Lemar Marshall

[GhostOfLamontHollinquest]

To me, Lemar Marshall was the most pleasant suprise this season (other than Santana, of course). Had 96 tackles and 2 sacks, as well as 4 ints, including a clutch one against Philly to clinch and one for a TD against Oakland. His tackle and interception totals led the team. He was also a personal favorite of mine to watch all season. Where do you guys think Marshall ranks amongst MLBs in the NFL?

[#1SkinsFan]

at least in the top 20

[Inigo Montoya]

He gets no love, its sick. I think hes awesome, esp after having to make the switch to MLB this yr. He's in my top three Redskins' LBs.

[ddub52]

yea he seems to be overlooked alot

[ImmortalDragon]

He's definetly underrated nationwide, but he is overrated on this board.

[Stophovr6]

I want him to be underrated.
Antonio Pierce is my argument.

[GhostOfLamontHollinquest]

What about this:
Who would YOU prefer- Marshall or Pierce?

[Spear]

The coaches hardly mentioned Lemar all year, and when they did, they would always bring up the fact that MLB is not the position he should be playing.

I'd be surprised to see him starting at MLB next year.

[twenty-eight]

He gets no love, its sick. I think hes awesome, esp after having to make the switch to MLB this yr. He's in my top three Redskins' LBs.


Saying that he's in your top three redskins lbs isnt saying much, actually, its not saying anything! He is one of our three starting linebackers.

Lemar's solid, I think its the system that makes these guys good.

[GhostOfLamontHollinquest]

I'd be surprised to see him starting at MLB next year.

Are you kidding me? Logistically, that just doesn't make sense. He's better than any MLB on our roster and worse than any OLB. So naturally his fit is MLB, especially since he has a year of experience there. What makes you think otherwise?

[Spear]

Uh, I already explained my reasoning.

a) The coaches never bring him up when talking about players who are excelling (game balls, etc)

b) When the coaches are ASKED about him, they invariably note that he's not playing his natural position.

Obviously, nobody on the roster is going to start over him. I think we'll add someone who's a more natural fit than he is.

[Donita35]

Saying that he's in your top three redskins lbs isnt saying much, actually, its not saying anything! He is one of our three starting linebackers.

Lemar's solid, I think its the system that makes these guys good.

Yeah, that comment was pretty pointless. :doh:

On another note, I think LM was great this year expecially for his size and to have been his first year starting in GW's system. I think he can play MLB with the best of them, yes even with Ray Ray. (Okay, maybe not that good :silly: ) But definitely in the top 5 of the league.

I would not be hurt if he is in the middle again. On the other hand, I will surely be upset if he is not in our STARTING lineup next year. :2cents:

[supersmartbrunell5]

Uh, I already explained my reasoning.



b) When the coaches are ASKED about him, they invariably note that he's not playing his natural position.




I watched every single Gibbs and Williams press conference this year and don't recall one time hearing either say that Lemar was playing out of position, where are you getting that?

[fdarugar]

Totally underated, one of my favorite Skins. Its funny how when we sucked AP got alot of pub, then we get good and Marshall goes completely unoticed, weird.

[Heavy Jumbo]

I watched every single Gibbs and Williams press conference this year and don't recall one time hearing either say that Lemar was playing out of position, where are you getting that?

I was getting ready to ask the same question.

I don't remember anyone on the coaching staff EVER saying Marshall was playing out of his natural position.

[Bhutanibeast]

Even if they did, why would that mean that he switching back to OLB next year. Just because they dont talk about him doesnt me that they arent pleased with his performance.

[Larry Gude]

To me, Lemar Marshall was the most pleasant suprise this season (other than Santana, of course). Had 96 tackles and 2 sacks, as well as 4 ints, including a clutch one against Philly to clinch and one for a TD against Oakland. His tackle and interception totals led the team. He was also a personal favorite of mine to watch all season. Where do you guys think Marshall ranks amongst MLBs in the NFL?


