Leach sure seems confident about the dline
- Thread starter CougEd
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I'm nervous about the D-line myself. Hercules, Ekuale, and Luvu leave quite the hole. Plus in the spring game, we didnt get a ton of pressure. Suppose the bright side is maybe our Oline is awesome.
That fact that Leach is publicly praising the d-line is cause for concern. That's how he seems to roll.
I the D line looks great, it could be a reflection on how poorly the O line is playing. Time will tell, I just hope that between Phelps and Miller the lines play up to their potential. Last year I felt the D line, with the limited numbers did Ok, which had a lot to do with the overall defense. Be interesting to see how the Oline does this year, I thought they under performed last year. 3 Linemen that were high thought off, and yet they didn't seem to be able to move people off the line when needed. Hopefully Miller can get the new faces to gel to perform beyond expectations.
I don't know if we'll be "fine," but the size and athleticism of our DL & OL has been completely transformed over the past 5 years. We look like a P5 conference roster now.
Well I am curious to see them on the field. While Lucas looks like a first round draft pick , the d line looks smaller , not the junk in the trunk that barber, eukale and destiny had . If they are productive it will mean good things
Because last year it was assumed the same thing and last year and we finished
#8 in tackles for Loss
#19 in Sacks
We have the same guy coaching them and we have several players that have been coached under him that have experience, and several new players that are looking to be good additions. (the two poly players) etc.
I know we don't have players like the great Laurenzi and his shop lifting skills on the line that you opine about, but it's been proven that we have had a lot of success with our DL coach. So I am not worried about it.
Last year didn't we have three returning starters or two and the third had tons of playing time? I don't remember the lack of experience. Last year McBroom, Herc and Eukale probably took 90% of the snaps.
I get what we finished last year, and they did really well..maybe as well as Laurnzi's unit, but I am talking about this year. I am hopeful they turn out to be as talented as say the 83 group, and that their lack of experience doesn't hinder the team like the 82 line. I am hopeful they are as talented as the Walden recruits, and if so they will get to the 8 win plateau. I am hopeful, I just haven't seen it from these players.
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No Ed. We have a real coach and consecutive winning seasons. This isn't the past. We will be fine.
Bear in mind that CML has been known to stir the pot a bit with compliments to one segment of the team. i.e. 'The d-line is looking great.' I often read this as 'C'mon o-line, pick up the pace.' Or expressing delight with the play of the db's as an indirect dig at the receiver corps. So maybe he truly believes that the d-line is progressing very well but, on the other hand, it could well be just an impetus subtly aimed at the o-line. Bottom line, I take this with the proverbial grain of salt.
What does that have to do with the discussion at hand. You say we will be fine because why? Have you SEEN Comfort play in a Pac 12 game? Hobbs? The JC transfers? I am hopeful you are right, but saying because Leach has won doesn't mean lack of experience and maybe the potential of lack of talent and size won't be a factor. Leach for years has put out great receivers, but last year graduation hurt them, and some guys were not ready to step up.
I am in a slightly different camp. I am hopeful and I believe Phelps is really good,almost as good as the dline coach back in 82 and 83, but I remain hopeful yet reserved. And feel free to bring up the past in having a discussion.
I use to listen carefully to Mike Price and what he said in fall ball. When he would talk about an incoming freshmen, more than likely that kid was going to be special. Yes, he would give coach speak on all the units, but when he called out a name and when not prompted, that kid was going to be good. Raonall Smith, when he came to spring ball after grayshirting in the fall of 96, when Trufant stepped on campus in 99, he mentioned those players by name, and he was right, they were special. ,
While Leach isn't known for fluff, I may agree with you part of it may be to motivate his oline.
Nobody cares what you think Ed we all know you are not in the program’s camp.
Have you seen them not be fine? No. You haven’t. Have I seen a Phelps led Dline be fine. Yes yes we all have. So if our only frame of reference is what we have already seen we can assume that they will be fine because we have seen the unit perform well.
You are banking on something you have never seen in a Phelps led d-line doing poorly. I am banking on having seen a Phelps d-line perform well.
Ummm...so if you don't think the coaches may not jell quickly enough and possibly the reason or excuse why we don't have a winning season or go say 8-5, does that make you not in the programs camp?
I HOPE the dline is good. But to say they are fine without evening knowing they have Pac 12 talent to play I think is a bit much. If the JC's are like Gauta, I agree they will be fine. If they are like Sale they won't be.
I am not saying this is the case (cause I haven't seen any of them play) but Phelps can be the best dline coach out there, but if they don't have talent or sometimes experience, they may under perform no matter how good the coaching is.
Even the best dline coach we may have ever had in 1982 struggled as they lost all their starting three and replaced them with players who never played before (and they ended up being better in 93. The 91 line with the same coach couldn't stop you or keyboard from getting five yards, much less Pac 10 players. Robbie Tobeck wasn't a DT. It wasn't until Eaton was ready, Ray Hall put on size that they could compete.
But I will mark down they will be fine because we have a great coach and that is your basis.
The concern about the Dline going into last season, IIRC, mostly revolved around depth. We knew Herc, Ekaule, McBroom, Nnamdi, and Moore could play. The question was how would the team weather injuries and develop players. Fortunately we were remarkably healthy last year. But the line dramatically fell off when Herc was DQ'd for targeting. Then we didn't look good this spring either.
