PaulCrewe said:
People with the anti bo agenda point at will as being a scapegoat. All those derpers are proving is that they don't watch the games for jack sh#t. Compton and baker (another whipping boy) have honestly been two of the most consistent payers onthe defense.
Good for will. No way in hell he wins it, but day in and day out the kid just plays his butt off.
I believe Baker gets bashed (not just by the anti-Bo crowd either) a lot because he doesn’t put up Suh like stats. I also think people hold against him because he was a highly rated recruit. It is kind of like the people that held it against Marlon Lucky even though when his career was all said and done he had two 2nd Team All Big 12 selections, the most receptions ever by a RB at NU and is 4th on the All Time All Purpose Yardage list.
Baker is a huge reason why Compton and David put up the tackle numbers they have. He eats up blocks and has every game the last two years.
Compton’s on field leadership will be greatly missed next year. His play on the field can be replaced but the things he does that go unnoticed are the things we will miss the most.
IMO, we compare everyone on the line to the beast that is/was SUH. Look at last year, high hopes for Crick to ascend to the top. Same with Baker this year, Crick was gone and Baker was the next "heir" apparent to the DL greatness.
Baker had a solid game against Wisky first time around, but is not the world beater some think he is, again, IMO. 46 total tackles (solo and assist) 2.5 sacks and 6.5 TFL (none on the road). Yes stats do not tell the whole story, but not exactly insane numbers either. (although Wisky's Gilbert DE leads their DL with ony 37 total tackles) This year he is 7th on the team behind Compton, Stafford, Smith, Whaley, Evans, and Martin. He has improved dramatically and will be missed Sat. Possibly to our detriment.
Looking at this, it appears that the DL is either designed to "eat blocks" or they are getting pushed out of the play and the LB's and secondary are making all the tackles. (Cam is right behind Stein with 43 total tackles). It also appears that we give up some yards as 3 of the top 6 are DB's. It should also be noted that after Stein, his back ups production is significantly less. Around 18 total tackles........
Compton deserves the accolades IMO. Rarely did he appear to have an uncontested shot at the RB or receivers without some OL getting to the second level. He has improved every game and has become a solid fixture on an improving D. Wish he had one more year. The LB and safety spots are going to be thin next year. A lot of promise, but not much experience.