I almost never take an ‘I told you’ tone but this comment was intended as an alert about a few players, such as Haggan, who were being underestimated, IMO.

Unlike some of the others, such as Crowder, Haggan was helped by the switch to a 3-4. And unlike Crowder, who had to make the transition to LB, Haggan was already playing the position. The thing that leaps to mind is — pass coverage.

I hadn’t set out to write a Crowder V. Haggan post but the comparisons are illuminating. I had even projected Crowder as DE34 at one point, largely because I had a hard time seeing him playing LB. And I recall a comment by Guru’s (“plays better the closer he gets to the ball”) making essentially the same point. Crowder fit a 4-3 scheme as a DE because he offered both run stopping and pass rushing ability but he was relatively weak at pass rushing and, it now seems, understandably weak in pass coverage. In the end, he wasn’t big enough to make the transition to DE34, and any possibilities there ended once he lost weight in an effort to make the team at OLB. The net result is that he was a scheme switch casualty. I still believe Crowder has ability that could be developed under the right circumstances, but those circumstances didn’t exist here.

Another comparison that’s useful — Moss. Moss’ edge rushing ability translates far better at OLB34. Even at OLB34, Moss is still fast (and don’t conflate the metric ranges for OLB43 with this position) This link to Frank Cooney’s Draft Scout (a very good site) shows a number of things. A 4.7-40yd. may not seem too impressive but it’s dazzling for someone his size. Notice that Moss’ secondary position was OLB. I also have to note that his projected draft slot at #30 and rising (at that time) made him a very reasonable pick for us, I realize some people believed otherwise, and they like to point the fact out now, but Moss’ pick was never that questionable, especially when you use a good site such as Cooney’s DS as your guide.

Finally, regarding Haggan. Being named a co-captain is a surprise, I won’t pretend that I saw that coming, but he clearly played well late last season (even though that fact was forgotten because of other news), and his style of play exemplified what the staff were looking for. My previous post on overlooked players contained this quote:

"a lot of people said they felt like I was a 3-4 outside linebacker."

In the midst of the late season swoon and later coaching change and Cutler issues, Haggan was forgotten about. His play and combination of size and speed warranted attention, but his story was lost amongst more compelling stories. Having undeveloped high draft picks (a story in itself), a new 1st rounder, our sack leader, and a recent FA acquisition all playing same position made Haggan’s story an afterthought. He was scarcely noticed. Even his ascension to starter on the depth chart was considered to be more of ‘message sending’ to Crowder and Reid than an accomplishment on his part. In truth, we just wasn’t considered, and this happens to some players.