War Machine Dawg
08-16-2013, 11:41 AM
I look for the D to be the strength of the 2013 team. We've got lots of big, fast, physical players at every position. We also return a LOT of experience. I will be surprised if this group doesn't finish at minimum in the top half of SEC Defenses this season. Let's go to the position-by-position look.
DL: This group has the potential to be among the best ever at MSU. Now will they play to that potential remains to be seen. But make no mistake, this is a deep, talented group. In the interior, we are legitimately 5 deep: PJ Jones, Curtis Virges, Kaleb Eulls, Quay Evans, and Nick James can all be very, very good SEC DLinemen. Quay, PJ, and James could be elite with the proper motivation. Moving Eulls inside will pay immediate benefits. He's a big guy that moves extremely well for a DT, but not so much for a DE. He'll be quicker than most OL on the inside and create some real problems. Quay is the type of physical, penetrating DT that gets upfield we haven't seen at Dear Ol' State in a long time. If he's in shape and motivated, he could be dominant. Lost in the shuffle is Curtis Virges. He outplayed PJ and was freshman All-SEC 2 seasons ago. He could be a big surprise inside this season. James is a space eater. His attitude looked tremendously improved in the spring, but fall rumors are saying his poor attitude has resurfaced. If he gets his head on straight, he could effectively fill the role we hoped Cherry would fill last year.
On the edges, we aren't overly deep, but the first 3-4 guys are legit. Denico Autry came on strong at the end of last season, as seems to be the trend with JUCO players. Due to the focus on other players, he's flying under the radar this fall. But look for him to pick up where he left off, a la McPhee a couple years ago. Preston Smith and Ryan Brown showed flashes last fall they can bring some heat. They're having one hell of a battle to see the field this fall and helping make life miserable for our OTs so far. Now I come to the guy everyone is talking about - Chris Jones. This kid is an elite athlete. He's having arguably the best fall of any freshman and making a serious push to start. I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting him to make this type of impact so quickly. But then aGAIN, MSU has never had a guy like him sign, either. He's nearly 300 pounds and still runs like a deer. Don't be surprised if he is the starter opposite Autry in 2 weeks. If he is, I feel really good about this group. I really like both Brown and Smith and think they could be good players for us. But if Jones legitimately beats out both of them, we'll be a solid 4 deep.
On the whole, this group has a tremendous amount of talent and numbers. Staying fresh should NOT be a problem. We could probably rotate 2 whole units like we did in '99 if we want. And we all saw the benefits that gave us that season. In terms of raw potential, this is the position has me the wooliest of any on the team.
LB: This group is unquestionably the strength of the team headed into the game with OSU. McKinney is a future NFL player. Think KJ Wright, but much faster, in the middle. Playing alongside him in the box will be Deonte Skinner. This move benefits Skinner tremendously. He's a nasty, physical run-stopping LB. He's decent in coverage, but not the guy you want doing it on a regular basis. Look for him to make some big plays in the run game. Matt Wells will play on the other side and be the hybrid S/LB who's used mostly in coverage. With his speed, he should be able to cover both TEs & RBs. His versatility will allow us to matchup better with the spread teams in our base package. The 2nd string unit is very solid as well. Bohanna was good in the middle last year. If McKinney weren't a freak of nature, he'd probably start and be a really good MLB for us. Behind Wells and Skinner are the Browns - Beni and Richie. Both of these guys are FAST and bring the lumber. There should be very little dropoff when the 2nd unit is in the game at LB. Much like the DL, we have the luxury of being able to keep this unit very fresh through the course of the game due to depth.
DB: We're young but talented in the secondary. Jamerson Love has a lot of snaps under his belt at CB. I look for him to be a solid CB. Starting opposite him will be JUCO Justin Cox. He's a bigger, physical CB in the mold of Banks & Slay. Depending on how quickly he adjusts to SEC ball, he could have a big season for us. Behind them are Cedric Jiles, Will Redmond, and Taveze Calhoun. Jiles is another one of the big, physical style CBs. His potential has me very excited. Prior to his injury last season, he was looking very good in the opportunities he was being given. Redmond has looked good in practice, but we won't get to see him in game action until Game 6 or 7. Thanks, Bracky!** Calhoun is a guy we've been high on a couple of years. This group has the most pressure on them of any with OSU right out of the gate. The good news for them is if the DL plays as well as I think they can, they won't be asked to cover as long as last season. That's huge at CB.
