So . . . 8 games into our season. I guess this is a good place to pick up my criticism of Watt from the offseason and reevaluate, along with Schuster.
Watt: After watching his tape, I had two main concerns with him. The first concern was that he didn't have the speed and strength necessary against NFL caliber players. The second was that OTs with decent to good mechanics would stymie him. I also had two main praises for him. First was that he had a motor that never quit. The second was that he seemed to have good football IQ. So, what do I think now?
Speed/Strength—I don't know if he worked on speed in the offseason or if the tape I watched just didn't do him justice, but he's playing fast. His speed is no longer a concern for me in the sense of what should be expected for an average NFL LB speed. I don't know about him chasing down RBs or WRs, but in all honesty, that's not what we drafted him for either. He's supposed to face them head on or just cover a zone. As for strength, the jury is still out. There are plays where it seems he dominates. Then, in other plays he looks as though he has little or no leverage. I don't mean he moves the guy back a few feet and then gets stopped. It looks as though he literally gets stymied. Of course, as I've said before, this area is the easiest to fix, and with his drive, I'm willing to be patient and let him put weight on a barely 20-something body.
Issues with OTs having Good Mechanics—This problem is persisting. The reason it doesn't seem so is because his motor keeps him going and he gets a lot of clean-up pressure or sacks as well as tackles for a loss. Of course, I am not going to badmouth a guy for busting his butt through the whistle on each play, so it's great to see. However, I'm still not happy with his ability to set the edge consistently or fight off OTs consistently. Perhaps this issue is a derivative of the strength issue. I think it's more a problem of ignorance as he is so new to the position compared to players that have played the same position all through college. That being said, it also means he can get better at it, and probably will.
Motor—He has actually shown even more of a motor in the NFL than in college, I think. He hustles on every play and as I said above, plays through the whistle on every play. I was dead on in this assessment.
Football IQ—Maybe, this should be Football Awareness. Even with all I've said above, he seems to have a nose to make plays. We can argue about "clean up sacks" and tackles, but many players would not be able to get the sacks and tackles for a loss he gets because he seems to know what is happening on the field around him even when he is tied up with an OT. That is something that can't be taught.
So, if I were to grade: I'd give him a B+ or A- based on his draft position and what he's brought to the team.
Schuster: I didn't say much about him, so I can't go off of previous criticism and compare. What I can say, however, is that we were told he had a good work ethic, liked to hit, and seemed to be the next coming of Hines Ward. Eight games in, we have seen flashes of Hines Ward-like plays. He rocked a LB, he's put a dagger in the opposing team when we needed it most, and what I like most is that he seems to have the proper attitude. I do wish we'd see a tad more consistent production out of him, but we also have to keep in mind this offense has perhaps the top two players at their respective positions in the NFL, both of which are positions that handle the ball.
If I were to grade: I'd give him a B to B+ based on his draft position and what he's brought to the team.
If you take draft position out of the equation, I think the divide between Watt and Schuster gets a little bigger as Watt is a continual producer on defense. Even when he gets washed out, you know that he's still lurking to make a play, and that's great to see.
Either way, both players look like they might be special. I think Schuster has the inside track on being a little more special because he seems to have all the physical tools and most of the mechanics for his position already. All he needs is experience. Watt is a bit more of a longshot to being a special player because getting there is dependent on his ability to get stronger and learn the intricacies of his position, rather than just experience alone.