I dunno. It's my memory that he made more of an impact last year, more big plays?

I think the guy is a solid starter but top 20? I don't think so.

Glad he's a Skin in an event.

[Spear]

Joe Gibbs said it in a post-practice media session toward the end of the year that i watched on Redskins.com and Joe Bugel said the same in a News 4 at 5 interview, also toward the end of the year. They aren't defensive coaches, but I do believe they represent the overall opinion of the organization and I'lve never seen any comments from Gregg Williams to contradict them (Dale Lindsey doesn't typically speak with the media).

I have nothing against Marshall. I just think that with the whole Pierce situation, many around here make him out to be more than he is. To put it in perspective, Pierce was high atop a lot of Redskins fans pro bowl wish list last year. The same could not have been said of Lemar this year, as our defensive ranking slid.

You might say that he has a year of experience under his belt, giving him the edge on retaining his job. But you fail to see the other side of the coin. Opposing teams have a year's worth of film on him to dissect. I think that tends to outweigh the experience when you're talking about a natural weakside backer playing MLB.

[Fifty Gut]

What about this:
Who would YOU prefer- Marshall or Pierce?

Marshall

he's better in coverage and provided us the same performance as Pierce the previous season

[PotomacSkinsFan]

I want him to be underrated.
Antonio Pierce is my argument.

exactly

[Ant15fromNJ]

I think he played great this season. Since he isnt a big name he doesnt get recognized for the season he had.

[GibbsforPrez]

Ray Lewis
Brian Urlacher
Andra Davis - highly underrated
Tedy Bruschi
Donnie Edwards
James Farrior
London Fletcher
Al Wilson
Dan Morgan
Mike Peterson
Shelton Quarles
Jonathon Vilma
Jeremiah Trotter
Odell Thurman
Lofa Tatupu
What is that 15 guys, so I'd say Marshall is about 16th in the league, but he's with some extremely talented players at one of the hardest positions in the game

[truskinsfan18]

Anyone who doesn't think he should be our starting mlb next year is nuts. Who else then? Are you trying to say we bring in a new guy and have him learn the system? YOU DONT BENCH A GUY WHO LED YOUR TEAM IN TACKLES AND INTERCEPTIONS!!! Some of you guys want a freakin pro-bowler at every position, when wil you realize that we have a very good player(not sayin great) for a CHEAP price. We could have spent the big bucks on Pierce, then we wouldn't have room for other needs you guys are crying about. Same can be said for Ryan Clark, a solid player who is VERY cheap

[bmw2301]

Chris Cooley will be a top TE very soon, what a pick in the 3rd round....
GO SKINS

[#98QBKiller]

Anyone who doesn't think he should be our starting mlb next year is nuts. Who else then? Are you trying to say we bring in a new guy and have him learn the system? YOU DONT BENCH A GUY WHO LED YOUR TEAM IN TACKLES AND INTERCEPTIONS!!! Some of you guys want a freakin pro-bowler at every position, when wil you realize that we have a very good player(not sayin great) for a CHEAP price. We could have spent the big bucks on Pierce, then we wouldn't have room for other needs you guys are crying about. Same can be said for Ryan Clark, a solid player who is VERY cheap



:applause:


Don't worry, they'll be starting Marshall. Unless Brian Urlacher wants to play for free or something.

[FightForOldDC21]

lemar is the man

[schmitty199]

Yeah, that comment was pretty pointless. :doh:

On another note, I think LM was great this year expecially for his size and to have been his first year starting in GW's system. I think he can play MLB with the best of them, yes even with Ray Ray. (Okay, maybe not that good :silly: ) But definitely in the top 5 of the league.

