DaQuan Bowers

[GameTime]

i didnt get to really watch bowers this past season, for the guys that were able to really break down the film, how did he look?  what did he do great?  did he show more potential outside or inside?

many folks here want a true speed rusher.  would it be beneficial to bulk up bowers and have him rotate at UT with mccoy?  be able to slide outside as a big DE on rushing downs? 

or do we think that would hamper his knee and achilles problems?

[nitey]

Bowers seemed to flash talent at times, but frankly I'm still surprised at all the press he gets. He's played in 26 games, has 32 tackles and 4.5 sacks. That's reasonable stats for a solid DE, but not anything special. Others may disagree, but to me, he reminds me of Marcus Jones. He might put up one good sack season, but I just don't see him being a constant 8+ sack guy.

[dexmonkey]

he looked like he was getting back into the swing of things. you could tell he was rusty and not up to game speed but thats to be expected coming off an achilles injury that quickly. i think he should be much improved next year when hes fully healthy. at times he flashed big time like the sack he put on matt ryan that got nullified by a PI call. he straight whipped the tackle with speed and power and leveled matt ryan

[Ft Myers Buc Fan]

he looked like he was getting back into the swing of things. you could tell he was rusty and not up to game speed but thats to be expected coming off an achilles injury that quickly. i think he should be much improved next year when hes fully healthy. at times he flashed big time like the sack he put on matt ryan that got nullified by a PI call. he straight whipped the tackle with speed and power and leveled matt ryan

+1.  He definitely started out slow but seemed to get better and more explosive each week.  I also thought he played the run well.   He is definitely more of a Strahan type DE than a Freeney.

[JDouble]

I thought he looked pretty solid and got better as time went on.

If we were to have a DE bulk up and move inside, I'd want it to be Clayborn. I believe he could be a better UT than he is a RE. Plus, I really want a speed rushing freak at RE. I think we need that to be a great defense. If Clayborn did move to UT, McCoy would have to play NT...which may sound crazy, but really that is what he has excelled at in his short career. He'd probably be a better NT than UT anyways.

[lyronmewis]

I think it's better that he continue to hone his technique and get back into good shape so that he can be a good DE.

He was obviously out of shape this season, looking really chunky, and getting gassed pretty early.

His run stopping ability looks pretty good though.

A lot of his college sacks were just based on pure athletic talent though, and a big knock on him was that he didn't have a lot of pass rush moves.

He noticeably improved from last year in that category, but he still needs some work.

I still think that he can become a pretty good player if he's in shape and has an injury free offseason to really hone his pass rushing skills.

[Boid Fink]

Great body to have in the rotation. His lower leg injuries have me concerned that he is a shell of his former potential. Could be wrong, I was crushed when I heard the news he was hurt.

Rooting for Bowers.

[BaghdadJoe54]

He was by far the bright spot at DE.  Bennett was consistent, but what Bowers showed at the end of the year to me demonstrated why at one point he was considered best player in his draft class

[BucNY]

Bowers seemed to flash talent at times, but frankly I'm still surprised at all the press he gets. He's played in 26 games, has 32 tackles and 4.5 sacks. That's reasonable stats for a solid DE, but not anything special. Others may disagree, but to me, he reminds me of Marcus Jones. He might put up one good sack season, but I just don't see him being a constant 8+ sack guy.

Uh you realize he was a rotational man and got limited playing time?

Bowers is likely to be as explosive at DE as McCoy is at DT if he continues to get stronger, his knee that is, and should be a dominating player. We saw flashes of that dominance, particularly towards the end of the year.

[BucBalla85]

People keep saying were stacked at Dline but these guys have been injury prone. What happens if one of them gets hurt again next year? Id be one saying "saw that coming." Also could see they do nothing at DE because they are happy to get everybody back next year. I just feel they really need to do something there again. Theres just absolutely no pass rush with these guys and they are injury prone. I know a lot falls on the coverage but damn. These guys are not whats gonna get this team to the next level. 

[JavaRay]

People keep saying were stacked at Dline

Who says that?    There may be a lot of very high draft picks on that line, but they aren't very good.

[BucBalla85]

Ive heard some say that but yea I think they mean what your saying. High draft choices who are still reaching their potential. I just think they need to find a speed rusher or something. Those guys dont get it done. I like them and all but theres better out there who can get to the passer.

[Booker Reese]

I wouldn't say the DL is stacked, but it's an area on the team where you can see some organic growth on the horizon (unlike say, CB). We got it from McCoy, we got it from Bennett, and I think it's there for Bowers and AC.

I'm not in to JD's idea to move everyone around, but I do agree with him to this extent - we need a different looking guy, even if that guy is just a nickel rusher. I like some things Morgan did, and I'd keep him around as competition, but we need a rich man's version of him I think. Could be a linebacker I suppose as well.

[spurzo]

Coming off a torn achilles is one of the longest recoveries in football, so the fact that he came back fast, shows that he's dedicated and focused at a young age.  He started to come on at the end of the season and flashed his athleticism...  He is certainly not a pure speed rusher, really none of our guys are, but his combination of speed and power is unlike anybody else on our team and maybe in the entire NFC South for that matter. 

Personally, I like our DE's, Clayborn looked great this year until he tore his ACL while sacking Romo and Bennett is very solid against the run and pass.  If anything we need to get the other DT spot improved, Sheldon Richardson of Mizzou or Henry Melton through free agency would be awesome moves.  Roy Miller is great against the run but offers nothing for a pass rush.

[MUSCLE_HAMSTER]

Unless you have 4 guys who are really good at rushing the passer (we don't), you should keep adding more.