What does OUr LB corps look like next year?

[TMcGee86]

Just going off the depth chart would lead you to believe it's Nelson-Wort-Jefferson.

But I just can't see that being the case. That sounds like it would be horrible against the run.

I guess the bigger question is what does the entire secondary look like next year.

IMHO Wort at MLB is a bad thing. I think he can be the leader of the D, but not at MLB. I would like to see Jefferson at FS, Nelson at SLB, Jones or Bird at MLB, and Wort at WLB.

This seemingly leaves us more vulnerable over the middle, but maybe with Jefferson back there it's not as glaring as it is at times this year.

Granted, I haven't followed recruiting so maybe there's some super-frosh coming in at LB that will play right away?

[TXBOOMER]

I don't know about next year, but this year they are not real consistent. Hopefully they can find a Lance Mitchell and Pasha Jackson at a JUCO somewhere.

[TMcGee86]

I don't know about next year, but this year they are not real consistent. Hopefully they can find a Lance Mitchell and Pasha Jackson at a JUCO somewhere.

I was thinking the same thing. Not sure what is out there but a Juco MLB would be a nice find. Or a Juco FS. Or SS for that matter. Or CB.

[StoopTroup]

Young but surrounded by guys with Game experience and if Wort is the MLB....we will be pretty damn good. I'm much more worried about the secondary and our Running Backs. I know some folks might think we are gonna be OK once Whaley is healed up and that with Finch back and Clay healed up maybe we will be. I'd like to believe we will be OK but if the next AD is in the Stable...I'd be just fine seeing a Freshman step in and show us that things are gonna be OK for the next 3-4 years. Even if he pops up and they Redshirt him....we will know he's still there. The Red White Game in the Spring will be an interesting Day as we will know whether the Belldozer is gonna be our QB.

[StoopTroup]

I don't know about next year, but this year they are not real consistent. Hopefully they can find a Lance Mitchell and Pasha Jackson at a JUCO somewhere.

You know....I'm not gonna say we don't need one because of how we are right now but if a young guy steps up...it might be good to have a Juco guy in there to help Wort the next couple of years to help us find guys to add to the depth and maybe even to replace Jefferson for the guys that think he should be in the secondary. We are hurting on Defense and Venables has really had to shuffle guys around this year because the LB Corp is very young.

[madillsoonerfan5353]

IMO it will be better with the loud mouth Lewis gone. He is the one who makes the checks yes, but I think some guys maybe tired of his loud mouth and him loafing time to time. Example see Harris Saturday night and BV telling Lewis to shut his mouth. Wort in the middle is great IMO he has grown a lot from the first of the year and I think another spring will make him that much better. I agree that we need some help in the secondary. Both corners are prolly gone after this year, Fleming for sure. Wouldn't mind a JUCO db or two head this way. What's the deal with Taylor is he gonna play db or lb?

:gary:

[StoopTroup]

I was pretty much thinking that Lewis would be gone since he's a Senior and he's the best damn LB OU has ever had. I mean....they did Shark Music for him. Even The Boz didn't get Shark Music.....lol

[cantwait48]

sure would be nice to have rashod favors, pl lindley and/or kellen jones come around and push the returners next year, what are people hearing about these young guys?

[madillsoonerfan5353]

I was pretty much thinking that Lewis would be gone since he's a Senior and he's the best damn LB OU has ever had. I mean....they did Shark Music for him. Even The Boz didn't get Shark Music.....lol

I realize he's a senior, just saying that he might be some of the problem with the unity of the D. With all the smack he talks and the loafing he does. His best year IMO was his redfrosh year he was dialed in then and played football.

[madillsoonerfan5353]

Broke 1,000 post with that one ^^^^^ Woot Woot!

[rainiersooner]

The Red White Game in the Spring will be an interesting Day as we will know whether the Belldozer is gonna be our QB.

You're assuming Landry leaves? Or loses the job?

[StoopTroup]

You're assuming Landry leaves? Or loses the job?

leaves. I think a lot of folks think Bell will take over if Landry leaves but you never know what might happen between now and then. Plus Landry could surprise me and come back but with Ryan Graduating and getting hurt....maybe he'll do what I think and head for the combines like he should.