I have a lot of faith in Phelps, but I don't think a line where Nick Begg and Tyler Comfort are getting the lions share of reps is going to be very good.
Well, since Niu Sale was an offensive guard ... .
And if this d-line turns out to be just fine, you will go silent just as you did during the 8-game winning streak a couple years ago and the 7-1 start last season.
Nobody cares about the 80s nobody cares about the 90s.
We have the same DL coach we have plenty of players we will be fine.
We have plenty of people and will continue to play well on the d-line because of Phelps. He teaches a quick first step and excellent technique. We will be fine.
Well.. didn't they move Sale to DT because he was so out of shape? Well I hope not to be silent, let's put it that way.
Numbers don't mean squat. All we have and know about is names. I can go to Oregon State's roster and print 8 names.
Our Dline may be fantastic. You don't teach a quick first step, you have one or you don't. Phelps teach's a great pad level, something that will help them for sure.
I agree, no one cares about the 80's or 90's or even 2012 except you. But I have no problem going down memory lane when you invite me.
Which is why we've brought in guys named Lolohea, Ailupotea-Pei, Echevarria, Hobbs, Rodgers, Crowder, Hendry, Jackson, Mattox, and Mejia (and McDougle for 2019 and beyond). I believe you'll see Begg, Comfort, Lolohea, Echevarria, Hobbs, Mattox, and Rodgers in a rotation.
Long term we will be fine, but it I don't expect most of these guys to makes an immediate impact. And others seem to be pipe dreams. Hunter Mattox? He's shown nothing in his three years in the program. Nothing. Echevarria and Comfort are walk ons. Neither are elite athletes. The rest aren't experienced.
I'm expecting to lose a couple games because we get absolutely abused up front. I still think we are a bowl team, but the Dline is my largest area of concern.
Guess you missed the Will Rodgers interview in which he said the S&C coaches worked hard with him and others in the off season to improve the quickness of their "first step" or take off.
You don't know a damn thing about football Ed. You are an idiot. Your existence is a waste of everyone's time and a waste of oxygen.
I’ve always said, EDs the loudmouth Fake “know-it-all” that everyone really just rolls their eyes at.
I Feel bad for the Coug Fans in his section & his co-workers. Those Poor Miserable bastards.
I Feel bad for the Coug Fans in his section & his co-workers. Those Poor Miserable bastards.
Keep in mind that it was Ediot who hailed a 5-9 linebacker as the next Mark Fields after WSU defeated a winless UW team playing with its back-up QB in 2008. It was Erictile D who compared Wulff's early recruiting classes to Price's in 1999-2001, which was the basis for his prediction that Wulff would repeat the 2001-2003 success.
Now? He compares us to Oregon State, how he can cite the name numbers from the Beaver roster. How has Oregon State done the past three seasons? Ed's class of 2014 narrative requires a bad 2018 campaign. He needs his Iron Laws of Ediocy to hold up.
If you read the quote Tron was so kind to post,
Yes Banks-Joseph...I compared us to OSU? Good grief. Why take that leap? I said I can go over to OSU's roster and list names. That is what you did. You listed names. Period. You nor I have anything to go on in terms of experience or talent because we haven't seen them.
If you take 2017's line you could say we have seen what Herc, Eukale and McBroom could do. IF they stay healthy they will do well at dline. This year I HOPE they do well, but I nor has anyone seen what these players can do, thus until they play they are a name on a jersey.
There will never be another linebacker like Fields, and if you want to be accurate I said he reminded me of Ron Childs.
Guess you had your head up someone's arse the past two seasons when Nnamdi Oguayo tallied 73 tackles, 10 tfls, and 8 sacks? And Derek Moore's 27 tackles?
As for McBroom, his 16 tackles only slightly exceeded what he did in '17 ( 12 tackles). Ekuale actually had fewer tackles in '18 (17, down from 23 in '17). Nick Begg doesn't have to improve much from '17 to match either one. Comfort needs to only provide quality back-up play.
As for Mata'afa's 36 tfls and 15.5 sacks over the past two years, he blew up in '18 due in part to scheme. Yes, his take off is exemplary (visit Merriam-Webster's online dictionary if that word stumps Mr. Stumpy), but if you've actually seen Lolohea, Aiopupotea-Pei, and Echevarria in person and in the "field of play" you might hold off on the Chicken Little fear mongering that so grips you. Phelps has already said he believes he has the bodies and the talent for a solid rotation. The guy actually has a record of accomplishment, both at WSU and elsewhere.
And please stop lying about your comparing Bland to Fields. You've posted so many stupid things over the years, but that one falls within the top 10. It's why so few here take you seriously. No cred, shorty. No cred.
You are like Trump, just because you say it doesn't make it so. You know how many Mark Fields seen over the years? One. Fields was a freak. He ran Curtis Conway down from behind on a kick off. Childs nor Bland could ever do that. He was 240, Bland was 200. What made Bland similar to Childs was their wrestling, and when they got their hands on a ball carrier they were going down.
But keep on posting BS, it would nice to be accurate about what I was wrong about. And if I had our cred, tell me exactly what that would get me, new steak knives and $5 in my Banke account?
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Sauki? Beyond that bizarre reply, how about you reply to the stats I offered, Eric C. Dickenson. Come on, shorty/stubby - stand tall...
Guess your poor reading skills limited you to that marketing degree at WSU. Nonetheless, make another attempt, Erictile D.
