DT Next Year

[HuskerNationNick]

Been watching the recruiting page, and some people act like the world is going to come to an end if we don't get JUCO DT's. Now, do I think Hooks or Russell would have helped? Yes. But I don't think we need to reach down and get a JUCO if they do not meet our standards. I fully expect Vince V. to step in next year and lock down one DT spot right away. People forget this guy was a HUGE (no pun intended) get, we straight up stole him from some top tier programs. He tore it up his RS year in practice (according to reports). VV is the run stopper, demands a double team, collapse the pocket guy we need in the middle. As for the other spot... I feel like someone between Rome, Peat (if he gets his back/act together), Curry, Williams or a rotation of these guys will step up and do a serviceable job. They were young guys this year. It may seem like Rome has been here awhile but he is still young.

Your missing McMullen in this whole paragraph. According to coaches, he has made the most improvement, besides Valentine on the line, and is most likely to earn a spot on the dline. If we don't land any DT's, its by far not the end of the world. Its not like you need a couple years of experience to play on the defensive line. The dline isn't the complicated part of Bo's defense. If we are going to a primary 3-4, I think we will rotate and keep guys fresh with Williams, Peat, Valentine, McMullen, Rome and Ankrah.

LB's will most likely be rotated with Anderson, Rose, Brown, Afalava, Santos, Pirman and possibly Gangwish.

What about Roach? I heard high praises on him and then things went quiet...

I knew I was forgetting someone. I haven't heard much about him, surprisingly, but there is a lot of talk about Afalava, Rose and Brown. Gangwish was a hopeful 2nd string before his injury. I am not sure of his status as of right now though lol. I heard that the ones who don't start, could possibly be playing on special teams, to get them experience on the field and keep their tackling and other fundamentals strong.

 

[QMany]

Steven M. Sipple ‏@HuskerExtraSip

Recruiting: Bo Pelini says #Huskers would take a juco DT in '13 class "if it's the right guy, if it makes sense ... Is it imperative? No."

Steven M. Sipple ‏@HuskerExtraSip

Bo Pelini likes recruiting class right now. "We've put a lot of hard work in to this point," and there's a lot more work ahead, he said.

 

[da skers]

I'm less worried about the inside guys as I am the rush ends right now. Rome, Randle, Williams, Curry, Valentine and Peat give us a pretty good rotation of 3 or 4. And I think we'll still pick up someone who can come in a help. The after season evaluation by the coaches they felt pretty good but wanted to pick up a Juco there to add the depth and just in case one of the guys who banged up (Rome, Randle or Peat) doesn't get over the nagging injuries they're playing with. Curry and Valentine would have played a ton this year and that would have been a huge difference maker up the middle IMO based on what was happening in practice before we lost them both to injury.

The Ends were the biggest area of concerns because so much is unknown with pretty much all new faces. Brown is going to play up there some but he'll probably also be the starter at one of the LB spots. McMullen came on very strong at the end of the year. If he continues to progress this spring he'll probably play a lot. It took him a while to get into shape like we wanted and he got hurt a little and that slowed down his development but by seasons end he was getting into form. Moss should also be in the mix assuming he heals up 100% from being hurt. I hope Gregory is as good as we think he is but its always and unknown with Jucos.

 

[Fuzzy]

Your right about the defensive ends. We have rotated some new guys in at the defensive tackle spot. The same can't really be said about the defensive ends. Its been Martin, Ankrah, Carter and Meredith. Only guy who comes back is Ankrah, and he will need to step it up big time as he will be expected to become a vocal leader and role model to the younger guys at that spot.

But i do hope guys who have been on the team longer than the new talent coming in every year step up and make a new for themselves. Guys like Walker Ashburn who was quick, able to shed blocks, and was good at coming off the edge. Kevin Williams played more defensive end, didn't he?

I hope guys like McMullen and Moss can be healthy and contribute at the defensive end spot.

Same with the interior, there is experience there, but not much in the way of talent. I'll give you Valentine is a big guy, a REALLY BIG GUY. But people keep bringing up speed with his name, i've seen his tapes, he doesn't have speed, not like closing in the RB speed. He has power and uses leverage to disrupt the running lanes. But if you think he will be getting the QB a lot, your overestimating the guys speed. I hope Thad Randle can heal up and stay healthy because i feel like he had his best year so far, I think he is on the cusp of really coming out and showing how talented he can be.

Curry didn't look overly impressive to me and neither did Moss, but they only played in 3 games (Southern Miss, Arkansas St. and Idaho St. So i won't base my entire opinion on those 3 games, especially since they were against spread offenses and not run styled offenses like in the Big Ten.

