Was Werner a liability vs. the run?

[Le Neon]

I thought he played fine to quite well for his first meaningful snaps, but I came across this hatchet piece on cbs sports : http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/nfl-draft-scout/23212158/colts-rookie-werner-struggles-at-olb-in-nfl-debut

I was surprised, did anybody else come to the same conclusion as this guy?

[chad72]

Giants, whenever they ran the sweep with blockers ahead, they ran to the weak side where Werner was. So, if it is a 3rd and 3-5 yards and we are expecting teams to pass and put him in as weakside OLB, teams will run at him.

 

I doubt they put Werner in unless it is more like 3rd and 8 or 9 moving forward. Expect Walden to see more of those snaps if it is 3rd and 3-5 yards.

 

If we do have a 2 TD lead, they will use Werner in more drop back situations on 3rd and long vs bigger TEs where he will have a matchup advantage, IMO.

[MrJaffer]

No. He showed me why he was drafted in the 1st round, and he also showed that he is a rookie.

[GoColts8818]

He looked like a rookie learning to read the NFL and learning NFL speed to me.  I think in time he's going to be a really good player for us.  It was nice to see the Colts getting a pass rush from other guys besides Mathis tonight.  Also Walden is thus far showing why Grigson gave him all that money this off-season.  Hopefully it transfers to the regular season. 

[BOTT]

He got schooled a couple times...not shocking, it's his first real taste of the nfl.

[HtownColt]

He did get hooked on one run allowing the back to get the edge, other than that one I don't recall any other play probably was a couple more though

[Le Neon]

No. He showed me why he was drafted in the 1st round, and he also showed that he is a rookie.

I felt the same way. He missed a few, but he had some good rushes and seemed comfortable in coverage. Worlds better then Jerry Hughes ever looked in the preseason. Don't get why he was singled out by the writer.

[NewColtsFan]

First.....  and, to me, at least,  that was absolutely NOT a hatchet piece.

 

The guy thought -- and I think mostly correctly -- that Werner did not play well and said so.    His attack was not personal, and he did not say Werner was going to be a bust.    He said Werner did not play well.   And I don't think he did.

 

Werner is going to need time....   it's not clear how fast he'll get up to speed.   That's different for every rookie.   He might be ready week #1.     Or, week #4,   or who knows when??

 

It'll be interesting to see how fast Werner picks things up and learns from his mistakes......

[Le Neon]

First.....  and, to me, at least,  that was absolutely NOT a hatchet piece.

 

The guy thought -- and I think mostly correctly -- that Werner did not play well and said so.    His attack was not personal, and he did not say Werner was going to be a bust.    He said Werner did not play well.   And I don't think he did.

 

Werner is going to need time....   it's not clear how fast he'll get up to speed.   That's different for every rookie.   He might be ready week #1.     Or, week #4,   or who knows when??

 

It'll be interesting to see how fast Werner picks things up and learns from his mistakes......

I'm just surprised by his observation. We got gashed on the ground, sure. But I didn't notice werner struggling in particular. He said we moved hin to end because he was lost, but it seemed to me that he was just rushing the passer from his 4 point stance from olb, as he's been reported to be doing throughout camp.

Guess I need to rewatch the game to see what he's talking about.

[Jason_]

I'm just surprised by his observation. We got gashed on the ground, sure. But I didn't notice werner struggling in particular. He said we moved hin to end because he was lost, but it seemed to me that he was just rushing the passer from his 4 point stance from olb, as he's been reported to be doing throughout camp.

Guess I need to rewatch the game to see what he's talking about.

 

Not sure what the guy was talking about.  Werner played both OLB when they lined up in a 3-4 and DE when they lined up in Nickel.  Werner had a couple of bad plays which should be expected since this was his first live NFL action.  He also made some good plays though, even against the run.  I'd say he played well overall and his positive to negative play ratio was very much in his favor.  

 

as a side note, both Mathis and Rayford also looked better in run defense from last week.

[ruksak]

Werner will be alright. He showed some sizzle in his debut. He showed some need for coaching and technique while playing the run, but my guess is he'll figure it. 

[Superman]

I want to watch again, but I saw lots of good from Werner, against the run and rushing the passer. He got absolutely blown off the ball on his first snap, which was a run his way. Failed to set the edge, couldn't get off his block, just completely lost that matchup, however you want to look at it.

 

But after that, I saw him strong at the point of attack, I saw him set the edge, he shed blockers, he even did all three on one play, and finished it off with the run stuff. He looked like a guy who was playing his first NFL game, but he settled in and started making plays.

 

I was much more upset with Robert Mathis' performance last week than I was with Bjoern Werner's this week.

