The 2007 Offseason Thread

[ice grillin you]

but you don't think Gaither has shown the ability to maybe actually be the WLB for this team for the next few years?

maybe yes....i cant tell yet if gaither is good on his own or if hes simply just better than mccoy...i mean he was a 7th round pick...mccoy was so god awful that whoever replaced him was probably going to look better than they really are...i willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for next year...the wil spot is not an offseason priority as far as im concerned...

i didnt mean for it to come off as a criticism of gaither...i was simply saying he was only in the lineup because the guy the coaching staff originally intended to be there was horrid

[The BIGSTUD]

I thought Gaither was a 5th rounder.

[Cerevant]

Regardless, I'm done with JJ.  I was fine with stinking at run defense when they led the NFL in scoring D.  Now they just stink.

[Seabiscuit36]

He was a 5th rounder  Ramsey was the 7th rounder i think

Omar Gaither
Height: 6-1
Weight: 233
40 Speed: 4.82*
Position: Outside Linebacker
College: Tennessee
Final Grade: G 5.7


GM JR Scouting LLC  Grading Scale/Key  



SUMMARY
Gaither was an interesting player to grade because he is shorter than ideal, lacks good measureables and is not explosive, but because of his smarts, instincts, quickness and competitiveness, he is consistently around the ball and makes a lot more tackles than you expect. In time he will bulk up a little bit (10 pounds) and will only be lacking in height and will be able to play strong at the point of attack more consistently, even when his technique is not ideal. He will need to learn to use his hands better vs. blockers -- to slow their ability to lock up on him and to shed faster once they get ahold of him. His smarts, instincts and quickness will help him be a good coverage linebacker in the NFL -- especially in zone and man-to-man coverage on short, quick-hitting routes. Overall, Gaither will develop into the same type of starting linebacker in the NFL that he was at Tennessee -- solid, but not explosive. He will not only become a solid and consistent linebacker, but he can be a consistent contributor on special teams.

CRITICAL FACTORS
Athletic Ability Initial Quickness Play Strength Competes Play Speed Instincts
6.0 6.0 5.5 6.0 5.5 6.0



STRONG POINTS
Gaither is a good athlete who plays quicker and faster because of his consistent ability to read the play fast. He gets moving at the snap quickly -- whether dropping off ball into zone coverage or rushing the quarterback (not explosive, but quick). He moves well through traffic and his instincts and quickness help him chase down plays in backside pursuit. He covers tight ends/running backs well in man-to-man coverage on short/medium routes and does a good job getting out to the flat and making the tackle right after the catch. He is very good at staying under control and adjusting to tackle well out in space.



WEAKNESSES
Gaither is slightly undersized for a linebacker and, if a blocker can lock up on him, he struggles to shed and make the play. When he takes on blocks up high, he cannot hold ground and gets driven backward and eliminated from the play. While he has quick feet and plays faster than his 40 time chasing after the ball in pursuit, he lacks the explosive closing burst to catch fast players from behind and is not an explosive pass rusher. Despite doing a good job of covering tight ends/running backs on short/medium routes, he will struggle to cover them deep down the seam and lacks the burst to catch up if he loses a step.



POSITIONAL FACTORS
Grade Category Comments/Description
6.0 Read & React He consistently reads and reacts quickly to the play. Good instincts help him get started to the ball fast.
6.0 Initial Quickness His quick feet and instincts help him consistently get started fast at the snap.
5.5 Play Strength He can be strong at the point of attack vs. blockers and as a tackler when he bends his knees and takes on the play with leverage.
6.0 Tackling He consistently does a good job of staying over his feet and under control, which let him adjust to tackle well in space.
5.0 Shed Blocker Once a blocker locks up on Gaither, his lack of bulk/size really hinders his ability to shed quickly.
5.5 Run at Him He sniffs out the run well, avoids blockers well and can make good tackles on runs at him.
6.0 Pursuit/Range His instincts help him consistently read and react quickly to chase down plays in backside pursuit.
5.0 Closing Burst While he lacks an explosive closing burst to the ball, he does close quick enough to finish plays when he gets close.
6.0 Zone Coverage He drops very smoothly in zone, reads and reacts quickly to quarterback/passes, breaks on the ball and makes tackle after catch.
5.5 M/M Coverage He does a good job covering tight ends/running backs in man coverage, but does not show closing burst to break up passes.
6.0 Pass Rush Ability He lacks explosion off the ball, but has good quickness as a blitzer, can outrun offensive tackle around the corner and pressures quarterback.
6.0 Errors Gaither does not make mental errors. His not making plays is due to physical limitations.



