Originally posted by WillistheWall:
Originally posted by Oakland-Niner:
Originally posted by Hopper:
Originally posted by Oakland-Niner:
Just curious, in what way? I dont think you can say the real upgrade in our defense came from Lawson leaving and Brooks starting. The upgrade came from starting RayMac, adding Aldon and Justin playing out of his dam mind.....did I mention the addition of Bowman as well?
BTW, Lawson had better stats as a Niner in 2010 and 09 than he did as a 2011 Bengal.
I can if we're talking about pass rush, Brooks was a real upgrade in that area. The run defense between the two is a wash. I'd give Manny the edge in coverage, but that's it.
Brooks had a career high 7 sacks last year. Before that he had 5 in 2010 and 6 in 2009. This year he took every snap and certainly benefited from the talent around him, which Lawson never had. I'm not saying Brooks isn't a little better, but I dont think the difference is "real upgrade in that area" either. BTW, Lawson had a career high 6.5 sacks in 2009 with a weaker supporting cast.
Lawson never had? Justin Smith, PWilly, Goldson, Soap, Ray Mac, etc. all played when Manny was here. He had TSpikes and prime Clements too. Just face it Brooks is a way better pass rusher than Manny dude.
Really?
Justin Smith is coming off his best season
Aldon Smith is enough to end this argument because he's such a game changer, but he had 14 sacks and literally brought pressure every play.
Sure Ray Mac was on the team, but he wasn't a starter and Soap is not nearly as effective on the end as RayMac.
Goldson was still learning and wasn't the player he is today, but even so I dont think he was much of a facter back then. Not to mention he was often hurt.
Clements was a gambler and got burned on a regular. Rogers in a huge upgrade.
Again, just because some of the names are the same, the scheme and the way we use them is totally different, not to mention the addition of guys like Aldon and Rogers.
Edit to your edit: Brooks only has 7 sacks starting full time on a better defense than a year ago. Lawson had 6.5 sacks starting full time on a lesser defense. Sometimes less snaps (part time) equals fresh legs to get after the QB, so I'm not sure where you are going with that?
[ Edited by Oakland-Niner on Feb 21, 2012 at 10:06 PM ]