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2013 defense

CanesAreAble

CanesAreAble

All-ACC
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Nov 2, 2011
Messages
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Defensive End
Kelvin Cain SR
Shayon Green SR
Anthony Chickillo JR
Jalen Grimble JR
Ricardo Williams R-SO
Jelani Hamilton SO
Tyriq McCord SO
Dwayne Hoilett R-FR
Jake O'Donnell R-FR
Tim Williams* (potential recruit)

Defensive Tackle
Curtis Porter SR
Luther Robinson SR
Olsen Pierre JR
Corey King R-SO
Dequan Ivery SO
Earl Moore SO
Jacoby Briscoe R-FR
Jaynard Bostwick*
Keith Bryant*

Linebacker
Ramon Buchanan SR (if he gets a medical redshirt)
Tyrone Cornelius SR
Jimmy Gaines SR
Thurston Armbrister JR
Gionni Paul JR
Denzel Perryman JR
Eddie Johnson R-SO
Raphael Kirby SO
Gabriel Terry SO
Jawand Blue R-FR
Jermaine Grace*
Matthew Thomas*

Cornerback
Thomas Finnie JR
Ladarius Gunter JR
Antonio Crawford SO
Tracy Howard SO
Nate Dortch R-FR
Larry Hope R-FR
Artie Burns*


Safety
A.J. Highsmith SR
Kacy Rodgers SR
Deon Bush SO
Rayshawn Jenkins SO
Jamal Carter*


DE is a question mark. They did a better job of setting the edge as the year went on, but the pass rush was non-existent. We only had 13 sacks. AWFUL. Chick had a classic Sophomore slump. I honestly think he bulked up too fast and it just threw his whole season off. He had zero get-off, and very little fight at the point of attack. Hopefully he can bounce back. McCord, Williams, and Hoilett are probably our quickest guys. We need at least one of those guys to emerge as a pass-rushing threat.

DT stabilized once Porter got healthy, and Pierre started playing better. We should actually be okay here going forward, especially if we lock up Bryant, Bostwick, and perhaps a JUCO guy.

LB looks set on the outside (assuming Bane Johnson doesn't get the big boot). A solid MLB needs to emerge. Gaines is a JAG, but he's usually in postion. Paul is a thumper, but he gets lost in coverage. The coaches heaped a lot of praise on Kirby, so hopefully he steals the job. If we land 6, I expect him to be a situational player immediately.

CB might be the best spot on the defense from top to bottom. I expect us to take a big step forward here.

S looks promising with Bush and Carter, but the Seniors are underwhelming (to put it kindly). I certainly wouldn't be surprised to see Jamal Carter in the mix right away. Jenkins made some mistakes today, but he looks the part.

The two most glaring trouble spots IMO:

1. Pass rush -- It's flat-out anemic right now. Even if we don't get the sack numbers, we have to be more disruptive here. At least in bursts. This year we got pretty much nothing.
2. LB/S coverage -- The gaping holes in the middle of the defense have to stop. The Linebackers and Safeties have to do a better job of squeezing the zones. LBs seemed to get poor depth in their drops all year, and the Safeties were tentative to break on stuff in front of them. Hopefully we won't see nearly as much hesitation as guys get more comfortable in the scheme.

Out of 36 scholarship defensive players (excluding the recruits), we have 9 Seniors, and there's only ONE that'd I'd pencil in as a starter (Porter if he returns). That bodes well for the future, i.e. our most impactful players have 2-3 more years left.
 
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I may be in the minority, but do we want Ramon Buchanan back with the limited scholarships we have??
 
If Cookie WANTS to be a Cane and finish out his injury riddled career, I'm 100% for it. Kid better be ready to play his *** off though.
 
I'm good having Buchanan back. He's been a leader on the sidelines this season and I'm good with the depth he adds. I hope Kirby takes a leap forward though.

Basically, the key to us getting our D playing well is avoiding sophomore slumps in the defensive backfield (easier to do than in the trenches, IMO, because there isn't the constant pounding) and getting a pass rush. LB will be okay, especially if TDK can avoid getting kicked off the team this off-season. Porter and Pierre are solid players and I actually have faith that they'll get better, and other guys will get better too and make an impact next year (like Earl Moore for example). But basically, we need McCord to avoid packing on too much weight and becoming slow, and we need Porter back. And we need all these guys to actually GET BETTER. I see no reason they shouldn't.

