Nightmare On Elm Street

[flynismo]

Sorry for the cheesy title, but it seems like I'm the only one left who has yet to make that reference when talking about Paul Kruger. Which really stumps me, because he only shares a last name with America's favorite mass murderer (no, not you OJ), but has much more in common with the South African Army's general of the same name.

Is there a point to this thread, you ask? Why yes, there is!

I've been a long time fan of his. During Kruger's time at Utah, he showed great potential. That potential has been squandered since the day he was drafted, due to whatever reasons in his rookie season regarding a role in special teams, and followed by a bone headed idea by our staff to try to beef up a 265 lb linebacker in order to play as a 3-4 defensive end.

Now lately, Kruger has stated that he expects a starting role, or at the very least play 50% or more of the snaps.

What is everyone's opinion on that? We desperately need a defensive end. Should Kruger be that guy?

[Guest ArmyRaven52]

That would be nice but his frame is not meant to carry it, and he does not feel comfortable playing there, I happen to think our staff screwed this one up royally and think we ruined a young man's career. Sorry Kruger.

[ROH522155]

I don't think Kruger can be that guy but let's get to the more important issue here. Michael Myers>Freddy Krueger..Not tryin to get anyone offf topic but that just bothered me a little haha...Anyways im not sure that Paul can be the type of player that we all hoped he would be when we drafted him.

[Ed_Reed20]

With Haloti, Jameel and Cody losing weight this off-season, I hope Kruger has done the same. Because that's probably the only way he'll be able to become a consistently productive player.

Honestly, how he's been handled since the team drafted him has just been baffling. He didn't play much as a rookie for reasons I still don't understand. Then, for some reason, the coaches felt he wasn't athletic enough to be a rush LB. That's somewhat understandable. But if that was the case, why in the world was he drafted in the second round? Did the team envision expecting him to gain 15-20 pounds and play a position that requires natural girth and strength he doesn't have?

On the outside looking in, it looks like the scouting department and coaches saw things differently and have bungled a pick so far.

[FerrariFan87]

I want Kruger to excel. He has a high motor and the drive to be a great player. Getting Kindle back and a motivated Kruger is bad news for opposing offenses.

[flynismo]

[quote name='Ed_Reed20' timestamp='1309234193' post='701623']<br />With Haloti, Jameel and Cody losing weight this off-season, I hope Kruger has done the same. Because that's probably the only way he'll be able to become a consistently productive player.<br /><br />Honestly, how he's been handled since the team drafted him has just been baffling. He didn't play much as a rookie for reasons I still don't understand. Then, for some reason, the coaches felt he wasn't athletic enough to be a rush LB. That's somewhat understandable. But if that was the case, why in the world was he drafted in the second round? Did the team envision expecting him to gain 15-20 pounds and play a position that requires natural girth and strength he doesn't have? <br /><br />On the outside looking in, it looks like the scouting department and coaches saw things differently and have bungled a pick so far.<br />[/quote]

everything you said is precisely how I feel.

I don't want to make a martyr of Kruger, but wth is going on here? While at Utah, it was very apparent what Kruger can and cannot bring to the table. For those who don't follow collegiate sports, Kruger was a good pass rusher and amazing in coverage as an OLB, and played a lot of DE. In addition, he has a knack for creating turnovers.
However, he played in a 4-3 defense, which really suits him; masking his flaws while accuenting his strengths.

When we drafted him, I envision him being a JJ type OLB in our 3-4, and eventually moving to ILB.

But never in my wildest dreams did I think we'd seriously try to turn him into a 3-4 defensive end. That is just sabotaging his career, and wasting a 2nd round pick that we could have spent on an actual 3-4 end.

Now with Kindle joining the team, Kruger has no chance of becoming our OLB, so the only possible way I see him having an impact on our defense is moving to a third different position in his first 3 years - at ILB.