I would not be hurt if he is in the middle again. On the other hand, I will surely be upset if he is not in our STARTING lineup next year. :2cents:

top 5? hes the 4th best i nthe division

1.peirce
2.trotter
3.james
4.marshall

hes a solid player but nowhere near elite

[schmitty199]

Ray Lewis
Brian Urlacher
Andra Davis - highly underrated
Tedy Bruschi
Donnie Edwards
James Farrior
London Fletcher
Al Wilson
Dan Morgan
Mike Peterson
Shelton Quarles
Jonathon Vilma
Jeremiah Trotter
Odell Thurman
Lofa Tatupu
What is that 15 guys, so I'd say Marshall is about 16th in the league, but he's with some extremely talented players at one of the hardest positions in the game

bradie james

:applause:

[#1SkinsFan]

I dunno. It's my memory that he made more of an impact last year, more big plays?

I think the guy is a solid starter but top 20? I don't think so.

Glad he's a Skin in an event.

He started while Arrington was out and i didnt really notice the "IMPACT" last year he had that you are talking about. It was Pierce who had the biggest impact besides Marcus and Co. This year Marshall led the team in INTS had 95 tackles (first on the team) and returned one INT for a TD. All after he had to switch positions. Now tell me he didnt have a big impact this year.

[#1SkinsFan]

top 5? hes the 4th best i nthe division

1.peirce
2.trotter
3.james
4.marshall

hes a solid player but nowhere near elite

B.S.!


Let me find out that Bradie James had a bigger impact for the Cowboys, than Marshall did for us?

I mean i aint tryin to be a homer, but lets be real. Even my brother who's a Cowboys fan would say that Marshall had a better season.

1. Pierce
2. Trotter
3. Marshall
4. James

Thats the correct order.

[bschurm]

If we lose Lavar (God I hope not), then move Lemar back to weakside and sign Derek Smith out of San Fran. He is smart and capable and would be as good as Pierce was in this defense if not better.

If Lavar stays, we should pick up Derek Smith out of San Fran. He is smart and capable and would be as good as Pierce was in this defense if not better.

[philal0102]

i love to watch him too... id say top 15-20. hes one of my personal favorites

[schmitty199]

B.S.!


Let me find out that Bradie James had a bigger impact for the Cowboys, than Marshall did for us?

I mean i aint tryin to be a homer, but lets be real. Even my brother who's a Cowboys fan would say that Marshall had a better season.

1. Pierce
2. Trotter
3. Marshall
4. James

Thats the correct order.

i can see both sides of the arguement....

IMO james is better at taking on blocks and stuffing the run. After not playing much his 1st 2 seasons he started this year and when dat nyguen went down early all the playcalling got put on his shouldars. He thrived under the pressure and was conistent all year long with a undersized NT and average MLBs beside him. IMO bradie james is a up and coming player.

[Tarpon75]

The coaches hardly mentioned Lemar all year, and when they did, they would always bring up the fact that MLB is not the position he should be playing.

I'd be surprised to see him starting at MLB next year.
Personally I don't need to hear what the coaches have to say to form an opinion on Marshall.He is effective against the run from sideline to sideline and plays the pass very well.As matter of fact he is quite a bit better than A. Pierce defending the pass..He has nose for the ball and seems to come up with the big play. I really don't know how any more can be expected out of him.I would be shocked,barring injury if he doesn't start next year.

[Lil Kenzo]

i can see both sides of the arguement....

IMO james is better at taking on blocks and stuffing the run. After not playing much his 1st 2 seasons he started this year and when dat nyguen went down early all the playcalling got put on his shouldars. He thrived under the pressure and was conistent all year long with a undersized NT and average MLBs beside him. IMO bradie james is a up and coming player.

Who is Bradie James???

[schmitty199]

Who is Bradie James???

ILB Dallas

6'2 255

4th rounder out of lsu

has played OLB before this year

was the guy who gave mcnabb the knockout punch after the williams pick six

[DoGood28]

Lemar Marshall is one of the players that I am most excited to see play next year. A whole year under his belt at MLB will be great for his development. I hope he stays for a long time and has a great career as a Redskin. Give credit to the coaches for letting Pierce go.

