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Walt
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Posted: Thu Jul 29th, 2010 05:42 pm |
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Just for the fun of it, I thought I would add a thread on both the OU offense and defense between now and the time Fall practice starts. I will post the defensive outlook first and then in a couple days post what I think the offensive outlook is from my point of view.
So, here goes.
2010 OU outlook.
Defense:
The OU defense will start Fall practice with only a couple of really serious question marks. Those being who will fill the hole left by the loss of the #3 NFL pick Gerald McCoy and who will fill the holes left with the departure of both starting CBs, Jackson and Franks. While we lost some other great Seniors, I think OU has a shot to just re-load at those spots. I thought I would start with the back end of the defense and work toward the front four.
Safeties.
OU finished the year pretty strong at the Safety spot and actually comes into 2010 with some really strong players and quite a few of them at that. The OU defensive coaches have quite a few of top choices when it comes to safety. Quinton Carter and Sam Proctor started the 2009 year at Safety with Jonathan Nelson coming along really strong towards the end of the year. In addition Jamelle Fleming who is a kid who can play either CB or Safety with equal skill is a strong player in his own right. To add some to this position true Freshman Marcus Trice who started 2009 at CB has now moved back to Safety as well. In addition OU will have Kevin Brent who is a kid with a ton of potential and last January added one of the California kids to this list with Tony Jefferson. Then not to confuse the issue OU also has Joseph Ibiloye who the coaches have a lot of faith in and who they have tried to use at Safety in certain situation. Ililoye is currently listed as a Lber, but he is possible he could see the field as a Safety in some nickle and dime situations.
My guess is that Quinton Carter will man one of the starter slots along with Jonathan Nelson. It won’t surprise me to see Tony Jefferson pushing really hard for some PT as one of the first backups. Sam Proctor will really have a fight on his hands for PT. If Carter, Nelson, Proctor and any of the other contenders can fill the coaches needs at the two Safety slots then that will for sure free up Jamelle Fleming for use at QB.
I see the Safety slots at OU for the 2010 to be one of the strongest and deepest on the defensive side of the ball. Carter is a head hunter and Nelson is a very physical player as well. Proctor has the experience but I think he may find PT hard to come by with all the competition he is going to face from some of they young guys.
I would rate the Safety slots as an A+
Cornerbacks.
How OU fills the loss of Jackson and Franks at cornerback will be one of the critical decisions the defensive coaches will make. I thought cornerback was one of the strong positions last year, I hope it will turn out to be the same for 2010. It isn’t like OU doesn’t have talent, but it will be untested and inexperienced talent. My guess based on the message board buzz is that Demontre Hurst and Jamelle Fleming will wind up winning the starting jobs at CB.
Hurst looked very good in a backup role last year and he actually played most of the Stanford game at a pretty high level. The coaches from time to time have raved about Hurst and I have a pretty good feeling about him. Fleming and Hurst are the good news on the cornerbacks. Who just might be their backups and wind up earning PT is a little more difficult. From what I have picked up there are several candidates. Gabe Lynn will be a RS Freshman in 2010 who was highly recruited and who has a shot at earning some PT. Lamar Harris will be a RS Sophomore who has turned heads from time to time and who will also be in the mix. Then over the last few weeks there has been some words about Julian Wilson a true Freshman who has also been turning heads in the Summer 7 on 7 drills. In addition to these guys I have mentioned OU also will have 3 - 4 other really young kids who will get some looks in early Fall practices. Also, it might be possible that if some of they young Safeties really come on strong it might free up Nelson to do some work at CB.
So, I think the jury will be out for the first few weeks of the 2010 season before we really know how the cornerbacks slots will play out and just how good we might be. I think we have a chance to be really good, but we will have to have some luck with injuries and to have depth we will have to have some of the young guys step up big time.
Based on CB not being the deepest slot on the team I will give CB a C+ rating with the disclaimer that by mid- season they might turn out to be a B+ ... who knows.
