DT

[cmoncraig1066]

My apologies if this has been discussed recently; I'm not able to get on the board as much as I used to.

When the topic defensive tackle comes up, I don't here Mick Stoltenberg's name as much as I'd expect. I liked the flashes I saw from him last year in mop up action. I think he was injured in the spring, but does anyone think he has a chance to start at DT beside Maurice?

 

[dockentwo]

My apologies if this has been discussed recently; I'm not able to get on the board as much as I used to.

When the topic defensive tackle comes up, I don't here Mick Stoltenberg's name as much as I'd expect. I liked the flashes I saw from him last year in mop up action. I think he was injured in the spring, but does anyone think he has a chance to start at DT beside Maurice?

Well his name is mentioned, often; and positively - but he is young and has to get more in our view. The twins are going to play, but I look for six to play a lot - even four in hotly contested games ,depending on in-game results and other factors.... I personally feel the change of coaches is going to dramatically improve the line. Its next man up and no seniority. A result is some transfers and such, IMO; and with an improved coach and personality to lead, why else would some be looking? I believe Mick has the perfect coach to develop him, he will be stout ; and flare at times.

 

[zamzman]

He's been mentioned. Not as much during spring ball when he was out, but his name was brought up a lot after spring when we found out McMullen wasn't coming back. Right now, I'd pencil him in as a starter ahead of either of the Davis twins. All 3 (Stoltenberg and both Davis's) are promising underclassmen who make the future bright at NU, but I'm quite worried about how they'll do this season. That Utah transfer would have been a great pick-up for this year, but it didn't happen. Now I just hope Mick is completely healthy (all I've heard indicates he is) and raring to go. Even if he doesn't wind up as the starter, he'll still be very important as a backup. Our depth is getting scary.

 

[GretnaShawn]

How many DT's are traditionally rotated? 4? 5? 6? We are about 4 deep, 5 if you include Newell. That leaves very little room for injuries, but if everybody stays reasonably healthy, a 4-5 man rotation seems about right, correct?

 

[cmblizz964]

Some how I missed it so what happened with the DL from Utah? We were also in on a juco DE so we missed out on both?

 

[rrthusker]

Some how I missed it so what happened with the DL from Utah? We were also in on a juco DE so we missed out on both?

The Utah DT is at USC

 

[jlb321]

we absolutely needed a juco or transfer at this position and it didn't get done
you can have very good to great talent elsewhere but you are going to struggle if you have a huge deficiency at def line
might be a rough year if teams can line up and pound it up the middle all game long ... we could very well be on the receiving end of what we did to UCLA a few times this year

 

[dockentwo]

How many DT's are traditionally rotated? 4? 5? 6? We are about 4 deep, 5 if you include Newell. That leaves very little room for injuries, but if everybody stays reasonably healthy, a 4-5 man rotation seems about right, correct?

I believe you are correct; with minor nicks, six seems best. Its amazing with how worried posters are about this; some desire next too no rotation in the offensive line. We are fine on the talent level; its the experience and it will come quickly - don't forget the new DL coach; he will have them flashing early.
- If MIck is thought to be better than the twins as stated above, then we are in good shape - that gives us 4 good ones with the twins, and and Newell with experience is another. Coach will probably flash another. IMO, at least one of the twins will be an all - star before long.
- The twins are the two most powerful players on the team. They are very athletic and excel at track. One won Coach Boyd's outstanding lifter/athletic competition - the twin who tests better was sick. Doesn't take much of a detective here to see why Williams transferred - guessing. After they put Christian Peters in his first Oklahoma game where they were dominating; he tore up their offensive line and reversed the game - Afterwards the DC said he had been wrong: basically you don't have to have all the finesse if you mash them and throw them back. Coach P will teach them.
- We will rotate out to DE if necessary. DE's will develop; could be a huge surprise. Can also rotate up some of those monster sized LB's; complete with speed. We can also vary formations.
- I'm going glass filling up / Yep, Red Koolaide

 

[jlb321]

