Paul Kruger

[BloodRaven]

When we drafted Kruger i'll admit I had no clue who he was and was far from impressed by his combine workout and numbers. Even though its preseason Ive had to eat my words. Kruger is playing like hes been here 10 years. Personally I thought he moved like a 350lb o-lineman in his agility and 40 drills, and like a few others here I wondered why we didnt take Michael Johnson who on paper had better "upside". Even the scouting reports said he didn't shed blocks well... so far thats only one of many knocks about him thats being proved wrong.

-A few weeks when camp started Oher couldnt block Kruger one-on-one which got a rare raised eyebrow out of me.

-Two weeks ago Mike Preston said if you want a laugh watch Kruger drop into coverage, so I did... and once again he had no problem shadowing receivers, he even made a few break ups and showed huge range which was pretty impressive.

-The biggest thing that has stood out in the last few weeks is if you watch the plays with with Kruger and Barnes coming off the edge, Barnes (our very own 4.4 linebacker) looks slower than Kruger, and while Kruger is disrupting plays and tracking the ball Barnes was dancing with his blocker.

Ozzy, you are a genius.

P.S I forgive you for the 2005 draft

[BuckWilds]

[quote name='BloodRaven' date='31 August 2009 - 11:20 AM' timestamp='1251732035' post='227338']
When we drafted Kruger i'll admit I had no clue who he was and was far from impressed by his combine workout and numbers. Even though its preseason Ive had to eat my words. Kruger is playing like hes been here 10 years. Personally I thought he moved like a 350lb o-lineman in his agility and 40 drills, and like a few others here I wondered why we didnt take Michael Johnson who on paper had better "upside". Even the scouting reports said he didn't shed blocks well... so far thats only one of many knocks about him thats being proved wrong.

-A few weeks when camp started Oher couldnt block Kruger one-on-one which got a rare raised eyebrow out of me.

-Two weeks ago Mike Preston said if you want a laugh watch Kruger drop into coverage, so I did... and once again he had no problem shadowing receivers, he even made a few break ups and showed huge range which was pretty impressive.

-The biggest thing that has stood out in the last few weeks is if you watch the plays with with Kruger and Barnes coming off the edge, Barnes (our very own 4.4 linebacker) looks slower than Kruger, and while Kruger is disrupting plays and tracking the ball Barnes was dancing with his blocker.

Ozzy, you are a genius.

P.S I forgive you for the 2005 draft
[/quote]


Rushing speed, especially turning speed(cranking and grinding from the edge toward the QB) is much different than 40-yd dash speed. As a result, I'm not that worried about his 4.9-5.0 40-yd dash. Don't pay attention to Preston. He's a two-bit hater who thinks he knows more than Ozzie and Harbaugh. They picked up Kruger for a reason, and that's good enough for me. The fact that Kruger is showing some of his potential is icing on the cake.

[Ravensfan23]

That is why just looking a combine numbers alone don't tell the whole story.

Most fans will only look for the names they know from college and say how good they will be. Then with guys they don't know or have never seen, they just judge the combine and quickly label it a bad pick or a steal.

Football is always played on the field in full pads. Judge these guys from what you see on the field and you will get a much better sense of how they will help this team.

As far as Preston, well to be honest he is no different then you or I or any of us here. He has his opinions and views, the same as we. He just has a platform to reach many more people then any of us.

To best honest I would rather look at some of the constant posters on this board break down the game then Preston, but that's just me.

One of the main problems I have with Preston and many others is they seem lazy to me. Like I said they have a platform to reach many people and inform fans. A lot of fans are simple, they don't really understand the ins and outs of the game, so they go by what they see on TV and read in the paper. Imo he gives out a lot of poor information.

Like he siad Gaither struggled last game, but in reality he played really well. He gave up one sack, that really shouldn't have been but Flacco stared down Mason. Other then that he and the rest of the online played well. Now a average fan that doesn't pay attention to the oline during games would think that he was having problems at LT and that just wasn't the case.

[beetus]

The main gripe I have been hearing about Kruger was his size, he needs to put on some weight if he wants to play just full time DE and/or be a hybrid like Suggs or Ware. He has looked sharp though and he made Rex eat his words about the whole number 99 thing.

[PuRock]

[quote name='beetus' date='31 August 2009 - 12:32 PM' timestamp='1251736365' post='227364']
The main gripe I have been hearing about Kruger was his size, he needs to put on some weight if he wants to play just full time DE and/or be a hybrid like Suggs or Ware. He has looked sharp though and he made Rex eat his words about the whole number 99 thing.
[/quote]

I think his size is perfect for what we want. He's 6'4'' @ 263. That's huge. Anymore weight just might slow him down.

That's actually what I like about him the most. He's not a big DE or a pure LB. But he is versatile and can do a lot more than originally expected. He's also intimidating at 6'4'' and can bat down balls (as evident in pre-season).

He also seems to have great field awareness.

[ravensfan160]

[quote name='beetus' date='31 August 2009 - 12:32 PM' timestamp='1251736365' post='227364']
The main gripe I have been hearing about Kruger was his size, he needs to put on some weight if he wants to play just full time DE and/or be a hybrid like Suggs or Ware. He has looked sharp though and he made Rex eat his words about the whole number 99 thing.
[/quote]
Its not so much a gripe if the idea is for him to play OLB. Ozzie invisions him taking over for Pryce when he retires so for him to play DE in the 3-4 he will have to put on weight. Apparently they think his frame is big enough for him to do just that.

[darklight1216]

I think the important question is: why are you listening to Mike Preston?

