Harsh On Kwon
June 20th, 2016
Spreadsheeter not impressed.
The PFF tribe is back to banging on their drums.
And the drumbeat begun by Sam Monson suggests dread for Bucs middle linebacker Kwon Alexander. Monson is unimpressed and goes to great lengths in a featured piece to prove his point.
Alexander, Monson believes, was either out of position (how Monson would know what Alexander’s assignment was is a mystery to Joe) or just plain missed tackles.
Alexander was named NFL’s Rookie of the Week twice, as well as the NFC’s Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in Week 8. He made some big plays in his rookie season, but there was a lot of bad to go along with the good, and that seems to be getting glossed over.
Take that award-winning performance against Atlanta in Week 8 as an example. He had six solo tackles, an interception and a forced fumble, and he had another interception on a free play for Matt Ryan that was nullified. If you distill his performance down into three box-score numbers it looked great, but if you start evaluating all 78 snaps he was on the field for, it looks far less impressive.
At least Monson tried to point out where Alexander shined and suggested there is enough good tape of Alexander not to throw in the towel.
Couple of points from Joe: Monson bags on Alexander’s play in the Tennessee debacle that opened the 2015 season. It was Alexander’s first game for crying out loud! Second, Coach My Scheme rolled out the worst-prepared defense Joe has ever seen. (Buffalo’s offense vs. Dallas the first time those teams met in the Super Bowl was the worst-prepared offense Joe had ever seen)
That inept display was such a disgrace, it was the beginning of the end for Coach My Scheme.
The fact the Bucs ‘defense collapsed the last four games of the season when Alexander served his suspension speaks volumes, both of how badly the team missed Alexander, and how Coach My Scheme, knowing since training camp (when Alexander was popped for allegedly guzzling an illegal energy drink) that Alexander was going to serve a four-game suspension at some point, still couldn’t figure out an answer.
Alexander is going to get coached up by a coordinator this year, for the first time since he was at LSU. Joe is excited to see how Alexander performs.
June 20th, 2016 at 7:59 am
This is why u go by the eye test and not PFF’s numbers. The eye never lies, but stats do. Let’s not forget that Kwon was a rookie being thrown into a new scheme at a new position were he had to learn a whole lot in a little amount of time. I think it’s unfair to label him the way PFF does. He did miss sum tackles and his biggest flaw was being sucked in by the play action. Wich both can be fixed with sum good coaching. He’s a rookie for crying out lour pff!! Cut the man sure slack. How many rookie MLB are successful there first season and make the plays he did?? This guy made huge play after huge play for us and single handedly won the game in ATL. Like any rookie, he has such things to work on, but ur high if u think he’s as terrible as PFF is making him out to be.
June 20th, 2016 at 8:03 am
I’m a huge Kwon fan that being said he has a lot to prove. He’s yet to play a full season and he needs to stay clean.
June 20th, 2016 at 8:28 am
He was an impact player from the very beginning as a rookie. He will continue to be. He’s waaaay down the list of things to worry about on this team.
June 20th, 2016 at 8:49 am
being a rookie and calling plays in Lovies’cover two was a massive challenge.
Kwon did pretty well and got better as the year went on.Now with less thinking,more instincts, and flying to the ball,Kwon should excel.
June 20th, 2016 at 9:29 am
Does PFF mention that Kwon was a fourth round pick expected to come in and play ST his first year and compete for the SLB behind Lansanah, did PFF look at a rookie playing MLB for the first time, making the calls and no help behind him. Did they even consider how he grew into a leader as a rookie. All rookies have learning curves, though we can’t get over the hump with the Panthers, I believe there are a few times Luke Kuechly looked well out of position a few times, see Charles Sims rookie year and Doug Martin this past year, but I bet he got glowing reviews
June 20th, 2016 at 10:04 am
I agree, balancing Kwon’s good plays with the not so good plays evens his rookie year out. The negative plays pointed out in the review are coachable thus fixable. His good hustle plays are obviously foremost in Bucs fans minds, seeing the struggling defense under Lovie. I think he improves and remains a Bucs fan favorite.
June 20th, 2016 at 10:11 am
The fact that PFF says his Atlanta game was not that impressive, is enough for me to write off their analysis. Kwon was unreal in that game, on the field and in the box score.
I’m assuming PFF is trying to make the point that even Alexander’s best game wasn’t that good. They are blind. And they missed the fact that Alexander recovered his own forced fumble.
June 20th, 2016 at 10:51 am
I don’t hate on PFF as much as Joe does, but if you actually just watched the games it was clear that for most of the season the best defensive player for the Bucs was Kwon. The kid had a great season, which would have been an amazing ROY type season if he played all 16 games.
PFF can go suck a big one in this case.
June 20th, 2016 at 10:58 am
Kwon is a young player and played well in his rookie season. Does his game have holes? Are there aspects that he needs to work on? Obviously, yes!
Remember, practically the whole defense is a “work in progress” when you consider last year’s performance.
June 20th, 2016 at 11:49 am
LOL…harsh on a rookie 4th rounder making a switch from Will to Mike in the NFL…
The guy plays with infectious juice…
June 20th, 2016 at 11:51 am
Anytime PFF speaks I know to listen, because I can always count on 100% the opposite to be true. PFF is the biggest joke in history
June 20th, 2016 at 2:06 pm
The PFF guys act like Kwon wasn’t a rookie.
I sure am glad this kind of thing drives him.
June 20th, 2016 at 3:51 pm
(Buffalo’s offense vs. Dallas the first time those teams met in the Super Bowl was the worst-prepared offense Joe had ever seen)
Joe must have been blackout drunk week 1-8 of 2009, especially week one at home vs Dallas. In retrospect, we all wish we would’ve been.
June 20th, 2016 at 4:08 pm
A rookie 4th rounder starting MLB and calling plays and damn near becoming rookie defensive player of the year…..
This guys an idiot.
Of course he messed up some or was out of position sometimes. So are 8 year vets!
Kwon & Lavonte are going to be dominate together. The speed is unreal and now with an (allegedly) better d line in front of them …. Skies the limit.
June 21st, 2016 at 11:36 am
He played hard and fast and made some mistakes along with some awesome plays. He was a rookie trying to play in a bone head scheme and make the calls.
The amount of production people expect out of rookies nowadays is ridiculous. Give these guys a chance to learn everything before a giant dump is laid on them.
Also, stats don’t take into account additude, work ethic, and heart, which all rub off on the guys around you.
June 21st, 2016 at 7:21 pm
I did get the feel from the article that the writer forgot that Kwon was a Rookie.