The Importance of a DL

ATL1

ATL1

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Disappointed with what I read about concerning Kallon.
Disappointed about the DE's too..
Yeah this is very concerning.
 
PowderSpringsJacket88

PowderSpringsJacket88

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ATL1 said:
Disappointed with what I read about concerning Kallon.
Disappointed about the DE's too..
Yeah this is very concerning.
Click to expand...
I would wait to worry about Kallon until we are getting closer to finishing spring practice. Many players take awhile in spring ball to get back into things. Kallon had some positive momentum and Pelton said the light was starting to turn on at the end of the season. (Pelton doesn't say stuff like that unless it is true)
However, I am concerned...Trying to be optimistic that he will get back on track and make some real progress but only time will tell. I think we need to give him spring camp and listen to the coaches reviews at the end of camp.
 
AE 87

AE 87

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I've seen really good things, imo, from Gotsis, Green, and Kitchen, and Pelton was pretty restrained with praise about them. It seems to me that he's working really hard to fight complacency and satisfaction which does not say anything about quality. He could be saying don't be satisfied with playing at a C level when you should be playing at an A-level, and he could be saying don't be satisfied with playing at an A level when you should be playing at an A+. (Of course, I'm not saying that anyone is playing at an A level). Similarly looking for consistency could refer to 100% of the time versus 50% or versus 95%.
 
GT Man

GT Man

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Boomergump said:
I am going to start this thread with an "I told you so" and it will be directed at those members of another board who called me crazy two years ago for suggesting that TECH was very talented in the back 7 on defense. Some of you, in this audience, participate over there and may possibly remember. During the 2012 season, when things were in disarray on defense, I made the statement during one of my weekly film reviews that we had 5 future NFL players in the LB and DB ranks and that our problems were not due to a lack of ability in the back end. Well, of course, considering the recent results, people went crazy and told me it was all about a lack of talent and poor recruiting and that I had no idea what I was talking about. According to them, we had stolen all our recruits from East TN ST or Western Kentucky and they can't cover or tackle nearly good enough to compete in big boy football etc etc etc. It was all about lack of talent.

By now, I think we can all see that, most likely we did indeed have those 5 NFL bound guys on the field. Sweeting is already playing, Attaochu and Thomas are pretty much sure things in terms of making a roster. On top of that, Watts, who was one of my 5, looks poised to make an NFL roster, most likely as a special teams specialist and back up LB. He is not enough of a punishing tackler to be considered a front runner for an NFL LB draft pick, but his kind of athleticism and open field ability, combined with size, makes him very attractive. Those pro day speed and agility numbers were pretty eye popping for a 230 pound guy. If you are an NFL team, who do you want, in terms of a prototype, covering your punts and kicks? Now you see what I am talking about. So far, that is 4 players. The 5th, in my mind, was Hunt-Days. He still has a lot to prove, but he has time to do it. We will see.

So, why were we so bad if the talent was there? Well, it is because the DL was in total disarray. You could have put the pro bowl DBs back there for us and they wouldn't have been able to cover as long as we needed them to. Plus, if your DLs can't control or stabilize a gap, how are LBs to do proper run fits? Our LBs were always leaving their gaps, either because the gaps were so fluid they didn't really exist, or they knew DLs weren't going to make the plays and needed help. They felt the pressure to do too much. In order to try and get pressure, we would send a bunch and ask the DBs to back off in loose zone, making them look like they couldn't cover.

You may ask, why am I taking the time to write this? Well, I do so, not to pound my own chest and say "I told you so" (well maybe a little), but because I fear we are going to find ourselves in a similar position this year. If you want something to worry about in the off season, make it the development of a DL. Once again, I find myself feeling good about the back 7, but wondering about us up front. We have a slew of pretty capable guys roaming the second level. What are they going to be asked to do and how much? I feel sure that CTR will eliminate confusion (like CAG couldn't) as a part of the problem and that he will have the kids in a scheme that plays to their strengths (rather than his - once again CAG). BUT, without some major growth along the DL, he will only be able to scheme so much to mitigate the foundational problem.
This is what I am most eager to find out as spring and summer camps unfold. In my mind, it is the biggest question about our team BY FAR. More so than QB, BB, OL or any other. Hopefully, we will have a very positive development in the near term.
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Great post. Hopefully this year's easier schedule will help us.
 

alaguy

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Eric said:
Both. Pelton has said a few times that Kallon needs to put it on himself to get better.
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This is really interesting--- maybe just maybe the concern of his not having exp in fball goes deeper than just knowledge on how to play but WHAT IT REALLY TAKES IN TO BE SUCCESSFUL most guys get that over yrs of playing and they washout early if not interested enough
 

Mack

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GT Man said:
Except those DLs seem to let them down at least once a year :cool:
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Yes at times they do go into a different universe but man.........would love to have those hogs on the DL and hope that Roof would fire them up to play all the time.
 
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