Derrick LeBlanc finally says it....
- Thread starter TuckyFB
- Start date
I agree we had very few sacks and tfl from the inside dline spots. Hopefully Carter Middleton Dubose can give ware and Allen some help.
"No more p*ssy ball"
I like it. He won the press conference.
Seems like we're recruiting a different type of d-line though. All of the SDE, and lean defensive tackle types. Adrian Middleton dropping from 300 to 275 and cutting off his bad weight? We're gonna start putting guys on the line that can rush the passer and penetrate the offensive line. Pringle is the last real nose tackle that we recruited, and he's gone after this year, and hell, according to Freddie Maggard who seen him recently, even he dropped a ton of weight and worked on his pass rush.
Yea the days of 340 pound nose tackles is over. We can run a 3 4 with 3 quick 280 310 pound dlineman.
It's not so much what he said as the weights of are lineman. Cross 303 Looney 293 Middleton 275 down from 303 Pringle dropping weight. Ware 245 from 255 it looks to me like they are getting lighter.
And these guys will get mauled by the 310 lb plus o lines in the SEC. Middleton's weight loss is not normal.. I know people can be quicker but the really good teams in the SEC have big and quick linemen. Hope this is not true.
Refreshing to hear LeBlanc talk about the DL being more aggressive as it was to hear Hood talk about special teams being more aggressive. Need the DL to be more disruptive, not just block-eaters, and we have given up miles of hidden yardage in STs the last few years. Two big changes in philosophy that are very welcomed (at least by me).
I agree with this. Trotting out 275-280 DTs vs SEC OLs is a recipe for disaster. Trimming up Middleton's one thing, dropping so much weight is another thing entire.
These coaches know what they are doing. Not like that weight did a lot of good last year. Strength and agility is more important than size. Plus maybe Middleton was carrying bad weight long way til the season to add 15 pounds. You can play dt effectively at 285 300
If UK is going to play the same "technique" it did under Eliot/Brumbaugh (DL's only responsibility was to keep OL out of second level), I agree. But, if UK is going to actually let the DL go after the QB and RB, then the weight loss is not that alarming.
I just can't imagine a change in techniques. With what leblanc is saying plus guys being lighter something is in the works. We can't be the team Stoops wants playing passive defense.
I like that last name..Le Blanc. Got that SW Louisiana St Mud Dog grit to it.
I wonder if we will see more stunts/twists/and zone coverage from these lighter and presumably more mobile d-linemen.
I always thought we should do some of those things the last 4 years, and I seldom saw it.
I always thought we should do some of those things the last 4 years, and I seldom saw it.
I lived down there for eight years, and most Cajuns don't pronounce the "c" in his last name.
Totally agree...watching DL working for a stalemate with OL was depressing to watch. I know you can give up gap integrity with over penetration...but I'd rather give up more big plays due to lowering gap integrity if we can generate some tackles for loss to stop drives faster.
Florida runs a different scheme than UK, so that really isn't comparable. UK runs a 3-4 while UF runs a 4-3, UF's first line inside guys are 300 lbers, their outside guys are more in line with the 3-4 OLB size wise and for the most part are 260 or less, of course some are bigger but that isn't the mold. Those guys are the guys providing the pass rush in a 4-3. I have to agree with Mshwump here, get too many guys under 280 in a 3-4 you are at a big risk of getting overpowered in the running game because your LBers are guys who can run, cover and play in space. But its the evolving of the game, offense gets and advantage, defenses chance and pass. Of course with the new rules in college football being overwhelmingly in favor of the offense that may not be the case anymore.
On that evolving of the game, the hitting of the qb, targeting, basically ignoring holding unless around the head, the defenses need some help. This won't be well received here, but with the HUNH offenses of today, stop play and the clock after 4 HUNH plays to allow the defense to sub some guys, Offenses won't like it much, but defenses don't like not being able to sub either, and very likely cut down on all the fake injuries to do just that and speed the game up.
Me personally I like Middleton being quicker. Carter 280 Middleton 280 and Dubose 320 plenty big enough. You don't want a 280 pound nose but 280 290 fine for your 3 4 ends.
We just disagree on this, unless you have 250 or so OLB someone has to set the edge, giving up 50 lbs to good OT isn't good against the run with small OLB. Its killed us in the past and our OLB were 1st round draft picks, smallish DE got them overwhelmed against good running teams. UK will be licking their chops looking a D with 280 DL and 220 LB.