As for safety, we all know what we have in Nickoe. He looked to be 100% in the spring after looking a step slow last season. He's going to be the enforcer on the back end and bring the lumber when WRs come over the middle. The other spot is still up for grabs. Jay Hughes will likely get the first shot at it. He looked good in limited time last season. Dee Arrington is making a push for the job, though. And don't fall asleep on Kendrick Market. I was very impressed with him last season. He showed an excellent nose for the ball in limited action and always seems to be in the right place at the right time. He reminds me a lot of Corey Broomfield in that aspect.
Scheme: Everything indicates we're going to create serious "mayhem" on D this season. We've scrapped the Big 12 read-and-react philosophy and will play downhill and attack opposing offenses. This aggressive approach is perfect for MSU. History has proven we're at our best when we take it to the other team on defense. We may give up a few more big plays, but we're going to create a lot of big plays, too. Expect to see much more sophistication from our D in terms of disguising coverages and blitz packages. Look for us to blitz more, with everyone, from every angle. This new aggressive mindset should benefit our DBs the most. As I eluded to above, they won't be asked to stay in coverage as long with the change in scheme. I don't care how good you are, if you're being asked to cover a WR for 10-15 seconds he's going to get by you.
Questions: Will the DL play up to it's potential? Will the DL generate pressure and pass rush? Can we get pressure without needing to blitz? How quickly will our young DBs develop? What's our substitution strategy, considering the amount of depth on D? Will Chris Jones start at DE? Who emerges in the DT & SS battles?
Final Analysis: As I started by saying, this group will be the absolute strength of the 2013 MSU Dawgs. We're talented and deep at every position on the field. We upgraded the coaching staff with the additions of Deshea Townsend and David Turner. You're going to see their work quickly. If we play like I think we will, this group will be an elite defense. You're going to be hard pressed to find a deeper, more talented front 7 other than in Tuscaloosa. I look for us to be able to generate pressure from just the front 4, without needing to blitz. The change in scheme and the aggressive mindset will really benefit the DL. I personally think PJ & Eulls start the opener in Houston, but expect it to be Quay and PJ/Eulls by the end of the season. Expect the TFLs & sack numbers to be way up from this group. Bottom line, I think we could be a top 3 defense in the SEC and top 10-15 in the nation. Damn this side of the ball has me wooly.
DL: This group has the potential to be among the best ever at MSU. Now will they play to that potential remains to be seen. But make no mistake, this is a deep, talented group. In the interior, we are legitimately 5 deep: PJ Jones, Curtis Virges, Kaleb Eulls, Quay Evans, and Nick James can all be very, very good SEC DLinemen. Quay, PJ, and James could be elite with the proper motivation. Moving Eulls inside will pay immediate benefits. He's a big guy that moves extremely well for a DT, but not so much for a DE. He'll be quicker than most OL on the inside and create some real problems. Quay is the type of physical, penetrating DT that gets upfield we haven't seen at Dear Ol' State in a long time. If he's in shape and motivated, he could be dominant. Lost in the shuffle is Curtis Virges. He outplayed PJ and was freshman All-SEC 2 seasons ago. He could be a big surprise inside this season. James is a space eater. His attitude looked tremendously improved in the spring, but fall rumors are saying his poor attitude has resurfaced. If he gets his head on straight, he could effectively fill the role we hoped Cherry would fill last year.
On the edges, we aren't overly deep, but the first 3-4 guys are legit. Denico Autry came on strong at the end of last season, as seems to be the trend with JUCO players. Due to the focus on other players, he's flying under the radar this fall. But look for him to pick up where he left off, a la McPhee a couple years ago. Preston Smith and Ryan Brown showed flashes last fall they can bring some heat. They're having one hell of a battle to see the field this fall and helping make life miserable for our OTs so far. Now I come to the guy everyone is talking about - Chris Jones. This kid is an elite athlete. He's having arguably the best fall of any freshman and making a serious push to start. I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting him to make this type of impact so quickly. But then aGAIN, MSU has never had a guy like him sign, either. He's nearly 300 pounds and still runs like a deer. Don't be surprised if he is the starter opposite Autry in 2 weeks. If he is, I feel really good about this group. I really like both Brown and Smith and think they could be good players for us. But if Jones legitimately beats out both of them, we'll be a solid 4 deep.