I believe you are correct; with minor nicks, six seems best. Its amazing with how worried posters are about this; some desire next too no rotation in the offensive line. We are fine on the talent level; its the experience and it will come quickly - don't forget the new DL coach; he will have them flashing early.
- If MIck is thought to be better than the twins as stated above, then we are in good shape - that gives us 4 good ones with the twins, and and Newell with experience is another. Coach will probably flash another. IMO, at least one of the twins will be an all - star before long.
- The twins are the two most powerful players on the team. They are very athletic and excel at track. One won Coach Boyd's outstanding lifter/athletic competition - the twin who tests better was sick. Doesn't take much of a detective here to see why Williams transferred - guessing. After they put Christian Peters in his first Oklahoma game where they were dominating; he tore up their offensive line and reversed the game - Afterwards the DC said he had been wrong: basically you don't have to have all the finesse if you mash them and throw them back. Coach P will teach them.
- We will rotate out to DE if necessary. DE's will develop; could be a huge surprise. Can also rotate up some of those monster sized LB's; complete with speed. We can also vary formations.
- I'm going glass filling up / Yep, Red Koolaide

that is some strong kool-aid ... I hope you are right

of the Stoltenberg, Davis twins, and Newell group - only one of those has actually played in a D1 game, there are a grand total of 2 tackles combined for the group, and Stoltenberg missed all of Spring with a knee injury ... missing out being able to be coached up by JP. Who, by the way, has never coached at the D1 level and his coaching experience consists of 3 years - one year at a JUCO and 2 at Northern Michigan. Those N Michigan teams ranked near the bottom of the conference in run defense, tackles for loss, and sacks.

 

[Cornicator]

we absolutely needed a juco or transfer at this position and it didn't get done
you can have very good to great talent elsewhere but you are going to struggle if you have a huge deficiency at def line
might be a rough year if teams can line up and pound it up the middle all game long ... we could very well be on the receiving end of what we did to UCLA a few times this year

I think your worries about teams lining up pounding the ball down Nebraska's throat are a bit over the top. Keep in mind the scheme is predicated around stopping the run. Secondly, the linebackers are deep and experienced and they actually play a bigger role in the run defense. That transfer from UTAH would've been used in short yardage situations only.

The UCLA comparison is misguided. That Bruins team was so devastated by injury that they were giving up nearly 40 pounds per man up front, with the exception of 1st round pick Kenneth Clark. Their linebackers were all pass rushers and not really used to defending power plays.

Now there is room for concern about the pass rush. It was nonexistent at times last season, and you have to wonder if it can get any better. I respect Ross Dzuris for being a local walk on with a desire to play for the Huskers instead of taking FCS offers. However, his rise to the top of the depth chart wasn't the same situation as guys like Brandon Reilly or Janovich even players like Trevor Roach. Those guys beat out scholarship players. Dzuris was basically placed at Weak Side Defensive End by Default.

Mick Stoltenburg will play a bunch, especially in Nickel situations. Banker loves tall defensive tackles in Quarters Coverage. Why? Because 6'6 Defensive tackles are difficult to see over and that forces the QB to move back the pocket. The inexperience factor is less magnified when you have talent. The Davis Twins are going to be GREAT players for Nebraska. Mick is a really physical player who has just been held back by injury. Maurice has been a good player at Nebraska for a while. He is much bigger, more athletic, and a better overall football player than other Senior DT's in the past like Terence Moore or Thad Randle.

The biggest key for this defense is guys like Daishon Neal, Sedrick King, and Alex Davis to become factors at Defensive End.

 

[HuskerLLM]

that is some strong kool-aid ... I hope you are right

of the Stoltenberg, Davis twins, and Newell group - only one of those has actually played in a D1 game, there are a grand total of 2 tackles combined for the group, one of the Davis twins is listed as a DE, and Stoltenberg missed all of Spring with a knee injury ... missing out being able to be coached up by JP. Who, by the way, has never coached at the D1 level and his coaching experience consists of 3 years - one year at a JUCO and 2 at Northern Michigan. Those N Michigan teams ranked near the bottom of the conference in run defense, tackles for loss, and sacks.

