DT Earl Mitchell to visit Seahawks (Niners Signed)

This is just "meh" player in my opinion. Just another Athyba Rubin type. A big body that can stuff the run but provide no pass rush from the middle. I guess he would be the guy to replace Tony McDaniel if the Seahawks choose to let him walk.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you our new Left Tackle.

Gonna be honest dont even know who that is.

4 years at DT and only recorded 5.5 sacks, then injured and layed up? No thanks.

Love it. Classic space eater. If they don't resign McDaniel, who was kind of special last year at keeping bodies off of our linebackers, he'll need to be replaced. It's not coach speak when Pete says this defense is predicated first on stopping the run.

I'm so glad the people deriding a zero/one/two gap NT for poor sack numbers have nothing to do with building this roster.

nanomoz":notmuf7m said:

Love it. Classic space eater. If they don't resign McDaniel, who was kind of special last year at keeping bodies off of our linebackers, he'll need to be replaced. It's not coach speak when Pete says this defense is predicated first on stopping the run.

I'm so glad the people deriding a zero/one/two gap NT for poor sack numbers have nothing to do with building this roster.

Click to expand...

I admit I don't know much about this player but in reading his draft scouting report he doesn't read as a space eater, he's got the body make up for it but sounds like he's not particularly stout against the run and his asset his speed and athleticism. He may be somebody who can help with a little interior pressure but lined up along side Reed who is stouter vs the run it could be a better more aggressive front.

I know Mitchell took Jordan Phillips' job at NT when Mitchell came back from injury at the of the season. Phillips is a player they invested a 2nd-round pick in.

Mitchell signed a hefty contract a couple years ago as a FA. He could be a +rotational guy and a bargain.

Unless he comes super cheap there's a few defensive linemen in the draft I would like to see on the Seahawks that could make a bigger difference.

Interior pass-rushing DT is one of the places in which Pete and John's patented roster churn hasn't yet worked out. At some point, they'll have to just open the wallet or go high in the draft.

It's interesting that the team hasn't made much of an effort to target good pass rushers at the three technique. Traditionally, this defensive scheme was considered to be dependent on having a strong interior pass rusher at 3DT. Yet, we have seen them use non-dynamic pass rushers at 3DT instead, i.e. Rubin and McDaniel.

They have simply been content to not generate an interior pass rush in the base set and then to shift Bennett inside on 3rd downs.

Quinton Jefferson and Garrison Smith are the only players on the roster who would conceivably fit the bill of dynamic 3DT pass rushers. I have Jefferson as the dark horse in training camp to possibly steal a starting job in the base defense as a three technique. He would give them better interior pass rush than Rubin or McDaniel.

People seem to repeatedly overlook the fact that both Bennett and Clark are effective pass rushing from the interior of the OL.

We won a Championship with Red Bryant, Tony McDaniel, Brandon Mebane, and Chris Clemons as our first unit on mixed downs. Of those, only Clemons is much of a pass rusher.

Yet in the Superbowl, Denver started out with a single back and three wideouts, so the guys who actually took the field first on defense were Clemons, Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril, and Clinton McDonald -- all pass rushers. Then you have Bruce Irvin on the bench.

Having a starting 3-tech who can shut down the run AND be a good pass rusher would be great, but in this age of situational substitutions I'd say it's an expensive luxury. Especially this offseason, there aren't a lot of those guys to be found. Good space eaters are cheap and plentiful. It's a passing league and we play more nickel than base. The biggest thing we need to do is get off the field on third downs. MOST OF THE TIME it's either going to be goal line or nickel on 3rd down.

If I'm the Seahawks I'm asking Frank Clark to put a few of those pounds back on and start grooming him to take over at Left end for Bennett. This is a draft rich in edge rushers, and I pick one to take over at Leo, trading up in round one if need be. I reduce the snaps for both Bennett and Avril so that they can maintain their health and effectiveness as they get older. I also pick up a SAM backer who can blitz and play end in the nickel - Nick Perry of Green Bay is a UFA who played for Carroll at USC, picked up 11 sacks last year and would fit the bill quite well. Lastly, Quentin Jefferson is a guy who flashed talent - he could also make an impact rushing from inside. In a perfect world Cassius Marsh never sees the field outside of special teams, garbage time, or a serious injury to our regulars.