Ga Tech defensive line was much smaller than a lot of UK's linemen and other SEC teams, yet they went 3-0 vs. SEC last season. If a kid can play, 280 is fine, if he is slow, not agile, and can't play, then 30 or 40 more pounds is not going to make him effective.
a couple things. i agree with you on being too small being a negative when teams have a power run game. i dont think the weight loss by some of our dline is going to continue and they will add weight back by fall. i think a ripped 285 guy is better for 4 quarters than a doughy 300 guy. 15 pounds isn't much in the context of that much weight. our nose will still be 320ish or so. and we will be fielding at least one pretty big olber it appears with the way we are recruiting.
so if we are 255, 280, 320, 285 and 250 with our 3 down and 2 outside guys... it's not small. plus we do have some 300 guys backing up some of those guys so we could go 310, 320, 285 on some teams that are more heavy.
also guys. this s&c staff is legit. i mean they've been around and have succeeded at top schools and have been lauded by peers and players. my guess is that they have all these guys cutting bad weight leading to spring practice and will add weight back through summer. a guy like middleton should be able to add 15 pounds of good weight back by sept 1. pringle could add 5 pounds of muscle to his frame easily after cutting fat.
As to Middleton,he was light in high school (for the position he played) I was surprised that he put on as much weight as he did.I think he lined up at LB some of the time(HS) this may be a more natural or comfortable weight for him.
I agree with this. Technique is more important than size.
I do wonder if UK's smaller DL - assuming it's confirmed - will hold up across the span of a season. GT's smaller DL looked great in the bowl game, but they had a few weeks to rest and prepare for one opponent. That's harder to do during the season. Georgia Tech allowed 4.8 yards/rush last season which would have ranked them 10th in the SEC.
And again, the back seven have to do more to stop the run too.
First of all I find it hard to believe that Middleton has lost that much weight in just couple of months. Regardless, I can't think of any circumstances where carrying 35 or 40 lbs of blubber will make you a better athlete. I'll take the extra quickness and speed.
Actually that's even more impressive as they generally only have one guy of the 4 that is 300+. I do agree that they are not a two-gap scheme as we are but the fact remains that you don't have to have 3 guys 300+ to successfully run a 34 defense.
Give me guys that can get off blocks first and foremost. Does no good for a heavier guy to just be there to hold up his man if he can't get loose to make a tackle or get in the running lane. Strong agile guys can not only pressure the passer more, they can get off blocks to make tackles against the run at point of attack. It gets real old watching out line hold their own at point of attack only to watch the back fly by them with no way to slow them down other than a hand stuck out. And if they do get an arm on them they drag them 5 yards before we get help to bring them down.
So it'd take 330 strong, agile and fast, but if we can't find those then give me 280, strong, quick and agile vs. 300 and slow and stuck on blocks all day long.
So it'd take 330 strong, agile and fast, but if we can't find those then give me 280, strong, quick and agile vs. 300 and slow and stuck on blocks all day long.
Top SEC linemen and average SEC linemen weigh 300 plus and are fast, strong and agile at those weights. Few of those guys, if any, are "cut" or "shredded".
Our and every other team has problems finding those guys. If losing weight is going to solve our main problem of stopping the run then I'll be amazed.
We need to get lucky, find those guys and get them to come here. Tougher than losing weight.
P.S. Losing weight is part fat and part muscle.
Our and every other team has problems finding those guys. If losing weight is going to solve our main problem of stopping the run then I'll be amazed.
We need to get lucky, find those guys and get them to come here. Tougher than losing weight.
P.S. Losing weight is part fat and part muscle.
I trust in Stoops and his coaches. I'm sure they know what weight they want the player to be at and what their current height, weigh, body fat%, and speed are. We don't have all the statistics to make an accurate assumption on any of these players. We can compare film from last year and get an understanding of where they where 3 months ago, but a good S&C program and coaching can enhance their skill sets. And on top of that you have to include the hidden variable of a new coaching staff and 30+ additional years of experience that Hood and Lablanc add to the mix.
Leblanc is changing the tone of the DL and demanding aggressiveness and improvement. I'm hopeful that when the season starts, we will see a DL that is a cohesive and disruptive group.
Leblanc is changing the tone of the DL and demanding aggressiveness and improvement. I'm hopeful that when the season starts, we will see a DL that is a cohesive and disruptive group.
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