Neither of the twins is listed at DE. that is Alex Davis (not one of the twins)

 

[saluno22]

Neither of the twins is listed at DE. that is Alex Davis (not one of the twins)

Oh come on, now you're going to tell me Mike and Ralph Brown weren't related.

I still remember cringing when the HuskerVision screens would show a video of those two as (I think) saxophone players with the text "BROWN BROTHERS" under it.

 

[Pennsyhusker]

Yes, we have some young talent on the defensive line. That gives me hope. However, the success of our season will rest heavily on how healthy that line remains. We have talent but we are VERY thin in depth. If Maurice or anyone else goes down with an injury we will be hurting. And even if they stay healthy enough to play, the physical wear and tear of a physical B1G could diminish the line's effectiveness as the season progresses. The other young guys other than the Davis twins must progress to where they can rotate in and give the starters a break. Otherwise, we could be looking at a season where the line plays well at the start of the season, but gets less effective as the season progresses.

 

[dockentwo]

Yes, we have some young talent on the defensive line. That gives me hope. However, the success of our season will rest heavily on how healthy that line remains. We have talent but we are VERY thin in depth. If Maurice or anyone else goes down with an injury we will be hurting. And even if they stay healthy enough to play, the physical wear and tear of a physical B1G could diminish the line's effectiveness as the season progresses. The other young guys other than the Davis twins must progress to where they can rotate in and give the starters a break. Otherwise, we could be looking at a season where the line plays well at the start of the season, but gets less effective as the season progresses.

All True; enjoy your posts. Enjoy your holiday. Drink some of my Koolaide above, its harmless and feels very good. I have to say; i do wonder if my " why are guys leaving and transferring " indicator bears out - think there is fired up talented young-und behind this smoke - who was in the best position to see whats happening; the players that moved on ( see, it really is good Koolaide GBR

 

[dockentwo]

Do notice Mick and the twins are looked as developing, or flashing now great players - by top posters above. There are guys who enter college or Pro ball every year and excel: the above have grown and trained in a premium development system here in intensive preparation; and I believe are on track ( dang, pass another Koolaide GBR

 

[jlb321]

Neither of the twins is listed at DE. that is Alex Davis (not one of the twins)

Good catch .... Apologies

My level of concern remains. Of the 4 DTs that are expected to play with Maurice, while all may be talented none of them have proven as yet to be actual D1 players. We are assuming all of them will contribute and we are expecting great things from the Davis twins right out of the gate citing an extremely rare exception to the rule (one of the Peter brothers) that redshirt freshman are going to excel at DT. Suh didn't start making waves until he was junior. We are also counting on the fact that they are going to receive superior coaching - not based on the prior coaching record of our DL coach - but solely on the fact that he is a former Husker so it has to be so. I'm sure we will be fine against the bottom dwellers - but we are going to need above average DL play against Oregon, Iowa, Wisconsin, OSU. And while the LB core may cover up some holes they are going to struggle as well if they are consistently needing to dodge the backsides of our DL to make tackles

 

[Pennsyhusker]

All True; enjoy your posts. Enjoy your holiday. Drink some of my Koolaide above, its harmless and feels very good. I have to say; i do wonder if my " why are guys leaving and transferring " indicator bears out - think there is fired up talented young-und behind this smoke - who was in the best position to see whats happening; the players that moved on ( see, it really is good Koolaide GBR

I like your Koolaide. I might drink some.