A-Dog":1lvl24iw said:

People seem to repeatedly overlook the fact that both Bennett and Clark are effective pass rushing from the interior of the OL.

We won a Championship with Red Bryant, Tony McDaniel, Brandon Mebane, and Chris Clemons as our first unit on mixed downs. Of those, only Clemons is much of a pass rusher.

Click to expand...

Clemons had 4.5 sacks that year. Avril and bennet were the sack masters.

We had an additional 3T named Clinton McDonald who was essential at stopping the run but also providing additional interior pressure on key downs. He had 5.5 sacks as a part time player that is huge.

You are mis stating first string as run down (1st string)

titan3131":1mkliyh0 said:

A-Dog":1mkliyh0 said:

People seem to repeatedly overlook the fact that both Bennett and Clark are effective pass rushing from the interior of the OL.

We won a Championship with Red Bryant, Tony McDaniel, Brandon Mebane, and Chris Clemons as our first unit on mixed downs. Of those, only Clemons is much of a pass rusher.

Click to expand...

Clemons had 4.5 sacks that year. Avril and bennet were the sack masters.

We had an additional 3T named Clinton McDonald who was essential at stopping the run but also providing additional interior pressure on key downs. He had 5.5 sacks as a part time player that is huge.

You are mis stating first string as run down (1st string)

Click to expand...

I think you may have missed my point.

My point was that in this age of situational substitutions, a 3-down 3-technique DT is an expensive luxury rather than a necessity.

I gave an example of our championship team, where we had a mixed-down group (Bryant, McDaniel, Mebane, Clemons) that dominated against the run but lacked pass rushing ability, and we had a much different group on passing downs (Avril, Bennett, McDaniel, Clemons). This was a historically good group that won a title and dominated in the Superbowl against the most productive offense in history - without a 3-down DT.

I don't see how I misstated first string. I also mentioned McDonald in my post

Again, we can spend 8 figures per year on an aging vet like Campbell at the expense of our other free-agent needs (OL), or we can spend 10-20% of that money on a plugger like Mitchell, still have the best defense in the league, and have plenty of money left over to invest in one or two starting-caliber players at other positions.

flmmkrz":24gc6kdl said:

nanomoz":24gc6kdl said:

Love it. Classic space eater. If they don't resign McDaniel, who was kind of special last year at keeping bodies off of our linebackers, he'll need to be replaced. It's not coach speak when Pete says this defense is predicated first on stopping the run.

I'm so glad the people deriding a zero/one/two gap NT for poor sack numbers have nothing to do with building this roster.

Click to expand...

I admit I don't know much about this player but in reading his draft scouting report he doesn't read as a space eater, he's got the body make up for it but sounds like he's not particularly stout against the run and his asset his speed and athleticism. He may be somebody who can help with a little interior pressure but lined up along side Reed who is stouter vs the run it could be a better more aggressive front.

Click to expand...

Mitchell put up a sick 40-yard time (4.81) and great 10-yard split (1.56) at the NFL combine. He would be a nice get, at a reasonable price, in free agency.
[youtube]ij07QepVcyI[/youtube]

All this and I'm sure he cleans up nicely.

Possibly an Irish Spring guy.

So he apparently visited Monday and Tuesday and has moved on to other visits. Time will tell.

I think this player could do well in Seattle's scheme.

Looks like Mitchell signs with the 49ers. Seems like a lot of money for him

[tweet]https://twitter.com/MikeGarafolo/status/835289415564001281[/tweet]

Yeah, they overpaid. Front-loaded, can't say its a move that hurts them. They need bodies on the D now and have the money to pay for them. He'll be gone in a few years.

Looks like the new regime wants to attempt to be at least slightly competitive now.

Well, they have a ton of cap space so it makes sense.