Tag: outside linebacker

Ex-Broncos OLB Shaq Barrett earns Pro Bowl nod after leading NFL in sacks

In his first season as a full-time starter, former Broncos outside linebacker Shaq Barrett leads the NFL in sacks.

After spending the first five years of his career as a rotational pass rusher behind Broncos stars including Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware and Bradley Chubb, outside linebacker Shaq Barrett became a free agent in March.

Barrett made it clear that he wanted to go somewhere where he could be a starter and he picked the Buccaneers, betting on himself to win a starting job. Denver couldn’t offer him a starting position over Miller or Chubb.

Barrett’s gamble paid off as he quickly emerged as a starter in Tampa Bay and had a breakout season in 2019, leading the NFL with 16.5 sacks through 14 games. His previous career-high was 5.5 sacks in 2015. Earlier this week, Barrett was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career.

Barrett’s success as a starter hasn’t been a surprise to Miller.

“I’m definitely not surprised,” Miller said in October. “All the plays that he’s making, he made them in practice. The spin versus the Rams, he’s done stuff like that. Interceptions, he’s done stuff like that here in practice.”

Barrett is scheduled to become a free agent again in 2020. Bucs coach Bruce Arians said earlier this week that Barrett “ain’t going nowhere.”

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OLB Jacob Martin says he will excel in whatever the Texans ask him to do

Houston Texans outside linebacker Jacob Martin has flourished as of late, in large part because he will do whatever the team asks of him.

The name Jacob Martin no longer stands as a “throw-in” for the Houston Texans’ trade away of Jadeveon Clowney to the Seattle Seahawks. He is a blossoming pass-rusher for the 8-4 team down in Houston.

In back-to-back prime time games, Martin has shown just that. While defeating both the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots, the second-year Temple product has 2.5 sacks and four quarterbacks, leading the Texans through those two weeks.

Martin’s recent boom of production should come as no surprise. He’s worked at it meticulously and, since joining the team on Aug. 31, has volunteered to do whatever he can.

“I would just say, just staying consistent with my craft and my technique. Not changing anything up, not changing my preparation up,” said Martin on his development on Thursday. “And, obviously, just waiting for my number to be called.”

Through 12 active games, Martin has played in 35% of special teams snaps (111) and 22.5% of defensive ones (183). Recently, he’s seen an uptick in defensive snaps, going from 13 to 24 to 45 since Week 10.

“Anything I can do for this team, I will,” continued Martin. “Whatever they ask me to do. If that’s strictly special teams, then that’s special teams. If that’s pass-rushing, that’s pass-rushing. But, whatever they ask me to do, I will excel at.”

Texans defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel sees growth in Martin. In the process, he is experimenting by moving him around and giving him a bigger role in the defense.

“I think he is beginning to experiment with different moves. His straight-line ability really helps because he’s really fast off the edge, but he’s been experimenting with things and we’ve been moving him around a little bit along that front.”

The Texans have struggled to get to the quarterback in 2019. That is only emphasized since J.J. Watt’s pectoral tear in Week 8, which earned him a spot on the injured reserve. Perhaps Martin will provide a boost as Houston gears up for a playoff run.

Bill O’Brien: Texans OLB Jacob Martin ‘plays 100 miles an hour’

The Houston Texans have seen outside linebacker Jacob Martin produce for them as of late. That shouldn’t be surprising considering his work ethic.

On Aug. 31, Jacob Martin became a member of the Houston Texans. He found himself residing in Harris County after the Seattle Seahawks traded him as part of a package for Jadeveon Clowney. At the time, he was a lesser-known commodity.

Months later, Martin, No. 54, shined on “Sunday Night Football” in a 28-22 win over the New England Patriots. Playing in a career-high 45 snaps, the second-year outside linebacker tallied 1.5 sacks and three quarterback hits on Tom Brady.

Martin’s productive performance on prime time should not come as a surprise to those watching him practice. When playing against his own teammates, he’s an active dynamo.

“All I know about Jacob Martin is he plays 100 miles an hour and he’s a great teammate,” said coach Bill O’Brien on Monday. “He’s awesome in the locker room, meetings, you should see the way the guy practices. I mean, he practices, he’s out there every day, he doesn’t complain about it, he just goes to work.”