[ROH522155]

[quote name='Ed_Reed20' timestamp='1309234193' post='701623']
With Haloti, Jameel and Cody losing weight this off-season, I hope Kruger has done the same. Because that's probably the only way he'll be able to become a consistently productive player.

Honestly, how he's been handled since the team drafted him has just been baffling. He didn't play much as a rookie for reasons I still don't understand. Then, for some reason, the coaches felt he wasn't athletic enough to be a rush LB. That's somewhat understandable. But if that was the case, why in the world was he drafted in the second round? Did the team envision expecting him to gain 15-20 pounds and play a position that requires natural [b]girth[/b] and strength he doesn't have?

On the outside looking in, it looks like the scouting department and coaches saw things differently and have [b]bungled[/b] a pick so far.
[/quote]

+1 just for using the words girth and bungled haha

[PWNEDbyDEANO]

I really think that Kruger can become the guy that we play opposite Suggs when we go to a four D-lineman set.

For example: Kruger - Ngata - Gregg/Cody/McKinney - Suggs

That would be ideal for him as he would probably be receiving the least attention from the OL and he has the space on the outside simply because of Ngata doing what he does so well next to him. I'm really not sure about how much he will thrive in the 3-4 though. He needs to slim down and go back to OLB for sure, but what with Kindle apparently healthy I think his opportunities there may be limited.

I doubt he'll see 50% of the snaps or become a starter, but if he proves me wrong then it means he'll be playing better than I expect which is a good thing in itself. Displaying that kind of attitude is a positive thing as well, showing that he's determined to make a good mark on the team will go a long way in Harbaugh's eyes I think.

[H8R]

I think it comes down to Kruger being a gamer and not one with practice. The reason I say that is its been mentioned on before that he doesnt give it all he has in practice and special teams. ( he alluded to stepping up his intensity himself on one occasion) I think he's the type of player that can turn it on when he has to. For the Ravens, and Harbs thats not good enough. He needs to keep that drive going all the time. I saw him in training camp and it looked like he wasnt going ballz to the wallz.I was hoping to see him take JJ's spot in a couple years but I'm not so sure.

[The Raven]

I got no idea why we moved him to DE. In the 3-4 that's more of a DT role. Kruger's skills do not include eating space, they include being in space. That being said, I do believe he did fairly well this season at DE. He weighed only 275 which is not quite big enough for 3-4 DE but I think he held his own. If you watched him closely, his pass rush had been amazing at times. He really turned it up towards the end of the season. Now that Kinlde is healthy, I think Kruger should beef up a little more to ~285. I see him as someone like Justin Smith from the 49ers, not close to the talent though.

I think the reason why we moved him to DE is because the FO saw Kindle as the better linebacker, and Kruger didn't quite have the athleticism to play OLB. I guess the coaches were trying to "maximize the talent".

[ellicottraven]

Whatever the circumstances that led to his being ineffective, I believe he will have to prove it to the coaching staff during training camp to get snaps. If he does, then I believe we will have a solid starter for a long time. However, knowing Harbs, his dis-inclination early on not to play special team may have put him in kind of a bad situation with his coaching staff... we'll see and hope he comes through for us this year!
Will it be nightmare on elm street for the Squealers? I sure hope so!

[lowrider]

Kruger was going to be a couple year project. He was inexperienced and undersized when we drafted him, so people's expectations of him making an impact the first two years was a bit unrealistic. But now that this is his 3rd year in the league and 2nd year at the weight he is at, I think this is the year where we see the most results. He is at the point that when he plays in the preseason games, he dominates. But we will see if he can consistently beat the first stringers this year.

[Gordo52]

Ravens need to give him a shot first. I like him, also Jason Phillips. But I like Serg the best.

[1/28/01]

[quote name='Ravens<3' timestamp='1309283409' post='701751']
Ravens need to give him a shot first. I like him, also Jason Phillips. But I like Serg the best.
[/quote]
Phillips cant cover for *^#@