Ansah Prediction

[gvsulaker82]

A lot of lions fans think any player that steps into a lions uni automatically becomes the one of the best in the NFL at his position. I don't know about you but I've been watching the lions for 25 years and I have no idea how they would come up with this mindset. Anyhow ansah has the potential to be good but unfortunately potential only goes so far.

 

[TrustMeIamRight]

Has any player ever doubled his sack total from his senior year of college in his rookie year in the NFL? That's what these predictions of 8 & 9 sacks would require.

THANK YOU. That is exactly what I have been trying to get at. Ansah has the potential to be great, but it isn't going to be easy in the NFL relying solely on athletic ability.

Those saying in one year, he is going to go from a backup on BYU to 10-15 sacks in the NFL are really just wishful thinking. Realistically -- if he ended up with a 4-6 sacks, it'd be a successful rookie year for him, IMO.

What Ansah has above all other DE's in the draft is potential and a higher ceiling. That doesn't mean he is going to step on the field though and rank in the top 20 in the NFL in sacks though. I am guessing it is going to take him a couple years to learn some football moves and technique to regularly beat OT in the NFL. Hell -- even JJ Watt, only had like 5.5 sacks his rookie year, before turning into a beast.

That is why I said a lot of Lions fans are going to be upset if they believe Ansah is going to step into the lineup and become a force in the NFL.

 

[tpaulus_2]

And some Lions fans think that any player who puts on a Lions uniform automatically sucks because of it... It's all in the eyes of the beholder, and most of us choose not to be whiny little bitches about everything Lions related.

 

[LionsWhyMe]

Has any player ever doubled his sack total from his senior year of college in his rookie year in the NFL? That's what these predictions of 8 & 9 sacks would require.

Julius Peppers and Simeon Rice both had huge rookie seasons. Headed out the door or I would look their stats up along with some others.

 

[Quackerjacked]

There are a few reasons that I believe the 8-9 sacks are attainable. The first is all the positions that he played at BYU. He wasn't even rushing the passer quite often. He lined up at every spot on the line, so he didn't get to focus on being good at technique for one position. He didn't have a whole year of starting to accumulate stats. He was an absolute beast when put in our defensive scheme in the Senior Bowl. Very few high profile DE get drafted to a spot where they are going to be the third most dangerous pass rusher heading into the season. He's not going to get doubled unless he is much better than anyone is expecting.

Avril was posting 9-12 sacks a year and would still be isolated by tight ends in pass pro.

 

[jayfan]

Julius Peppers and Simeon Rice both had huge rookie seasons. Headed out the door or I would look their stats up along with some others.

You're right LWM, Peppers and Rice had monster rookie seasons - both had 12 sacks. But both also had higher sack seasons in college. A 16 for Rice and a 15 for Peppers.
They probably each had more than one season above 12 in college, but 16 & 15 were their respective highs. Rice had 44.5 total over 4 years, and Peppers had 30 over 3 years.

 

[Vader]

Ansah is custom built for this defensive scheme. Could someone please tell me what set of moves Avril developed that got him to double digit sack totals?? He had one and one only.....pure speed. He was pretty good at jumping offsides as well when he mis-timed his jump. They can teach Ansah how to jump offices just like Avril and he already has the speed so IMO there is no reason he can't duplicate Avril's numbers, even as a rookie

 

[TrustMeIamRight]

And some Lions fans think that any player who puts on a Lions uniform automatically sucks because of it... It's all in the eyes of the beholder, and most of us choose not to be whiny little bitches about everything Lions related.

Why is it 'whiny little bitches' when people use logic to explain their reasoning? Ansah wasn't even a starter on BYU till someone went down. He has played football a grand total of 3 years. He has never solely played DE for a full year and he lacks football moves and technique needed for the position. He is going to be relying his rookie season pretty much on his athletic ability and what he learns in the few months with the team before the season starts.

Having 10 sacks would rank him in the top 20 in the NFL (according to last year's stats). Do you believe Ansah is going to be in the top 20 in the NFL in sacks? Those saying 12 or more put him in the top 8 in the NFL.

