Would you rather...

[glazeduck]

It's obvious w/ the state of our DL recruiting post below, that we're in for a fight for every one of these kids.

In a perfect world we'd snag 2 or 3 of them and another rb and call it a year! In a disappointing year, we miss out on every one of those guys and are left with a few open slots where we were hoping to have bigtime DLmen, a scenario which is certainly possible. In preparation for that event, I was checking Rivals' list of JC Dlinemen and it seems that we've at least contacted quite a few of them (a bunch of BIG honkers which I like!).

So my question is this- Would you rather...

a. Take a few large 3 and 2 star JC DLinemen with no intention on redshirting them... Basically just having them as gap fillers.

OR

b. Use those schollies on other positions with more talented/younger players to keep building depth elsewhere and just call our DL a weakness?

[NCDucks09]

It's obvious w/ the state of our DL recruiting post below, that we're in for a fight for every one of these kids.

In a perfect world we'd snag 2 or 3 of them and another rb and call it a year! In a disappointing year, we miss out on every one of those guys and are left with a few open slots where we were hoping to have bigtime DLmen, a scenario which is certainly possible. In preparation for that event, I was checking Rivals' list of JC Dlinemen and it seems that we've at least contacted quite a few of them (a bunch of BIG honkers which I like!).

So my question is this- Would you rather...

a. Take a few large 3 and 2 star JC DLinemen with no intention on redshirting them... Basically just having them as gap fillers.

OR

b. Use those schollies on other positions with more talented/younger players to keep building depth elsewhere and just call our DL a weakness?

c. Sign Lache Seastrunk at RB, pick up a few other younger talented players to build depth, but also sign a couple big DT's. All we need is Werner or Heimuli to make it work this year. Our O-line is so deep, that we could switch one of those guys to Defense.

[glazeduck]

It's obvious w/ the state of our DL recruiting post below, that we're in for a fight for every one of these kids.

In a perfect world we'd snag 2 or 3 of them and another rb and call it a year! In a disappointing year, we miss out on every one of those guys and are left with a few open slots where we were hoping to have bigtime DLmen, a scenario which is certainly possible. In preparation for that event, I was checking Rivals' list of JC Dlinemen and it seems that we've at least contacted quite a few of them (a bunch of BIG honkers which I like!).

So my question is this- Would you rather...

a. Take a few large 3 and 2 star JC DLinemen with no intention on redshirting them... Basically just having them as gap fillers.

OR

b. Use those schollies on other positions with more talented/younger players to keep building depth elsewhere and just call our DL a weakness?

c. Sign Lache Seastrunk at RB, pick up a few other younger talented players to build depth, but also sign a couple big DT's. All we need is Werner or Heimuli to make it work this year. Our O-line is so deep, that we could switch one of those guys to Defense.

Did you even read my post?! You can't have it both ways.

[ksmack]

Build thru recruiting.. because those DT lineman could play right away... we get lache seastrunk and I think we snag King, Owa....and 2 JC D lineman!

[glazeduck]

Ok, maybe I needed to clarify things.

Defensive Ends COUNT as DLinemen!!!

So in the would you rather scenario, WE DON'T GET OWA, KING, ETC!

C'mon people, we're smarter than this!

[Howry]

My Wish List

Heimuli
Werner
King
Owa

That would make for a great Dline and its still possible. =)

[chicagoduck]

No one is answering your question! I will take a stab at it. I'd plug the holes with JC lineman, using our allocated spots for DLs, rather than shift those spots to other positions. We already have another RB spot, so we are covered there. Don't need another QB. Have plenty of OLs. Too many tight ends! Lots of LBs and DBs. Maybe a receiver spot, but we don't seem to be in on any one there except Lowe, and I think we have a spot for him already. So, I say we use the DL spots for DLs, and if that means JC, so be it.

[glazeduck]

No one is answering your question! I will take a stab at it. I'd plug the holes with JC lineman, using our allocated spots for DLs, rather than shift those spots to other positions. We already have another RB spot, so we are covered there. Don't need another QB. Have plenty of OLs. Too many tight ends! Lots of LBs and DBs. Maybe a receiver spot, but we don't seem to be in on any one there except Lowe, and I think we have a spot for him already. So, I say we use the DL spots for DLs, and if that means JC, so be it.

THANK YOU CHIDUCK!!!! Welcome to the board you're already my favorite poster!

