Defense article from SI.com

[Husker66]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/football/ncaa/04/01/nebraska.suh.ap/index.html

 

 

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- Ndamukong Suh is gone, but Nebraska defensive coordinator Carl Pelini believes he has enough guys to minimize the impact of losing arguably the greatest defensive lineman in program history.

 

"How do you replace Suh? The answer is, you don't," Pelini said. "If you went by that premise, any time you graduated a great player, you're going to take a step backward. You replace him with a good player and the other guys around him keep getting better and suddenly you fill the hole. You do it by committee."

 

Jared Crick, Suh's overshadowed sidekick last season, takes over as the main man on the defensive line. Baker Steinkuhler, the third tackle last season, is pegged to fill the Heisman Trophy finalist's spot on the depth chart.

 

Pelini said two or three other tackles probably will be in the rotation, with Terrence Moore and Thad Randle showing this spring that they are deserving of significant playing time.

 

"You see a guy leave, it opens up a door, and everybody is trying to rush through the door now," Pelini said.

 

Even with Suh off to the NFL, Pelini said the tackle position is the deepest it's been in years.

 

"No drop-off," Pelini said.

 

The Huskers also have to groom a replacement for defensive end Barry Turner. Cameron Meredith appears to be the front-runner to join returning starter Pierre Allen.

 

Crick said he and his linemates are taking a business-as-usual approach this spring.

 

"Suh was a great player for us," Crick said, "but when we take one person out, it doesn't matter as long as the other three are doing their jobs. The whole defensive line will keep its structure and integrity. We won't worry about losing one or two guys. It's about team."

 

Crick, however, knows he's in position to become the face of the defense after earning first-team All-Big 12 honors from the coaches.

 

"That's for you guys," he told reporters this week. "For myself, I'm worried about the defense and the d-line. I care about what happens to myself, but as long as we function as a unit and play well, that's all that matters."

 

The 6-foot-6, 285-pound junior from Cozad is the top returning tackler (73). He had 15 tackles for loss, including 9.5 sacks.

 

Like Suh, Pelini said, Crick can dominate a game. Pelini said Crick needs to resist the urge to overextend himself.

 

"If you say I'm going to go take over this game, or I want to single-handedly disrupt this offense, you're going to get in trouble," Pelini said. "Play within the scheme and let the opportunities come. Some games (he and Suh) did take over, some games they didn't. I don't think you think about that. You think about dominating the man over you."

 

Steinkuhler, a 6-6, 290-pound sophomore from Lincoln, played in 13 games last season and made 17 stops as the third tackle. He concentrated on strengthening his upper body over the winter and improved his squat lift to 500 pounds.

 

Pelini said Crick, Steinkuhler and others could end up being more productive because of improved depth.

 

Suh and Crick had their best performances the second half of the season, Pelini said, because they played themselves into shape by being on the field for most of the snaps.

 

"Hopefully our guys can excel earlier in the year because they're going to be more rested, because they won't be on the field as long," Pelini said. "We'll roll other guys in there and keep them fresh."

 

Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

 

 

PRINT EMAIL Buzz up! FACEBOOK

 

 

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/football/ncaa/04/01/nebraska.suh.ap/index.html#ixzz0ju66tqlA

Get a free NFL Team Jacket and Tee with SI Subscription

[Rep The 402]

I really like this article. It will show people outside of husker nation that Suh wasn't our whole team. Our whole entire defense worked as one.

[skersfan]

I think it is most likely true.

 

But we will not know how bad he is missed until we line up against a quality team. Texas will test the theory is my guess.

 

A lot of coach speak in that article. The one true positive is Crick. If he plays as well as last year, Suh will be missed, but not to the level some think.

[NUance]

The 6-foot-6, 285-pound junior from Cozad is the top returning tackler (73). He had 15 tackles for loss, including 9.5 sacks.

These are pretty incredible stats. I doubt if there are many DTs in the nation with these kind of numbers. Definitely no one with two years left.

[UGAHusker]

http://sportsillustr...h.ap/index.html

 

 

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- Ndamukong Suh is gone, but Nebraska defensive coordinator Carl Pelini believes he has enough guys to minimize the impact of losing arguably the greatest defensive lineman in program history.

 

"How do you replace Suh? The answer is, you don't," Pelini said. "If you went by that premise, any time you graduated a great player, you're going to take a step backward. You replace him with a good player and the other guys around him keep getting better and suddenly you fill the hole. You do it by committee."

 

Jared Crick, Suh's overshadowed sidekick last season, takes over as the main man on the defensive line. Baker Steinkuhler, the third tackle last season, is pegged to fill the Heisman Trophy finalist's spot on the depth chart.

 

Pelini said two or three other tackles probably will be in the rotation, with Terrence Moore and Thad Randle showing this spring that they are deserving of significant playing time.

 

"You see a guy leave, it opens up a door, and everybody is trying to rush through the door now," Pelini said.

 

Even with Suh off to the NFL, Pelini said the tackle position is the deepest it's been in years.

 

"No drop-off," Pelini said.

 

The Huskers also have to groom a replacement for defensive end Barry Turner. Cameron Meredith appears to be the front-runner to join returning starter Pierre Allen.

 

Crick said he and his linemates are taking a business-as-usual approach this spring.

