how about this for a D-line Marquis Hill and Marcus Spears at the 2 ends, Torran Williams and Chad Lavalais at the D tackle d backs will get a lot of help next year, the d backs played great when our front 4 put pressure on the qb
Also, we will still have a very strong LB corps with James and Lawrence returning. Who do you guys think will be playing in the middle? Will Bradie move over, and if so, who plays weak side? I think we will have plenty of talent to choose from, Im just curious to see who it is. Anybody know what the safety positions will look like?
Yep, our defense, which was our achilles heel last year, will be much improved. I can't wait until football season!
It should be a very good D-Line next year. I'm going to have to see T.Williams beat out Dawson first though. Dawson looked real good late in the season. Look for K. Allen to be playing tackle also.
Here is my early (very early) projections for the starting defense next year. DE Kendrick Allen DT Chad Lavalais DT Byron Dawson DE Marquis Hill/Marcus Spears (Spears is going to attempt to play both ways, so this could limit his time on defense) OLB Jeremy Lawrence MLB Bradie James OLB (This is the most open position in the line-up. Lionel Turner, Dave Peterson, Eric Alexander, Jason Ledoux, and a few others could play here) FS Damien James SS Norman Lejeune CB Demitrius Hookfin CB Travis Daniels Nickel Back will be Randall Gay Spring Practice will tell us a lot more, but most of these guys have experience and improved over last season. What the heck, here is an offensive projection too. T Rodney Reed G Kade Comeaux C Ben Wilkerson G Stephen Peterman T Andrew Whitworth TE Eric Edwards/Marcus Spears QB Matt Mauck RB (Toefield will NOT be 100% by opening game) Domanick Davis and Joseph Addai will get the reps WR Clayton WR Myers WR Robinson
Was Kade Comeaux hurt last year and if so, what was his injury? Isn't Whitworth going to be a redshirted freshman next year? Who will he battle for the starting tackle spot or does he have it pretty much locked up? Is Smalling ever going to be a starter or is he just too slow? Just a few questions because I want to feel confident in our O-Line. I certainly do long term but next year could be crucial.
Kade Comeaux had some kind of small injury, but that isn't why he didn't play, They just didn't think he was ready yet. Smalling and whitworth will battle for that tackle spot. If you have seen how big and athletic Whitworth is, then you would know why I think He will eventually win it. Smalling will be a senior though, and that counts for something. Could be a good battle for that spot. The O-line will be ok next year. Still a lot that could happen between now and then. Hell, it's been a while since Nate Livings has been able to play, he may come out on a terror and surprise everyone. We will just have to wait and see.
Yeah, thats how I see the D-line next year. I dont know about Williams beating out Dawson. I was thinking Damien James at the FS spot, as well. I think the Allen/Hill combo will work well, and I think Spears should see most time at TE. He was All-state in basketball, so we know he's athletic, and probably has some pretty good hands. I also think he would be a better blocking TE than Edwards because of his size/strength advantage. This is all perception, though. I really dont know too much about either TE. Two names that were left out of the LB analysis were Phillip Maxwell and Cameron Vaughn. What is the possibility that they may step up and take charge? I know Vaughn will be young, but Faulk started as a freshman. They have similar size, too. Vaughn is listed at 6-3, 225. Could he possibly play the middle position and leave Bradie outside?
<<< Vaughn is listed at 6-3, 225. Could he possibly play the middle position and leave Bradie outside? >>> I agree with you that Vaughn has an excellent chance to see some playing time, perhaps even start. Another player who could start is Donovan Grayson. Brandon Williams is a stud, and should he put on the weight he could be a LB, or else he'll play strong safety. In HS he was AWESOME. We'll learn more after spring practice.
Speaking of the defensive line, I don't see Byron Dawson giving away a starting job very easily. He played well down the stretch. He's a gamer, and played a lot for Saban in 2001.
