'18 GA DE Jamarcus Chatman (Former UT commit 6/25/17)

[butchna]

Al Wilson had waves of speed. Was the best guy for the middle also. Play the guy who's best in the middle...not the one who sucks more on the outside.

 

[jakez4ut]

i didn't say they were slow. but you do give up some speed with either of those guys outside. there are reasons they're best suited to play MLB.

it's like Luke Keuchly....great player obviously, but he'd not be a good OLB either....laterally he's not fast enough. But... he's really smart, and GREAT at diagnosing, so he gets in to the right place, right time and makes plays....even if he's asked to do so in coverage. that doesn't mean i'd line him up and ask him to do it down in down out....take on TE's and RB's out of the back field etc....

saying that either of these guys may not have the physical skill sets (lateral speed) to play OLB, isn't saying they're not good/great football players...or that they won't make plays if asked to play OLB. it's just not what their best suited at.

 

[jakez4ut]

Al Wilson had waves of speed. Was the best guy for the middle also. Play the guy who's best in the middle...not the one who sucks more on the outside.

imo, that's DKjr.

 

[Rishvol]

dominant? bituli and DK are both basically MLB. putting either one outside, you do give up some speed laterally.

smart football players, good tacklers, not the greatest in space speed wise. they way both get faster, is being better at diagnosing....and communication.

i do a gree though, if i had to pick 3 today in early July, i'd find a way to get Bituli out there, DK and probably Sapp.

In a 4-2-5 the MLB is also the SLB so I think they're plenty fast enough for the outside

 

[butchna]

imo, that's DKjr.

Me too...willing to concede that's primarily due to him being a known quantity.

 

[Montrell Hardy]

If I'm Shoop and I'm playing a 4-2-5 base then both my LB's are MLB types. On the bigger and more physical side. Good teams will simply run over undersized converted safety types in a 2 LB set. I personally hope we see a lot more base 4-3 this season. And oh yeah, don't let Jumper see the field and we are instantly better than last year. I don't think I've ever seen worse individual LB play than what I saw from him the final month of last season.

 

[jakez4ut]

In a 4-2-5 the MLB is also the SLB so I think they're plenty fast enough for the outside

we should see more 4-3 this year. and in that set, it allows DKjr to be the most effective at the MLB spot.

 

[jakez4ut]

If I'm Shoop and I'm playing a 4-2-5 base then both my LB's are MLB types. On the bigger and more physical side. Good teams will simply run over undersized converted safety types in a 2 LB set. I personally hope we see a lot more base 4-3 this season.

agree, if we have to do the 4-2-5 again, then your front 6 better be beefy and let the skinny guys in the back 5 do all the running around.

i do think we'll see more 4-3 this year though.

 

[Tennessee Golfer]

If I'm Shoop and I'm playing a 4-2-5 base then both my LB's are MLB types. On the bigger and more physical side. Good teams will simply run over undersized converted safety types in a 2 LB set. I personally hope we see a lot more base 4-3 this season. And oh yeah, don't let Jumper see the field and we are instantly better than last year. I don't think I've ever seen worse individual LB play than what I saw from him the final month of last season.

If it's a 4-2-5 then it needs to be DK and Bituli and let's ride.

 

[jakez4ut]

Me too...willing to concede that's primarily due to him being a known quantity.

same here. bituli has promise there as well though. MLB isn't what i'm worried about though really.

 

[Rishvol]

The whole point of the 4-2-5 is to have speed on the field. With in front 5 being "beefy" and the will being a Safety hybrid ball hawk. That's why JRM was so good at will he was a perfect model for the 4-2-5 will

 

[jakez4ut]

If it's a 4-2-5 then it needs to be DK and Bituli and let's ride.

:thumbsup:

 

[Montrell Hardy]

If it's a 4-2-5 then it needs to be DK and Bituli and let's ride.

Agreed. And maybe some Austin Smith as well, if they don't flip him for about a 10th time in the last 2 years between DE and SAM.

 

[jakez4ut]

The whole point of the 4-2-5 is to have speed on the field. With in front 5 being "beefy" and the will being a Safety hybrid ball hawk. That's why JRM was so good at will he was a perfect model for the 4-2-5 will

agreed. but it wasn't the reason we used that as our base last year. we kinda just wound up there just due to personnel and #'s at LB.

 

[Montrell Hardy]

The whole point of the 4-2-5 is to have speed on the field. With in front 5 being "beefy" and the will being a Safety hybrid ball hawk. That's why JRM was so good at will he was a perfect model for the 4-2-5 will

I think he was actually much better suited for our defense in 2015 when he was a 4-3 Will. We were blown up last year against the run time and time again with 2 LB's out there, at least 1 who was typically undersized.

 

[jakez4ut]

Agreed. And maybe some Austin Smith as well, if they don't flip him for about a 10th time in the last 2 years between DE and SAM.

Rock should have a hand to play in where he winds up. i think LB as well when all is said and done....or maybe hope is the right word there....

 

[jakez4ut]

I think he was actually much better suited for our defense in 2015 when he was a 4-3 Will. We were blown up last year against the run time and time again with 2 LB's out there, at least 1 who was typically undersized.

and the other wasn't JRM........