Martin’s willingness in practice has translated onto the playing field. In back-to-back weeks, the Temple product has sacks, tallying 2.5 in two straight wins. Non-coincidentally, he saw a 21-snap uptick between the two weeks, playing the majority of snaps in place of injured starter Brennan Scarlett in Week 13.

“I think when you have that type of work ethic, you’re to going to get better, and I think that’s what Jacob does,” O’Brien said. “He tries to approach every day and tries to get better.”

The Texans pass rush has struggled mightily without J.J. Watt, who is on the injured reserve with a torn pectoral. Martin isn’t Watt; however, he can offer Houston’s favorite football team with a hard-working attitude, speed, electrifying athleticism and rounding-out game off the edge.

Moving forward, expect Martin to see increased snaps as an edge defender in the Texans defense, particularly as a situational pass-rusher. After all, in only 69 snaps, he is, statistically, their best pass-rusher in an impressive back-to-back win-streak.

OLB Jacob Martin is delivering with ‘important pressures’ for Texans

Outside linebacker Jacob Martin is delivering with important pressures for the Houston Texans in his first year with the team.

Thursday’s tilt with the Indianapolis Colts represented a first for outside linebacker Jacob Martin. In the win, the second-year pass-rusher recorded his first sack as a member of the Houston Texans.

The Colorado native tackled Jacoby Brissett for an eight-yard loss in the first quarter.

“He did a good job on that rush,” said Texans coach Bill O’Brien on Friday. “He got a good takeoff, which is the key. If you can get a good takeoff, that’s half the battle and then he was able to get low to the ground and turn the edge.”

The Texans brought in Martin in the Jadeveon Clowney trade on Aug. 31. Since then, he has acted as a rotational pass-rusher, tallying three quarterback hits before hitting on his first sack in Houston.

“He’s been very active for us. He plays with great effort, and yeah, he’s had a couple of important pressures,” said O’Brien. “Like in the Kansas City game, he had a pressure on (Patrick) Mahomes, and then yesterday it was good to – or last night it was good to see him finally get home on the sack. He did a nice job on that. It was a good play.”

Martin measures in at a slightly undersized 6-2, 242-pounds. While not the biggest pass-rusher, he has found success in his 138 defensive snaps, particularly as a speed-rusher off the edge.

For the Texans, the hope for Martin moving forward is that he can build on his first sack donning steel blue and battle red. The team desperately needs help at pass-rusher with J.J. Watt out for the season (torn pectoral), Clowney residing in Seattle and the rest of the unit not creating consistent pressure.

Perhaps Martin will be that pass-rusher the Texans so desperately need. An uptick in snaps will dictate that notion heading into Week 13 versus the New England Patriots.

Broncos OLB Von Miller a big fan of Vikings QB Kirk Cousins

“[I] was trying to get this guy here, had a whole campaign to get this guy here two years ago,” Von Miller said of Kirk Cousins.

The Broncos will travel to Minnesota in Week 11 to face the Vikings and quarterback Kirk Cousins, who outside linebacker Von Miller tried to recruit to Denver in 2018. Cousins instead signed a three-year, $84 million contract with the Vikings and the Broncos signed Case Keenum to a two-year, $36 million deal.

“Kirk Cousins, [I] was trying to get this guy here, had a whole campaign to get this guy here two years ago,” Miller said Thursday. “You know how I feel about him. I think he’s a great quarterback.”

Cousins’ contract with Minnesota is guaranteed and the QB has faced some criticism for his numbers not living up to his contract. Cousins threw 10 interceptions last year and lost seven fumbles. The Vikings finished the season 8-7-1, a disappointment after reaching the NFC Championship game in 2017.

Miller doesn’t think it’s completely fair to judge Cousins based on his contract, though.

“Sometimes you can’t really go off of contracts,” Miller said. “Some of these contracts are off timing and opportunity. In the NFL if it’s right for you, then boom. You can’t really just go off of that, but he’s playing — in my eyes, he’s playing well for their team.”

Cousins is arguably performing at a higher level this year than he was last season. The 31-year-old QB has thrown just three interceptions through 10 games and has helped Minnesota to a 7-3 record. Miller knows Cousins will be a tough test for Denver’s defense on Sunday.

“He’s got their team in contention to go to the playoffs and do some stuff after that,” Miller said. “In my eyes he’s playing great.”

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