Our DL just has to get better. They've got to get stronger, get better technique wise, and just make it difficult for the opposing team to run their offense. It's possible and I expect it in the third year of this program. But guys like Hamilton, Moore, etc. need to take the next step and contribute. Guys need to avoid sophomore slumps and develop well. Chick has to bounce back. We need our blitzes to be more effective (which they should with better DT play). We need these guys to all get over the hump next year for the first time since 2003ish.
 
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There is no where to go but up lol.

The defense needs EVERYONE to get better. No man left behind. That entire side of the football should've gotten to work YESTERDAY getting better for next season.
 
jerzeycane said:
There is only ONE thing out of all that, that I disagree with you on, and that's your assertion of Jimmy Gaines being a JAG and that surprises the **** out of even myself.

I absolutely LOVED his film coming out of high school. Should have gotten a shirt, but Randall's poor organizational skills prevented that. He's a really good athlete with the frame to add even more good weight. As was touched on in the telecast today, Jimmy wasn't used to playing physical but BOY has that changed, cuz that dude brings the lumber.

He's obviously doing what is necessary in the weight room just from looking at his neck. I think he'll play next year at about 240 and gain even more knowledge of what D is trying to do now.
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Agree jimmy isnt a stud but he's a good solid linebacker
 
Wow if porter leaves early our DT's are lookin mighty weak ...... hears to praying Al lands a big JUCO DT
 
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weownfsu said:
I'm good having Buchanan back. He's been a leader on the sidelines this season and I'm good with the depth he adds. I hope Kirby takes a leap forward though.
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I am not good with that. Kid had another major injury and has never been that good to begin with. We're bringing in [allegedly] TWO LB (Thomas/Grace) and we have Jawand Blue who redshirted. Assuming EJ comes back, we don't need RB for a 6th year.

At some point you have to cut your losses, at some point 5 years is enough.

[This assumes we have some sort of sanctions AND EJ remains a Cane]
 
Kind of disheartening that the unit made zero progress over the season. They ended the year allowing 45 points to Duke.

Statistically, this was the worst defense in Miami history.
 
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If Porter stays, I expect to see a very different defense next year. I expect Pierre, Porter, Robinson, one of the current Frosh crop and Bryant to all play a hand. As you stated, the DE situation is worrisome. That may be the biggest JuCo need I've seen in 2 decades. LBs have to get better in space and the entire back 7 needs to have their legs tied together (old zone defense teaching trick).
 
SpikeUM said:
Consigliere said:
Xd45hurricane said:
I may be in the minority, but do we want Ramon Buchanan back with the limited scholarships we have??
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Short answer: NO
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My initial response was to agree with you, but the more I think about it, I am mixed. Do we know what he can do if HEALTHY?!? Lets face it, the defense sucks, it needs any help it can get.
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That is why we recruit kids and bring in more talent/depth. Do we know if RB can get healthy? This is another major operation and the guy wasn't exactly a stud when he was healthy. I agree the defense needs help, but why is RB the guy who can guarantee that?

This is our LB Situation

1. EJ
2. Perryman
3. Paul
4. Gaines
5. Cornelius
6. Kirby
7. Blue
8. Armbrister
9. Grace
10. Thomas

We also have kids like Kelvin Cain and Gabe Terry, I am not sure we know what their "exact" position is on the team.

Let's not forget that we are going to have some sort of sanctions.
 
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If Porter stays, Pierre takes another leap and a DE like McCord steps up our D could be very good IMO
 
suzy7389 said:
we need to recruit some safeties 2014 after looking at that list of safeties
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We'll get Carter this year. Burns is recruited there, but I still think he gets looked at as a Corner here. IIRC, Quincy Wilson is waiting in line for 2014. If there's something there should never be a shortage of in South Florida, it's legitimate Safeties/DBs.
 
Porter and Eddie Johnson are crucial for this defense to improve next year. We need Porter to stay (he likely will) and Eddie needs to get his head right... We need these dudes to beat Florida on Sept 7th..
I don't want to see any of the incoming freshman defensive tackles playing next year... I agree with LuCane.. Gimme a JUCO like Hooks and have Luther and Pierre take it to the next level... I'm expecting a very good year from Kirby... Kid is special..
 
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