BillyWhiteShows Posted April 26, 2019 Share Posted April 26, 2019 Quick question. I notice that in some media, the position which once was referred to as “Defensive End” is now called “Edge Rusher” or sometimes “Edge.” When did this happen and why? 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CodeMonkey Posted April 26, 2019 Share Posted April 26, 2019 Probably ever since it became a pass-first league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njbuff Posted April 26, 2019 Share Posted April 26, 2019 Charles Haley. He started this thing with someone being too big to play LB and too small to play DE, but was so damn good that he needed to be on the field. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heavy Kevi Posted April 26, 2019 Share Posted April 26, 2019 Because DE no longer describes the type of player. Edge is more of a hybrid DE/OLB that is put in position mostly just to rush the passer, imo of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stosh64 Posted April 26, 2019 Share Posted April 26, 2019 7 minutes ago, BillyWhiteShows said: Quick question. I notice that in some media, the position which once was referred to as “Defensive End” is now called “Edge Rusher” or sometimes “Edge.” When did this happen and why? Probably around the same time that a snow storm turned into an "Artic BOMB" and cold weather turned into a "Polar VORTEX". 3 9 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Over 29 years of fanhood Posted April 26, 2019 Share Posted April 26, 2019 Specialization isn’t just for medicine or law school anymore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJS Posted April 26, 2019 Share Posted April 26, 2019 Because an edge rusher could be either a DE or an OLB depending on the defensive scheme. But essentially they are the same player, who who is dedicated to rush the passer off the edge. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted April 26, 2019 Share Posted April 26, 2019 When it became common to move players around the line to create matchup problems in blocking and not pigeon-hole them into a single position. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted April 26, 2019 Share Posted April 26, 2019 12 minutes ago, njbuff said: Charles Haley. He started this thing with someone being too big to play LB and too small to play DE, but was so damn good that he needed to be on the field. 6'6" 255 is too small to play DE? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WideNine Posted April 26, 2019 Share Posted April 26, 2019 10 minutes ago, BillyWhiteShows said: Quick question. I notice that in some media, the position which once was referred to as “Defensive End” is now called “Edge Rusher” or sometimes “Edge.” When did this happen and why? Evolving term to take into account both traditional defensive ends and smaller players that are closer in size to linebackers like Hughes in our 4-3, or going back in history like Lawrence Taylor was to the 3-4 defense. Taylor who was labeled a linebacker would be labeled an edge rusher today considering how he was used. Basically it is easier to give those players who primarily rush the passer off the edge a scheme-neutral label "edge rusher" Makes the position more flexible in terms of scheme and what kind of players can be used to fill it, by focusing on the defensive role. Also they may not be lined up on the "end" of the d-line at all, as teams like Seattle made splitting those guys off into a "wide nine" position more popular. Just my take. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njbuff Posted April 26, 2019 Share Posted April 26, 2019 15 minutes ago, Kelly the Dog said: 6'6" 255 is too small to play DE? Yep, that's what the NFL thought of him at the time. Nuts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted April 26, 2019 Share Posted April 26, 2019 3 minutes ago, njbuff said: Yep, that's what the NFL thought of him at the time. Nuts. I don't recall that at all. And no one ever said that about Bruce who was 6'4" 265. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocemur Posted April 26, 2019 Share Posted April 26, 2019 When the agents figured out they were losing money because their clients were being called "tweeners". Well he's maybe a DE or an OLB if he drops a few pounds in the right scheme... No, wait! he's an Edge Rusher! That's the ticket! Just now, Kelly the Dog said: I don't recall that at all. And no one ever said that about Bruce who was 6'4" 265. Well Bruce came into the league over 300 lbs. Then he started with the Jiffy Pop and wearing out Stair Master machines after his rookie year. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted April 26, 2019 Share Posted April 26, 2019 (edited) EDGE = DE in a 4-3/OLB in a 3-4. Its the Edge Rusher - basically anyone who lines up outside the OT and is asked to set the edge or rush the QB. Edited April 26, 2019 by YoloinOhio 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSHMEAB Posted April 26, 2019 Share Posted April 26, 2019 (edited) 7 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said: EDGE = DE in a 4-3/OLB in a 3-4 Right. You would never label Pittsburgh DE's as "edge" players. Going back to the 90's, they had the great pass rushing duo of Green/Lloyd. Those guys were edge players at the time simply labeled OLB's. They're in the midst of switching things up from the 3-4, but I'm speaking more broadly about their defense over the past 30 years. Edge is a more descriptive term. Not quite sure why some folks have a problem with it. Edited April 26, 2019 by LSHMEAB 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cash Posted April 26, 2019 Share Posted April 26, 2019 27 minutes ago, MJS said: Because an edge rusher could be either a DE or an OLB depending on the defensive scheme. But essentially they are the same player, who who is dedicated to rush the passer off the edge. Yes - it's an admission that a given prospect's position will be different depending on what scheme they're drafted into (mostly 3-4 vs 4-3), but their *role* in the defense will mostly be the same. Jerry Hughes, for example, came into the league as an OLB in Indy's 3-4 scheme at the time, but now plays DE in our 4-3. Von Miller is another good example - he actually starts at OLB in a 4-3, but plays DE on passing downs. He's listed on the roster as LB, but in terms of how their defenses use them, Miller has a lot more in common with Hughes than he does with Matt Milano. Just now, LSHMEAB said: Right. You would never label Pittsburgh DE's as "edge" players. Going back to the 90's, they had the great pass rushing duo of Green/Lloyd. Those guys were edge players at the time simply labeled OLB's. Edge is a more descriptive term. Not quite sure why some folks have a problem with it. Right, that's another good point. Bruce was certainly an edge rusher as a 3-4 DE in the 90s, but not every 3-4 DE fits that bill. Likewise, most (not all) 3-4 OLBs and some 4-3 OLBs fit that category as well. Sticking with the 90s defenses, Cornelius Bennett was an "edge" at OLB, but Darryl Talley was not. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSHMEAB Posted April 26, 2019 Share Posted April 26, 2019 3 minutes ago, Cash said: Right, that's another good point. Bruce was certainly an edge rusher as a 3-4 DE in the 90s, but not every 3-4 DE fits that bill. Likewise, most (not all) 3-4 OLBs and some 4-3 OLBs fit that category as well. Sticking with the 90s defenses, Cornelius Bennett was an "edge" at OLB, but Darryl Talley was not. The Bills 3-4 scheme was obviously a bit different and Bruce was an ELITE talent, so yeah; it's not an ironclad rule. A 3-4 end CAN be an edge. Talley vs Bennett. Exactly. I feel like the answer to the question is relatively simple. Edge players are primarily pass rushers. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UB2SF Posted April 26, 2019 Share Posted April 26, 2019 3 minutes ago, LSHMEAB said: Edge is a more descriptive term. Not quite sure why some folks have a problem with it. I don't have a problem with it, per se, but it just strikes me as odd. Every other position is abbreviated with one or two uppercase letters, and now we have a whole word typically written in uppercase. I guess it's just an an OCD/pet-peeve type of thing. Wondering if someday they will have SLOT or WILL or SAM or MIKE. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heavy Kevi Posted April 26, 2019 Share Posted April 26, 2019 Just now, cage said: How about in a 3-4 scheme where the non-NT defensive linemen are bigger. Would we still call them Defensive Ends in that circumstance? Yeah that's what I'm saying. The big guys dedicated to the line, with their hand in the dirt are still DE. The EDGE distinction is for the different guys who are pass rush specialists (to play from end of the line or OLB), the term did not replace DE. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted April 26, 2019 Share Posted April 26, 2019 When 3-4 defenses came into wider popularity... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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