[Ja'Crispy]

He made a nice stop on Wilson in the backfield. Some good pressure on Eli as well but he did fail to contain the end at times, but he's also a rookie. For his first game, I think he did just fine.

[GoColts8818]

I feel much better about him after his first Preseason game than I did Hughes when Gruden made him his personal whipping boy...

[Andy]

He was blocked very easily, and was slow to the line. He didn't look very good this game.

 

It's still too early to call him a liability, plus it's his first agme in the NFL, he's not going to be perfect.

[UKColt13]

I thought he played fine to quite well for his first meaningful snaps, but I came across this hatchet piece on cbs sports : http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/nfl-draft-scout/23212158/colts-rookie-werner-struggles-at-olb-in-nfl-debut

I was surprised, did anybody else come to the same conclusion as this guy?

He made some really nice pressures with both inside shoulder and outside shoulder rush moves, and was damn close to marking up his 1st sack. He also made a couple of plays on the ball carrier.

Yes he was a first round pick. People just need to remember that this was his NFL debut at a new position. At least give him until the end of preseason until you start judging his ability, CBS.

[smittywerb]

No. He showed me why he was drafted in the 1st round, and he also showed that he is a rookie.

 Basically this.  Werner has the skills and talent, he just needs to increase his IQ and he'll be ok.

Walden is looking good also.

[Malakai432]

I thought Werner looked pretty solid, he was involved in some plays. Missed a sack but did stuff the run once and was involved in another play where he helped stop the run. He seemed to be chasing QBs all over the field. The flaws I saw from him were correctable. There's nothing that showed me he could not get smarter, stronger and faster with time. After all, he's a puppy.

[coltsfanatic24]

Werner played great was consistently getting pressure on Eli and almost had a sack. The Giants started to chip him with Wilson because he was beating David Diehl with ease. He also looked great dropping into coverage confusing Eli and taking away those out routes that he usually does. He did get blown up on one run play but that was just his wake up call to the league, after that he played the run well shed his blocks and made a great play on Wilson in the backfield. The talent is there he just needs to get more reps, he will be a great player.

[sdwyer41]

Actually, I thought the article called it pretty close.  He is more comfortable at the position he is used to playing.  This was his first real playing time in the NFL, he will get better.  He is a rookie that changed positions, it's going to take him time to adjust, but I thought he showed some real potential.  He will be good later in the year. He just needs time and some more snaps.

 

I don't agree that he is a liability to the run, just that he needs more time to get used to the new position.

[1959Colts]

I was at the game and I thought Werner looked great.

He played a lot, and made his presence known. At times showed a good pass rush. Dropped into coverage well.

What I liked best about Werner last night was, you knew he was on the field. He never seemed to disappear. Always was around the ball carrier.

After watching Werner play last night in person, I honestly think he looked like a "natural". Especially since it was his first time ever to play in a game.

Great pick by Grigson.

[ÅÐØNϧ 1]

No. He showed me why he was drafted in the 1st round, and he also showed that he is a rookie.

 

And in only his first game   in the preseason, I believe he's the next Freeney as far as getting to the QB , I just hope he's better when it comes to stopping the run . All things considered he looked good  .

[Narcosys]

Can anyone explain to me why we drafted a situational player with our first pick?  Shouldnt first picks be someone who plays most downs...seems like a waste to me.  Especially since he is playing out of position.  D. Free 2.0?

[mvbighead]

Meh.  Werner had some good plays.  Werner had some not so good plays.  I would expect that, over the next 3-10 weeks, we'll see more of the good, and less of the bad.  He's a rookie.

 

There is no need, IMO, for a article to already be suggesting he is not a fit at OLB in the 3-4.  If transition only took a few weeks, I think we'd see a lot more position changes in the NFL.

 

Also, is it just me, or did it seem that they were trying him in coverage often.  I think there were at least 5 times they had him drop into coverage and stay underneath routes.  He seemed to do fairly well there.

[NewEra]

Can anyone explain to me why we drafted a situational player with our first pick? Shouldnt first picks be someone who plays most downs...seems like a waste to me. Especially since he is playing out of position. D. Free 2.0?

How do you figure he is a situational player? He can rush the passer and stop the run. He looked really good to me considering it was his first nfl game ever. How long did it take freeney and Mathis to make an impact?

He and walden impressed the heck out of me. I think out whole team got off to a slow start then settled down and looked a lot better.

[GoodLuck]

This guy is a beast with his hand in the ground. He sucks standing. Amazing how different he looks when he is standing.