 

[dinglefritz]

Good catch .... Apologies

My level of concern remains. Of the 4 DTs that are expected to play with Maurice, while all may be talented none of them have proven as yet to be actual D1 players. We are assuming all of them will contribute and we are expecting great things from the Davis twins right out of the gate citing an extremely rare exception to the rule (one of the Peter brothers) that redshirt freshman are going to excel at DT. Suh didn't start making waves until he was junior. We are also counting on the fact that they are going to receive superior coaching - not based on the prior coaching record of our DL coach - but solely on the fact that he is a former Husker so it has to be so. I'm sure we will be fine against the bottom dwellers - but we are going to need above average DL play against Oregon, Iowa, Wisconsin, OSU. And while the LB core may cover up some holes they are going to struggle as well if they are consistently needing to dodge the backsides of our DL to make tackles

IMO Suh played in crappy defensive designs that delayed his development and he also benefited as an upperclassman by finally having somebody else (Crick) that could help divert some of the attention from him. If the twins are as physically gifted as most suggest, we could be very good at DT by conference play and maybe as good as we've been in the 2 deep as we've been for a long time.

 

[jlb321]

IMO Suh played in crappy defensive designs that delayed his development and he also benefited as an upperclassman by finally having somebody else (Crick) that could help divert some of the attention from him. If the twins are as physically gifted as most suggest, we could be very good at DT by conference play and maybe as good as we've been in the 2 deep as we've been for a long time.

I will be pleasantly surprised if we are merely adequate. But I see you are doubling down by saying we could be as talented in the 2 deep as we have in a long time. Our lone returning DT with any meaningful playing time - Maurice - wouldn't even have been in the 2 deep of some of our better def lines let alone the other 4 that have nary played a single snap

 

[dinglefritz]

I will be pleasantly surprised if we are merely adequate. But I see you are doubling down by saying we could be as talented in the 2 deep as we have in a long time. Our lone returning DT with any meaningful playing time - Maurice - wouldn't even have been in the 2 deep of some of our better def lines let alone the other 4 that have nary played a single snap

Good heavens what defensive lines are you thinking of? Crick played DE with Suh and that was the last really good D line probably we had with basically no quality depth behind them. Baker S. was playing out of position and while a very talented guy, he was vastly undersized. We're looking at having FOUR very athletic BIG guys at DT. We haven't had that for a long time.

 

[jlb321]

Good heavens what defensive lines are you thinking of? Crick played DE with Suh and that was the last really good D line probably we had with basically no quality depth behind them. Baker S. was playing out of position and while a very talented guy, he was vastly undersized. We're looking at having FOUR very athletic BIG guys at DT. We haven't had that for a long time.

You are annoiting 3 out of the 4 group of the Davis twins, Newell, and Stoltenberg - a group where 3 of the 4 have never played a snap and the other was on the punt team, has 2 career tackles, and is coming off a knee injury - as comprising the most talented DT 2 deep that we have seen in a long time?? Along with Maurice - who may have not even been slated to be a starter at the end of last year.

That is going to take a big jump from all the above mentioned.

 

[dockentwo]

Good heavens what defensive lines are you thinking of? Crick played DE with Suh and that was the last really good D line probably we had with basically no quality depth behind them. Baker S. was playing out of position and while a very talented guy, he was vastly undersized. We're looking at having FOUR very athletic BIG guys at DT. We haven't had that for a long time.

You are a voice of reason and optimism here. I can see someones point on Maurice; he is a bit harder to get a read on; but many have jumped up under new coaching and at 2% a day ( even a month ); pushed by coach P, he has room for a lot. If memory serves; coach Bo took a chance and basically called Suh a bit lazy and wasting talent in a first meeting - Suh's response was to increase his bench by 80-100 pounds along with other measurements (yep, he was already strong ). ....... Are we losing sight of who these guys practice against and for how long? How about if we had Boyd Epply back and involved ( we do )? Many are ranking our o-line as a top unit; certainly right up there and physically very stout. Except for maybe Oregon; some games early may be a technique practice, when does a team being physically the equal of what the D-line sees in practice occur? They have linebacker rockets coming in and safety monsters rotating off their hips; many opposing o-line players may be forgiven for one eye elsewhere, before the smash - mouth tops it off. Some Koolaide; thankfully the Great Spirit has the best pharmacy available in our own mind.... liking Holidays and optimism. Realism can be what you walk through; maybe delivering a little as you go through - GBR I'd say if it walks like a duck and... maybe another season

 

[dinglefritz]

You are annoiting 3 out of the 4 group of the Davis twins, Newell, and Stoltenberg - a group where 3 of the 4 have never played a snap and the other was on the punt team, has 2 career tackles, and is coming off a knee injury - as comprising the most talented DT 2 deep that we have seen in a long time?? Along with Maurice - who may have not even been slated to be a starter at the end of last year.

