Recruiting Balance

[EZ-E]

I just broke down the numbers from the 08 to '12 recruiting classes. I took some positions that we are very thin at and one that we have all the depth in the world at.

 

Between 2008 and 2012 we have signed 20 DBs into the program.

In the same years we have signed 17 OL and 10 DTs into the program.

 

Before the 2011 class in which we signed 5 OL these numbers were drastically scewed in favor of the DBs.

 

We have continued to take 2 DTs per year each and every year. It appears that this year may be an outlier here if we don't add Collins (which I believe we will).

 

Take it FWIW. Thought I would start some discussion.

[SECHusker]

I just broke down the numbers from the 08 to '12 recruiting classes. I took some positions that we are very thin at and one that we have all the depth in the world at.

 

Between 2008 and 2012 we have signed 20 DBs into the program.

In the same years we have signed 17 OL and 10 DTs into the program.

 

Before the 2011 class in which we signed 5 OL these numbers were drastically scewed in favor of the DBs.

 

We have continued to take 2 DTs per year each and every year. It appears that this year may be an outlier here if we don't add Collins (which I believe we will).

 

Take it FWIW. Thought I would start some discussion.

 

I have long thought that while getting Willis and Newby would be great, we need DLine more than anything. For this year's bowl game we have a DE playing tackle (Meredith), two DTs that have injury issues (Williams and Randle), and Rome. I don't care how good our corners, linebackers, and safeties are, if you can't get pressure on the QB or stop the run, it's all for not.

[EZ-E]

I just broke down the numbers from the 08 to '12 recruiting classes. I took some positions that we are very thin at and one that we have all the depth in the world at.

 

Between 2008 and 2012 we have signed 20 DBs into the program.

In the same years we have signed 17 OL and 10 DTs into the program.

 

Before the 2011 class in which we signed 5 OL these numbers were drastically scewed in favor of the DBs.

 

We have continued to take 2 DTs per year each and every year. It appears that this year may be an outlier here if we don't add Collins (which I believe we will).

 

Take it FWIW. Thought I would start some discussion.

 

I have long thought that while getting Willis and Newby would be great, we need DLine more than anything. For this year's bowl game we have a DE playing tackle (Meredith), two DTs that have injury issues (Williams and Randle), and Rome. I don't care how good our corners, linebackers, and safeties are, if you can't get pressure on the QB or stop the run, it's all for not.

 

I rewatched the Big Ten Championship game after taking some input from guys on here that I respect and much to my surprise I wasn't near as displeased with the DTs as I was the DEs and the safties. The safties worse than anyone. I can't count on one hand how many times they should have stopped that jet sweep in the backfield or at the LOS. Dear Lord, the second one that Wisconsin took for about 6 yards I believe Andrew Green did a great job of shedding his block and Stafford was right there as well, and they flat out missed him. Almost seemed as if there was no attempt to make the play.

 

The issues that I feel we have at DT is depth. We need to be deeper up from on both sides of the football. OL is a different story.

[SECHusker]

I just broke down the numbers from the 08 to '12 recruiting classes. I took some positions that we are very thin at and one that we have all the depth in the world at.

 

Between 2008 and 2012 we have signed 20 DBs into the program.

In the same years we have signed 17 OL and 10 DTs into the program.

 

Before the 2011 class in which we signed 5 OL these numbers were drastically scewed in favor of the DBs.

 

We have continued to take 2 DTs per year each and every year. It appears that this year may be an outlier here if we don't add Collins (which I believe we will).

 

Take it FWIW. Thought I would start some discussion.

 

I have long thought that while getting Willis and Newby would be great, we need DLine more than anything. For this year's bowl game we have a DE playing tackle (Meredith), two DTs that have injury issues (Williams and Randle), and Rome. I don't care how good our corners, linebackers, and safeties are, if you can't get pressure on the QB or stop the run, it's all for not.

 

I rewatched the Big Ten Championship game after taking some input from guys on here that I respect and much to my surprise I wasn't near as displeased with the DTs as I was the DEs and the safties. The safties worse than anyone. I can't count on one hand how many times they should have stopped that jet sweep in the backfield or at the LOS. Dear Lord, the second one that Wisconsin took for about 6 yards I believe Andrew Green did a great job of shedding his block and Stafford was right there as well, and they flat out missed him. Almost seemed as if there was no attempt to make the play.

