2013 LB thoughts (long)

Feb 21, 2013, 9:13 AM

First and foremost I want to say that losing Tig Willard sucks. He was the most consistent LB last year and balled out every game. he was a personal favorite of mine and I'll miss seeing No. 46 making plays. As painful as watching the SC game was Willard was there every time a SC running back tried to make a move and planted them on their behinds.

WILL:
1) Steward will get the first nod here. He has been battling injuries his entire career with not one but two knee injuries. That being said he's got the talent to really make an impact here. With another off season to fully heal and get his mind right I think we'll see No. 7 make some big plays next year.

2) Parker/Anthony will take this spot and I'm not sure which one it'll be. Both can play either the WILL or SAM position but I'll pick Parker to take this spot i guess. He came out of HS with a lot of hype around him and never put it together. He's got the talent though and it'll be up to him to do something with it because there are plenty of young guy ready to take his spot.

MIKE:
1) Shuey will get the first look here. Shuey has paid his dues and taken his lumps and became a main stay of our LBs last year. He doesn't have great speed but he reads the offense well, gets off block, makes tackles, and will explode in the backfield if left unchecked. Our run defense say a noticeable improvement when he took over the MIKE position.

2) Kellen Jones. He came from OU with Venables and from what I've heard this kid is a monster through and through. Great energy, scary tenacity, and very very good talent. He'll make an impact either here or on the outside as he can play all three positions but I think he gets put at MIKE first and foremost. The only reason I have this guy behind Shuey is that Shuey has proven himself a steady and reliable player and because of his experience.

SAM:
1) Quandan Christian will be a senior and it's time for him to step it up. He's been up and down ever since a very good freshmen year and there really is no excuse for that. Under Steele he got the benefit of the doubt as all the LBs were frozen and confused but under Venables we saw Shuey and Willard become very strong contributors but Christian was still inconsistent. He's got the talent and the experience to be a force for us but it's up to him to make it happen.

2) I think Anthony gets moved here. I never fully understood the decision to move Anthony who came in as one of the top OLB in HS to MIKE. He did very well here as a freshmen but got beat out this year by Shuey who is a MIKE through and through and Anthony should be moved to the outside again. With Steward and Parker most likely getting the two spots at WILL and the loss of Townsend I think Anthony could play here and honestly should take Christian's spot if he gets the playbook down, which isn't really a concern for him. Anthony is a force and I expect him to play next year, a lot. He can play all three positions so it's just a matter of where Venables wants him

Ben "the beast" Boulware and Dorian O'Daniel are two excellent LB pick ups and further strengthen our corp. That being said I expect both to RS just because of the numbers we have. Make no mistake though that if either come in and show out they could very well see PT if the guys in front of them do not put it together. i think Dorian has a better shot avoiding a RS here because I expect the MIKE position to be pretty solid with Shuey, Jones, and even BJ Goodson able to play it and play it well. The SAM and WILL positions have more questions marks right now and he could play either well.

In summary we have the numbers and the talent for the LB position to once again get us back to being "LBU". We have the coaches to get it done and I expect our highly talented guys to play like it next year now that their numbers are being called. if they don't they'll lose their position to some of these hungry and talented younger guys. I feel good about the fact that we have so many players that can play multiple positions which gives Venables a lot of options on how to get the best talent on the field. Steward, Anthony, Parker, O'Dainel, and even Jones can all play 2 or even all 3 positions.

Agree, disagree, thoughts?

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2013 LB thoughts (long)

I think Kellen Jones plays Sam and Anthony stays at

Jones look smore like a Mike don't you think?

I guess time will tell how it all shakes out. We really

Very good point. Either way it's a good problem to have***

Re: 2013 LB thoughts (long)

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