 

"Suh was a great player for us," Crick said, "but when we take one person out, it doesn't matter as long as the other three are doing their jobs. The whole defensive line will keep its structure and integrity. We won't worry about losing one or two guys. It's about team."

 

Crick, however, knows he's in position to become the face of the defense after earning first-team All-Big 12 honors from the coaches.

 

"That's for you guys," he told reporters this week. "For myself, I'm worried about the defense and the d-line. I care about what happens to myself, but as long as we function as a unit and play well, that's all that matters."

 

The 6-foot-6, 285-pound junior from Cozad is the top returning tackler (73). He had 15 tackles for loss, including 9.5 sacks.

 

Like Suh, Pelini said, Crick can dominate a game. Pelini said Crick needs to resist the urge to overextend himself.

 

"If you say I'm going to go take over this game, or I want to single-handedly disrupt this offense, you're going to get in trouble," Pelini said. "Play within the scheme and let the opportunities come. Some games (he and Suh) did take over, some games they didn't. I don't think you think about that. You think about dominating the man over you."

 

Steinkuhler, a 6-6, 290-pound sophomore from Lincoln, played in 13 games last season and made 17 stops as the third tackle. He concentrated on strengthening his upper body over the winter and improved his squat lift to 500 pounds.

 

Pelini said Crick, Steinkuhler and others could end up being more productive because of improved depth.

 

Suh and Crick had their best performances the second half of the season, Pelini said, because they played themselves into shape by being on the field for most of the snaps.

 

"Hopefully our guys can excel earlier in the year because they're going to be more rested, because they won't be on the field as long," Pelini said. "We'll roll other guys in there and keep them fresh."

 

Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

 

 

PRINT EMAIL Buzz up! FACEBOOK

 

 

Read More: http://sportsillustr...l#ixzz0ju66tqlA

Get a free NFL Team Jacket and Tee with SI Subscription

 

 

This material may not be published, braodcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

 

This is my favorite quote of the story!

[suh_fan93]

I know our defense will be good. I just honestly think who is going to step up and make the 'big play' when we need it the most on defense. O'Hanlon had a lot of those plays last year as did Suh and Asante. Can't forget about

Dillard either. I know he had some pretty big stops at crucial times last year. I cannot wait to see all of the new talent. We lost some talent to graduation but I'm really excited to see how we react this year.

 

I was also just thinking I wonder if Crick is going to be the guy seeing all of the double teams now?!!! Good article.

[huzkerbob]

I know our defense will be good. I just honestly think who is going to step up and make the 'big play' when we need it the most on defense. O'Hanlon had a lot of those plays last year as did Suh and Asante. Can't forget about

Dillard either. I know he had some pretty big stops at crucial times last year. I cannot wait to see all of the new talent. We lost some talent to graduation but I'm really excited to see how we react this year.

 

I was also just thinking I wonder if Crick is going to be the guy seeing all of the double teams now?!!! Good article.

 

I don't think Phil ever got the credit he deserved by the fans or the coaches during his time at NU. Dillard was a big part of the Huskers success in 2009, and the fact that he achieved such a high level of play after being essentially exiled on the LB depth chart makes him even more worthy of praise IMO.

 

Let's not forget, Phil and Bo didn't exactly have the greatest history together before he was hired as HC. So for Phil to overcome both the inadequacy of the previous coaching staff and his personal differences with the new one, shows me a lot about his character. And after all, isn't that usually the kind of hard-nosed determination and perseverance us Husker fans respect the most?

[mmmtodd]

I respect Dillard for the 'comeback' he made and that he never quit...but I disagree that he was integral to last years defense. He was often out of place and truly wasnt an impactful linebacker. When d-lineman are running past you downfield to makes stops, youre kind of just in the way. I guess I maybe feel he never really shined as bright as he could have. A lack of aggression that you'd expect from the position and a man with his physical attributes.

[huzkerbob]

I respect Dillard for the 'comeback' he made and that he never quit...but I disagree that he was integral to last years defense. He was often out of place and truly wasnt an impactful linebacker. When d-lineman are running past you downfield to makes stops, youre kind of just in the way. I guess I maybe feel he never really shined as bright as he could have. A lack of aggression that you'd expect from the position and a man with his physical attributes.

 

I don't know how you can say the teams second leading tackler wasn't an integral part of the defense. I recall Dillard's play at LB saved our ass more than once last year, and again that was only after earning back his starting position.

 

I was actually living in Tulsa when Phil signed with NU, and was acquainted with some kids who played with him at Jenks. So naturally I have followed his time at NU pretty closely, and I will be the first to admit that yes his career as a whole has been disappointing. But there are many factors that contributed to that, some of them where out of Phil's control, and others weren't. All I'm saying is that we as fans should at least respect the hard work it took for him to step up and address his issues and earn the praise, that I for one am willing to give him.

[RedDenver]

I respect Dillard for the 'comeback' he made and that he never quit...but I disagree that he was integral to last years defense. He was often out of place and truly wasnt an impactful linebacker. When d-lineman are running past you downfield to makes stops, youre kind of just in the way. I guess I maybe feel he never really shined as bright as he could have. A lack of aggression that you'd expect from the position and a man with his physical attributes.

Dillard's play was exceeded only by Suh's, IMO. The VT and OU games along with the Holiday Bowl were really great performances by Dillard. Don't forget that he was making most of the defensive adjustments and calls - that's not always easy to replace.