On the whole, this group has a tremendous amount of talent and numbers. Staying fresh should NOT be a problem. We could probably rotate 2 whole units like we did in '99 if we want. And we all saw the benefits that gave us that season. In terms of raw potential, this is the position has me the wooliest of any on the team.
LB: This group is unquestionably the strength of the team headed into the game with OSU. McKinney is a future NFL player. Think KJ Wright, but much faster, in the middle. Playing alongside him in the box will be Deonte Skinner. This move benefits Skinner tremendously. He's a nasty, physical run-stopping LB. He's decent in coverage, but not the guy you want doing it on a regular basis. Look for him to make some big plays in the run game. Matt Wells will play on the other side and be the hybrid S/LB who's used mostly in coverage. With his speed, he should be able to cover both TEs & RBs. His versatility will allow us to matchup better with the spread teams in our base package. The 2nd string unit is very solid as well. Bohanna was good in the middle last year. If McKinney weren't a freak of nature, he'd probably start and be a really good MLB for us. Behind Wells and Skinner are the Browns - Beni and Richie. Both of these guys are FAST and bring the lumber. There should be very little dropoff when the 2nd unit is in the game at LB. Much like the DL, we have the luxury of being able to keep this unit very fresh through the course of the game due to depth.
DB: We're young but talented in the secondary. Jamerson Love has a lot of snaps under his belt at CB. I look for him to be a solid CB. Starting opposite him will be JUCO Justin Cox. He's a bigger, physical CB in the mold of Banks & Slay. Depending on how quickly he adjusts to SEC ball, he could have a big season for us. Behind them are Cedric Jiles, Will Redmond, and Taveze Calhoun. Jiles is another one of the big, physical style CBs. His potential has me very excited. Prior to his injury last season, he was looking very good in the opportunities he was being given. Redmond has looked good in practice, but we won't get to see him in game action until Game 6 or 7. Thanks, Bracky!** Calhoun is a guy we've been high on a couple of years. This group has the most pressure on them of any with OSU right out of the gate. The good news for them is if the DL plays as well as I think they can, they won't be asked to cover as long as last season. That's huge at CB.
As for safety, we all know what we have in Nickoe. He looked to be 100% in the spring after looking a step slow last season. He's going to be the enforcer on the back end and bring the lumber when WRs come over the middle. The other spot is still up for grabs. Jay Hughes will likely get the first shot at it. He looked good in limited time last season. Dee Arrington is making a push for the job, though. And don't fall asleep on Kendrick Market. I was very impressed with him last season. He showed an excellent nose for the ball in limited action and always seems to be in the right place at the right time. He reminds me a lot of Corey Broomfield in that aspect.
Scheme: Everything indicates we're going to create serious "mayhem" on D this season. We've scrapped the Big 12 read-and-react philosophy and will play downhill and attack opposing offenses. This aggressive approach is perfect for MSU. History has proven we're at our best when we take it to the other team on defense. We may give up a few more big plays, but we're going to create a lot of big plays, too. Expect to see much more sophistication from our D in terms of disguising coverages and blitz packages. Look for us to blitz more, with everyone, from every angle. This new aggressive mindset should benefit our DBs the most. As I eluded to above, they won't be asked to stay in coverage as long with the change in scheme. I don't care how good you are, if you're being asked to cover a WR for 10-15 seconds he's going to get by you.
Questions: Will the DL play up to it's potential? Will the DL generate pressure and pass rush? Can we get pressure without needing to blitz? How quickly will our young DBs develop? What's our substitution strategy, considering the amount of depth on D? Will Chris Jones start at DE? Who emerges in the DT & SS battles?
Final Analysis: As I started by saying, this group will be the absolute strength of the 2013 MSU Dawgs. We're talented and deep at every position on the field. We upgraded the coaching staff with the additions of Deshea Townsend and David Turner. You're going to see their work quickly. If we play like I think we will, this group will be an elite defense. You're going to be hard pressed to find a deeper, more talented front 7 other than in Tuscaloosa. I look for us to be able to generate pressure from just the front 4, without needing to blitz. The change in scheme and the aggressive mindset will really benefit the DL. I personally think PJ & Eulls start the opener in Houston, but expect it to be Quay and PJ/Eulls by the end of the season. Expect the TFLs & sack numbers to be way up from this group. Bottom line, I think we could be a top 3 defense in the SEC and top 10-15 in the nation. Damn this side of the ball has me wooly.