[FerrariFan87]

The best thing about Kruger is his non-stop motor and intensity which is exactly what we need when facing Worthlessberger and the Squealers

[darklight1216]

[quote name='FerrariFan87' date='31 August 2009 - 01:47 PM' timestamp='1251740835' post='227412']
The best thing about Kruger is his non-stop motor and intensity which is exactly what we need when facing Worthlessberger and the Squealers
[/quote]
And everyone else...

[FerrariFan87]

[quote name='darklight1216' date='31 August 2009 - 01:48 PM' timestamp='1251740886' post='227416']
And everyone else...
[/quote]

Yes, but [b][i]especially[/i][/b] them

[Bltravens]

Somebody else said it in the draft forum but that person was exactly right, sometimes we get too caught up in measurables and forget to ask ourselves if the kid can play football the right way. Take a look at Jim Leonhard last year, dude was 5'8 180 but he knew how to play his position and how to play the game. Ray Lewis out of Miami was said to be undersized at linebacker, so he fell to the bottom of the first...greatest linebacker of all time. Derrick Mason, small and undersized but knows how to play the game. Kruger may not be the best athlete we'll ever see but if he knows how to play his position and how to play football, he'll turn out to be a good football player. ie on the flip side of this is Vernon Gholston all the measurables in the world, but doesnt know how to play his position.

[Ed_Reed20]

[quote name='Bltravens' date='31 August 2009 - 02:44 PM' timestamp='1251744244' post='227446']
Somebody else said it in the draft forum but that person was exactly right, sometimes we get too caught up in measurables and forget to ask ourselves if the kid can play football the right way. Take a look at Jim Leonhard last year, dude was 5'8 180 but he knew how to play his position and how to play the game. Ray Lewis out of Miami was said to be undersized at linebacker, so he fell to the bottom of the first...greatest linebacker of all time. Derrick Mason, small and undersized but knows how to play the game. Kruger may not be the best athlete we'll ever see but if he knows how to play his position and how to play football, he'll turn out to be a good football player. ie on the flip side of this is Vernon Gholston all the measurables in the world, but doesnt know how to play his position.
[/quote]

Well said. I think Kruger could be a better version of Jarrett Johnson.

[H8R]

Kruger runs the Horn off the edge better then most players on our team, I too was leary of the pick. I'll eat crow, gladly. I love what I've seen from him and think he has everything we needs as another hybrid back in our depth-stacked defense. I think he could come up with 4-5 sacks this year pretty easy though, only time will tell!

[JoeFlax]

I just let Ozzie do his job, although I was somewhat disappointed when I saw them pick Davon Drew instead of a WR. But I have faith in every single one of them that Ozzie saw worthy enough to spend our resources on.

[theFRANCHISE]

[quote name='Corvus Corax' date='31 August 2009 - 07:54 PM' timestamp='1251762854' post='227548']
I just let Ozzie do his job, although I was somewhat disappointed when I saw them pick Davon Drew instead of a WR. But I have faith in every single one of them that Ozzie saw worthy enough to spend our resources on.
[/quote]
Well, if L.J. Smith doesn't bounce back quickly from his recent injury history, Davon Drew may end up being a smart pick sooner than later. But either way, Drew provides insurance in the long run, whether or not he's productive this season. And if he flops, he was only a waste of a 5th round pick anyway. Sure, you'd like to get a decent starter in the middle rounds, but you can't hit on all of them.

[SackinU]

I was one of the few who was aware of Kruger before draft day and applauded the pick, I thought he was a steal and would be productive immediately, due to a non stop motor and a knack for the game... I still HOPE I was right.

[Ravnet]

It's disappointing that Kruger won't get any playing time as we're so damn deep on the d-line.

If only we could transfer some of that talent over to the WR position. . .

[YYZ66]

[quote name='SackinU' date='31 August 2009 - 10:27 PM' timestamp='1251768421' post='227575']
I was one of the few who was aware of Kruger before draft day and applauded the pick, I thought he was a steal and would be productive immediately, [b]due to a non stop motor and a knack for the game[/b]... I still HOPE I was right.
[/quote]

That's what you gotta love about this guy. I really think he's going to develop into a beast! As for his 40 time, I truly believe that's the most overrated "stat" in all of sports. Jerry Rice ran about a 4.8, how many times did we see him blow by defensive backs that ran 4.5 or better? If I remember correctly, that's one of the reasons Suggs fell to us, he posted a fairly slow 40 time at the combine. This will be another example of the football Gods smiling upon us by having everyone else "scared off" by "slow" 40 times!

[darklight1216]

[quote name='YYZ66' date='01 September 2009 - 01:48 AM' timestamp='1251784107' post='227646']
That's what you gotta love about this guy. I really think he's going to develop into a beast! As for his 40 time, I truly believe that's the most overrated "stat" in all of sports. Jerry Rice ran about a 4.8, how many times did we see him blow by defensive backs that ran 4.5 or better? If I remember correctly, that's one of the reasons Suggs fell to us, he posted a fairly slow 40 time at the combine. This will be another example of the football Gods smiling upon us by having everyone else "scared off" by "slow" 40 times!
[/quote]
Jerry Rice ran a 4.8?! O.o Woah.

Lol, I heard the Cardinals were interested in Suggs, but after they saw his 40 time they didn't want to touch him.

Kruger is going to be just fine. He's a Ravens linebacker, after all.

[theFRANCHISE]

[quote name='darklight1216' date='01 September 2009 - 08:53 AM' timestamp='1251809624' post='227675']
Jerry Rice ran a 4.8?! O.o Woah.
[/quote]
Yup. Jerry Rice is the prime example of someone having football speed, which is entirely different from a 40-yard dash. 40-times are overrated because it's straight-line running that anyone can condition themselves for. In football, it's rare when you actually have to run in a straight line right after the snap, even running routes.