[wareaglefan78]

My two cents worth starts with the aspect of leadership, and experience. Bates has the experience to get the job done. He may not be the "best" LB in the country, but neither was Josh Bynes, but look at what he brought to the table. Bynes was great at getting the defense lined up where he needed them, he brought leadership, and was a reliable player. I think that's what Bates will bring by keeping him at LB. As far as size, I believe in a 4-3 you want a bigger MLB, with quicker OLB's, and in the 3-4, the two middle guys you want bigger, with two smaller outside linebackers. However, I do believe that Bates should stay where he is, and CBVG should use what he has at the moment, and recruit for the future. Bates has proven (last half of season) that he is reliable, let him learn the "classroom" stuff with CBVG and his scheme. Bottom line though, i'm not CBVG, he's the coach, and he knows best. Whatever he does, i'll support it, and the players he has on his defense. WDE!