KSR reports Silver is committed to USC. I was surprised how uninspiring his stats were while at UK. I know - he's a NG in our scheme and their job is to absorb blockers and not necessarily make tackles. Well, imo, he certainly did the second part of that sentence. 24 games with 43 tackles (1.8/game), 3 TFLs and 1 sack. That's truly not much production out of the NG position. And, I'm guessing that many of those plays included Deone Walker beside him who drew more than his share of double teams so Silver should not have been double teamed that often.
Now, if he did exactly as he was asked very effectively, and that could be the case, I would question why we play such a scheme. It certainly could be observed that our DL is coached to be passive, not fight to penetrate and blow up plays but rather to hold up as many blockers as possible so someone behind them can make the play. I'm sure that's how certain schemes are designed but I have to say I absolutely hate it if that's what's been happening on the DL. It is one more indication, as many have pointed out, that our scheme is very passive, bend-don't-break, keep everything in front of you, etc. Since in many SEC games we're at a talent deficit, does it make any sense to be overly passive and concede yards time and time again as long as we don't give up 'the big play'? Give a team with more talent enough opportunities and they will break a big one. Teams with talent advantages can be patient and grind it down the field. We saw this repeatedly this year. Does this passivity also translate into why we're rarely near the top in takeaways?
I doubt it will happen as long as Stoops is at UK, but I would really like to see more of a focus on the front 7 creating havoc and TFLs. Yes, we'll give up more big plays. But, we might also be better on 3rd down and creating turnovers. I don't mean we should blitz every down but our DL should be taught how to SHED (not absorb) blocks, stay in their lane/assignment and find the ballcarrier. If you're main task is to hold your ground and stand up the OL in front of you, the ballcarrier is at least to the 2nd level before anyone will be able to make a tackle. That just seems stupid to me.
As for Silver, my assessment was he was OK but not a difference maker. We definitely weren't a stone wall against the run, many of them between the guards. And, at least judging from his stats, he was no threat to pressure or sack the QB. Will we miss him? Maybe. But, that's more an indictment of our lack of recruiting than Silver's production.
