Problem in the middle?

I was wondering if anyone else has noticed how many open field tackles Lamar Marshall is wiffing on. I know the defense as a whole has played great, especially in the last two games, but Marshall seems to be getting burnt.

Pierce always seemed to get in position and make the tackle. Always. That was a big part in our defense not giving up the big running play. With what I have seen so far, I'm starting to be a little afraid that Marshall will not be able to pick up where Pierce left off.

from what Ive seen marshall seemed to be doing well. I dont think replacing Pierce will be hard. I still think Pierce is just a product of Greg Williams, and that he can teach someone else to do just as well.

Have they tried Holdman at MLB? Because he was a great OLB but with Arrington back it would be sweet to have those three as our lb corps.

What about Clemons? He's taller, heavier, and he hasn't looked too bad this preseason. Give him a shot at it.

I'm not seeing our D-linemen being dominant up front. L. Marshall being on a small side, our DT's need to keep O-linemen off of him. I guess McCune hasn't worked out as MLB. I haven't heard anything about him. Well, Gregg Williams has about 2 weeks to solidify MLB position.

You're right GO'. There is a problem. Greg Williams should be evaluating the position. :oink:

From what I can remember, it was stoutmire who missed the tackle when Pitt got that long run for 50 yds. Marshall should be fine at MLB. In GW's defense, everyone on the roster gets significant playing time so even if Marshall does struggle (I dont think he will) guys like holdman and clemons and even mccune will be there to pick up the slack. Marshall played very well last year under GW's schemes and I think his experience under this system makes him the best man for the starting job. My only concern is that he is undersized to play the position ( I think he is like 230lbs, or as big as Taylor) but he can still tackle. If GW trusts him enough to make him the starter than I am not worried.

I haven't seen Marshall "whiff" that many times. I have seen Sean Taylor miss a few open field tackles, but, of course, I don't doubt Taylor's skills.

One guy who might be underrated is Warrick Holdman; the guy is consistently around the ball and doesn't miss too many tackles.

well with Arrington and Washington on the outside, i think my little sister could play middle linebacker for the redskins this year.

From what I can remember, it was stoutmire who missed the tackle when Pitt got that long run for 50 yds. Marshall should be fine at MLB. In GW's defense, everyone on the roster gets significant playing time so even if Marshall does struggle (I dont think he will) guys like holdman and clemons and even mccune will be there to pick up the slack. Marshall played very well last year under GW's schemes and I think his experience under this system makes him the best man for the starting job. My only concern is that he is undersized to play the position ( I think he is like 230lbs, or as big as Taylor) but he can still tackle. If GW trusts him enough to make him the starter than I am not worried.

On the 50 yard run Stoutmire went to the right place (to fill the open hole), but kudos to Pittsburg, the lineman (name?) turned bulled our guy around and created a new hole just as the back ran through. Good play and a little lucky timing for those guys on that play.

The play that stood out this game was a little screen pass around our 20 yardline. Marshall had time and position to make the tackle, but totally missed. He barely got an arm on the guy. We still stopped them (field goal) but I saw the same kind of thing a couple of times in the Bengals game also.

Now, I'm not trying to bash him bad. He has been outstanding as a coverage LB (converting from a safety). This versatility is great for a GW scheme. It just that if you look back at tape on Pierce, he was money when it came to tackling.

i also noticed marshall missing that tackle on the screen to hayes, he tried to one arm tackle him. i think he will do alright, but i think we should give holdman a try in the middle. hes a very good tackler and has exceptional skills