[schmitty199]

Lemar Marshall is one of the players that I am most excited to see play next year. A whole year under his belt at MLB will be great for his development. I hope he stays for a long time and has a great career as a Redskin. Give credit to the coaches for letting Pierce go.

long career as a redskin?

isnt he like 30?

[skins84]

long career as a redskin?

isnt he like 30?


LOl no he isn't like 30

[mooby]

I believe he's 29, his birthday was December 17th, 1976. I do think he has some good years left in him. He went largely unnoticed this year, but i believe he did just as good in the system as A.P. did last year. Led the team in tackles and interceptions. He was solid in both pass coverage and run coverage. I think he will be a fixture for a few more years until his production declines.

[dent19]

he's grossly underpaid.

[Bonef1de]

What about this:
Who would YOU prefer- Marshall or Pierce?

2004 Pierce (in DC)

16 games
112 Tkl
1 Sack
2 Int
1 Td
3 pass def
1 F.F.


2005 Marshall

16 games
98 Tkl
2 Sack
4 Int
1 TD
5 pass def
2 F.F.
And let's not forget winning a playoff game

I hated watching Pierce leave to NY. I thought that our D was gonna suffer and the world was coming to an end. But now that I've watched every game and now I sit back and look at the stats while also thinking what Pierce's cap hit probably would've been. I think I can live with Lemar ;)

[Rogers22]

Marshall played really well this year. It would be a shame for him to not start next season, especially now that he has a year of experience playing the positon.

[SkinsNorth]

Marshall's biggest asset is his versatility. He played well at OLB and played better than most expected at MLB this past season. He is similar to Carolina's Will Witherspoon.

Personally, I think his best position is WLB. But he is more than capable at MLB. Keep in mind that he played safety at Michigan St., so the LB position is relatively new.

Where he plays will come down to not him, but the other LBs. If Lavar stays, Marshall will play MLB. But if the front office decides to go with a bigger MLB, then Marshall will shift to WLB.

[jimster]

2004 Pierce (in DC)

16 games
112 Tkl
1 Sack
2 Int
1 Td
3 pass def
1 F.F.


2005 Marshall

16 games
98 Tkl
2 Sack
4 Int
1 TD
5 pass def
2 F.F.
And let's not forget winning a playoff game

I hated watching Pierce leave to NY. I thought that our D was gonna suffer and the world was coming to an end. But now that I've watched every game and now I sit back and look at the stats while also thinking what Pierce's cap hit probably would've been. I think I can live with Lemar ;)

Actually those stats for Marshall are incorrect. - From the Redskins website

2005: Marshall played and started all 16 regular season games, plus two playoff games. He led the defense with tackles with 132 (103 solo) and four interceptions. He also had two sacks and two forced fumbles

...up untill Pierce got hurt in NY, Marshall was still putting up better numbers than him.

[Macd36]

yea he seems to be overlooked alot


overlooked is a understatement! physical talent plus brians to run the D

[LiveStrongSkins]

I watched every single Gibbs and Williams press conference this year and don't recall one time hearing either say that Lemar was playing out of position, where are you getting that?

You are in huntington beach, CA what are you talking about? Gibbs has praised Marshall several times and there has been peices on him in the local media. Stop trying to pretend youve seen every coaches quote by going on Redskins.com are you kidding?

[Mark The Homer]

You can't say Marshall in inadequate because Pierce was better. You can say Pierce is in the top 5, but that doesn't mean we have to dump LM, does it?

Has anybody mentioned the fact that Marshall happens to be the smartest guy on the defense? And that he studies harder than anybody else? Does defense QB mean anything to anybody? He worked his way up in the trenches. He paid his dues. He's probably more core Redskin than anybody on the team.

If Marshall learned how to do cartwheels, he'd be ranked in the top ten in the league.