I'd hate to see Thomas Brown play the Defensive End spot. To have a 6'2" 210lb guy play defensive end, that is kind of sad. It's like asking Lavonte David to go from playing LB to DE.

 

[flatwaterfan]

Your right about the defensive ends. We have rotated some new guys in at the defensive tackle spot. The same can't really be said about the defensive ends. Its been Martin, Ankrah, Carter and Meredith. Only guy who comes back is Ankrah, and he will need to step it up big time as he will be expected to become a vocal leader and role model to the younger guys at that spot.

But i do hope guys who have been on the team longer than the new talent coming in every year step up and make a new for themselves. Guys like Walker Ashburn who was quick, able to shed blocks, and was good at coming off the edge. Kevin Williams played more defensive end, didn't he?

I hope guys like McMullen and Moss can be healthy and contribute at the defensive end spot.

Same with the interior, there is experience there, but not much in the way of talent. I'll give you Valentine is a big guy, a REALLY BIG GUY. But people keep bringing up speed with his name, i've seen his tapes, he doesn't have speed, not like closing in the RB speed. He has power and uses leverage to disrupt the running lanes. But if you think he will be getting the QB a lot, your overestimating the guys speed. I hope Thad Randle can heal up and stay healthy because i feel like he had his best year so far, I think he is on the cusp of really coming out and showing how talented he can be.

Curry didn't look overly impressive to me and neither did Moss, but they only played in 3 games (Southern Miss, Arkansas St. and Idaho St. So i won't base my entire opinion on those 3 games, especially since they were against spread offenses and not run styled offenses like in the Big Ten.

I'd hate to see Thomas Brown play the Defensive End spot. To have a 6'2" 210lb guy play defensive end, that is kind of sad. It's like asking Lavonte David to go from playing LB to DE.

That would be a challenge for Brown but Demarrio Williams was able to do it so it can be done. I would think you would want to stand him up though and I don't know how other things change. Not sure what they were running when Williams was playing but it's my guess it was not the same as what they are doing now. I think they were doing their eagle one deal or whatever you call it even though Bo was running the show on D. Anyone know for sure?

 

[NebraskaHarry]

The coaches have been pretty high on Valentine from everything I've heard and read. Thank the lord we got him last year. It would have been nice to get a juco this year, but I think a year of strength and conditioning with the tackles we have on team already can go along way towards next season. At this point I think our starters are Ankrah, Rome, Valentine, and ? ... I'm pulling for McMullen.

 

[The Dude]

I'm less worried about the inside guys as I am the rush ends right now. Rome, Randle, Williams, Curry, Valentine and Peat give us a pretty good rotation of 3 or 4. And I think we'll still pick up someone who can come in a help. The after season evaluation by the coaches they felt pretty good but wanted to pick up a Juco there to add the depth and just in case one of the guys who banged up (Rome, Randle or Peat) doesn't get over the nagging injuries they're playing with. Curry and Valentine would have played a ton this year and that would have been a huge difference maker up the middle IMO based on what was happening in practice before we lost them both to injury.

The Ends were the biggest area of concerns because so much is unknown with pretty much all new faces. Brown is going to play up there some but he'll probably also be the starter at one of the LB spots. McMullen came on very strong at the end of the year. If he continues to progress this spring he'll probably play a lot. It took him a while to get into shape like we wanted and he got hurt a little and that slowed down his development but by seasons end he was getting into form. Moss should also be in the mix assuming he heals up 100% from being hurt. I hope Gregory is as good as we think he is but its always and unknown with Jucos.

I appreciate your input. +1

 

[Fuzzy]

I'd hate to see Thomas Brown play the Defensive End spot. To have a 6'2" 210lb guy play defensive end, that is kind of sad. It's like asking Lavonte David to go from playing LB to DE.

That would be a challenge for Brown but Demarrio Williams was able to do it so it can be done. I would think you would want to stand him up though and I don't know how other things change. Not sure what they were running when Williams was playing but it's my guess it was not the same as what they are doing now. I think they were doing their eagle one deal or whatever you call it even though Bo was running the show on D. Anyone know for sure?

Ideally, i would want someone like Michael Rose to switch between LB and DE. He has the frame that would match equally with a tackle or big tight end.

 

[Warrior10]

The coaches have been pretty high on Valentine from everything I've heard and read. Thank the lord we got him last year. It would have been nice to get a juco this year, but I think a year of strength and conditioning with the tackles we have on team already can go along way towards next season. At this point I think our starters are Ankrah, Rome, Valentine, and ? ... I'm pulling for McMullen.