While I am on the DB slots, we need to consider the new DB coach Willie Martinez. Martinez is the former DC for Richt at Georgia. Georgia had some defensive problems and Richt was forced to fire Martinez. Martinez played his college years at Miami and has a reputation as a very outstanding DB coach. I think hiring Martinez and moving Bobby Jack Wright back to coaching the defensive ends was a great move. I like Martinez coaching the defensive backs and Wright coaching the defensive ends much better than Wright coaching defensive backs and Wilson coaching the defensive ends.
Linebackers.
I really like the linebackers that Brent has coming back for 2010. I really think this could be one of this best groups in a long, long time. Whether they live up to the likes of Calmus, Marshall and Lehman remains to be seen. However this is a pretty deep group [and fairly young as well] that seemingly has a lot of headhunters amongst the group.
The leader of the linebackers is without a doubt Travis Lewis. Travis is a RS Junior who had a shaky beginning to his RS Freshman year, but came on strong and had a great year. Many thought that, last year, Travis wasn’t as good as the year before, but he was still plenty good and led the team in tackles. This is Travis’ year to really shine and he will be looked upon as the one of the leaders of the defense. I think the linebackers will be as good as Travis Lewis makes them. He will set the tone and be the leader.
Austin Box is also a RS Junior who has garnered quite a bit of PT over the last couple of years. Box has a lot of potential, but has been held back by the injury bug from time to time. Austin is a former HS safety who is pretty smart and if he doesn’t wind up starting he will provide quality backup at all of the linebacker slots. The other Lewis, Ronnell is an OU fan favorite and is know for his ability to lay the wood to opposing ball carriers. Ronnell is listed on the current OU roster as a 6' 2" by 240 bruiser. He is fast and ferocious and there are lots of youtube videos to verify his ability to hit. Ronnell will play somewhere in the Sooners defense in 2010. There has been much talk about him finding his way to the a defensive end slot. He just may do that, but I am guessing that he will stick at one of the two outside linebackers in 2010. Many think that Ronnell will be as good as his grasp of the OU defense will allow him to be. I think that Ronnell is one of those players that you can insert in situations and just tell him “sic’em” and be done with it. Regardless Ronnell will find lots of PT during the 2010 season and will likely get better and better as the season wears on. I can’t wait to see him lay out Gilbert Grape in early October, in fact, I have dreams of it.
One of the most anticipated debut for an OU linebacker will be that of Tom Wort in 2010. As everyone knows Tom was the talk of the OU preseason last year. Brent Venables mouth was watering over the thought of sticking Tom at MLB and turning him loose. We all know that Tom tore an ACL early in the year and never played a down in 2009. Now Tom is back and by every indication is 100% and ready to take his place as a starter in the OU defense. I think that Fall practice will start with Austin Box and Tom Wort battling each other for the starter job at MLB. Personally, I hope it is Wort as I think he is a big hitter, just like Ronnell Lewis. I will say this if Box beats him out then OU is going to have a great set of linebackers for 2010.
In addition to Travis Lewis, Austin Box, Ronnell Lewis and Tom Wort, Brent Venables has a bunch of young kids who are talented and have the potential to push some of the top four. This could be Brent’s deepest set [though they are young] linebackers he has ever had at OU. Jayden Bird, Daniel Franklin and Joseph Ibiloye are three other Sophomores that could find some significant PT in 2010. Bird is another physical kid and Aaron Franklin is often touted as one of the fastest linebackers ever at OU. Ibiloye played quite a bit in 2009 as kind of a hybrid Safety/linebacker. He could find some PT at either spot, but is sure to see some PT regardless.
Then Venables has three highly regarded true freshmen that he will be grooming for the future. Rashod Favors, Aaron Franklin and Corey Nelson were all highly regarded 2010 recruits who will provide some quality depth, but likely will RS and be looked on for the future OU defenses.