[Holden89]

Werner, like any rookie, had some good plays and some bad plays. However, I think he showed enough to at least be worthy of a 1st round pick. That's all you can ask this early. Just don't look completely lost.

[Le Neon]

 

There is no need, IMO, for a article to already be suggesting he is not a fit at OLB in the 3-4.  If transition only took a few weeks, I think we'd see a lot more position changes in the NFL.

 

Also, is it just me, or did it seem that they were trying him in coverage often.  I think there were at least 5 times they had him drop into coverage and stay underneath routes.  He seemed to do fairly well there.

This was exactly my beef with the article. Not only did he appear to play the whole game at lb (giving no indication that he won't be a fit with more time and improvement) he looked pretty comfortable in coverage. There were a few out routes he disruped by being in the right place at the right time. Not something I expected to see from him.

[Coffeedrinker]

I want to watch again, but I saw lots of good from Werner, against the run and rushing the passer. He got absolutely blown off the ball on his first snap, which was a run his way. Failed to set the edge, couldn't get off his block, just completely lost that matchup, however you want to look at it.

 

But after that, I saw him strong at the point of attack, I saw him set the edge, he shed blockers, he even did all three on one play, and finished it off with the run stuff. He looked like a guy who was playing his first NFL game, but he settled in and started making plays.

 

I was much more upset with Robert Mathis' performance last week than I was with Bjoern Werner's this week.

 

I agree.  The thing I liked about Werner is he seemed to improve just about every snap. 

 

When a veteran makes technique/assignment mistakes it is an issue for criticism, when a rookie does it you watch to see if he does the same thing again... Werner did not seem to make the same mistake twice. 

[Narcosys]

How do you figure he is a situational player? He can rush the passer and stop the run. He looked really good to me considering it was his first nfl game ever. How long did it take freeney and Mathis to make an impact?

He and walden impressed the heck out of me. I think out whole team got off to a slow start then settled down and looked a lot better.

 

Idk, maybe because all i have heard about him, even from the coaches early on, is that he is going to be put in for pass rushing downs.  Thats why we got walden and the others for Run D. 

[rittdk01]

He played a very solid game.  I saw the one running play and the CBS writer piggybacked off what Troy and the other Fox announcer had to say.

[The Fish]

He got in the backfield a few times, so that wasn't an issue, but he didn't shed blocks to get to the ball (that was coming for him) very often. Mixed bag

[Nostrils]

Can anyone explain to me why we drafted a situational player with our first pick?  Shouldnt first picks be someone who plays most downs...seems like a waste to me.  Especially since he is playing out of position.  D. Free 2.0?

 

 

hahahahahahahahahahhahahahahah..... just precious 

[NewEra]

Idk, maybe because all i have heard about him, even from the coaches early on, is that he is going to be put in for pass rushing downs. Thats why we got walden and the others for Run D.

.

No, they said they were going to put him in passing downs to start out because he is a rookie. But he can play the run equally well. It even took freeney awhile before he started to show promise.

[lollygagger8]

The more tape of himself he watches, the better he will become. I think he'll be a great player for us in the near future. 

[OffensivelyPC]

Can anyone explain to me why we drafted a situational player with our first pick?  Shouldnt first picks be someone who plays most downs...seems like a waste to me.  Especially since he is playing out of position.  D. Free 2.0?

He's a situational player right now.  I doubt he'll always be a situational player if he's as good as Pagano and company seems to believe.  He's a rookie and like most other rookies (even one's drafted in the first round), they are eased in and depending on their progression in all aspects, will see that role expand or limit accordingly.  Also keep in mind how many additions we have added to the defense, both OLB and DL.  It's about creating competition, seeing whose skill sets are better than others and keeping defenders fresh come gametime.  It's the second week in pre-season with a defense that is still developing its own identity.  Takes time.

[jskinnz]

I thought Werner played well all things considered.  I was pleasantly surprised to see how many times he was in on the action or forced scrambles.  Plus the logic that they moved him to because he could not stand up against the run is just simply wrong.  I am sure that was more to do with the team wanting to get him looks in game action from the spots where he may end up playing and not because they were afraid to play him.  If anything, in preseason they would have left him there to get the reps.

[TKnight24]

Werner played well, I give him a B+ performance grade. He had a tackle for a loss on one running play that was excellent. I would've gave him a A overall if he could've wrapped Eli Manning up on that attempted sack where he grabbed the ankles.

Pretty good for his 1st NFL action

[Albaby]

I felt that the article was kind of nit-picking. 

[JoKeR]

From what I saw he had a run stuff or 2, had about 3 pressures on the QB( 1 should've been a sack) and had tighter coverage than some of our ILBers.