 

[Rishvol]

agreed. but it wasn't the reason we used that as our base last year. we kinda just wound up there just due to personnel and #'s at LB.

True and I also think you guys are underplaying what Berry did when he was on the field. He made more plays than not

 

[Montrell Hardy]

Rock should have a hand to play in where he winds up. i think LB as well when all is said and done....or maybe hope is the right word there....

I just hope we don't see a repeat of a kid being bounced around like Smith has been with Ignot. Didn't they actually move Bituli too last year for a little while before moving him back to LB? I wish they'd make a decision and be decisive about it when it comes to this type of stuff.

 

[Montrell Hardy]

True and I also think you guys are underplaying what Berry did when he was on the field. He made more plays than not

Berry was not good at all from a consistency standpoint. He'd make a play then have a huge bust that would lead to a long TD. Our LB's last year were terrible, period. You don't give up the insane amount of yards they gave up on the ground against doormats like Mizzou, UK, and Vandy if your LB play is any good.

 

[jakez4ut]

True and I also think you guys are underplaying what Berry did when he was on the field. He made more plays than not

i think Berry needs to figure in the rotation, as does Sapp and McDowell. if you get those three up to speed, then you have a potential legit 2 deep at LB.

and Hardy can rest easy, and Jumper would be solid on the 3 deep and not be relied upon as a difference maker......

 

[Montrell Hardy]

i think Berry needs to figure in the rotation, as does Sapp and McDowell. if you get those three up to speed, then you have a potential legit 2 deep at LB.

and Hardy can rest easy, and Jumper would be solid on the 3 deep and not be relied upon as a difference maker......

I feel good about Kirkland (based on what he showed freshman year).

I have hopes for Bituli and Austin Smith (thought he was solid as a freshman when he became a starter at SAM during the final month in 2015).

Jury is completely out on Sapp, but I did like him as a prospect coming out of HS. One of the few undersized OLB prospects who proved on film he could play in the box and be physical.

McDowell is a big question for me, he's the one who I think could "potentially" have a really nice senior season if he gets back into shape. Last year he looked out of shape to me, added way too much "bad weight" from his sophomore to junior season and he lost a lot of his explosiveness that he had his first two years.

I don't want to see Jumper or Berry on the field. Just not good enough.

 

[jakez4ut]

I just hope we don't see a repeat of a kid being bounced around like Smith has been with Ignot. Didn't they actually move Bituli too last year for a little while before moving him back to LB? I wish they'd make a decision and be decisive about it when it comes to this type of stuff.

yes, they did.

the #'s were so bad by the time we got to the 2nd half of the season....i didn't envy shoop at all.

think about how many personnel decisions he was having to make week to week.....wake up Sunday after the aTm game, and you have lost 3 of your DT's. you've had 4 different starting groups at CB. you lost JRM, DKjr and Sutton already. SApp can't provide any depth, he's been gone. McDowell's nicked up.

it got ugly, and stayed that way. i just can't see us going thru that again, and that, in and of itself, should help with a) you have at least gotten a lot of these guys some relevant experience and b) he has to have a whole lot better idea of what they're capable of, and more importantly, what they're not, how they communicate w/each other and interact w/each other etc...

i'm not ready to say we're going to be great on defense. but i do definitely think they're going to be a whole lot better...coaches should be able to be more decisive as well when stuff inevitably happens......

 

[Montrell Hardy]

yes, they did.

the #'s were so bad by the time we got to the 2nd half of the season....i didn't envy shoop at all.

think about how many personnel decisions he was having to make week to week.....wake up Sunday after the aTm game, and you have lost 3 of your DT's. you've had 4 different starting groups at CB. you lost JRM, DKjr and Sutton already. SApp can't provide any depth, he's been gone. McDowell's nicked up.

it got ugly, and stayed that way. i just can't see us going thru that again, and that, in and of itself, should help with a) you have at least gotten a lot of these guys some relevant experience and b) he has to have a whole lot better idea of what they're capable of, and more importantly, what they're not, how they communicate w/each other and interact w/each other etc...

i'm not ready to say we're going to be great on defense. but i do definitely think they're going to be a whole lot better...coaches should be able to be more decisive as well when stuff inevitably happens......

It was a complete cluster. That is what happens when you totally mismanage your off-season S&C program and guys are in terrible shape and lack physical strength. I still believe last year would have been a special year if not for the total and complete f#ck up with Strength and Conditioning.

 

[LaagerVol]

I feel good about Kirkland (based on what he showed freshman year).

I have hopes for Bituli and Austin Smith (thought he was solid as a freshman when he became a starter at SAM during the final month in 2015).

Jury is completely out on Sapp, but I did like him as a prospect coming out of HS. One of the few undersized OLB prospects who proved on film he could play in the box and be physical.

McDowell is a big question for me, he's the one who I think could "potentially" have a really nice senior season if he gets back into shape. Last year he looked out of shape to me, added way too much "bad weight" from his sophomore to junior season and he lost a lot of his explosiveness that he had his first two years.

I don't want to see Jumper or Berry on the field. Just not good enough.

I agree with all of this. I think McDowell will be back in shape and motivated. If he and Sapp are healthy our 2-deep looks pretty good imo. I do still have hope that Berry can contribute, maybe even Bryant if the light comes on.