[Skinsfan1311]

Totally underated, one of my favorite Skins. Its funny how when we sucked AP got alot of pub, then we get good and Marshall goes completely unoticed, weird.

Agreed. Marshall stepped up, big-time.

[G-Prime]

Marshall is the man.. There were a lot of doubters around here last year..

[ChrisL4064]

You are in huntington beach, CA what are you talking about? Gibbs has praised Marshall several times and there has been peices on him in the local media. Stop trying to pretend youve seen every coaches quote by going on Redskins.com are you kidding?

how can you put down this dude cause hes from Cali.....

in my opinion Lemar Marshall trounces Lavar, easily

[frommd]

Personally, I like that he is underrated. Kind of fits with our whole team mantra. I think it's hillarious when we go down to Dallas and beat the Cowboys on Monday Night Football, and the announcers are looking shocked and practically saying, "how did THAT happen?!!"

As for Marshall, I thought he started slow, but got better and better as the year went on. I am looking forward to seeing him with another year under his belt.

[Dirk Diggler]

I've said it before and I will say it again: Marshall is going back to the weakside OLB when the door hits Arrington on his behind next month. I’m glad he played well and was productive in the middle this season – I just don’t think it’s his natural position. He’s very athletic, fluid, and natural in coverage but he doesn’t take on blocks very well. No matter what system you play in, the MLB needs to be able to take on and shed blocks better than Marshall. I don’t think we can be a top, top run D (like in 2004) with him at the Mike. Pierce was and is the better all-around performer and leader in the middle. It doesn’t pain me to admit that. We can’t afford to have studs at EVERY position in the era of free agency, can we? :)

Marshall showed us his versatility the past 2 years and you can’t put a price on that. Should his replacement not work out next season we can flip things back to the way they were in 05 and be confident that (at worst) we will be solid if unspectacular in the middle of the defense. But Greg Williams doesn’t usual settle for solid on his side of the ball. I think we can get back to being suffocating and one of the steps will be moving Marshall back where he belongs.

[ChiefPowhatan17]

I would put him in the top 10 MLB's in the league. Only people in the NFC that I think are better than him are Brian Urlacher and Lofa Tatupu.

[ChrisL4064]

im gonna stick with what i have said since the day we lost againsed seattle in the playoffs.

Lavar is gone (thank god) Lemar Marshall should go to outside LB where he is a little more comfortable and Robert McCune should come in as a middle linebacker. McCune is no stranger to the leadership role. beside McCune is like 28 or something, we gotta get him in there soon.

[AUviaDC101]

Personally, talent wise he is top 20, size wise, he is top ten... intangibles (gregg williams field general) he is top 5...

Gibbs For LIfe!!!

[The Full Monty]

Every one of his 4 interceptions were HUGE. He helped seal the Chicago game for us. He scored the only TD against Oakland for us. He helped reverse momentum against the Giants when they were in our territory --- leading to the Portis TD throw to Cooley --- and he batted the ball to himself in Philly --- leading to the Portis 20 yard TD run that sealed the game.

He had a great season and if we just had steadier play from the Weakside position earlier in the year, our defensive numbers wouldn't have slid so much.

[HailYeah]

Ray Lewis
Brian Urlacher
Andra Davis - highly underrated
Tedy Bruschi
Donnie Edwards
James Farrior
London Fletcher
Al Wilson
Dan Morgan
Mike Peterson
Shelton Quarles
Jonathon Vilma
Jeremiah Trotter
Odell Thurman
Lofa Tatupu
What is that 15 guys, so I'd say Marshall is about 16th in the league, but he's with some extremely talented players at one of the hardest positions in the game

Zach Thomas.

I would put him in the top 18. We dont need him to be a top 10 MLB. We need him to be himself and thats what he did this year. He was HUGE for us! Just look at his stats compared to Pierce and ask yourself if it was worth letting Pierce walk.