Spencer Larsen's Future

Muse_Cubed — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 21:49:21 -0000

This past season made me realise how spoiled we've been at MLB over the years with Al Wilson and it's clear that it's one of the positions that needs sorting out. The main question is whether Spencer Larsen could be that guy: there's no question over the season that he was the best available player at MLB this year although he was not rewarded as such (to the detriment of our defence). Ideally, you want a beast at MLB in every respect. A top athlete, intelligent, a great leader, adept at shedding blocks, able to read the game and able to channel their aggression and not overpursue on plays. Al was all of those, and although his fundamentals suffered towards the end of his career, not only was he always in position, but he also raised the play of his fellow OLBs - case in point in 2003 where Donnie Spragan and Jashon Sykes (yes, who indeed) came in for Messrs Mobley and Gold mid-season and kept the Broncos' defence respectable.

From what I saw of Larsen last year, I saw a guy who could go sideline to sideline, shed blocks well and - maybe most importantly - he directed guys on defence. It was a rare sight last season (especially from DJ who simply isn't cut out for captaincy and I believe his play suffered partially as a result from that responsibility) I only really saw it from Larsen and Winborn (occasionally from the DEs, desperately screaming at people to get in position and failing to get a response). However, I'm not ready to annoint him as "the answer" to the MLB spot as we've not seen him in extensive action. We will be bringing in more MLB guys over the offseason, whether that's through the draft or FA; the dilemma is whether we bring in a high draft pick/big-ish name FA or a guy who is probably going to be a backup. There are questions surrounding Larsen's coverage and if we were to go to a Tampa 2 (which is a possibility), could we count on him to cover the deep middle zone? I know the idea of getting someone like Karlos Dansby in FA or Rey Maulauga (sp?) or James Laurinitis in the draft is quite popular amongst Broncos fans, and whilst they'd be great pick ups, I think there is a strong possibility of Larsen being something special.

So, if we were to pick up a starting MLB in the offseason, what do we do with Larsen? I think he deserves more than a career as a backup and whilst he could potentially be used more as an FB, would he fit in as a Sam backer? He's strong, and can shed his blocks very well. Of course, coverage is a big part of being an SLB, and that's one of Larsen's question marks. However, if Barrett ends up starting at SS next year, that'd help him out a lot there. SLB is currently a big question mark with Bailey slowly going the same way as Courtney Brown and Winborn - who I like - mixing in moments of excellence with moments of facepalm (I think playing next to Nate "Kamikaze" Webster didn't help him rein in his aggressiveness this year), it could be a good use of our resources as well removing the position as a need next year.

There are several areas on this team which need fixing, and MLB is a big one. I'd just be a bit miffed if we wasted what we already had.

SB Nation User Blog: Muse_Cubed

Spencer Larsen's Future