That is going to take a big jump from all the above mentioned.

I EXPECT a "big jump" for these guys. Please name the 4 DTs we've put on the field recently with as much physical talent as these kids. We've played for too many years with undersized, chronically injured or out of shape guys at DT. As far as pure physical talent, we've got some studs at DT with Maurice, The Twins and Stoltenberg and maybe Newell. On paper physically they can be as good as any group of 4DTs we've had in a while. Below our 2 deep is a concern. The key will be how Parella is able to coach them up. I EXPECT our defense to be much improved this year.

 

[dinglefritz]

You are a voice of reason and optimism here. I can see someones point on Maurice; he is a bit harder to get a read on; but many have jumped up under new coaching and at 2% a day ( even a month ); pushed by coach P, he has room for a lot. Realism can be what you walk through; maybe delivering a little as you go through - GBR I'd say if it walks like a duck and... maybe another season

Realism will happen this fall. We'll know for sure by mid conference but I believe that these kids are gonna be good. Maurice and the twins have some tremendous athletic ability and Stoltenberg and Newell are big and bad enough with good enough motors to be very effective guys in the rotation. The combination of better coaching, good size, good athletic ability and better chemistry should make for much improved play. JMHO. I just hope they all can stay healthy.

 

[Pennsyhusker]

Realism will happen this fall. We'll know for sure by mid conference but I believe that these kids are gonna be good. Maurice and the twins have some tremendous athletic ability and Stoltenberg and Newell are big and bad enough with good enough motors to be very effective guys in the rotation. The combination of better coaching, good size, good athletic ability and better chemistry should make for much improved play. JMHO. I just hope they all can stay healthy.

Exactly. "If they all can stay healthy". That makes my point above. We will be a decent line IF they stay healthy. I doubt we go through this season without one or more of them getting dinged. Hence my concerns. We MIGHT have a good chance at 4 defensive tackles. But after those 4 it is a steep decline in talent into nothing. That is my worry. I still have nightmares thinking about our thin line getting totally humiliated by Wisconsin in the B1G title game. And we are a few injuries away from seeing that happen again.

 

[jlb321]

Past DTs that were proclaimed on this board as having great physical talent and just needed to develop and get coached up .... All prior to actually taking a snap

Thad randle
Jay guy
Terrance Moore
Chase Rome
Aaron curry
Todd pear Jr.

Etc, etc

Im sure some of the 4 in question will be very good ... I just prefer to see production on the field before making any definitive proclamations. And as far as DT is concerned the trajectory is usually slow ... Progressing from spot duty ... To backup ... To starter. We are going to have to have those kids skip the usual progression and hold up against some pretty good off lines

 

[Husker Sledge]

I will be pleasantly surprised if we are merely adequate. But I see you are doubling down by saying we could be as talented in the 2 deep as we have in a long time. Our lone returning DT with any meaningful playing time - Maurice - wouldn't even have been in the 2 deep of some of our better def lines let alone the other 4 that have nary played a single snap

I'm gonna say that Maurice will be every bit as good as Collins was last year. He will be better than Valentine ever was. Our overall success on D will weigh heavily on the 3 Davis boys. Let's hope they are ready to roll!

 

[jlb321]

I'm gonna say that Maurice will be every bit as good as Collins was last year. He will be better than Valentine ever was. Our overall success on D will weigh heavily on the 3 Davis boys. Let's hope they are ready to roll!

