Lumping Dupree with Artie Burns just shows that either someone doesn't understand football, or they simply choose to ignore the facts as they're presented just because it conflicts with their personal narrative.
Lumping Dupree with Artie Burns just shows that either someone doesn't understand football, or they simply choose to ignore the facts as they're presented just because it conflicts with their personal narrative.
Bud "Dongalicious" Dupree
Wonder if we can get a list of all the guys who don't work hard enough in the NFL? Be useful to have in discussions.
As Teegre said, the motor of TJ Watt or James Harrison is very rare, and I’ll totally submit for the record that Dupree is not as good as either of those guys.
That said, I don’t think his big problem has been effort; as in he could have been playing this well the whole time, but decided to hold back until a contract year, and then he’ll stop trying. Nothing I’ve read about him indicates that about him.
I really think it’s a few things: switching sides where he seems to play much better, him
developing more moves, the game slowing down and being able to read and react better.
It is, in my mind, more of “lights turning on” as a catch all for being a physical freak who needed time to live up to his potential.
The only way I see him regressing at all is if he goes to another team and is put in a system that doesn’t play to his strengths.
He isn’t Albert Haynesworth. Most people aren’t. I think this whole “regression after getting paid” idea is more rare than common. When players get better they usually just get better. Obviously that kind of thing is always a risk, but I just don’t see Dupree as that kind of guy. I’m not sure why we should assume he is.
Now if you just feel that we can’t afford to make the deal he’ll want, like a Lev Bell situation, I can totally understand that. We shouldn’t give him the deal that TJ will deserve.
Nope. That would be dumb because if you do it correctly, you can get paid again in 4 years. But I am not really expecting much from the wing of this board that admits to watching no other teams besides the Steelers and not even all the Steelers games. Not sure league-wide context and trends is going to be a strong-suit.
I’m also wondering why Dupree was “lazy” last year instead or turning it on and getting the long term security deal instead of the one year extension. As Lev Bell tells us, it’s all about the long term guarantees.
Also, how did he know to be lazy last year? It wasn’t a sure thing that he’d get the extension. It seems like a weird gamble from someone who is apparently so calculating about when to try really hard for the most possible benefit. If he’d just tried last year instead of this year, he would already be on year one of the Bud Dupree regression retirement plan.
There is an obvious answer.
Offer him a Dong contract!
The lights turning on is part of it. However, I've quoted TJ Watt somewhere else on this subject. The real issue that helped the light turn on was that he learned how to study film. He and TJ now sit in the film room together and go over film. That has helped Dupree know what he has to do and where he has to go in certain situations rather than simply relying on athleticism, which wasn't quite good enough to get through and get whomever he was after.
Watt advocating for someone is also a story. Staying silent would be the smart move. Advocating means he actually believes in Dupree at this point. And, again, i go back to what Watt has said about them studying film together now and really starting to connect on how they should play the OLB position against teams.
It's rolling the dice with stacked dice, because you know what you'll likely get. IMO he had a good season last year (not great, but good), and he's stepped up this year. We know his ceiling now, so it's much less of a gamble. Considering too that rarely any of the edge rushers taken outside of the top 10 do great in their first year. If Ben is coming back next year, we're still in 'win now' mode, signing Dupree will be a priority.
Yes, you’re absolutely right.
I guess I’m kind of using expressions like “the lights turning on” as a kind of catch all phrase indicating mental improvement. But you point out a very important specific. Dupree didn’t just “get it” randomly. His film study is definitely contributing to it, and it’s actually a BETTER indicator that his needle is going to keep pointing up. Not just because it’s an example of his work ethic, but I’m pretty sure he isn’t going to suddenly FORGET everything he’s learning.
He’s simply not going to get worse than he is now, barring injury.
An interesting read about Bud and his development.
https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.co...ass-rusher-nfl
I always find it fascinating how certain people talk about James Harrison at every turn, yet in this article and others that I have read tell how he refused to help Dupree in any way which goes against everything Steelers historically.
Yeah, Harrison always marched to his own tune. Not really a leader, except by example. Kind of a lone wolf.
I really like the current chemistry between the linebackers. And I especially appreciate the relationship between Bud and TJ. I believe Bud has absolutely earned the money he’s gonna get next year, from either us or someone else, but there’s no question TJ’s presence and influence have really helped Bud take this step towards reaching his potential.
Watt was such a great draft pick. We should always remember that character, and in his case pedigree, really mean something. That Watt family knows how to raise kids.
I'm really leaning towards the notion that the Steelers put the franchise tag on Dupree. I really don't think there's any way the let him walk. The Steelers never let anyone go that they really want to keep.
STUD Dupree
I would actually support this move, a hell of a lot more than a long-term contract that would most likely exceed the franchise tag in average value. It gives us one more free look at essentially the same or lower cost than rolling out the long-term deal now.
I, for one, am not fully convinced that this is the Dupree we will see every year; that the constant nagging injuries will not resurface; or that his improvement doesn't have a HELL of a lot to do with the other players on the defense.
It will also give us an extra year to see if we can find anyone else to play the position adequately in the event that re-signing him is too expensive. Let's face it, Watt is thr absolute #1 priority to keep in a year or two, and I cannot see us allocating $40M in cap space to the OLB position alone. Just doesn't work.
Franchise tag for OLBs is surprisingly lower than I thought (for 2019, at least). I am not 100% sure exactly how it is calculated, but I seem to remember a lot of recent years where it had been near $20M, probably because one or two guys' ridiculous signing bonuses pushed it way up.
See you Space Cowboy ...
This site projects the 2020 LB Franchise tag to be $16.26 million - https://overthecap.com/franchise-tra...d-rfa-tenders/
Looking at this table: https://overthecap.com/position/3-4-outside-linebacker/
If you can get Dupree to put his name on a contract with a $12-16 million dollar annual value, you do it. In fact, if you could get Dupree to agree to something like this: https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/green-ba...s-smith-16848/ that might be a best case scenario. It gives you an out after 2 seasons and the big money is really in a garbage year that you have no intention of letting Dupree get to anyways.
Now, if the Steelers internal player evaluation process/models says that 2019 Dupree is a flash in the pan and not based on repeatable variables, then let him walk.