Enough With Schobel
by ForeignArrow
on May 21, 2008 10:40 PM EDT
Why does it seem like so many people are down on Aaron Schobel? Probably because a lot are. Why? The guy has 67 sacks in 7 seasons as a Bill. The criticisms range from him being undersized to his pass rush being inconsistent. I think Schobel's past success has hurt him because people look for him on the field more and more now. It's been a tough go for him in Buffalo because he has NEVER had a legitimate pass rusher on the other side of him. So, it's really pretty impressive he's produced as much as he has. When a player averages around 10 sacks/season in the NFL it's unlikely they are inconsistent. If by inconsistent people mean not pressuring the QB on every play then every DE in the league is "inconsistent." Would any of the Giants' DEs be as productive as they were without each other? No ... and that's non-negotiable. Imagine if Schobel didn't have pass protections geared toward stopping him... chip after chip, double after double.
Schobel has earned the respect of his coaching staff (contract extension) and his colleagues... evidenced by being voted to the Pro Bowl this year. If a DE makes the Pro Bowl with 6 sacks, you know he's not inconsistent. It means that opposing players know that Aaron Schobel is talented and a pain in the ass to contain on every play. If Chris Ellis emerges as the excellent pass rusher he is, Schobel should start reaping the benefits and shutting up the nit-pickers.
Even Chris Kelsay is consistent... he consistently can't get to the QB. I don't know why people want sacks from him and Denney anyways, they're both geared for the run. They have NO natural pass rushing ability, nor the athleticism to do so. That said, with the improvements on the line they should see more hustle sacks they had a couple of years ago as a result.
Here's to hoping Chris Ellis makes an impact on our pass rush.
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I think you’re right, FA – I don’t think I’ve been as hard on Schobel as most, but that doesn’t mean a lot. My problem has never been with Schobel, it’s been with his contract. I still don’t think he was worth a $50 million extension. Yes, he’s been held back a bit by the Bills’ crap play at left end, and yes, he’s consistent across the board. I just don’t think the Bills should have handed him that deal last off-season – it still confuses me to this day. I’d rather that money have been spent on, say, Lee Evans or Jason Peters.
by Brian Galliford on May 21, 2008 11:09 PM EDT 0 recs
Fair Enough
But I think it’s safe to say if Schobel was a free agent he would have landed a contract larger than the one we gave him. The contract that really got my goat was the one given to Chis Kelsay… Schobel earned his contract with character, hard work, and most importantly production. Kelsay lacks the production part. $50 million sounds like a boat load (of course it is to us), but at the current DE market, that contract is not elite. Look what Jared Allen got…. Dwight Freeney make ludicrous money and he hasn’t been much more productive than Schobel over his career (believe it or not). So, the contract was fair, in my opinion.
"I don't agree with a damn thing you say, but I would die for your right to say it."
by ForeignArrow on
May 22, 2008 1:55 PM EDT
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Schobel is INCONSISTENT
He disappears for games at a time. He has definitely improved against the run and is much more consistent in that facet of his game, but he still can’t provide the consistent pressure on the QB this defense needs. We know there isn’t going to be ANY pass rush from the other side, so it is a need for Schobel to be that consistent threat. He has never been that guy though. He’s always been inconsistent at rushing the QB. We don’t need him pressuring on every play, obviously, but we can’t have him constantly out of the picture so often. He’s got a $50M contract. That’s not to go out there and get 6 sacks a season while being pretty good against the run. We need him to play elite if he’s going to back that contract up.
Kelsay and Denney are geared to stopping the run, but don’t even succeed at that, Kelsay especially. That guy was downright awful last year, especially against the run. Teams ran over his side at will last year and I really don’t see that changing. He’s always been a pretty average player, at best, in the NFL.
~K
by Kurupt on May 22, 2008 12:04 AM EDT 0 recs
That's
your opinion and I respect that, but there’s really no evidence to back it up. You even cut the legs off of your own argument by saying that there has never been any pass rush from the other end.
It’s actually frustrating sometimes watching Schobel because he gets so close off the edge, but teams have always been able to form good pockets against us to step into because we’ve not had an interior pass rush. And out of all the football I’ve watched in my entire life, I have never seen a defensive lineman that is held as much as Aaron Schobel. Maybe if his arms were 2 inches longer he could avoid some of those holds.
"I don't agree with a damn thing you say, but I would die for your right to say it."
by ForeignArrow on
May 22, 2008 2:10 PM EDT
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Schobel
I’ve never been to hard on him, (can’t say never have been at all) but to be honest I have a bigger problem with Denney and Kelsay. Denney in particular, he has been in the league for 6 years (almost as long as Aaron) and has 17.5 sacks. So while Schobel is averaging almost 10 sacks a year, Denney gets less then 3.
The time has come for someone to put his foot down. And that foot is me.
by sireric on May 22, 2008 6:42 AM EDT 0 recs
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