Starting Defense

[EWU98]

Since we are gushing over the offense and the starters there.... how about the love for the D which is where most of us would like to see some more improvement from last year.

 

[sammamisheag]

Scoring points won't be the issue......again

Be interesting to see how the D fares vs NDSU. Season will probably come down AGAIN to getting stops in the 4th qtr vs a MVC team in the playoffs, as well as getting first downs to kill the clock.

 

[LDopaPDX]

Scoring points won't be the issue......again

Be interesting to see how the D fares vs NDSU. Season will probably come down AGAIN to getting stops in the 4th qtr vs a MVC team in the playoffs, as well as getting first downs to kill the clock.

I am far more optimistic about our defense this season than I have been for quite a while. While they were only fair-to-middlin' last year, they showed tremendous improvement over their disastrous form of 2016. If we can take an equal step forward this year, we'll be in really good shape. Even if we only take a half-step forward, the D should be good enough to stand tall against most of our opponents. The important thing will be to continue to improve.

That said, I'm still not a fan of the base nickel... and I think it leave us a little to weak in the box.

 

[clawman1]

My biggest concern is who is going to be that disruptive edge rusher that Samson was. I know we can not fully replace him but is there someone in the wings to make that attempt?
Also we lost an experienced nose tackle that was going to be an impact player.
Next man up!

 

[LDopaPDX]

My biggest concern is who is going to be that disruptive edge rusher that Samson was. I know we can not fully replace him but is there someone in the wings to make that attempt?
Also we lost an experienced nose tackle that was going to be an impact player.
Next man up!

The DT situation is always the most concerning position. Mainly because it is just so important to have quality DTs in modern defenses. As for edge rusher, that's not as big of an issue. You can always convert someone with good wheels and good tackling ability into a weakside DE. Ebukam probably should have been a linebacker; I think he'll excel more at that spot than DE.