[colleyvillesooner]

WE are in on a JUCO Safety who visited for the A&M game:

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/player/_/id/140503/gerald-bowman

and his teammate, a top JUCO CB:

http://jcfootball.scout.com/a.z?s=87&p=8&c=1&nid=5468994

and offered this JUCO CB:

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/player/_/id/144721/terrell-mitchell

[starclassic tama]

why do you want jefferson at FS? he has never played that position in college before, i'm sure if he was a really capable safety he would be playing back there considering how inconsistent harris has been this season

[The Maestro]

I don't know about next year, but this year they are not real consistent. Hopefully they can find a Torrance Marshall at a JUCO somewhere.

FIFY

[Mad Dog Madsen]

Broke 1,000 post with that one ^^^^^ Woot Woot!

You broke a guy code by saying "woot woot." :fatigue:

[goingoneight]

Who knows... I mean, as long as Venables is here, we'll never have good LBs. *sarcasm*

[Mad Dog Madsen]

WE are in on a JUCO Safety who visited for the A&M game:

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/player/_/id/140503/gerald-bowman

and his teammate, a top JUCO CB:

http://jcfootball.scout.com/a.z?s=87&p=8&c=1&nid=5468994

and offered this JUCO CB:

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/player/_/id/144721/terrell-mitchell

I've heard OU is a lock for the Gerald Bowman kid.

[SoonerMarkVA]

Yeah, I think we've been missing a big, physical MLB. I like the idea of Wort at WLB and Nelson SLB. We just need someone like T-Marsh, Lance Mitchell, or Curtis Lofton to plug up that middle.

[picasso]

why do you want jefferson at FS? he has never played that position in college before, i'm sure if he was a really capable safety he would be playing back there considering how inconsistent harris has been this season
Isn't that where he was being moved in the summer prior to the death of Box and the fall injuries?

[starclassic tama]

Isn't that where he was being moved in the summer prior to the death of Box and the fall injuries?

they experimented with him there, just like they experiment with just about every player on defense. but he doesn't have any game experience at free safety, and when healthy he excels in his nickelback/linebacker role so i don't really understand why you would want to move him to a position he has no experience

[8timechamps]

I think, as a whole, our LB corp will be pretty solid next year (and it helps that Bird is getting some game experience). It wouldn't surprise me to see Wort moved to WLB, and I think he would excel there...we'll see. Hopefully Ibiloye can become a full time player. Also, Kellen Jones should figure in the mix at some point (at least I hope).

My concern isn't with the defense, after all, it can only get better. My concern is at left tackle on the O-line. That's the one place we are losing both the starter and the backup/starter (Stephenson/Jones).

Outside of the O-Line (which I think for the most part will be fine as we've shuffled a lot of guys into the mix), we are a young team, and will continue to improve. Let's just hope that starting all of these young guys (and living through the growing pains) pays off in the next year or two.

[usaosooner]

Hope Kellen Jones learns fast

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

Here are my problems with next year barring recruiting

1. We have 3 guys that play the same position (Royback/SLB => Tony Jefferson, Javon Harris, and Corey Nelson) and all 3 of these guys are talented enough to be on the field. At the first of the year they tried Jefferson at FS, but Harris was better. We can see how that turned out and its not fair to Harris who is getting destroyed for being a square peg in a round hole. The problem is that in order to get these 3 on the field at the same time, you have to sacrifice size.

2. The linebackers overall are way too 1 dimensional. Typically, you look at several phases of their game (Interior Run, Edge Run, Blitzing, Offside Cutback, Zone Pass Defense, M2M Pass Defense). We have a lot of guys who are good in one particular area, but not the others. You can get away with 1 player being 1 dimensional, but not all of them. I've also yet to see a linebacker play the offside cutback well this entire season.

I'm also worried about what is going to happen to our pass offense without a dynamic slot (Clayton/Broyles like) especially when I see that we are once again going with big guys instead of the smaller types.

[cvsooner]

Finch into the slot, perhaps?

[8timechamps]

Finch into the slot, perhaps?

I think Clay would be a better fit there. IIRC, according to the coaching staff, he's the better pass catcher. Plus, having both of them on the field at the same time wouldn't be bad.

[cccasooner2]

I'm thinking Lindley will fit in next year. He looked good to me in the 2-a days and scrimages from the film clips I saw. The guy seems fast for a 236 lber (unless he grows out of the position weight wise, played HS in low 200s?).

[toast]

My concern isn't with the defense, after all, it can only get better.