I believe all anyone is saying is to be realistic with Ansah. He is an unproven talent with an extremely high upside. His athletic ability is off the charts, but his football knowledge is not. Is it possible he puts up 8-10 sacks? Sure. Is it probable? No. It may take him a couple years before he becomes a force and grows into his talent.

 

[TrustMeIamRight]

Ansah is custom built for this defensive scheme. Could someone please tell me what set of moves Avril developed that got him to double digit sack totals?? He had one and one only.....pure speed. He was pretty good at jumping offsides as well when he mis-timed his jump. They can teach Ansah how to jump offices just like Avril and he already has the speed so IMO there is no reason he can't duplicate Avril's numbers, even as a rookie

If the only thing needed for the Lions DE position is speed. Why waste the #5 pick on the position? They could have taken Margus Hunt in the 2nd round -- he ran faster than Ansah. They could have taken Cornelius Washington in like the 5th or 6th -- he ran faster than Ansah. They could have drafted Mingo -- He ran faster than Ansah. So did Corey Lemonier and Trevardo Williams.

Hell -- if all that is needed is speed. Devin Taylor should be racking up just as many as Ansah. He actually was faster than Ansah in the 3 cone drill showing he has more burst, while only running 0.09 slower in the 40 yard dash.

Without any football moves -- all the OT is going to have to do is push Ansah upfield and past the pocket. I think Ansah will be a quality player, but I just think it is going to take him some time before he gets there. Personally, I just don't see him finishing the season in the top 20 in the NFL in sacks in his rookie year.

 

[broncosmitty]

Cliff Avril Blows!!!

 

[Microwahevo]

31 rookies have managed double-digit sack seasons in the 31 years since they became an official statistic. It didn't happen at all in 2012, but occurred twice (Aldon Smith of the San Francisco 49ers and Von Miller of the Denver Broncos) in 2011. And it's happened five times for NFC North teams, most recently when the Lions' Suh did it in 2010.

I went through and took some numbers from random sack leaders and also what they did their final year in college. My point is that not all great sack leaders have amazing first years, even though some do. However, it's not out of the realm of possibility that they do have an outstanding first year.

JPP is probably the best person to compare Ziggy to b/c he only played one year and was considered a "combine freak". He only had 6 sacks his college year and 4.5 his first year. Could be because he wasn't polished yet, or could be b/c the NYG had a great amount of DE's that he played behind. Either way, Ziggy could have a double-digit sack year, or he may not.

Jared Allen-9 sacks(17 1/2 last yr in college)
Julius Peppers-12 sacks
Clay matthews-10 sacks(4.5 sacks senior year)
Mark Anderson-12 sacks(7.5 sacks senior year)
Keith Millard-11 sacks(couldn't find college sack totals)
Jevon Kearse-14 sacks(7.5 sacks last year in college)
JPP-4.5 sacks(6 sacks his only college year)
Dwight Freeney-13 sacks(17.5 sacks senior year)
Leonard Marshall-.5 sacks(couldn't find college stats)
Ziggy Ansah-??(4.5 sacks senior year)

I believe all anyone is saying is to be realistic with Ansah.

I think people are. Just because they don't coincide with your line of thought, doesn't mean it's not realistic. He could very well have a great year playing next to Suh/Fairley. Just because he is unproven doesn't mean he can't do something.

 

[tpaulus_2]

Why is it 'whiny little bitches' when people use logic to explain their reasoning?

That was directed at GVSU, not you. He doesn't use logic, he just comes on here and bitches about the Lions and our players, coaches, GM, fans, owner, mascot, vendors, color scheme, and whatever else he can think of.

You and I but heads often, but at least you make valid points and are willing to engage in discussions. He just gives pissy little one or two sentence responses every time someone says anything good about one of our players who isn't Megatron or Chris Spielman...

