016

I always thought Clark looked more in his element when playing inside, but it's worth a try to see how he might look as a full time LEO.

vin.couve12 · Mar 8, 2016

TDOTSEAHAWK":2k7w4nnf said:
Lots of weird things being said in this thread.

There is zero chance he moves to MLB for many reasons. This is not even a real option. LEO and MLB are just apples and oranges with completely different skill sets.

Also, not sure how he is our best rush defender. He wasn't even in on the base defense.

Without a doubt this move means we are grooming him as a LEO and he will probably take a bunch of snaps as the LDE on passing downs opposite Avril with Bennett in the middle. I like that as a pass rushing trio. It also focuses our need for an inside pass rusher in the draft.

I also think this is a move to strengthen depth at the LEO position as Clark was a bit out of place last year being used all over the place. I think this lets him focus on edge rushing and sets in case we have any issues with

I might also add that we are likely, as usual, reading way too much into this. Things change very quickly in the NFL and a point of emphasis now, if it's a real focus of the Leo position at all, could merely be a period of teaching for further expansion/growth and utilization of the player. We don't know that he won't take snaps opposite Bennett on the inside on nickel and dime packages even still. You don't need to worry about anchoring in that scenario. Just go....

pehawk · Mar 8, 2016

kearly":1b55o8zi said:
I always thought Clark looked more in his element when playing inside, but it's worth a try to see how he might look as a full time LEO.

My thought as well. Clark/Bennett types, who can truly play inside or out, are rarer than LEO's.

I'm just a douchebag on a message board, but still, I loved the idea of Clark at 280.

vin.couve12 · Mar 8, 2016

kearly":3hvi2i8b said:
I always thought Clark looked more in his element when playing inside, but it's worth a try to see how he might look as a full time LEO.

With his 10 yard split, I don't really think it matters. He generates some real quick twitch explosive power very quickly.

DavidSeven · Mar 8, 2016

You do give up on his potential as a rare pass rushing threat at DT, but at the same time, there's a pretty urgent need for a sub-package DE. I don't know if he's going pure LEO, but the team needed someone to play opposite Avril when Bennett shifts inside. We don't have much depth there besides Marsh, who's looked like a JAG so far.

This gives you an opportunity to play Avril, Bennett, Clark and Hill together in passing situation. There's also a lot of talk of this being a great DT class, and (whether that's true or not) that could have factored into this move. For me, I'm excited about it because I thought Clark had some potential to replace Irvin as a subpackage DE, and it looks like they're going that way.

hawknation2016 · Mar 8, 2016

vin.couve12":2rvk2rth said:
Clark is NOT our best run defender by a longshot. That would likely go to Mebane, followed by Wagner, who are responsible for the A gaps first and foremost, who would then be followed by Rubin. Your "inside triangle" is the single most important aspect of run defense and we had the best in the league last year by a good margin. You could also argue that for their respective position, Bennett is one of the best run defenders in the league.

Also, weight is not the single most important factor in playing a position. Your inside guys have to be naturally adept at leverage. A 6'3 long limbed guy like Clark, isn't best suited there as a MLB. You want him on the edge. Avril's health has been a major problem in 3 out of the last 4 years in playoff/superbowl games we've lost. We need a plan B pass rusher there BADLY. 1st world upper echelon NFL team problems, yes; but a problem none the less.

Admittedly, my comment about Clark being our best run stopper is more about potential than actual production. Clark's run stop percentage in college (12%) was off the charts good. In his short time in the NFL, his instincts against the run have looked unbelievably good, which made it so frustrating that he saw most of his snaps as a rookie in obvious passing situations.

Being 257 lbs absolutely would have an effect on his ability to play at the three technique, unless you can name a three technique in the NFL who currently plays at that weight. In addition to mass, length is another very important attribute inside at three technique.

kearly · Mar 8, 2016

pehawk":yhgjxv9n said:
I'm just a douchebag on a message board, but still, I loved the idea of Clark at 280.

Me too. And Me too.

Aaron Donald and JJ Watt play in the 280s.

Pete must know something and I trust his judgement.

Frank Clark weight down to 257.

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