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In 2017, free agency acquisition Ian Subramanian ascended to the throne of Utah Weakside Linebacker, the first player acquired with the knowledge of what 34 WLBs are used for.
In 2019, his third year starting, he broke out with a 14.5 sack season (a team record for sacks), and notched 13.0 with 35 hurries the next year (a team record for hurries).
By 2021, the Legend of Ian Subramanian was fading. With four sacks in 10 games, the Bees turned to the younger Carlos Melnick, who recorded 2.5 in his first two starts and finished with 9 on the year.
Melnick would write his own record in earnest starting in '22, promptly knocking off Subramanian's hurries record (with 41) and stringing together five monster pass rushing seasons and appearing in the first five bowls along the way. Subramanian latched on in Columbus and got 14.5 sacks for himself in '23.
In 2027, with Melnick's skills thought to be eroding, he was ignominiously cut before the start of the season. He found a new home in South Maryland, where he recorded 9.0 sacks in six starts, ending much the way he started.
In Utah, though, the train was rolling on. Matthew O'Donnell, a free agent signing in 2022, had served as Melnick's backup for his entire five year run. Finally, in his 7th season, he was handed the reigns, and demolished Subramanian's sack record that Melnick had never reached, with 17.0. He followed it up with 18.5 in '28 and was having his best PR% campaign in '29 before a late-season injury.
It seems every time we've had a star WLB, we'd soon find out that we had an even better ace up our sleeves by the end of his career. O'Donnell's heading into his tenth year, and Ike Arias will have had four season on the bench by then. After appearing in one game as a rookie, Arias has followed it up with 9.5, 11.5, and (currently) 10.0 sack seasons as a backup.
In 2029, he's appearing quite frequently as a strongside coverage LB in nickel sets, but will have the final four starts of the year to audition for the job. Might he be the best yet? 2 sacks, 2 blocks, 7 hurries, and 5 QB knockdowns (27.5%, 30 pplays) in his first start says yes. But he's got a lot to live up to.
In 2019, his third year starting, he broke out with a 14.5 sack season (a team record for sacks), and notched 13.0 with 35 hurries the next year (a team record for hurries).
By 2021, the Legend of Ian Subramanian was fading. With four sacks in 10 games, the Bees turned to the younger Carlos Melnick, who recorded 2.5 in his first two starts and finished with 9 on the year.
Melnick would write his own record in earnest starting in '22, promptly knocking off Subramanian's hurries record (with 41) and stringing together five monster pass rushing seasons and appearing in the first five bowls along the way. Subramanian latched on in Columbus and got 14.5 sacks for himself in '23.
In 2027, with Melnick's skills thought to be eroding, he was ignominiously cut before the start of the season. He found a new home in South Maryland, where he recorded 9.0 sacks in six starts, ending much the way he started.
In Utah, though, the train was rolling on. Matthew O'Donnell, a free agent signing in 2022, had served as Melnick's backup for his entire five year run. Finally, in his 7th season, he was handed the reigns, and demolished Subramanian's sack record that Melnick had never reached, with 17.0. He followed it up with 18.5 in '28 and was having his best PR% campaign in '29 before a late-season injury.
It seems every time we've had a star WLB, we'd soon find out that we had an even better ace up our sleeves by the end of his career. O'Donnell's heading into his tenth year, and Ike Arias will have had four season on the bench by then. After appearing in one game as a rookie, Arias has followed it up with 9.5, 11.5, and (currently) 10.0 sack seasons as a backup.
In 2029, he's appearing quite frequently as a strongside coverage LB in nickel sets, but will have the final four starts of the year to audition for the job. Might he be the best yet? 2 sacks, 2 blocks, 7 hurries, and 5 QB knockdowns (27.5%, 30 pplays) in his first start says yes. But he's got a lot to live up to.
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