Didn't we reach that point with LaVar Arrington? He couldn't play traditional down linebacker nor cover in the open field, so Marvin Lewis turned him into a rush specialist on the outside.
Maybe we can get some production out of him this year in that way.
Again, Davis' maturity level worries me. He makes bad decisions off the field and has taken 2 years to learn how to line up properly on defense.
We just don't want to count on him.
Yeah, I think they tried a lot of things with Lavar. But the biggest problem Lavar had was Lavar. Sure, some of the injuries were tough, but he never bought into anything any coach wanted him to do. And he was coached by Marvin Lewis and Gregg Williams, neither of which was a slouch as a DC.
Davis, has the skills to be good, but for some reason he just hasn't been able to put it all together.
My question for him, however, is can he develop quickly with better coaching. I know what he couldn't do under the old regime. But could he do any of it if he was taught how to do it? I don't know. Maybe? Does he have the time to be developed at this point? Probably not. Can our new coaches figure out something to make him productive so they don't have to cut a first round pick? I sure hope so.
Keim on one of his last podcasts said (almost exact quote) "I can't overemphasize how much better the defensive coaching is than last year." And then he paused and said almost the same thing in another way. He was specifically talking about the secondary as it related to Forbes, but I think the same can be applied across the board.
Jack was just stuck in his ways and not able to adapt. Age doesn't bother me. Reid is old. Reid's offense has evolved 4 times in his career and it's still one of the most creative in the league. Folks want to put up Kyle, McVay, Ben Johnson and Mike McDaniels as revolutionary, young, scruffy looking brilliant offensive minds. The best offensive mind in the NFL is still, and has been for decades Any Reid. So, it doesn't necessarily matter if you're old. It matters if you are creative and adapt.
Jack didn't adapt. He also had a HS level secondary coach. The whole thing was so broken it put nobody in a position to succeed.
I'm really curious if better coaching can make players who were struggling better quickly.
And my primary 2 I'm interested in are Davis and Forbes.
I agree though, I worry about Davis' maturity level as well. That's an unknown. But if he's not mature or doesn't buy in, Quinn and Peters are going to evict his ass with prejudice and speed.