 

[tpaulus_2]

Having 10 sacks would rank him in the top 20 in the NFL (according to last year's stats). Do you believe Ansah is going to be in the top 20 in the NFL in sacks?

No, I don't. That's why I predicted 8 sacks. We feature a scheme designed to rack up sacks, and he's playing next to the best DT combo in the league, so I think 8 sacks is pretty reasonable. Maybe he doesn't get that many, I'd be happy with 6 sacks out of a rookie DE, but I really think he can get to 8...

 

[tpaulus_2]

I think people are. Just because they don't coincide with your line of thought, doesn't mean it's not realistic.

Post of the week right there!

 

[TrustMeIamRight]

I think people are. Just because they don't coincide with your line of thought, doesn't mean it's not realistic. He could very well have a great year playing next to Suh/Fairley. Just because he is unproven doesn't mean he can't do something.

You think being realistic is predicting Ansah to finish in the top 20 in the NFL in sacks his rookie season, even though he has never played a full year at the DE position and even the Lions coaches have readily admitted he is going to have to rely on his athletic ability to make plays as he lacks rushing moves and technique, which they are going to have to teach him.

If that is being realistic -- Devin Taylor should finish in the top 10 in sacks. He put up a comparable 40 time and was faster in the 3 cone than Ansah, which shows his short area burst is better. He also was much more productive in college and is much more polished as a pass rusher.

If a realistic prediction for Ansah is 10 or more sacks. I'm going to say Devin Taylor will get 20 sacks next year.

 

[Microwahevo]

Then it looks as though we're gonna have one helluva DE tandem this year. Go Lions!!

 

[tpaulus_2]

Are you always this narrow-minded?

I feel sorry for those who have to deal with you on a day-to-day basis. Believe it or not there are other's who know stuff about football around here besides you.

You sure act petulant when someone disagrees with you. Clinging to this "top 20" bullshit just shows that you can't handle people not agreeing with what you have to say...

 

[TrustMeIamRight]

No, I don't. That's why I predicted 8 sacks. We feature a scheme designed to rack up sacks, and he's playing next to the best DT combo in the league, so I think 8 sacks is pretty reasonable. Maybe he doesn't get that many, I'd be happy with 6 sacks out of a rookie DE, but I really think he can get to 8...

8 could be a possibility. IMO, people are going a little overboard on their predictions. Ansah is an untapped talent. It may take him a couple years before he becomes productive on a yearly basis. Hell -- he could just as easily turn out to be a bust. Detroit gambled on his high ceiling and the hopes they could coach him up and teach him football moves and technique necessary to be successful in the NFL.

If the only thing needed to be successful at the DE position was speed and strength -- Margus Hunt would have been a top 5 pick, as he blew everyone out of the water at the combine. It takes more than that though.

I think Ansah could be an absolute beast for the Lions, but IMO, it will be possibly year 2, but more likely years 3 and 4 before we see him putting up some of the sack numbers people are talking about on here.

 

[Microwahevo]

What I'm asking is why is it ok to predict he'll have low-ass sack numbers, but not ok to predict high totals? Why talk shit about the people that have positive outlooks, but have it be ok to be negative and say he won't get many sacks?

Yes, he is somewhat unproven, but he has freakish athletic ability. And he'll be playing alongside two DT's that will be double-teamed(sometimes both at same time?). It shouldn't be too hard for him to rack up some nice sack totals and learn all at the same time.

I for one think he has the ability, and help in the middle, to get anywhere between 8-11 sacks. You can repeat everything you've already stated but that's what I think, agree with it or not.

 

[Microwahevo]

I think Ansah could be an absolute beast for the Lions, but IMO, it will be possibly year 2, but more likely years 3 and 4 before we see him putting up some of the sack numbers people are talking about on here.

It took JPP til his 2nd season to put up 16.5 sacks. Like I said earlier, that's the guy I will compare Ziggy to more than anyone, based on their college careers. I see no reason why Ziggy can't be as successful as JPP in his first few years(minus the injuries of course). You see it your way, others see it theirs. Plain and simple.