I wish I shared your optimism (and no, this is not a slam against any coach and/or player). My concern is with R. Lewis and Alexander gone, where is the qb pressure going to come from? Fleming gone, and Hurst likely...who will play cb? Will they move Colvin back and if so, who will fill his spot at safety? Lots of questions to be answered on defense and plenty of opportunity for guys to step in. Of course, we still have the rest of this season to enjoy first.

[Salt City Sooner]

WE are in on a JUCO Safety who visited for the A&M game:

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/player/_/id/140503/gerald-bowman

and his teammate, a top JUCO CB:

http://jcfootball.scout.com/a.z?s=87&p=8&c=1&nid=5468994

and offered this JUCO CB:

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/player/_/id/144721/terrell-mitchell
Mitchell's a tight end. He's verbaled to OU but they're waiting to see if his knee's ok before accepting the committment.

[picasso]

Neal, Sheppard? Those guys aren't potential slot types?

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

I wish I shared your optimism (and no, this is not a slam against any coach and/or player). My concern is with R. Lewis and Alexander gone, where is the qb pressure going to come from? Fleming gone, and Hurst likely...who will play cb? Will they move Colvin back and if so, who will fill his spot at safety? Lots of questions to be answered on defense and plenty of opportunity for guys to step in. Of course, we still have the rest of this season to enjoy first.

DE is one position that has earned some trust. King and RJ have played well enought to start most places. I doubt hurst leaves, he's probably 4th round at this point.

[Crimsontothecore]

I really don't see why anyone should be concerned about replacing any of our defensive players considering their lackluster performance this year. Too much hype, too little substance. Yeah, they had cool haircuts and nifty shark fin hand gestures and all but I'm willing to bet next years group won't give up record yardage to Baylor and Tech.

[NormanPride]

I don't think we've seen enough of Jones to really know his tendencies, so that may be unfair. Plus, he's a freshman (and Nelson is a true Soph) so they can learn a TON in the offseason with primary reps. The key to this offseason will be keeping the new guys healthy so they can take advantage of the spring training.

[IronHorseSooner]

What is weird is that this team was recruited to be strong in space and against spread teams; however, they have played their best against power running teams (FSU, *, KSU), and horribly against spread teams (Tech, Baylor, Mizzou). In my novice opinion, I believe that this has to do with scheme and DL play. Against teams like the first three I mentioned, we were forced to rely on the real strength of the defense- our front four. As the game wore on, they began to dominate the line of scrimmage. In the last three I mentioned, we went to a 3-man line and relied on the weakest point of our defense- our secondary. When we went with our bigger LB sets, we were also more productive. I saw this in person at the KU game, where we played a spread team, but utilized a 4-man line and our bigger LBs. My point is that we have been better this year when we attack with our DL and LBs and take the game to our opponents, and we should abandon the 3-man line. It has got to the point where when I see a 3-man DL, I expect the opponent to make a big play. If our LBs are as athletic as many claim, then they should be able to defend the run and pass equally. In that case, I do think that we have the personnel for the next few years to get the job done, but we just need to abandon the 3-man DL.

[hawaii 5-0]

I really like Tom Wort, but on several running plays by Baylor he couldn't shed the block to even have a chance to make the play. Their big TB ran right by him untouched.

Tom's got great lateral movement but he's not so good when thry come right at him.

What position was Jefferson playing when he made that spectacular one-handed Int by the sideline earlier in the season?

5-0

[Keller Sooner]

What is weird is that this team was recruited to be strong in space and against spread teams; however, they have played their best against power running teams (FSU, *, KSU), and horribly against spread teams (Tech, Baylor, Mizzou). In my novice opinion, I believe that this has to do with scheme and DL play. Against teams like the first three I mentioned, we were forced to rely on the real strength of the defense- our front four. As the game wore on, they began to dominate the line of scrimmage. In the last three I mentioned, we went to a 3-man line and relied on the weakest point of our defense- our secondary. When we went with our bigger LB sets, we were also more productive. I saw this in person at the KU game, where we played a spread team, but utilized a 4-man line and our bigger LBs. My point is that we have been better this year when we attack with our DL and LBs and take the game to our opponents, and we should abandon the 3-man line. It has got to the point where when I see a 3-man DL, I expect the opponent to make a big play. If our LBs are as athletic as many claim, then they should be able to defend the run and pass equally. In that case, I do think that we have the personnel for the next few years to get the job done, but we just need to abandon the 3-man DL.

I agree 100 %!