 

The issues that I feel we have at DT is depth. We need to be deeper up from on both sides of the football. OL is a different story.

 

Granted the safeties have issues, but when you are getting blocked out of the play or being pushed into linebackers, like the Dline has done consistently for the past few years something needs to change. Wiscy didn't rack up 540 yards on the ground because of crappy safety play. On some of Wiscy's runs their RB wasn't being touched at the line. We are the 95th rushing defense, partly because of scheme, but a majority is because we have lacked play making ability on the Dline.

[SECHusker]

no post

[EZ-E]

I just broke down the numbers from the 08 to '12 recruiting classes. I took some positions that we are very thin at and one that we have all the depth in the world at.

 

Between 2008 and 2012 we have signed 20 DBs into the program.

In the same years we have signed 17 OL and 10 DTs into the program.

 

Before the 2011 class in which we signed 5 OL these numbers were drastically scewed in favor of the DBs.

 

We have continued to take 2 DTs per year each and every year. It appears that this year may be an outlier here if we don't add Collins (which I believe we will).

 

Take it FWIW. Thought I would start some discussion.

 

I have long thought that while getting Willis and Newby would be great, we need DLine more than anything. For this year's bowl game we have a DE playing tackle (Meredith), two DTs that have injury issues (Williams and Randle), and Rome. I don't care how good our corners, linebackers, and safeties are, if you can't get pressure on the QB or stop the run, it's all for not.

 

I rewatched the Big Ten Championship game after taking some input from guys on here that I respect and much to my surprise I wasn't near as displeased with the DTs as I was the DEs and the safties. The safties worse than anyone. I can't count on one hand how many times they should have stopped that jet sweep in the backfield or at the LOS. Dear Lord, the second one that Wisconsin took for about 6 yards I believe Andrew Green did a great job of shedding his block and Stafford was right there as well, and they flat out missed him. Almost seemed as if there was no attempt to make the play.

 

The issues that I feel we have at DT is depth. We need to be deeper up from on both sides of the football. OL is a different story.

 

Granted the safeties have issues, but when you are getting blocked out of the play or being pushed into linebackers, like the Dline has done consistently for the past few years something needs to change. Wiscy didn't rack up 540 yards on the ground because of crappy safety play. On some of Wiscy's runs their RB wasn't being touched at the line. We are the 95th rushing defense, partly because of scheme, but a majority is because we have lacked play making ability on the Dline.

 

After rewatching the game that day and spending time focussed on just the DTs and just the safties, I can assure you that certain posters on this board saying you could blame roughly around 300 yards and 4-5 TDs on the safties were validated.

 

Im not saying that we have All-World DTs on the team, and I agree we need the depth. I like the young talent on the roster, but to blame them for those yards wouldn't be accurate.

[SECHusker]

I just broke down the numbers from the 08 to '12 recruiting classes. I took some positions that we are very thin at and one that we have all the depth in the world at.

 

Between 2008 and 2012 we have signed 20 DBs into the program.

In the same years we have signed 17 OL and 10 DTs into the program.

 

Before the 2011 class in which we signed 5 OL these numbers were drastically scewed in favor of the DBs.

 

We have continued to take 2 DTs per year each and every year. It appears that this year may be an outlier here if we don't add Collins (which I believe we will).

 

Take it FWIW. Thought I would start some discussion.

 

I have long thought that while getting Willis and Newby would be great, we need DLine more than anything. For this year's bowl game we have a DE playing tackle (Meredith), two DTs that have injury issues (Williams and Randle), and Rome. I don't care how good our corners, linebackers, and safeties are, if you can't get pressure on the QB or stop the run, it's all for not.

 

I rewatched the Big Ten Championship game after taking some input from guys on here that I respect and much to my surprise I wasn't near as displeased with the DTs as I was the DEs and the safties. The safties worse than anyone. I can't count on one hand how many times they should have stopped that jet sweep in the backfield or at the LOS. Dear Lord, the second one that Wisconsin took for about 6 yards I believe Andrew Green did a great job of shedding his block and Stafford was right there as well, and they flat out missed him. Almost seemed as if there was no attempt to make the play.

