Von Miller

[stirs]

Am I correct in saying the Anderson and Davis are FA's?

Then why do people say we have no need at LB? We have Beason and Conner on our team currently. Same wtih DeAngelo and all the other FA's.

They are currently not Panthers nor a member of any team.

Now to the point of Miller. He is probably the one guy, on the right defense, that can live up to the top five pick he will be this time next week. A top 5 pick should have in impact on the team he plays for. Impact guys for the coming season would go something like this

Miller

Peterson

Green

I don't see any other rookie in the top 5 having an immediate impact for their team.

If the Panthers ran Conner in the middle, Miller and Beason on the outside, who knows. Still need a big DT to plug middle for any D scheme to work.

[Mr. Scot]

Anderson and Davis are both free agents.

Davis has expressed an interest in staying but has also sais he could test the market. Anderson isn't on record with any statement that I know of.

[Jerry]

He is among the top 4 players in this draft

and will be an all-pro for many years causing

QB's fits with his blitzing. But that being said

I think we need a DT like big Dareus worse.

[carpanfan96]

Yep. I just talked about what you could do with him in a 4-3 (or 5-2 nickel) but it is also true that Rivera wan't some 3-4 looks.

And if he can drop back, then maybe he could play weakside too (they do that more in this scheme).

Yep he can drop back and cover just fine, he's had some experience in a 4-3 and a 3-4 and would fit in with what Rivera wants to do on defense perfectly... <- one of the major reasons I brought miller up in the other thread in the first place.

DT is really deep in this draft and you can a big fella in the 3rd to free up these guys...

Gives me goosebumps to think of what they could do with those LBers.

[Jackofalltrades]

Miller in the first, top DT and Cb in the third and we'd pretty solid on D.

[Kurb]

Good thing b/c we would score maybe 3 points a game with our current offense.

[Jackofalltrades]

Good thing b/c we would score maybe 3 points a game with our current offense.

So, by default we're already worse than last year?

[Mr. Scot]

It's not like we only have one draft pick. Nor is the draft the only option we have to pick up players.

Guys act like the #1 pick is the only player we're allowed to acquire this offseason.

[mountainpantherfan]

I've been talking about Miller since January but most just ignored me.

Everyone wants to talk about getting rid of the Fox mentality but many use that same mentality when talking about Miller and LBers. Just because Fox never saw LBers as a good source of pressure on the QB doesn't mean other coaches don't. And when you look at Jim Johnson or even Rivera in Chicago you will see they love sending LBers after QBs. A SLB in a Rivera 4-3 defense is almost the same as a SOLB in a 3-4. Beason, Davis, Anderson and Conner are all good LBers (Beason on the verge of being great) but none of them can do what Miller can do from the LBer position in the style Rivera likes to do it.

And just looking at a list of who all has officially visited the Panthers, Miller isn't listed. Miller has drawn comparisons from guys like Mayock of being a LT type of game changer. And the Panther haven't had him in for a meeting? How many times have the Panthers picked a player in the 1st round when no one had linked them previously?

I don't think he is the only player in the picture but I think he has always been in the conversation despite the protests from others and very well may end up the pick.

[Mr. Scot]

I've been talking about Miller since January but most just ignored me.

Everyone wants to talk about getting rid of the Fox mentality but many use that same mentality when talking about Miller and LBers. Just because Fox never saw LBers as a good source of pressure on the QB doesn't mean other coaches don't. And when you look at Jim Johnson or even Rivera in Chicago you will see they love sending LBers after QBs. A SLB in a Rivera 4-3 defense is almost the same as a SOLB in a 3-4. Beason, Davis, Anderson and Conner are all good LBers (Beason on the verge of being great) but none of them can do what Miller can do from the LBer position in the style Rivera likes to do it.

And just looking at a list of who all has officially visited the Panthers, Miller isn't listed. Miller has drawn comparisons from guys like Mayock of being a LT type of game changer. And the Panther haven't had him in for a meeting? How many times have the Panthers picked a player in the 1st round when no one had linked them previously?

I don't think he is the only player in the picture but I think he has always been in the conversation despite the protests from others and very well may end up the pick.

Sorry, were you saying something?

(couldn't resist) :D

[mountainpantherfan]

Sorry, were you saying something?

(couldn't resist) :D

Whatever racist...:D

[Mr. Scot]

Whatever racist...:D

Hater :prrr:

[mountainpantherfan]

Hater :prrr:

I would go off on some rant about how people have only mentioned other black linebackers in comparing Miller but I won't go there.

On a serious note, I really like Von Milelr. If Rivera were to think of him in the same light as a LT type of playmaker then I think Hurney should listen. Back when Jim Johnson was at the heighth of success in Philly his defensive lines weren't that impressive. Good but not great. He really relied a lot on the LBers and Safetys to make plays. Very similar to what Dick LeBeau has been doing in Pittsburgh. Both of those styles are very similar in their approach but most fans wouldn't realize that due to the allignments being different.

It would not surprise me at all to see a LBer be the sack leader on this team next year. But I would also expect the sack total to be very low but spread out among several different players. Instead of one player like Peppers racking up 17 and the next guy have 5, you would see 5 or so players with 6 or 7 sacks. Confussion is the heart of his defense. Rivera wants the QB to be guessing at every position on the field. Remember how Capers had that DT roll out in coverage in the NFCCG and the big guy got a pick 6? Thats what Rivera, Jim Johnson, Dick LeBeau, Buddy Ryan ect. like to do. You never know what is coming next.

Beason and company are all good players. But for the most part they fit a different type of defensive system that what Jim Johnson ran. Now Rivera ran a Tampa Two in Chicago and a Phillips 3-4 in San Diego. Three different styles and success with all three. So he is going to be able to use and get a lot out of Beason and company because that is the type of coach I think Rivera is. But I think he is also probably going to want to finally run the defense exactly like he has always wanted to with a head coach interfearing.

That's where Von Miller really comes into play. Could the former LB be wanting to run a defense that is built around the LB core and thus Miller gives him that secret ingredient? Much like Fox built his defense around Peppers really. If Rivera were to go defense with the #1 overall and thus that player becomes the center of Rivera defense do you think it would be a DT or CB? DE makes more sense but a LB with DE type of skills is even more realistic to me.

I think Rivera's style is going to be very aggressive and very calculated. He can take good players and make them look great. He can take great players and do something special with them. That, IMO, is what is so appealling with Von Miller. Most just see a LB, Rivera could very well see the next LT.

[Jackofalltrades]

^ rep