Agree on your points, I feel the same way. Barring some type of no-brainer type pickup (Blount type Juco pickup, solid wr, solid ol, etc.) I'd like to see those holes plugged with some BIG BOYS (I'm thinking multiple Mt. Codys!)

[Duck07]

well i can answer it another way, seeing as how oregon has A LOT of LB depth for the first time ever, a gluttony of DE's and ZERO DTs, I would go back to recruiting the best possible players I can get and institute a package 3-4 defense to match up with Oregon base 425. When you don't have the players to run the packages you want/need, you have to be creative. Part of that would be a lot of Double A gap blitzing with the corners pressing outside.

What you have to be able to do without a strong middle is to disrupt how the line blocks. This is why the 34 and double a blitz work so well is because they force the ol to have to change their blocking in anticipation of the blitz, once theyve done that, it doesn't matter if you blitz or not, they still have to change their blocking schemes.

So my answer (since I'm a hypothetical coach) is to coach the players i do have in schemes that will mask our weaknesses while utilizing our strengths. The fact that Oregon's defense has changed 0 times in the last 9 seasons tells me that we don't have any creativity on that side of the playcalling. But again, that would require having a DC worth his weight.

[chapelhillduck]

I think it's like the draft...

unless you get someone that is going to help (and I'm not sure JC guys would and all signs say we do have a couple of decent young guys that RS that could take the place of these theoretical JC guys, including a JC guy...but they might), you take the best available and work around that

[duckgrad99]

I would actually choose option A, because I don't like just settling for a position being a weakness.

[Diehardduckfan]

I might go with B in this scenario but not accept it as a weakness. I mean at DT we have
6-6 270 Junior Isaac Remington- Had a season cut short
6-7 268 Senior Brandon Bair,
6-2 260 Senior Zac Clark- blocked a PAT in that win over Purdue
6-1 286 Junior Andrew Iupati,
6-3 288 R-Freshman Wade Keliikipi- Hawaii's top DT prospect in 2009
6-2 283 Senior Terrance Montgomery
6-1 305 Junior Denton Tuiasosopo - good football genes
6-4 226 R- Freshman Anthony Anderson- Winner of the defensive scout team award at team's postseason banquet

Junior Terrell Turner and R-Freshman Taylor Hart could be turned into DT's with their size as well.

And who ever else we sign.

But we do need some beasts though there certainly isn't a Ngata or Igor in that group. "A" would be nice in this scenario but we have 6 upperclassman at DT.

[shear_j]

not going to answer the question but point out that even if we get hemuli and werner, they will likely not play a huge role next year. I think we will have to build the dline from within and I think with so many players getting a year older and bigger, I think the dline will be stronger than it was last year even with the loss of tukuafu and ferras.

[dthomas=ddixon]

not going to answer the question but point out that even if we get hemuli and werner, they will likely not play a huge role next year. I think we will have to build the dline from within and I think with so many players getting a year older and bigger, I think the dline will be stronger than it was last year even with the loss of tukuafu and ferras.

Good post. The concern at Dline isn't next year, its the years after where we lose a lot of guys to graduation. We need guys in this class so in two years they will be ready to contribute & play big roles. Whoever we get probably won't be a big contributer next year, but the year after.

[shear_j]

not going to answer the question but point out that even if we get hemuli and werner, they will likely not play a huge role next year. I think we will have to build the dline from within and I think with so many players getting a year older and bigger, I think the dline will be stronger than it was last year even with the loss of tukuafu and ferras.

Good post. The concern at Dline isn't next year, its the years after where we lose a lot of guys to graduation. We need guys in this class so in two years they will be ready to contribute & play big roles. Whoever we get probably won't be a big contributer next year, but the year after.

Exactly. I think especially at DT we'll be much stronger. I think we'll see the emergance of Tuiasosopo and Iupati as fair to good dt's. They will get much better leverage than Bair just because of the fact that they have lower centers of gravity. If you were to take 6 in (hypothetically) off of Bair with his build, he'd only be about 230 lbs which is why he got pushed around too much on the line. His center of gravity at his height and weight is so high that its hard for him to get any positive leverage on one offensive linemen, let alone if he gets doubled. At de I think remington will step in well for tukuafu if he is as good as I think he will be.

Best case senario, we wont see Hemuli play til probably his redshirt soph yr (I hope) though he may have to step in his second year because of graduation. We will likely not see Werner til his Junior year starting just because of his rawness but I think he has a chance to be one of the better Dt's we've had.