The Linebackers
- Thread starter Aclone
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The linebackers will be a strength, not a weakness. We will be better at the SAM and MIKE. Obviously losing Bowen hurts, but the group will be better overall. Raven has great speed and has really packed on the weight however, he will be a good replacement for Bowen.
Now the front 4 is the big concern. If they can't get a pass rush and continually hang our backers and backs out to dry we are going to be in trouble. We really need Chris Lyle to turn into a dominant pass rusher.
Yes it will. Combined with the improvement of the second string, they will be a better unit overall. As great as Bowen was, he made his share of mistakes. There is certainly no replacing him, but I am very high on Raven at that spot, and Garrin as well.
I can't see how we'll be better at a position where we lost Banks. He started last year for a reason. To assume we'll be better at that position is to assume so without any real evidence on the field.
That being said, I didn't really consider the linebackers to be a huge strength last year and losing our two best from there doesn't help, especially considering all the intangibles that Bowen brought to the team. To assume the unit will be better is based purely in hope IMO.
That being said, I didn't really consider the linebackers to be a huge strength last year and losing our two best from there doesn't help, especially considering all the intangibles that Bowen brought to the team. To assume the unit will be better is based purely in hope IMO.
It maybe a different horse but the same could be said about the O-line this past season compared to '06. The guys in 2006 started for a reason yet were not as good as in 2007.
The LB's may not be better next year, but I doubt they will be worse. We will have a better judgement after the spring game though.
I know what you're saying but some places gave Banks a shot at the NFL. He was very underrated and he could do a lot of good things. I'm not at every practice but I have a hard time thinking Garrin, Raven, Bibbs, or Bell are going to be as good as Banks. I just liked him as a player I guess.
Not a slam on Banks, but the coaches even said Bibbs was playing as well as Banks before he (Bibbs) got hurt. Bibbs is a freakish athlete, better than Bowen even. If Bibbs was playing as well as Banks in his first year out of JUCO, it is pretty easy to infer that he will be better than Banks this year after a year in the system and a year in the weight room.
Again, I am not ripping on Banks, I liked him allot as a player, but Bibbs is going to be flat out special this year. Think about how much better Dobbins was his second year out of JUCO. We will see the same kind of improvement from Bibbs.
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Something good about Banks was his ability to cover that he got from being a DB. Not too many teams will line up a linebacker on the outside reciever and put the CB on the slot.
What I'm seeing here and want to caution folks on is the "our linebackers will be better or at least as good" mentality.
We're certainly not going to know until we see 'em on the field after a game or two. It's certainly possible, but I'm not sold on it yet.
Bibbs still hasn't played at this level yet. The others are inexperienced for the most part. Smith is the best of the bunch (at least from what we have seen) yet he has flaws too.
Again, our defense concerns me this fall. I like the fact that we have Chizik, a defensive guy, leading the charge - that should help. But I do think we'll need to score points this year instead of trying to win games with outputs in the upper teens/20s.
We're certainly not going to know until we see 'em on the field after a game or two. It's certainly possible, but I'm not sold on it yet.
Bibbs still hasn't played at this level yet. The others are inexperienced for the most part. Smith is the best of the bunch (at least from what we have seen) yet he has flaws too.
Again, our defense concerns me this fall. I like the fact that we have Chizik, a defensive guy, leading the charge - that should help. But I do think we'll need to score points this year instead of trying to win games with outputs in the upper teens/20s.
Bibbs also can rely on a DB background to help with coverage. There is some good discussion in this thread. I agree with Bruce that Banks was a very solid player. Snow makes a good point, however, with the 2nd year Juco improvement expectations.
I mean no offense dude, but when you throw completely bold statements out there like this it's hard to take things seriously.
I guess that I nurtured dreams that Mathis might be able to take over in the middle. Hopefully one day he might--he seems to have rare size and athleticism. Bibbs is intriguing, but as with Raven's size, I have concerns.
I guess we'll start to see in a few weeks.
Bibbs was playing allot before getting hurt. He has played at this level. It was a very real possibility that had he stayed healthy he would have been starting by the end of the year.
Don't forget about Cameron Bell. I think it is a given that either he or Mathis is our MIKE of the future. The other prolly succeeds Bibbs at SAM. Anyone here have any idea which will play where?
As I think about it, Mathis makes more sense at the MIKE, as he will be a freshman this year, while Bell will be a soph. Mathis would have 2 years to be the starter after Smith is gone, while Bell would only have one. In turn, Bell would have two years after Bibbs is gone.
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That is an extremely bold statement to me. Honestly, while Bibbs got some time out there, I didn't see anything that blew me away. And he's going to be comparable to Dobbins who was an NFL draftee? That's not a bold statement?
If this was anybody else from another fanbase talking about a backup from their team, we would rail them for being a homer.
Last year the second team LBs and DL got a helluva lot of PT. Raven really made some nice plays during the year and from those I know in the program, Bibbs is really a freakish athlete combining DB athleticism with LB size. Those two and Garrin got plenty of action on D, then throw in the returning starter Smith, Schmidgall, Bell, Mathis, Green, and Matthews and hopefully we'll have a solid LB core.
The biggest loss for the LBs wont be Bowen or Banks, it'll be Tuba who allowed our undersized backers to use their speed to make plays.
The biggest loss for the LBs wont be Bowen or Banks, it'll be Tuba who allowed our undersized backers to use their speed to make plays.