All in all, I think this linebacker corp could be very good. The ingredients are there and barring injuries I think this group could be very strong by the time October rolls around.
I give the linebackers an strong B+ going in and hoping for an A+ coming out the end of the season.
Defensive Tackles.
Had Adrian Taylor not broken his leg early in the Sun Bowl game against Stanford, I think OU would be looking pretty good at DT. However, we all know that Adrian suffered a very significant and nasty dislocation of the ankle and leg bone break. This is a tough injury to bounce back at best. Then when you add in the necessity of bouncing back in less than 10 months into football playing shape it makes it pretty formidable. Yesterday at the Big XII media days Coach Stoops indicated that Adrian is on target to be back close to 100% by the time the team begins Fall practice. He also indicated that he would take it slow and easy with Adrian with the idea of working him slowly back into playing shape. If you listened to what some of Adrian’s team mates said about him you would think he has really worked on this upper body strength during his down time and has really worked at getting his lower body strength back to pre injury status.
My guess is that by October Adrian will be back really close to 100%. I really hope this is the case as does every OU fan. If, Adrian can be fully recovered and back in football playing shape then the DT spot may be solid for OU. If Adrian doesn’t make it all the way back then we might have a drop off from previous years. We have other players who have the potential to really come on strong, but they are still question marks at this period of time. Regardless we will need Jamarus McFarland, Stacy McGee and Casey Walker to really step up their game. McFarland was behind McCoy and Taylor last year, but was sparingly used as McCoy and Taylor were iron men who played lots of minutes in 2009. The buzz around the program is that McGee and Walker are ahead on McFarland on the current depth chart. Whether that is accurate or motivation for McFarland is not clear. Regardless, all three of the young guys have to step up their game for OU to field a strong set of defensive tackles in 2010. OU’s only other help will be three incoming freshmen and Justin Chaisson who had a RS year in 2009.
Because we simply don’t know about Adrian Taylor I give the defensive tackles a C+. I just don’t think we really know how this group will come together yet. If any two of McFarland, Walker and McGee come on strong then we could be much better than a C+, but time will tell.
Defensive End.
On paper the OU defensive ends look like one of the strongest position groups on the team and I think they could really be the strongest. Who could knock the work of Jeremy Beal?
Jeremy Beal will be on all the All-American lists and should have been the pre-season conference defensive player of the year in my estimation. However, that honor went to Von Miller of A&M. I suppose when a good player plays on a poor defense you just stick out more, ha. Anyway Beal gives the OU defensive ends instant greatness. Then you add in a guy like Frank Alexander and you have the makings of a great pair of defensive ends. In fact, I think we have the best pair of defensive ends in the conference, hands down. What worries me is the depth. Pryce Macon is a RS Senior that seemingly had a great winter conditioning season and a great Spring. He got raves during the Spring. I just hope that was for real. Then we have David King who played really good in the Sun Bowl and in some spot duty in 2009.
So, I think OU has an A+ set of starting defensive ends, but I am not quite sold on the backups quite yet. RJ Washington was a 5-star Rivals recruit with a ton of raw talent, but he has just never made any kind of move up the depth charts and has languished behind King and Macon the depth chart.
So, based on the unknowns behind Beal and Alexander I give the defensive ends an A, not a higher A-, just a plain ole A.
I hope that guys like Macon, King and Washington really come on and give the starters some rest. If they do, then the defensive ends could turn out to be better than an A-.
All in all, I think the 2010 OU defense has a chance to be very good. We will likely have more depth than in previous years, with the exception of a couple of positions. In some ways this will be a pretty young defense, but there are some really seasoned and strong veterans sprinkled here and there. Guys like Quinton Carter, Travis Lewis, Adrian Taylor and Jeremy Beal give this defense some really strong leadership and experience. If, the young guys come through then this could become one of the best defensive units OU has had in a few years.
