Rubin Keeps Stepping Up

[King of Kings]

Originally Posted by BernietheKid

Exactly KOK it's great that Rodgers is so good but he's coming off of knee surgery and is 31. Where you have Rubin who saw some good PT time last year and is only going to be 24 this year. So if he continues to improve that is one last spot you have to worry about but if he is a backup/spliting time at NT that isn't a bad return on a sixth round pick. I hope he is the answer long term at NT though.

Even if he only turns out as a solid rotational guy to give someone else a breather for a 6th rounder? That's still excellent value, in the 3-4 you still need two NT's to keep their fat asses fresh. It sounds to me like Mangini and Ryan see him as the answer at NT for years to come, otherwise why would they want to move Rogers? If he wasn't seriously impressive i'd imagine they would just keep Rogers at NT and have drafted someone to learn behind him.

[YtownBacker]

I thing to remember is that Rogers is still facing a potential suspension for his gun incident. They need to have Rubin ready because he most likely will start when Rogers is suspended. Fact is the Browns need to find and develop another NT because the NFL is a game of injuries.

There's no guarantee that Rogers will come back from his injury as the same player he was. I would expect Schaffering to get some time in a rotation at NT during camp.

[Inspecta]

I liked how Rubin played at the end of last year. Definitely showed some promise, but you guys are right, with injuries we need depth.

So is it a foregone conclusion that the Geathers kid will be a DE?

[Enigmatic Evil]

I really want to see some reason as to WHY we call Geathers "Monster". We probably won't get a hint of that until they start tackling in practice. When's that, training camp?

[Inspecta]

EE, yeah they don't go full contact till training camp. Worry not, it's right around the corner (2nd week of July, no?)

[Alo]

Geathers was a monster in a couple games in college, most notably the Florida game last year (it's available at SECDigitalNetwork.com). And his measurables certainly are beastly.

At the same time, he may not possess a nasty, "monster" mentality. Because of his height, he struggles to keep his pad level down, and he doesn't always play with a great motor. Bryan Cox will need to light a fire under his ass; if not, he'll be a maddeningly inconsistent player.

[YtownBacker]

Originally Posted by Inspecta

I liked how Rubin played at the end of last year. Definitely showed some promise, but you guys are right, with injuries we need depth.

So is it a foregone conclusion that the Geathers kid will be a DE?

Geathers is a DE. I don't think his body type would project as a NT. I don't think Coleman, Mosley or Smith are good NT candidates either. So, I could see them looking at the waiver wire for some NT help if Rogers is suspended or not ready due to his leg injury.

But, when Ryan is playing a lot of the 2-5 and 4-3 defenses you use the DEs inside in the 2-5 and the OLBs outside with their hands down in the 4-3. So, I don't think it's a real big priority, but NT does seem a little thin.

Could be a UDFA in camp but I haven't seen anyone making a name for themself.

[King of Kings]

Originally Posted by Inspecta

I liked how Rubin played at the end of last year. Definitely showed some promise, but you guys are right, with injuries we need depth.

So is it a foregone conclusion that the Geathers kid will be a DE?

I don't think anything is written in stone yet and frankly I wouldn't be surprised to see him eventually get some work as a linebacker nor would it be a shock if they really do try him out on the O.L. in practices.

[Inspecta]

Yeah like Ytown said his body type doesn't really fit a prototypical NT.

I like the idea of maybe working him in on the OL, I mean the kid has the wing span for the position.

I just can't wait to see all these young whipper snappers in a preseason game. Ahh yes, the days of August when I sit around my computer watching a Browns game that's lagging up to 15 minutes!!

[Inspecta]

Yeah like Ytown said his body type doesn't really fit a prototypical NT.

I like the idea of maybe working him in on the OL, I mean the kid has the wing span for the position.

I just can't wait to see all these young whipper snappers in a preseason game. Ahh yes, the days of August when I sit around my computer watching a Browns game that's lagging up to 15 minutes!!

[Riffer X]

Originally Posted by Alo

Geathers was a monster in a couple games in college, most notably the Florida game last year (it's available at SECDigitalNetwork.com). And his measurables certainly are beastly.

At the same time, he may not possess a nasty, "monster" mentality. Because of his height, he struggles to keep his pad level down, and he doesn't always play with a great motor. Bryan Cox will need to light a fire under his ass; if not, he'll be a maddeningly inconsistent player.

The reason they took this kid was because of his potential and freakish size. I will guarantee they had Bryan Cox in mind to get under this kid's skin and unleash the potential. He's one of those dudes who needs to get pissed off when he plays.

He could be a guy who becomes a monster steal in a few years if he can harness some of his size attributes to his advantage. He needs to learn how to use his wingspan more to disengage from blockers and add some more moves to his arsenal. He is a straight up DE and nothing else.

[Enigmatic Evil]

Geathers is a bit more of a project pick than I would've liked us to have taken at D-Line but here's hoping the coaching staff can mold him into a long-term player who can give us depth at the DE. I want to see MONSTER level play to go with that Monster size of his.