Lance Briggs is still a no show. That’s not new. Joey LaRocque is new, though, and he was just a little late.
LaRocque was drafted as the 36th player in the seventh round of the NFL Draft. He was the 243rd player taken. He doesn’t sound like a difference maker to most fans and NFL Draft analysts. He was nearly Mr. Irrelevant.
But they don’t know Joey. Joey is a sideline to sideline kid. Joey has a nose for the football. Joey is an open field tackler. Joey is every cliché a linebacker should be. He’s tough, gritty, fast, strong and angry at the opposition.
But he is something that a lot of linebackers aren’t. Field experienced.
LaRocque started all 27 games he played in at Oregon State and registered 184 tackles. Do the math, it’s about 7 tackles per game. He tallied three sacks for minus-19 yards, 16 tackles for losses of 49 yards and a pair of fumble recoveries. He also deflected three passes and intercepted three others for 73 yards in returns, including a touchdown.
If those numbers were roughly projected out for another season, he would total about 40 games, 270 tackles, five sacks, three fumble recoveries and four interceptions.
Compare that to Jarod Mayo, taken in the first round, who in 36 games at Tennessee recorded 236 tackles six sacks and an interception returned 34 yards for a touchdown.
Mayo is 6’1 242. LaRocque is 6’2 226.
Mayo has an athletic build with good upper definition, could gain 10 pounds and wouldn’t miss a step. An instinctive defender. But, scouts think that might be better on the perimeter than the inside and he often resorts to running around blockers rather than through them.
LaRocque doesn’t know the meaning of the phrase, “running around blockers.”
LaRocque attacks the line of scrimmage against the run. He doesn’t have “40-speed” but he has change of direction speed which allows him to run down backs inside the tight ends. He is a good open-field tackler with the body control to break down in space, square up and make the sure tackle
LaRocque sounds like a guy taken on the first day back in 2003, E.J. Henderson. Mayo sounds like another linebacker taken in the later rounds back in 2003. Lance Briggs.
The Bears will eventually grow tired of Briggs. Team building is hard when one of the legs is missing. But that doesn’t mean LaRocque will get immediate playing time. Joey will earn his time on special teams behind Jamar Williams on the weak side or Brian Urlacher in the middle.
Williams is the only linebacker in Chicago worth keeping. Nick Roach hasn’t impressed and Rod Wilson has only been on the field on special teams.
To say that Joey LaRocque fell into a great situation in the seventh round would be a stretch, but situations are much like people; it’s got to stretch before it works out
“If those numbers were roughly projected out for another season,”
Well, why is that necessary? You can easily just look at his outstanding career at College of the Canyons, unless you’re purposely ignoring that, of course.
In 13 games in 2005 for the Cougars, Joey racked up a team-leading 103 tackles (68 solo), a team-leading 11.5 sacks, had two interceptions – one returned for a touchdown, and two fumble recoveries – one returned for a touchdown.
The guy was a stud for the Cougars, was a stud for Beavers, and now will be a stud for the Bears.
Go Joey!
Nice E-mail addy,
I purposefully left out his JC numbers because I was comparing him to another D-I guy. But yes, I found that his JC numbers were equally impressive. I’m still surprised he fell that far in the draft. Then again, I’m a little biased.
Thanks for the comment.
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