Time will tell.
Overall, I give the 2010 OU defense a low A. Some will think that is too high and it very well could be. I just think that there is enough of a strong corp of older players that will push the young guys and give them a chance to mature and grow up during the course of the season.
I simply think we have a shot at being very good.
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SoonerGGS
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Posted: Thu Jul 29th, 2010 06:26 pm |
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Thanks!
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jwsooner
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Posted: Thu Jul 29th, 2010 07:35 pm |
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| Walt, working hard this afternoon?
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whitefeather
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Posted: Thu Jul 29th, 2010 08:54 pm |
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Thanks. Great article. 
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Walt
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Posted: Thu Jul 29th, 2010 09:19 pm |
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jwsooner wrote: Walt, working hard this afternoon?
Nope I am actually waiting on a big time movie star to stop by the house so we can head out for an early dinner.
Wish he would hurry up as I haven't had a lot to eat today and am starved.
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jwsooner
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Posted: Thu Jul 29th, 2010 10:42 pm |
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Walt wrote: jwsooner wrote: Walt, working hard this afternoon?
Nope I am actually waiting on a big time movie star to stop by the house so we can head out for an early dinner.
Wish he would hurry up as I haven't had a lot to eat today and am starved.
i read the article at work, so i am not one to talk. good read btw.
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SoonerDick
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Posted: Fri Jul 30th, 2010 02:34 am |
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Based on what I saw in the last Bowl game, the DL may not be as much of a question mark as currently though. I thought they did a great job with Taylor out. Got to remember they all practice, and it is not like they have put on pads for the first time. To me the OL is somewhat of a mystery. I keep hoping that the depth at OL will be the big payoff for this next year.
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greenfacedman
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Posted: Fri Jul 30th, 2010 09:19 am |
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One thing I've come to rely on since the "99" season, is that Coach Stoops is a pretty darn good judge of talent,he tends to lean toward the pessimistic side of things but after all is said and done,his predictions have been for the most part considerably accurate. Defensively I don't see a problem,now that Shipp is back to being able to focus on one position and one position only, I see great things out of this defense,memories of "03" keep popping up, I haven't been this excited about the defense since then. Thanks for the read.
Cheers
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bigedell
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Posted: Fri Jul 30th, 2010 05:55 pm |
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I'm witholding judgement until I see the first game.
I like the article, and it gives me some names to put with numbers, and some idea of what to look for, but it seems to me that every year, somebody who isn't supposed to see much time turns into a star, (Travis Lewis),and someone who is supposed to be a complete stud, turns into a collosal bust. (Bomar).
I love this site, and I love the effort that everyone turns in, and applaud you for it. I guess I'm just a pessimist! That being said, I can almost smell the fall air, and hear the sound of Boomer Sooner drifting on the wind....
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SoonerDick
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Posted: Fri Jul 30th, 2010 09:15 pm |
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When the Katydids start singing you know the season is turning and football is just around the corner.
Attachment: stoopspunchmack.jpg (Downloaded 93 times)
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SoonerRick46
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Posted: Fri Jul 30th, 2010 10:53 pm |
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Great write up Walt. I too am very optimistic about the D.
Just a couple of notes about what I'm hearing. I'm hearing that if the season started tomorrow Box would start at Mike, Lewis at Will and Ronnell at Sam.
I'm also hearing that Taylor is ahead of schedule and in better shape than the coaches are telling us. They also say that McGee is turning out to be a monster.
I agree the safties are going to be very good, and the talent is exceptional at CB. The only thing that worries me is their lack of game experience that could come back to bite us in a few of the early games. Unexperienced corners tend to bite on fakes and then get burned deep. The thing I find the most important about the corners is what I'm hearing about Martinez's defensive theory at CB. I don't think we'll see that ten yard cushion near as much anymore. He likes to play aggressive in your face corners. I went back and watched some film of GA when he was the DB's coach. And that's exactly the way they played.
