Online Now 902

The CheckerBoard

The place for inside information on the Tennessee Vols

On this Board 379
Record: 4783 (12/9/2012)

Online now 812
Record: 6475 (12/7/2012)

Reply

Pre-Spring Primer: Defensive line

  • http://tennessee.247sports.com/Article/Pre-Spring-Primer-Defensive-line-66370

    It’s almost (spring) football time in Tennessee, and govols247 is getting you ready with a position-by-position look at the Vols — continuing today with the defensive line.

    signature image

    Senior Writer, govols247 Email: wrucker@247sports.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/@wesrucker247 Facebook: www.facebook.com/wesrucker247

    Wes Rucker

  • Good grief, Wes. Stop writing these awesome, in-depth articles. It is adversely affecting my level of patient care.

    This post was edited by CrockettTM on 3/19/2012 at 4:54 PM

    CrockettTM

  • I'm most intrigued by the defensive line and LB this spring. Just curious as to what positions players fall into and who emerges. Excited about Sentimore and McCullers coming in.

    wataugavol

  • Personally, I will not be concerned if we play a 4-3 or a 3-4. Defense last year was not the issue for the most part and we lose only Malik and Johnson while adding a bunch of big players, figuratively and literally.

    Also, I am still waiting to see an agressive, attacking, blitzing defense that Wilcox was supposed to bring.

    volray

  • I agree the 2011 defense was not the problem. In fact, considering the amount of time they had to stay on the field, they performed pretty well in most games.

    Bill B

  • 2011 did it's job, and did well enough to win more than 5 games. I agree with both points Wes made: UT's D did not get gashed up the middle as it did in 2010, but faster teams like Florida, LSU & Bama ran around us with impunity. Dooley seems to have gone out of his way to recruit speed, which is good, but most of it seems to have been on offensive skill positions rather than DE or DB. Who of our DE's or LB's has great speed other than Maggitt?

    DL looks stout, talented, experienced and like it has some depth -- something we haven't seen since... when? 07? Earlier? I don't think Kiffin or Dooley's previous teams were nearly this well off.

    Problem is the future: there are 6 Jr's on this list. My concern is it'll take 2 years to master Sunseri's D, and by then, all the guys who know it best are going to be graduating. We need some younger defensive linemen -- unless we want to be holding our breaths on landing the JUCO's we need every year. Very glad we signed O'Brien, but we need more like him in upcoming recruiting classes. (Many more.)

    This post has been edited 2 times, most recently by ericstubb on 3/20/2012 at 1:20 AM

    ericstubb

  • McCullers is now 390?? I thought he was between 360 and 380. Ten pounds of added muscle?

    Jersey Vol

  • This post is for members of GoVols247 only. Join now! 7-Day Free Trial

    Staff writer for govols247 — http://www.twitter.com/RyanCallahan247 — rcallahan@247sports.com

    Ryan Callahan

  • This post is for members of GoVols247 only. Join now! 7-Day Free Trial

    ol dad