forums

2012 defense: prepare your ****

Advertisement
CanesAreAble said:
Ethnicsands said:
Barring injury, it's not as bad as you make it out from an age perspective (talent is a different issue).

At DT, you have a senior and two fourth year juniors in your two-deep.
At DE, you have Chickillo (sick player, high level talent) and two juniors (Green and Cain) in the two-deep.
At LB, you likely start woth a fifth year senior (Cookie), a junior (Gaines) and a soph who might be the best player on the team.
At S, you probably start two seniors.
At CB, you have a senior and a juco transfer as top three guys, along with Finnie, who has experience (two spring practices under his belt) in your top four.

The problem, again, is talent and depth more than age, ImO.
Click to expand...


Agree, and that's why I mentioned the part about none of the upperclassmen having produced with any type of consistency. Most of the guys we're counting on to be impact players arrived in 2011 or 2012.
Click to expand...

Perhaps, but the guys we lost for the most part didn't produce with any type of consistency, either. Heck, this team ain't had consistency in a decade.

Porter and Chick are very solid. Our LBs will be solid. Our safeties are what they are, but they're both seniors so it shouldn't be a go-backwards position.

CB sucked last year, and we won't be missing M. Williams.

Miller was run down a lot last year, and Duke is the real deal.

I'll take a third year SM over Jacory all day.

Our TEs will be improved.

Our OL will be improved.

WRs ... big question.

We are thin, and depth is an issue. Injuries could really hurt this year. And we need two WRs to step up. But the bar is low to being as good as last year. That's what people keep forgetting. No one is talking about BCS games.
 
CanesAreAble said:
CaneSB said:
Micanor Regis-DT
Andrew Smith-DE
Marcus Robinson-SLB
Sean Spence-MLB
Mike Williams-CB
JoJo Nicolas-FS
Olivier Vernon-DE

Well, it is more important to look at who we lost, not just who returns. While depth is an issue, only Spence and Vernon were talents that are difficult to replace and Vernon only played half of the season anyways.
Click to expand...


Ojomo
Click to expand...

Ojomo? Difficult to replace?

Not sure if serious?
 
How will our OL be improved??

Bunche has never started a game at LT

Feliciano has never started a game at LG

McDermott has never started a game at C
 
rokulika said:
How will our OL be improved??

Bunche has never started a game at LT

Feliciano has never started a game at LG

McDermott has never started a game at C
Click to expand...

It'll be improved because it sucked last year, Bunch should be fine at LT, Feliciano belongs at guard, and by most accounts, McDermott should be at least as good (and probably better) than Horn.

In CFB, there are always new guys moving into positions. That's how it works. Bunch is 4 years out of HS, the strongest guy on the team, and should be okay at LT, particularly because BW playing out of position there last year wasn't exactly stellar himself.

Bunch-Feliciano-McD-Linder-Henderson has the potential to be our best line in years.
 
Advertisement
The best cfb teams usually have an OL with a bunch of combined starts. While I'm hopeful that Bunche, Feliciano, and McDermott will be upgrades, we really won't know until BC.
 
Ethnicsands said:
CanesAreAble said:
CaneSB said:
Micanor Regis-DT
Andrew Smith-DE
Marcus Robinson-SLB
Sean Spence-MLB
Mike Williams-CB
JoJo Nicolas-FS
Olivier Vernon-DE

Well, it is more important to look at who we lost, not just who returns. While depth is an issue, only Spence and Vernon were talents that are difficult to replace and Vernon only played half of the season anyways.
Click to expand...


Ojomo
Click to expand...

Ojomo? Difficult to replace?

Not sure if serious?
Click to expand...


I don't think he's any more or less difficult to replace than Andrew Smith. I was just adding him to the list. That being said, Golden was excited by the prospect of bulking him up for DT (he saw a lot of action there at 270 lbs). He likely would've been very involved in the DT rotation.
 
My issue with the defense is that I just don't see an explosive passrusher. Chick has tenacity, and he'll get some sacks just through effort, but he did not show up as an explosive off the line guy. We need someone like that in the DE rotation in order to generate their own passrush without us needing to blitz. Last year we were terrible at that and it made poor quarterbacks that played us look like Heisman hopefuls.
 
