Switching to defense now, and this is where the tires meet the road for this team. If the defense can hold teams to 17-21 a game that should be adequate. Well, it should be enough to allow the offense to win, anyways. This defense comes in with a lot of expectations, and rightfully so, they have had 3 years together, for the most part, and it is time for them to go up to that 92 level notch.
LAST YEAR RECAP
The D line was basically encompassed by Mount Cody. As he played, and played well, they played well, but when he was down, they were good but it wasn't quite the same level of dominance. Towards the end of the year, teams were running away from him and Utah and Florida kept him off the field all together (mentally anyways). Greenwood finished his career with an upswing in production and Deaderick provided a stable anchor on the other side. Dareus, Chapman, and Davis all contributed and produced well when in the game.
THIS OFFSEASON
Who is back?
Brandon Deaderick- Brandon does what a 3-4 end is supposed to do. He attacks the gaps and disrupts the middle. He's not going to have 12 sacks or 50 tackles even, but he is a very good run stopper and a fair pass rusher. Deaderick knows how to use his size and power to engage double teams and move them so that the OLB/ILB can get into the backfield.
Lorenzo Washington- Zo, like Fanney, has spent a long time getting ready to play. The hype and blah blah blah finally went to test in 2007 and he did ok. Washington is not a DT for a 3-4, but he played it and did fair, but he really is an End in a 3-4 scheme. He’s fighting off 2 or 3 guys that are more prototypes for the style they play, so we’ll see what happens there. I’d like to see the fight come out in Zo for a change.
Milton Talbert- He’s an all-state defender with 12 sacks and over 100 tackles his senior year. He is a guy the Internets love but I don't see him making any steam towards serious PT yet. His issue is that he's a true tweener. He isn't big enough for end, not fast enough for LB.
Josh Chapman- At 6’1, 313 he’s a lot of boy to move around. Coach Propst called him the best lineman in Hoover history. No pressure there…nah. He played a little his freshman year, but got his year back, and that’s good because it was wasted if he didn’t. He is the pass rush tackle for Bama where as Cody is the run plugger. Chapman does a very nice job of using his freakish athleticism against OL and jamming their chest and face as he bulls forward. He isn't as good a run defender as Cody, but the production level didn't go down drastically while Cody was out. Chapman is the starter for next year and will continue to see a lot of PT this fall.
Luther Davis- Ranked 3rd best recruit in LA, and snubbing LSU, made him a fan favorite early. His mouth has written some checks that LSU may try to cash. He’s gotten real flaky since enrolling in 2007, and I really question if his motor wants to run at times. I'll be honest, at times I wonder if he wants it, other times he seems like he does, I think some want it more and will work harder for it. When he does play, he's a servicable DE and he knows how to play the position with his leg drive and use of his hands to keep linemen from locking him up.
Nick Gentry- Had 16 sacks as a senior, he’s another tweener at 6’1 270. The injury has put him in a weird place. He was 2nd string for a while, but he has fell off the map. He is a likely attrition candidate right now to be honest. The only thing keeping him up is that Murphy hasn't practiced enough to get a serious mention for PT this fall.
Terrance Cody- The folklore is almost as big as his belt. He is very athletic for his size, but he is not a full service tackle yet. Is just a pure mauler off the snap and takes a lot of double teams to keep his big frame from crushing the middle of the OL. Cody has a lot of leg power and drives centers backward with ease and the same umph keeps the double teams from pushing him away. He needs to learn how to pass rush because he doesn't do that very well. His rush move is the same as his run move and in a passing situation it takes him too long to get beyond the LOS. Shedding weight will help with this and hopefully the staff is showing him a few tricks to shed blockers and disrupt more. They need him and Chapman in the middle when they go Dime or Nickel.
Marcel Dareus- He’s the “diamond in the rough” pickup for the 07-08 class. He looks the part, and the fans are talking him up way high, but before I get into the hype, I’d like to see how he plays in a full season and takes all the bumps, but what we have seen of him, he's got potential to be great. Remember, Luther Davis was able to ride lightning and crap gold nuggets. Same for Deaderick, Walton, Fanney, and Washington… On the flip side, when you watch him, he does one heck of a job with his hands to keep linemen from getting to his steering wheel. He, like Cody, has gotten by on his just physical power and less on skill. He knows how to do it, but he needs a little more teaching to understand not every down is a session in how to show how strong you are. He is big enough to play either End or Tackle. I won't be surprised if he isn't the starter at some point this year as they let him learn on the job and take the film sessions to show him how to play better.
Damion Square- Square is kinda the quiet name in the list. He comes from a state, Texas, where football is bigger than life itself a lot of the time. The redshirt helped him, like I thought it would last year, and now he should be a contributor this fall and a starter like Chapman is technically next. The staff really likes him and how he plays low and drives guards backwards. He has a lot of lower body strength and uses his hands pretty well to keep linemen out of his steering wheel. I noticed him a lot during pre-game warmups because he is just so big for his size.
Who is gone?
Bobby Greenwood- Greenwood came to T-Town with a chip on his shoulders and beat out all the big name signees for PT in 05. 06 and 07 were not signature years, but he was gimped up most of those years. Once he got to play his natural position, rush end, he played a much more complete game. My memory of him will be him chasing down the Utah player when most of those around him had gave up on the play. He's going to be missed more than folks think because he was a blue collar contributor and his replacement isn't.
Alfred McCullough- moved to OL last summer
Undra Billingsley- Meet the newest Jekyll and Hyde, you watch him once and you think wow what a future star, you see him again, and you wonder if you were watching the right guy. They have moved him to TE to give depth there. He looks more at home, but I haven't seen much of him catching yet.
