Last year Paul Kruger was drafted in the second round by the Ravens as a DE/OLB hybrid. His rookie season he saw little to no action on the field because of his lack of special teams acumen and ability to make plays when he got the chance. His proudest moment of that season was the game saving interception in overtime vs the rival Pittsburgh Steelers.
This offseason he has decided to take a new approach. Kruger has bulked up to 275 pounds so far and plans to move to the defensive end position in the Ravens 3-4 system. This is a good decision for Kruger because their is so much competition at the outside linebacker position that he would definitely be wiping off bench seats for the starters if he remained a linebacker.
In order for Kruger to get on the field he will have to improve his pass rushing technique. Last season we saw Kruger use his bull rush every single time he attempted to get to the quarterback. He has to be able to utilize different moves so that he can get around every type of blocker. The pass rush is a force the Ravens' defense needs to improve upon this upcoming season and if Kruger cannot contribute to it, it will be difficult to see him on the roster for much longer.
Fortunately for Kruger, defensive linemen Dwan Edwards and Justin Bannan departed to other teams so their is a need for a defensive end. The Ravens did draft a defensive end in the fifth round of this year's draft by the name of Arthur Jones. As long as he progresses from the player we saw in his first year to a better, more productive player in his second season and stays healthy, he should be seen playing a plentiful amount of downs in the 2010 season.
No comments:
Post a Comment