I was not a R Quinn fan his first two years, or even the first 4-5 games, until I started watching two things:
a) his inside rush move
b) his amazing run stopping work.
He really took to the coaching; I can't think of a DE in the league, with his frame, who can play the way he has against the run. His pass rush (outside move)
won't work against the best Pro Bowl tackles more than 1-2x a game. He needs to add some power to his bend. But, against any average to good LT he is unstoppable. I think he will get a lot better. He looks like a 4.4 after his first two steps....of course the first two steps is the diffrence between 4.4 and 4.6
I think long term, 10-12 years, he won't be as great as some others who are HOF, like Bruce Smith. I say that because he has to add 20 pounds of muscle to add to that quickness if he is going to get 12 sacks at age 32+...He still gets overpowered.
In 40 years of watching football, I can't think of a guy like him--all the great ones had more power in their legs--look at the top 20 sackers of all time from 1982+. I think only Jason taylor and Simeon Rice didn't have good sized legs. jack youngblood was skinny, but that was a different era.
There is no one I have seen, in 40 years of watching football, that is near a) his athleticism with inside moves, b) ability to play the run and to just c) run around tackles at the same time--- in their 3rd year. Jevon Kearse isn't close--he couldn't play the run, and his gas tank/quickness ran dry pretty quick (after his third year he never had 10+ sacks again). To get 19 sacks on a 7-9 team is pretty amazing. I think Jared Allen did better; but who has that many sacks on a sub .500 team?
The only weakness I saw was when the O line plays with small splits....he is easily uprooted in those situation....but, if he has space to create leverage and use his body to twist, turn and break free no lineman is guarenteed to stop him on the sweep.
He made me wrong, and I am happy to admit it!