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ICTDale
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Posted: Sat Jul 31st, 2010 10:17 am |
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Walt, great write up!
I'm anxious to see how the DT group shapes up. I went from thinking you just needed average talent with a good motor to be solid to realizing without really good talent and great effort at DT, the 4-3 defense doesn't dominate. Recall the year Granger started as a freshman alongside Steven Coleman? OU was very poor at DT for half the year and only average the back half of the year as Granger began to figure things out. DE production NOSE DIVED from the year before even though the top guys were coming back. If your defense isn't stout on the inside on the DL, look out. One difference this year is that OU will be stout at MIKE backer this year whereas the Granger/Coleman year (was that 2006?) Latimer was pretty weak and was dominated often.
Also, Taylor is the "other" tackle meaning he was the guy that played so well the last two years because he had a dominating tackle in Gerald next to him taking up space, double teams and yet still resetting the LOS back in the offensive backfield so often. To say that OU will be strong at DT even with Taylor was a question mark in my mind BEFORE he got hurt in the Sun Bowl.
Bottom line for me is that seeing a C+ for a DT preseason grade may overrate the grades everywhere else because I firmly believe defense starts at DT emanating inside out and front to back. I didn't use to think that but the mid-2000's have taught me that lesson.
The key to the defense will be how good Gerald's replacement will be...
Post Script: I do want to say that I firmly believe that OVERALL there is MUCH more talent and depth at all of the other positions than there were on those mid-2000's defense. I just don't think we can overlook the importance of the DT in the defensive structure nor do I think you can "hide" a weakness there if one exists. When your biggest, strongest players aren't of the quality the rest of the defense can provide, poor results will show up more often than we would like.
Last edited on Sat Jul 31st, 2010 10:22 am by ICTDale
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Sooner MEL
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Posted: Sat Jul 31st, 2010 02:13 pm |
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ICTDale wrote: Taylor is the "other" tackle meaning he was the guy that played so well the last two years because he had a dominating tackle in Gerald next to him taking up space, double teams and yet still resetting the LOS back in the offensive backfield so often. To say that OU will be strong at DT even with Taylor was a question mark in my mind BEFORE he got hurt in the Sun Bowl.
In Stoops style of 4-3 defense, the DT's primarily role/goal is to tie up the blockers and thus allowing the LBs to make plays. These LB "plays" are either by collapsing to tackle a ball carrier, blitz the QB or fall back into pass coverage. When the DTs accomplish their task, the LBs are freerer to play instinctively and not having to hold back a gear either fearful of a DT bust or having a guard come up to knock them out of the way. "Top shelf DT play also helps the secondary if they are effective pressuring opposing QBs and thus young/inexperienced corners don't have to be all-american from play one. OU's Eagle Defense all starts at the DT position.
We are all hopeful that either McFarland, McGee, Chaisson or Walker will kick their game "up a notch" and become a GK type of player to supplement AT at the nose.
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ClintA.Adams
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Posted: Sat Jul 31st, 2010 10:25 pm |
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| Hurst will be better than either Franks or Jackson by the time the Texas game rolls around. He will catch more passes from Gilbert than Williams will in that game. He will be yet another 3 start prep recruit that was improperly ranked by the recrutiing publications.
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greenfacedman
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Posted: Sun Aug 1st, 2010 11:49 am |
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If Harris hadn't bolted to the NFL,he wouldn't be in the shape he is now, on the down side of that, Hurst wouldn't have gotten the playing time that he has so far. If Proctor can live up to his hype,which he hasn't yet,and Hurst continues to progress as he did at the end of the season, I don't see where the drop-off is at,in fact, I see more speed and a back seven full of hard-hitting head-hunters. If OU can just come close to maintaining a pass rush like last year, regardless of who is on the field,I believe this defense can do great things, and after the UT game will have its identity and its noteriety.
Cheers
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