Does anyone still think the 2011 DL is better than the 2009 DL?

[BIG ERN]

Well it was all because of Suh if you haven't noticed.

[carlfense]

Well it was all because of Suh if you haven't noticed.

Plus P. Allen was much better than Ankrah/Williams/Martin

[PaulCrewe]

Thought this last night, and as I am watching the game again I still think that Stein actually played the best out of the DLine. Jason Ankrah played pretty bad, getting owned and missing tackles. If he tackles Rouse on the little slip screen in the second quarter, Fresno is at the six and Carr doesn't even get his chance to go Superman over the pylon.

 

Credit Fresno for their game plan for throwing with the rollouts and quick drops. More credit for seeing what teams were successful at last year and exploiting it. Running right between the guards. NU has the speed to run down, and stretch out perimeter runs. The best way to attack a fast defense is right at it.

[knapplc]

The 2009 D Line was Ndamukong Suh. Statistically he eclipsed the entire D Lines of three or four of the top five teams in the final BCS standings by himself. It is pretty safe to say that Suh made that D Line a statistical outlier. If we are comparing ANY defensive line from ANY era, that 2009 line is going to meet or exceed.

 

The last time we had an Ndamukong Suh on our D Line was in 1972 with Rich Glover. You don't get guys like that very often - that's why they're called "generational players."

 

Expecting this line to eclipse what Suh did in 2009 is silly. Expecting this line to be stout against the run and technically sound - that's an appropriate expectation.

[beanman]

The 2009 D Line was Ndamukong Suh. Statistically he eclipsed the entire D Lines of three or four of the top five teams in the final BCS standings by himself. It is pretty safe to say that Suh made that D Line a statistical outlier. If we are comparing ANY defensive line from ANY era, that 2009 line is going to meet or exceed.

 

The last time we had an Ndamukong Suh on our D Line was in 1972 with Rich Glover. You don't get guys like that very often - that's why they're called "generational players."

 

Expecting this line to eclipse what Suh did in 2009 is silly. Expecting this line to be stout against the run and technically sound - that's an appropriate expectation.

 

You don't need a Suh or a Glover; you just need a few solid guys. Our D-Line is terrible. Look at the types of players we had on our D-Line back in the 90s and early 00s and ask yourself if these guys are even close to the same caliber of player. Wiltz, Wistrom, Rucker, Tomich, Warren, Peter, Peter, Vanden Bosch, Harris, Jones, Conneally, Kelsey. These guys were ballers. Crick looked like complete sh#t last night. It wasn't until the 4th quarter that I finally saw him make a play. He is one of the most overrated players in the country. I kept a close eye on him throughout the game and it almost seemed like he wasn't trying. I can't remember the last time we had a decent defensive end. It's been awhile...

[roundegotrip]

I wonder what would happen if you bumped Crick over to DE opposite Camstache and let one of the backup DTs start instead of Ankrah.

[flatwaterfan]

The 2009 line gave up 400 yards to a 3-9 Colorado team. They were a good line but I think we have had better overall. I called it push between 2009 vs 2011 because of the depth, but will change that to go with 2009 because I overestimated Martin's impact. We have had a lot of good defensive lines. 1984 was a very good year. Spachman, Danny Noonan, Jim Skow, Strasburger & Bill Weber. Spent so much time in the opponents backfield they should of got visas.

[It'sNotAFakeID]

Nope, but only because Suh was a beast. I believe that Fresno did a lot to cause our D line to be ineffective. We'll see. Too early to tell

[gobiggergoredder]

The comparisons between Crick and Suh is not fair to Crick. Crick is more like JJ Watt out of Wisconsin last year then another version of Suh.

 

I am on board with you. As ridiculous as this may sound, I still think that Suh was underrated if you really look it. I believe Crick is better than most, but an athlete like Suh may not be seen for some time. The D-Line is still carry a reputation that he was a 'huge' part of building and he hasn't suited up for over a year.

[typ3kal]

This would've been a great year to have Owa at end opposite Meredith.

[Count 'Bility]

We were worried about these same issues last year as well as in 09 as this point. 09 defense gained some popularity in the Missouri game but really came to light as great against Oklahoma. Same story last year. Light came on against Washington, the 3rd game, but didnt really show it's domininance until Missouri. They will get better as the year goes on.

[NUance]

I'm sticking with my opinion that our DL is more hype than substance.

I was one who thought we'd be better on D-line this year than in 2009. But at this point I'd say 'no'. I guess it was the off-season Kool-Aid talking. Still, it's early in the season. And this D-line is real deep. Deeper than '09, but not nearly as dominating. We lack a Suh--a freak of nature who can blow up double teams and run down RBs from behind.

[knapplc]

Bo's defenses typically start slow. Here are the stats from the first two games of the past four years:

 

Year	PTS	YDS
2008	36	353
2009	12	632
2010	27	578
2011	36	674

 

2009's stats are going to be somewhat skewed because we played the Sunbelt teams. No Fresno State on that schedule.

 

Here's how the last three defenses finished in Total Defense:

 

2008 - 55th

2009 - 7th

2010 - 11th

 

After two bad games in 2011, we're ranked 45th in Total Defense. Not exactly time to hit the panic button yet.

 

 

 

Regarding Crick taking plays off, or just standing around, I had the exact same gripe about Suh many times in 2008 and 2009. All I can guess is that this is somehow part of Bo's scheme, where the DT isn't supposed to bust through like a Mack Truck, but hold his ground and contain. That doesn't explain why there were plays where Crick was pushed aside five yards down the line, but then so was Suh, at times.

 

Crick is no Suh. Nobody is. So not sure where those comparisons get us, anyway.