I look forward to Maurice being at least a 2nd team ALL BIG selection as that is what Collins was. Personally I don't think he is going to be even close to one of the top 4 DTs in the conference. He is a servicable DT

 

[Pennsyhusker]

I look forward to Maurice being at least a 2nd team ALL BIG selection as that is what Collins was. Personally I don't think he is going to be even close to one of the top 4 DTs in the conference. He is a servicable DT

Maurice has proven he can make plays. He can be disruptive. The key question, however, is this: can he be an "every down" defensive tackle? Can he hold up? And as for the Davis trio there are two key questions: 1) can they mature quickly? And 2) can they really play or is it all just hype? As for Stoltenberg and Newell? Who the hell knows?
I just don't see how anyone right now can be making any realistic projections for this unit. It could be a great year for them or it could be a nightmare. If I were Riley I would be losing sleep over this. Another 5-7 season and he knows the seat his ass is on will be red hot. He made a HUGE mistake in hiring Hank Hughes. It is a mistake that could cost him his job.

 

[Husker Sledge]

Maurice has proven he can make plays. He can be disruptive. The key question, however, is this: can he be an "every down" defensive tackle? Can he hold up? And as for the Davis trio there are two key questions: 1) can they mature quickly? And 2) can they really play or is it all just hype? As for Stoltenberg and Newell? Who the hell knows?
I just don't see how anyone right now can be making any realistic projections for this unit. It could be a great year for them or it could be a nightmare. If I were Riley I would be losing sleep over this. Another 5-7 season and he knows the seat his ass is on will be red hot. He made a HUGE mistake in hiring Hank Hughes. It is a mistake that could cost him his job.

It was a mistake but it won't cost him his job.

 

[Pennsyhusker]

It was a mistake but it won't cost him his job.

I agree. Not in the short term. But this is a critical and pivotal year for Riley. He cannot afford another losing season and still hope to keep the recruiting momentum and good buzz going. If we have a losing season this year I predict Riley will be gone by year four. He MUST have a turn around season this year. Period.
And to return to the point of this thread: a weak defensive line will cost us many games this year.
I like Riley so I hope that does not happen. I hope our first four defensive tackles are the real deal and stay healthy. If we can put together a decent defense this year I see a 10-2 or 9-3 season. But if our d-line is weak this could very easily be another 5-7 debacle.

 

[Husker Sledge]

I agree. Not in the short term. But this is a critical and pivotal year for Riley. He cannot afford another losing season and still hope to keep the recruiting momentum and good buzz going. If we have a losing season this year I predict Riley will be gone by year four. He MUST have a turn around season this year. Period.
And to return to the point of this thread: a weak defensive line will cost us many games this year.
I like Riley so I hope that does not happen. I hope our first four defensive tackles are the real deal and stay healthy. If we can put together a decent defense this year I see a 10-2 or 9-3 season. But if our d-line is weak this could very easily be another 5-7 debacle.

We'll be ok. Last year was a crazy combination of bad luck, major injuries at LB and most of all, players cryin about Bo being fired and not buying in. We all see the changes in recruiting and it's just a matter of time before they pay off big time! We should easily get to 8 wins this year even with the youth and lack of depth on the DL. Hoping for 10. Riley was in an awful tough situation last year!

 

[jlb321]

We'll be ok. Last year was a crazy combination of bad luck, major injuries at LB and most of all, players cryin about Bo being fired and not buying in. We all see the changes in recruiting and it's just a matter of time before they pay off big time! We should easily get to 8 wins this year even with the youth and lack of depth on the DL. Hoping for 10. Riley was in an awful tough situation last year!

agree with Pennsy here ... this class is really shaping up well but it isn't going to do a darn thing with regards to next year. The class currently being recruited likely won't start paying full dividends until 2019. We have to start showing steady improvement as a bridge until Riley's classes start to mature. Next year is potentially a house of cards that an untimely injury along the def line or lack of development of the one or more of the kids that people assure us are going to be good to great despite never playing a down can bring tumbling down.