 

The issues that I feel we have at DT is depth. We need to be deeper up from on both sides of the football. OL is a different story.

 

Granted the safeties have issues, but when you are getting blocked out of the play or being pushed into linebackers, like the Dline has done consistently for the past few years something needs to change. Wiscy didn't rack up 540 yards on the ground because of crappy safety play. On some of Wiscy's runs their RB wasn't being touched at the line. We are the 95th rushing defense, partly because of scheme, but a majority is because we have lacked play making ability on the Dline.

 

After rewatching the game that day and spending time focussed on just the DTs and just the safties, I can assure you that certain posters on this board saying you could blame roughly around 300 yards and 4-5 TDs on the safties were validated.

 

Im not saying that we have All-World DTs on the team, and I agree we need the depth. I like the young talent on the roster, but to blame them for those yards wouldn't be accurate.

 

Just because a safety or corner was the last person to whiff on a tackle, does not mean it was their responsibility to make the play. Our DEs didn't get up field enough to push the play inside, and DTs were simply blocked out of play. Our Dline was not good vs. Wiscy. I think the easiest way to sum up my argument is that I believe a star DT would have made greater impact on that game, than a star safety or corner.

[EZ-E]

 

Watch Stafford specifically on the jet sweep plays. I really hate to put anyone on the spot, but this was literally the worst safety play I've ever seen. Absolutely awful tackling angles. These plays were the ones that we could count on guys like O'Hanlan making with regularity.

[huKSer]

If I remember correctly, teams from the $ec have no recruiting balance.

 

 

They pay their recruits well and have no extra money left over.

[husker B-rent]

But the point is that rush plays start with the dline then the lbers, safeties, and corners. If the dline was doing its job then the safties would have never been put in position to try to make the play no matter how bad a job they did trying. The safeties are the absolute least responsible players for those runs. The dline should have stopped them and if not then the lbers should have, that's not the safeties job...

[Hedley Lamarr]

Your DB's are your last line of defense more times than not when the ball is being ran. The fact that they were the only ones around to try to make a play is an issue. We have zero difference makers on the DL. What we do have is an average DL and a couple young guys with "potential" and a couple is Curry and VV at the tackles and Moss and McMullen at the DE position. That still doesn't solve our quality depth issue. We hear stories every season about how good many of these guys "look" in practice. I heard how good Carnes was doing in practice as a young guy and also heard how good Kenny Bell was doing as a young guy. One flourished and is a stud the other is buried on the depth chart at a different position.

 

The point being we hold in one hand what we know we have and we hold in the other hopes and potential.

[EZ-E]

But the point is that rush plays start with the dline then the lbers, safeties, and corners. If the dline was doing its job then the safties would have never been put in position to try to make the play no matter how bad a job they did trying. The safeties are the absolute least responsible players for those runs. The dline should have stopped them and if not then the lbers should have, that's not the safeties job...

 

Jet Sweeps. Remind me how a DT makes a play on the outside like that? Stafford's job was to make those plays and he didn't do it. Watch that clip that I posted.

[husker1974]

I agree with you EZ-E you also look at when they ran the ball up the middle our linebackers were taking the wrong holes leaving the middle wide open.

[husker B-rent]

But the point is that rush plays start with the dline then the lbers, safeties, and corners. If the dline was doing its job then the safties would have never been put in position to try to make the play no matter how bad a job they did trying. The safeties are the absolute least responsible players for those runs. The dline should have stopped them and if not then the lbers should have, that's not the safeties job...

 

Jet Sweeps. Remind me how a DT makes a play on the outside like that? Stafford's job was to make those plays and he didn't do it. Watch that clip that I posted.

the jet sweep was not the only way they gained their rushing yards though ez. Yes they are the plays that stand out because they kept doing it over and over again but thats not the whole story and we both know that a good dline can and will negate a jet sweep.

[dylan]

Safety, specifically stafford, was easily our weakest point that night. They isolated him outside and he screwed up repeatedly. Yes, stronger play elsewhere would have helped, particularly having 55 penetrating inside, but safety play is what really killed us.