Go Kong

[NoDakIggle]

I like Kong and think he is growing into his LB role but I have to wonder what he would have done or where the birds would be with him at DE. Maybe they need to use him more as they did last night and maybe he wasn't comfortable enough in his LB role yet to have done that. But I thought he brought a lot to the table when rushing. They need DE help next year; if there is a hell of an LB available I wouldn't mind seeing the birds pick him up and put Kong back at DE.

[BIGPHILLY]

Re: Go Kong

I think the Birds need to be more creative with him all the time. This mindset of "Line up each guy where they play and do your roles" is outdated.

Last night - they floated him everywhere. Why not do that vs. every team?

[fly]

Re: Go Kong

I think the Birds need to be more creative with him all the time. This mindset of "Line up each guy where they play and do your roles" is outdated.

Last night - they floated him everywhere. Why not do that vs. every team?

I completely agree...it's like the coaching staff said, "hey, let's work extra hard this week..." Why not do that every week?

[Leonard Tose]

Re: Go Kong

i'm on record as not being a fan of Gocong as a SAM backer, but I think he's got real potential as a situational pass rusher. he did a nice job getting after Brady last night.

i think he's a very good candidate to be a Joker, a hybrid guy who sometimes stands up and rushes the passer or puts his hand on the ground.

[BIGPHILLY]

Re: Go Kong

So as not to start a new thread - how great did Gaither play last night in coverage? Wow.

[Leonard Tose]

Re: Go Kong

So as not to start a new thread - how great did Gaither play last night in coverage? Wow.

He was awesome in coverage.

[leifdawg]

Re: Go Kong

I like Kong and think he is growing into his LB role but I have to wonder what he would have done or where the birds would be with him at DE. Maybe they need to use him more as they did last night and maybe he wasn't comfortable enough in his LB role yet to have done that. But I thought he brought a lot to the table when rushing. They need DE help next year; if there is a hell of an LB available I wouldn't mind seeing the birds pick him up and put Kong back at DE.

The one thing I like about GoCong at LB is that he is one of the few Eagles that is actually bigger than average at his position. If you move him back to the line he becomes just another undersized DE.

[Leonard Tose]

Re: Go Kong

Here's JJ talking about Gocong as a future Joker, the role I've been looking for him to play:


-- What you saw Sunday night is what attracted Jim Johnson to Chris Gocong's potential in the first place - his athleticism, the way you can move him around, play him with his hand down, drop him into pass coverage, make the offense wonder where the hell No. 57 is coming from this time. Why hadn't we seen Gocong look this dynamic previously? Gocong, the 2006 third-round pick who missed his rookie season with a neck injury, had a sack and a hurry against Tom Brady. It was his first career sack.

"I think he was ready for it," Johnson said. "He's really matured the last 3 weeks. When we had drafted Chris, we had decided he might eventually be a 'joker' for us. He wasn't quite ready, because he was trying to learn the rest of the defense. All of a sudden, he kind of picked that up. The kid can rush the passer."

[Theo]

Re: Go Kong

Nice to hear that from JJ. Hopefully he keeps throwing out those different looks and different blitzes the rest of the season. Having a guy like Gocong who can move around so much is a definite advantage. Maybe JJ will leave the shackles off and let him go...sounds like it anyway.

It was actually enjoyable watching them play D the other night, even if they did give up 24 points. Of course giving up 24 to NE is like giving up only 10 to anyone else. They were mixing things up, different looks. Plus they took some hard shots at the Pats when given the chance. Now if we could just manage some turnovers....

[BIGPHILLY]

Re: Go Kong

Love that quote. Gives me a ton of hope. I'm tired of not having playmaking LB's.

That said - Takeo and Gaither looked good recently too. I'm encouraged.

[Vote for Kalas]

Re: Go Kong

I think the Birds need to be more creative with him all the time. This mindset of "Line up each guy where they play and do your roles" is outdated.

Last night - they floated him everywhere. Why not do that vs. every team?

I completely agree...it's like the coaching staff said, "hey, let's work extra hard this week..." Why not do that every week?

Because that was Kearse's role until several weeks ago and Gocong needs some time to integrate that part into his role...unless you believe players learn everything immediately and can execute perfectly right away...

They drafted Gocong with that hybrid LB/DE role in mind IMO and are slowly integrating him into every facet of the role IMO...

[andrewaters]

Re: Go Kong

Gocong has the possibility to be this teams Demarcus Ware or Shawne Merriman. I know that sounds crazy to compare him to those guys but he is REALLY sudden out there and he seems to be around the ball a lot. I really like the kid. He is big, fast and instinctive. May not ever be that great in coverage but he could be a bigger, more active version of Carlos Emmons. We haven't had that for about 5 years.