I'd say Gregory is almost a lock for the other DE spot....

 

[HuskerShark]

The coaches have been pretty high on Valentine from everything I've heard and read. Thank the lord we got him last year. It would have been nice to get a juco this year, but I think a year of strength and conditioning with the tackles we have on team already can go along way towards next season. At this point I think our starters are Ankrah, Rome, Valentine, and ? ... I'm pulling for McMullen.

I'd say Gregory is almost a lock for the other DE spot....

Avery Moss.

 

[Treand3]

The coaches have been pretty high on Valentine from everything I've heard and read. Thank the lord we got him last year. It would have been nice to get a juco this year, but I think a year of strength and conditioning with the tackles we have on team already can go along way towards next season. At this point I think our starters are Ankrah, Rome, Valentine, and ? ... I'm pulling for McMullen.

I'd say Gregory is almost a lock for the other DE spot....

Avery Moss.

Between Ankrah, Moss, McMullen and Gregory someone has to bring the goods.

 

[BigRedBuster]

IMO, hitting these JUCO DTs would have turned a good-great season into a great-amazing season next year. Everyone knows the offense should be fine next year. On defense, the secondary is loaded with talent and our linebackers are going to be much more athletic and probably more skilled too (just less experienced). The defensive line should be better too. We keep Ankrah and we get the top JUCU D-end. At DT, we still have Randle (if he can get/stay healthy), Rome and a lot of young talent. But there is no denying that those JUCO DTs would have stepped in and given us elite talent at all three levels on defense. Is our season screwed because we missed on those guys? I say no. But we missed out on some elite talent at our weakest position on defense.

This is where I am at on the DTs. I think so much of our team is in place to have a really good season next year. The JUCO DTs would have sealed the deal. We didn't get them. So, we need to rely on the ones that are in the program right now. NOW...saying that, I think we have some really good talent in the program that have the ability to step up and be dominating. My worries are in the depth. If we go into fall camp and have a couple season ending injuries, then this can become a real problem real fast. If let's say Valentine and Rome go down.....OUCH.

 

[BigRedBuster]

The DE position is one that totally baffles me in this system. I honestly don't understand how they are being coached.

 

[da skers]

The DE position is one that totally baffles me in this system. I honestly don't understand how they are being coached.

They are being coached (in most instances) to contain the scramble because thats when the majority of big plays come from in an offense (when a play breaks down) as guys break from their assignments to come up to stop a run from the QB. The idea is if our DBS are doing their jobs the ends and DT's will have enough time to fold the pocket in on itself and get the sack or the QB will have to throw the ball away or make a bad throw our guys can defend. The problem is that we don't have the right type of DT to play the way we need and make the D be as effective as it can. Part of why Katz will be good here is that he's teaching the guys techniques to compensate for physical presence (like Suh had) which help with the ends making some plays.

This defense is a pro style D and thats why our guys transition well into the NFL and do it quickly. Its similar to what Monte Kiffin set up at Tampa back in their Super Bowl days. Its supposed to stop big plays which is where most of the scoring happens in football. The issue I have with it is that if someone isn't doing their job like they are supposed to then its hard to get help for that player from another guy on the field without leaving him vulnerable as well. Not to single a guy out, but Wiscy pretty much isolated #3 who probably played as bad a game as anyone in years at his position. There were 4-5 TD's and around 275-300 yards gained all because he took poor angles, was out of position or just plain old bad tackling on his part.

 

[BigRedBuster]

You brought up the Wisky game and that is a prime example of what I'm talking about. So often, our DEs first move after the snap is to pinch down on the line instead of making the first move up field to get into the back field. I can't even imagine how many times I saw that this year and last. At first, I thought it was just Meredeth. But, I see other DEs do it also. I have always been taught that the first responsibility of a DE is to get up field and contain that end. But, that isn't what ours do a lot of the time. So, unless they are a freak of an athlete, this move makes them late for any run to the outside for which they are supposed to contain or at least string out to the side line.

SO....let's get back to the Wisky game and that friggen jet sweep play that killed us over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. That DE SHOULD have seen the WR coming in motion and realized he needs to get up field. That NEVER happened. The DE should have been in the back field either breaking up the play or stringing that guy out to the side lines so that the safety isn't out there all by himself trying to make the play.

I think it was Jay Foreman on the radio this morning talking about this play. I agree with him. He was saying that after that play killed you twice, someone needed to start jumping that play and committing to it and making them beat you some other way. BUT....our DEs never did that. Heck...nobody did.