I don't see the girth in the middle of that line. I think we will get pushed around in SEC play. The linebackers are subpar on top of that (especially and most importantly MLB), so that compounds the problem. Someone will need to step up and make their presence known among these DTs. Right now I see a replay of last year and the gashing of the middle of our defense.
Most SEC teams on our schedule are running some variation of the spread/option/whateverthefuckitscalled, so I think the lack of girth is a bit of an outdated concern. Yes, I know the shithole to the east still runs the power game, but we've got quite some time to separate the men from the boys on our line before we go to work on them.
That's who I'm talking about and it didn't look like they had him lined up at defensive end. Looked like they had him at linebacker, but regardless the mother fucker is strong and fast as hell.
That spread offense is lethal though when you can run inside. Spread em out and then run the inside dive.
Many SEC lines are way too fat and out of shape in my opinion. We don't need oline or dline that outweigh NFL guys. We need big guys that can block & tackle. Guys that are in shape.
I'm not sure if we just do not have the talent we once had for whatever reason. Or is it a matter of not coaching up kids as well? Either way, the DL and LB play has not been nearly what it once was since '11. I don't expect a Glenn Dorsey, he is a rare talent. However it would appear that many of these highly touted recruits should at least turn into a Lavalais, Williams, Spears, etc. Many of the LB's are juniors. They should be getting it by now, youth is not an excuse. Kwon has played well through his career here, but other than him the LB's have not played well at all in recent years.
You won't see many OL's in the SEC starting three RS Srs, a RS Jr and a RS Soph, an all of them going into an NFL camp in the future.
It is a combination of things imo, but also that we haven't had the talent of a Hill, Spears, Dorsey, Jackson, BrockersLoganetc. But only for a couple of years, we'll get some more super studs & might already have some on the roster. I'm looking forward to seeing many of these guys as their career moves forward. It's really not as long as many fans are portraying since we've been great in the dline trenches. As for LB that has been the weakest spot on our D since we started this great run in 2003. And I really believe we may finally have the studs we've all been waiting for on this roster. Sure we've had there great LB'S in during this run but not near what your post is insinuating. And I'd like to add that for the past 4 years I have stated on numerous ocassions that with these high powered incredible offenses I doubt we are ever going to see many defenses dominate anyone. We are seeing a compilation of the best wishbone, veer & Evangeline offenses in the modern era. Teams that spread a defense out so that they can't stack the box, hit the interior with extremely fast RB'S instead of plowing FB'S, QB'S that can truly run & pass with accuracy, WR'S that can run like deer as well as block. I doubt if we will ever again see the day when more than a few teams hold their opponents to under ten points per game, hold teams on average to less than 50 yard rushing or 100 yards passing. We are in one of those new fangled era's that will chronicled in the future just as the dead ball, steroid, flying wing, Tbone, Iformation, etc. era's were. These new spread offenses are what the veer offenses were supposed to become.