Who is new?
Brandon Moore- I saw a lot of questioning about him projecting at End to start out. To make it simple, he'll play inside the tackle in the 3-4 next to the jack. That end is required/desired to be a little bigger and more like DT. If Moore can get his arms around that role, he will be a very special player in his 4 years here. He is big and very strong and uses his hands well on both sides of the line. Doesn't really explode off the line, but at end he will be more about engaging and opening lanes for the Jack and other blitz/rush assignments. He gets a little high sometimes, but that's coachable. I don't think he's been coached as much as a defender and his rush moves are stiff but again, he's going to just have to know how to power through and disrupt like Cody does on run downs and learn how to shed and disrupt over time. He came in, rumor has it, a little hefty so I don't know how much PT he will have, but I suspect if he is in game shape, they will want to work him in.
William Ming - Is it sad that when I first saw this guy, I expected something different? Probably so, but I'll do laps later. He and Steen are kinda alike in that they work hard each play. I can see why folks rumor him to play TE. He's got a lot of burst off the snap for a guy as big as he is. He lacks true power for an end, but is more of a technical player than a mauler. He understands the position and looks well coached as an end. If he could gain some speed, like say get down to a 4.7/40 he might look at Jack, but he may outgrow it as well. What I really like to see from him is how smart he plays. He doesn't rush into the OL every down and he reads the line shifts well and gets his hands in the right place to create separation and get in to disrupt the play. One play he just dismembers an OL by punching his arm and shoulder out of the way and just shoots past. He's beyond the lineman so fast the play breaks down in less than 5 seconds. Nice. Probably the best signee as far as understanding the game goes. I could see him playing some in mop up and reserve but I can see a redshirt too.
Anthony Orr- grayshirted.
Chris Bonds- Here's the scoop on why he's a 3 star, it isn't how he plays, it is the fact he doesn't play too much because he's hurt. After watching his videos, I can see how he gets hurt. He gets amped up to play and probably can't keep his composure and that results in a pull or tear here there and yonder. Would be a rush end in the mold of Bobby Greenwood if he got healthy, but that's a big IF. Has a great motor, engages the linemen and loves to hit. Has good hand work and keeps linemen off him and is in great shape, but again, the videos are somewhat dated. The Army AA game, he came away from it with a lot of ????? about how much rust he had and some scouts started to mumble that he had lost the skills some. Hard to say when he's being used at DT instead of DE, which is where I would start him out at. I think if he is put at DT, he is only effective in a nickel or dime formation because against the run, he'd give up too much size as is. He will redshirt unless injuries require otherwise.
Quinton Dial- DNQ
Darrington Sentimore- Where to begin? He has a good nose for the ball, is always on the play, and has the ability to grow into a DT at around 300 lbs, looks a lot like Zo Washington in action, may be the number. His videos show a lot of potential, but he's raw as all get out. Very sloppy on his tackles at times, he doesn't wrap up he wants to highlight them so some of you will love him like you love Prince Hall, but other times he is on top of them quickly. He has a unique run style and needs to cut out some of the theatrics with it, it is slowing him down some. He's another that has gotten by on his gifts and needs someone to show him how to put it together. Is fast for a 260+ guy and has good push off the snap. Definitely knows how to get inside the lineman and disrupt. He just needs a lot of polishing to his game if he wants to succeed in the SEC. He probably redshirts too.
THE DEFENSIVE LINE
The Good…
Experience up front
Cody, Deaderick, and Washington are all now veterans and have enough PT in them to know the responsibility of their positions. They may not be the ideal players for the spot, but the experience and time under their belt makes up for it some.
Potential up next
Chapman and Dareus both have shown it on the field during the summer, and that is a plus. Both are better fits for the style of play and it really is a matter of time before both are starting side by side this fall.
More looks to throw out there
In the past, they were pretty bland up front, there wasn’t as much in the cupboard to keep rotation and schemes in line. This fall, I’d look for more groups and situational settings to help keep the DL fresh and change things up against offensive lines in the SEC. I think you could see the trios of Deaderick/Cody/Dareus, Dareus/Chapman/Cody, Washingon/Deaderick/Dareus, and so on as they go nickel, dime and base.
The Bad ...
Until they do it, it is just nice talk
Cody does his part in the run, and the other guys do ok, but they aren't just dominating 4 quarters of ball against good teams. They need to be able to step up so that they aren't having to figure out so many options outside the 3 linemen (ie- do you use Hightower or Anders or Upshaw or McClain, etc.). If they can get the disruption from them plus 1, it makes coverage so so so much easier.
Finding a way to stop the pass when you HAVE TO
It is one thing to have x yards passing per game stats, but I can visually remember just sitting here the sad fact that LSU, Ole Miss in the 2nd half, Utah, UGA in the 2nd half albeit when they were running the clock out, all got the yards when they had to. They haven’t really stopped the pass when they had to in a while now, so it is one of those until you do it when it counts, you still haven’t proven anything type situations. Stopping Arkansas St isn't exactly trophy kill material is it?
The Ugly…
None
What the experts think….
Athlon’s. They rank the unit 2nd behind Florida. They say it starts with Cody and how he progresses and notes the 3 seniors that should provide leadership and the 3 potential stars in Murphy, Chapman and Dareus.
Lindy’s. They also rank Bama 2nd behind Florida. They note they were 2nd in run defense and that Deaderick is a "force". (RLB note- I like that phrase better than "beast") They don't dwell much on the front line but rather the talent level of Cody and others.
Depth Chart
1st- Deaderick / Cody / Washington
2nd- Davis / Chapman / Dareus
3rd- Moore / Murphy* / Ming or Square
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