It's January 28th and 40 degrees outside in Somewheres, Alabama, I'm in my aTm pajamas, drinking coffee after getting right as I can with the Lord Almighty this morning with a few hundred of my brothers and sisters in Christ so I feel a little bit pumped about in talking with y'all a little bit about the Big'Uns who are going to do daily battle on the field of gridiron in the trenches, offense and defense....
- O Line - Competition & Some Forgotten Guys, Perhaps? - I look at the line and think to myself, there's talent all up and down that line, why can't we put it together?! We dang well should!! First, I don't believe it's a given that the incumbent players from last year will start. Do they have the inside track? Probably. I get the impression, with no inside information at all, the staff believes the line needs better conditioning and coaching before making any changes. That said, I also don't believe any of the transfers came here to become "depth pieces." They think they have jobs to win and they just may be right. I'm particularly interested in the tackle from Troy and the guard from Kansas. Speaking of guards, I think T.J. Shanahan is a bit of a forgotten man. He was a beast in the preps before the injury. Handing the guard jobs to anyone, Dewberry, Nabou, Bisontis, as much as I like them, may be premature. At right tackle, no one is rooting for Deuce to return to his freshman All-American form than me, but truth is he has been out a long time and Crownover is not giving up that job without a fight, either. Competition in an O Line is great. O Line competition coupled a top flight S&C program and competent coaching is what we need to get back to being Joe Moore Award finalists and more importantly, having the foundation for being a lynchpin of a great offense...
- Defensive Line - Not as Big but Maybe Faster?... Losing Jackson, Raikes, Diggs and yes, Nolen, hurts. Can't say it more plainly than that. But help is staying, arrived, or on the way. We are still massive on the D Line, but in a different way. The addition of Scourton gives us size and speed at the rush end we haven't had since DeMarvin Leal and if Cashius Howell is what we think he is, he could compare to Tyree Johnson, from Coach Elko's first go round. The only NT we have is Albert Regis. I'm really hoping Coach Moffitt can do some real magic with Samu because Jackson & Raikes' running stuffing abilities will be missed. Now, Dindy, Hicks, & Turner are all beasts in their own ways inside, but as I've said, I like them more as disruptors (3 Techs) than "stand your ground" guys in the running game. Shemar Stewart is a bit of the same way at DE, but he does chase down a lot of running plays. I like Sylla and White as more pass rush guys. I think Scarlett should should spell at SDE as he's probably too light for DT. From what I know, Rodas Johnson can move inside and out, if needed. Probably too much to ask for the fish to contribute this early, either. I still think we need another NT. My concern with this group is the running game. Will we be as good at keeping the LBs clean? I don't know. I think we'll be better at rushing the passer with four. Can you imagine blocking...Stewart, Dindy, Turner, (Hicks) Scourton?! That's a problem, folks, and one I think opposing OCs are going to see soon...
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