For the last 7 years, I have been keeping track of how often Miami LBs shed blocks quickly. I thought that keeping this statistic would provide valuable insight on LB play. So far, not so much.
In his first 2 years, Spense was very bad at shedding blocks quickly and he never became good at it. But, he was always a good play maker. Gaines was one of the best at shedding blocks quickly, but he was not a play maker. There is some correlation between the ability to shed blocks quickly and making plays, but it is a weak one. I did not expect this. I would think one of the most important aspects of successful LB play is the ability to shed blocks quickly, but apparently it is not.
It would seem that having the speed and agility to avoid being blocked is more important than having the strength to get off blocks. But I don't know. This isn't making a lot of sense to me.
In his first 2 years, Spense was very bad at shedding blocks quickly and he never became good at it. But, he was always a good play maker. Gaines was one of the best at shedding blocks quickly, but he was not a play maker. There is some correlation between the ability to shed blocks quickly and making plays, but it is a weak one. I did not expect this. I would think one of the most important aspects of successful LB play is the ability to shed blocks quickly, but apparently it is not.
It would seem that having the speed and agility to avoid being blocked is more important than having the strength to get off blocks. But I don't know. This isn't making a lot of sense to me.