ATHLETIC ABILITY Section Grade: 6.0
Gaither is a good athlete who plays faster than his 40 time, which helped him be consistently productive despite being undersized. He has decent foot quickness and actually looks and plays quicker because of his good instincts. He consistently reads and reacts to the play very quickly. He has the flexibility to bend his knees and sink his hips to tackle with good leverage and this combines with his agility to let him consistently adjust and tackle well out in space. His quick read and react helps him accelerate to full speed quickly so he can chase plays down from sideline to sideline. His quick feet also show up in his ability to get moving quickly at the snap when he rushes the passer. He has the athleticism and speed to cover tight ends/running backs on short/medium routes well, but lacks the explosive closing burst to make plays on the ball to break up passes.

Q.A.B. Quick Feet C.O.D. Flexibility Coordination
6.0 6.0 6.0 6.5 6.5



COMPETITIVENESS Section Grade: 6.0
Gaither is a tough linebacker who consistently plays through pain and does not hesitate to throw his body around with reckless abandon to slow up plays and make tackles. He is consistently productive on defense whether it is a normal defensive play or an important one. In the graded games, he was definitely productive being involved in one play out of every 7.3 snaps, which is very good. He has good instincts and is consistently around the ball. He moves through traffic smooth and easy, runs hard to the ball and tackles well out in space. He consistently does a very good job of shooting out to the flat to pick up the running back on dump-off passes and makes tackles right after the catch. More than anything, his ability to stay over his feet and under control help him consistently adjust and tackle well out in space. He can even slow up and adjust to the quick cutback. He needs to do a better job of using his hands to take on and shed blocks quicker because right now, once a blocker gets ahold of him, he is usually eliminated from the play. He is a competitive team player who consistently hustles and chases hard after the ball fron snap to whistle and is willing to throw his body into the path of blockers to slow up the play so his teammates can make the play.

Toughness Clutch Play Production Consistency Team Player Pride/Quit
6.0 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.0



MENTAL ALERTNESS Section Grade: 6.0
He is a smart football player and it shows with his good tackling technique, consistently good zone drops and by always carrying out his assignment. His instincts are good and they combine with his foot quickness to let him consistently react quickly to the play. His ability to maintain his focus/concentration is what enables him to be consistently productive despite being undersized and not shedding blocks consistently well.

Learn/Retain Instincts/Reactions Concentration
6.0 6.0 6.0



STRENGTH/EXPLOSION Section Grade: 5.0
Gaither is definitely shorter and lighter than ideal for an outside linebacker, but at slightly over 6-1 and 230 pounds, he is not tiny for an undersized linebacker. He has basically been a durable linebacker at Tennessee, but his lack of bulk/strength and struggles to consistently shed could be a concern in the NFL. He is not an explosive linebacker. He lacks the explosive closing burst in pursuit and does not explode up and make violent tackles/hits. When he stays low and uses his hands aggressively vs. blockers, he has enough strength to play strong at the point of attack and to be a strong tackler vs. big ball carriers, but when he gets up high and lets blockers get into his body, he can be driven out of the play too easily.

Body Type Durability Explosion Play Strength
5.0 5.0 5.0 5.5

[Seabiscuit36]

McCoy was playing pretty well up till he injured his Shoulder, then he became useless.  I dont think he has the frame to play full time based on his history. 

[ice grillin you]

yeah my bad i was thinking he was a second 7th rounder with ramsey...but he was the second 5th rounder with bloom

[mussa]

I blame TO for all of this

[Quasimoto]

I wouldn't expect Donte' or Juqua Thomas.  Spads is already in full effect over at PE.com.  He's preparing us up for their loss already.  I really liked this line:

I'm sure you will all be patient and support the Eagles' decisions as they happen.

[BigEd76]

Is it possible that Garcia is the only one of the 11 that returns next year?

[MURP]

no, it is not.

[BigEd76]

oh yeah...Mahe comes back too

[Don Ho]

oh yeah...Mahe comes back too

god I needed that!

[The BIGSTUD]

I don't expect much from free agency after last year's debacle. They better re-sign Stallworth and Garcia though. I'm not even going to get into free agents from other teams. Do whatever they have to. One thing I like about this board is that there are very few if any Eagles apologists. If Stallworth and Garcia aren't back then they will get buried on here and I'll love it, because they'd deserve it.

It would be a travesty not to go for it this year though after being so damn close. Do whatever you have to, to retain your good pieces and bring in new pieces to shure up the defense.

But, again, I don't expect much from this front office. They'll have to show me they are serious about winning, because I blame the season being over on the front office for not making the right decisions to fix the defense. The real culprit for us losing to the Saints goes all the way back to march and april. Bad draft and bad free agent signings minus Garcia = bad defense.

[pinoyboy2pt0]

I wonder how much better our special teams could be if we didn't carry 10 (?) lineman everygame.

[hunt]

I wonder how much better our special teams could be if we didn't carry 10 (?) lineman everygame.

so you don't like the eagles starting every drive at their own 20 while the opposition starts at the 35?