This is completely devastating. Any chance our D had to repeat last year's performance just flew out the window. I'm all for optimism, and I'm sure there are competent players ready to step up, but you lose both your starting linebackers before the first game, one out for the season, and the other one probably for about that long, and think that it's no big deal?
Please.
That may be a bit melodramatic. We went through last season with one, count 'em one, competent LB in Dillard. If LaVonte David is everything Pelini says he is we should be fine. Did anyone watch the preseason Bo Pelini/Nebraska Football Show? Bo was pitchin' a serious tent for David's athleticism and instincts.
And how many starts does he have at the D-1 level? How many snaps has he played at the D-1 level? Dillard, as you know, is no longer with us. That leaves us with precisely 0 proven linebackers, and the top two contenders either out for the year or a significant portion of it.
I'm sorry, folks, as tasty as a strong jug of kookaid is, you don't lose all your experience in the middle of your defense and then smile about it. It may not be the end of the world, but that doesn't mean we won't feel the tremor of the earthquake when some big back starts gashing through the tackles.