Ethnicsands said:
CanesAreAble said:
Ethnicsands said:
Barring injury, it's not as bad as you make it out from an age perspective (talent is a different issue).

At DT, you have a senior and two fourth year juniors in your two-deep.
At DE, you have Chickillo (sick player, high level talent) and two juniors (Green and Cain) in the two-deep.
At LB, you likely start woth a fifth year senior (Cookie), a junior (Gaines) and a soph who might be the best player on the team.
At S, you probably start two seniors.
At CB, you have a senior and a juco transfer as top three guys, along with Finnie, who has experience (two spring practices under his belt) in your top four.

The problem, again, is talent and depth more than age, ImO.
Click to expand...


Agree, and that's why I mentioned the part about none of the upperclassmen having produced with any type of consistency. Most of the guys we're counting on to be impact players arrived in 2011 or 2012.
Click to expand...

Perhaps, but the guys we lost for the most part didn't produce with any type of consistency, either. Heck, this team ain't had consistency in a decade.
Click to expand...


Exactly. That's where I think age factors in. I'm paraphrasing, but Golden said something like, "If you don't instill the right attitude in a player after one or two years, it's too late."

The guys we're counting on to retool the defense are young.

We're in agreement that we have Juniors and Seniors to comprise a two-deep. The problem is they're not good.
 
Advertisement
I think the schematic improvement (year 2 under D'Onofrio) should help offset the new players. Freshman get to play on defense this year, no doubt. I think the coaching staff have recruited players who fit the D and that a bunch of them will step forward.

I believe both senior safeties will be much improved, due to a variety of reasons, such as it being their last chance, NFL motivation, year 2 under AL and maturity -- they step up and captain this 2012 defense and we could be in the hunt. I know that's a big IF but it's a Canes thing.

We need to stop the run better, period. I think the DT's, barring injury, will be a big improvement and Denzel could be an All-American this year: 140+ tackles.

Go Canes!
 
Our two-deeps are primarily freshmen.

And compared to what we've had the past several years - this is a problem????

A problem like this is just a different way of saying, 'opportunity.'
 
I agree; we've been beaten by younger teams than the one we will field next season. Not saying we'll fold space, but our defense won't be cupcakes either.

Ethnicsands said:
Barring injury, it's not as bad as you make it out from an age perspective (talent is a different issue).

At DT, you have a senior and two fourth year juniors in your two-deep.
At DE, you have Chickillo (sick player, high level talent) and two juniors (Green and Cain) in the two-deep.
At LB, you likely start woth a fifth year senior (Cookie), a junior (Gaines) and a soph who might be the best player on the team.
At S, you probably start two seniors.
At CB, you have a senior and a juco transfer as top three guys, along with Finnie, who has experience (two spring practices under his belt) in your top four.

The problem, again, is talent and depth more than age, ImO.
Click to expand...
 
Advertisement
rokulika said:
The best cfb teams usually have an OL with a bunch of combined starts. While I'm hopeful that Bunche, Feliciano, and McDermott will be upgrades, we really won't know until BC.
Click to expand...
But no one is claiming we're going to be one of the 'best cfb teams' next year. That's a ridiculous standard to hold us to coming off a 6-6 season and a decade of mediocrity. The question has been more about whether we can show improvement, given the guys who left early and our lack of depth and relative youth.
 
Ethnicsands said:
rokulika said:
The best cfb teams usually have an OL with a bunch of combined starts. While I'm hopeful that Bunche, Feliciano, and McDermott will be upgrades, we really won't know until BC.
Click to expand...
But no one is claiming we're going to be one of the 'best cfb teams' next year. That's a ridiculous standard to hold us to coming off a 6-6 season and a decade of mediocrity. The question has been more about whether we can show improvement, given the guys who left early and our lack of depth and relative youth.
Click to expand...

Of course no one is claiming we're going to be one of the best cfb teams next year. Miami sucks.

My only point is that we have no idea whether Bunche, Feliciano, McDermott will be upgrades at their respective positions.
 
Advertisement
Bump.

We're just too young on defense.

Guys aren't strong and experienced enough. We need more Chickillos and Perrymans. More guys like that are rolling in, but they're just not ready yet.
 
And we need a pass rush. Chick´s a good player, but he´s no pass rusher. Gabe Terry and McCord were getting crushed when they rushed the passer.
 
Advertisement
Back
Top