 

[jlb321]

I EXPECT a "big jump" for these guys. Please name the 4 DTs we've put on the field recently with as much physical talent as these kids. We've played for too many years with undersized, chronically injured or out of shape guys at DT. As far as pure physical talent, we've got some studs at DT with Maurice, The Twins and Stoltenberg and maybe Newell. On paper physically they can be as good as any group of 4DTs we've had in a while. Below our 2 deep is a concern. The key will be how Parella is able to coach them up. I EXPECT our defense to be much improved this year.

can people please explain why this is just assumed to be a given? - Is it simply because he is a former Husker?? He may very well be a great coach but there is really no objective evidence to suggest he is going to be a big success as yet.

He has coached 2 years at a place called Northern Michigan University which is in the GLIAC conference

in 2013 NMU ranked 10/15 schools in rush defense and 6/15 in sacks

Parella takes over in 2104 and 2015

in 2014 they are 11/15 in rush defense and 8/15 in sacks
in 2015 they are 13/15 in rush defense and 13/15 in sacks ... he didn't coach that def line up in fact it appears, using rush defense and sacks as metrics, that they regressed


again he may very well turn out fine .. but we hired a guy out of a small division 2 school where the def line play appears to have regressed during his time
if anyone other than a former Husker with that coaching resume is hired we are up in arms

 

[DudznSudz]

These are thoughtful posts, and here is my two cents:

I wouldn't be quite so doomy-and-gloomy. The article that Bleacher Report put up about how Nebraska is going to be the most improved team in 2016 in the B1G points out that we actually had the stats of a 7-5 team last year, maybe even an 8-4 team, rather than a 5-7 one. It really was a snakebitten season. So, my point is, Im expecting an 8-4 or better season next year (I only see one game, possibly two, tOSU and Oregon, on our schedule that say "Loss") and that will allow the recruiting momentum to keep chugging along nicely.

Now, as to DT and the specifics there, I'm going to start by talking about the defensive line overall, then specifically DT. First, I think the starters and backups are going to be a LOT better than I was first fearing, but the one doom-and-gloom part I do completely agree with is, the drop-off after the backups is tremendous so we just cannot have any catastrophic inurjuries. We have basically 5 DT's to rotate between (posters here have said ideally you want 6), and we actually should be good on DE. I think Daishon Neal should see a lot of looks (6'7" and freaking 270? YEAH!), and I think Freedom is going to have a great season. Also, we get two nice tune-up games against weak teams to get the guys a little experience to work with. So, I see plenty of reason for optimism.

The other thing I would point out is, issues on the D-line aside, our linebackers? They're SOLID at LB this year for ONCE. I would not be surprised if over-production by the linebackers bails out the D-line a bit. Conference play is going to be against teams that love to run, so that actually tips in our favor a little.

 

[dinglefritz]

ny

Past DTs that were proclaimed on this board as having great physical talent and just needed to develop and get coached up .... All prior to actually taking a snap

Thad randle
Jay guy
Terrance Moore
Chase Rome
Aaron curry
Todd pear Jr.

Etc, etc

Im sure some of the 4 in question will be very good ... I just prefer to see production on the field before making any definitive proclamations. And as far as DT is concerned the trajectory is usually slow ... Progressing from spot duty ... To backup ... To starter. We are going to have to have those kids skip the usual progression and hold up against some pretty good off lines

I didn't proclaim them anything. IMO, we will have maybe the best 2 deep of 4-5 DTs that we've had in a long time. That doesn't necessarily mean they'll be the steel curtain cuz DT depth has been an issue for years. The only guy on your list that came in with the kind of physical tools of Maurice and the Davis twins was maybe Curry. Moore was not a bad player either, but we've got 3 kids now that have great strength, size and quickness. On top of them we have 2 guys with great size and motors. There may be some growing pains, but I'm really looking forward to seeing them play. Williams left in part because he knew he was going to see diminished snaps this fall. Did it play a role in VV's decision too? Maybe.

 

[Pennsyhusker]

These are thoughtful posts, and here is my two cents:

I wouldn't be quite so doomy-and-gloomy. The article that Bleacher Report put up about how Nebraska is going to be the most improved team in 2016 in the B1G points out that we actually had the stats of a 7-5 team last year, maybe even an 8-4 team, rather than a 5-7 one. It really was a snakebitten season. So, my point is, Im expecting an 8-4 or better season next year (I only see one game, possibly two, tOSU and Oregon, on our schedule that say "Loss") and that will allow the recruiting momentum to keep chugging along nicely.

Now, as to DT and the specifics there, I'm going to start by talking about the defensive line overall, then specifically DT. First, I think the starters and backups are going to be a LOT better than I was first fearing, but the one doom-and-gloom part I do completely agree with is, the drop-off after the backups is tremendous so we just cannot have any catastrophic inurjuries. We have basically 5 DT's to rotate between (posters here have said ideally you want 6), and we actually should be good on DE. I think Daishon Neal should see a lot of looks (6'7" and freaking 270? YEAH!), and I think Freedom is going to have a great season. Also, we get two nice tune-up games against weak teams to get the guys a little experience to work with. So, I see plenty of reason for optimism.

The other thing I would point out is, issues on the D-line aside, our linebackers? They're SOLID at LB this year for ONCE. I would not be surprised if over-production by the linebackers bails out the D-line a bit. Conference play is going to be against teams that love to run, so that actually tips in our favor a little.

Good post. I agree about our linebackers. In fact, I think our whole team has enough talent for a really good season. No doom and gloom here. But that is why I am focusing on the defensive line. It is our weakest link. Or so it seems on paper. If the defensive line stays healthy and develops this could be a great year.

 

[dinglefritz]

can people please explain why this is just assumed to be a given? - Is it simply because he is a former Husker?? He may very well be a great coach but there is really no objective evidence to suggest he is going to be a big success as yet..................................
again he may very well turn out fine .. but we hired a guy out of a small division 2 school where the def line play appears to have regressed during his time
if anyone other than a former Husker with that coaching resume is hired we are up in arms

You pulled stats which in reality relate to the entire defense and use them to suggest that the Parella was somehow solely responsible for them at his previous school. We don't know what he had to work with for talent when he got there or what they lost after he got there and obviously 2 years is not nearly enough for him to have recruited guys to improve their situation. A 2 year sample is not nearly enough so you're right in regards that we don't really know for sure what he can do as a D line coach. That said the guy has tremendous experience and personally the idea that everybody would be up in arms over his hire if he wasn't a Husker I don't think is true for most Husker fans. A few very vocal Boners would be posting furiously, but his NFL experience alone is a tremendous qualifier and what he has done on the recruiting trail thus far would seem to indicate that he was a good hire.

 

[Pennsyhusker]

You pulled stats which in reality relate to the entire defense and use them to suggest that the Parella was somehow solely responsible for them at his previous school. We don't know what he had to work with for talent when he got there or what they lost after he got there and obviously 2 years is not nearly enough for him to have recruited guys to improve their situation. A 2 year sample is not nearly enough so you're right in regards that we don't really know for sure what he can do as a D line coach. That said the guy has tremendous experience and personally the idea that everybody would be up in arms over his hire if he wasn't a Husker I don't think is true for most Husker fans. A few very vocal Boners would be posting furiously, but his NFL experience alone is a tremendous qualifier and what he has done on the recruiting trail thus far would seem to indicate that he was a good hire.

The life blood of college football is recruiting. It does not always guarantee success (e.g. Texas) but you also won't go far without good recruits. I think the inability to recruit was the biggest reason Hughes was fired. And so with regard to Parella, despite his lack of coaching experience, I think early indications are that recruits love the guy and thus I have great hope that he will bring in some studs. That alone makes me optimistic about the hire. You can coach all the technique you want, but if the kids don't like you, they won't buy in. Count me as 100% in the camp that thinks this was a fantastic hire.

 

[GraveyardFields]

The future seems to be bright for the DL, but it might be a year away. I'm pretty concerned for 2016. I'd have felt much better had GM stuck around just from an experience, maturity, and depth perspective. We lost three guys who would absolutely start at DT this year and another, who if he could stay healthy, would be a major contributor. We lost another starter at end. It's easy to rationalize losses like that in the off season. When the games actually start, the inexperience is going to show.