[IronHorseSooner]

I really like Tom Wort, but on several running plays by Baylor he couldn't shed the block to even have a chance to make the play. Their big TB ran right by him untouched.

Tom's got great lateral movement but he's not so good when thry come right at him.

What position was Jefferson playing when he made that spectacular one-handed Int by the sideline earlier in the season?

5-0

This is why I think that he might be better replacing Travis at Will next year. with Bird at Mike, Nelson at Sam, and Jefferson at safety.

I believe that Jefferson was at safety when he made that pick earlier this year. I know some with more knowledge will expound on this but I see our secondary being:

CB: Hurst
SS: Lynn
FS: Jefferson
CB: Colvin

First, Hurst is not ready for the NFL. Yes, he's a good cover corner, but he still gives up too many big plays. Second, I think Lynn will make a better safety than corner. He's a big hitter and more of a ball-hawk. We will move Jefferson around, and we can still have him in attack mode. Colvin could go anywhere in the secondary, as I believe him to be the most well-rounded DB on the roster. When he went to corner, we had a lot more success when Fleming was injured. As for J. Harris, we could still use him in some nickel packages.

[SoonerorLater]

First post but I'll just jump in. Will and Sam LBs look good. I'm not crazy about Wort at MLB but at this point it would be hard to replace him with Bird. Bird has done pretty well in a back up role and appears solid against the run. Against the pass not so sure. He strikes me that as an every down starting backer he would be easier for the opposition to scheme against. Truth is that at this point we don't have a prototype MLB.

[SoonerinSouthlake]

You're assuming Landry leaves? Or loses the job?

He's getting married this summer...and projects to be a top 15 pick.

Im thinkin he doesnt want to have his lady stayin in the jock dorm waiting for him to come home from practice

In all seriousness though, Id think he wanting to take the next step along with being married

[OUInformant]

I'm not sure where we'll be, but Wort, Nelson, and Bird will certainly be in there. Our starters should be pretty good as a unit, but I don't know how much depth we'll have. I think the secondary should be much improved, however.

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

This is why I think that he might be better replacing Travis at Will next year. with Bird at Mike, Nelson at Sam, and Jefferson at safety.

I believe that Jefferson was at safety when he made that pick earlier this year. I know some with more knowledge will expound on this but I see our secondary being:

CB: Hurst
SS: Lynn
FS: Jefferson
CB: Colvin

First, Hurst is not ready for the NFL. Yes, he's a good cover corner, but he still gives up too many big plays. Second, I think Lynn will make a better safety than corner. He's a big hitter and more of a ball-hawk. We will move Jefferson around, and we can still have him in attack mode. Colvin could go anywhere in the secondary, as I believe him to be the most well-rounded DB on the roster. When he went to corner, we had a lot more success when Fleming was injured. As for J. Harris, we could still use him in some nickel packages.

Jefferson isn't a FS. Remember that JHarris was better in practice at FS than Jefferson was which was why Jefferson ended up as SS/Royback. I actually think our best defense would be as a Dime with JHarris/TJefferson as hybrid linebackers with bird in the middle. that is if we can find another deep safety that can cover.

[OUInformant]

JKM,

The dime actually sounds pretty good. Didn't Tom Osborne run that for quite awhile at Nebraska?

I definitely think the dime is worth a try, as that fits our personnel pretty well. Couldn't Gabe Lynn be another safety? He is a big hitter / decent cover guy (except against TT).

We'd need Colvin, Hurst, Jefferson, Harris, Lynn, and the sixth guy could be Corey Nelson, as he is really athletic (or Quentin Hayes, Lamar Harris, etc., etc.). We can put Wort in there as our main LB.

Obviously we'd employ another defense against K-State or a running team (i.e., run the scheme we ran this year at K-State as it worked extremely well).

[OK_BRED]

When did the coaches swap Lewis and Wort? Was that to stop the ISU run game?

[VA Sooner]

Wort has really come along from last season... good to see him evade blocks and he's fast from sideline to sideline and less out of position with each game.

Travis Lewis is hurt... the broken foot is really plaguing him so I think he's compensating by being the loudmouth in hopes of getting this team up... good or bad.

I like Jefferson as the Roy-back... he plays well as linebacker and rover... the boy really knows how to tackle. He should be the one to show the others how it's done... wish they could highlight that. Something that LSU and Alabama do very well... wrap-up.

Bird had some flashes of brilliance... the youngster will do a lot when given more playing time. Wish Stoops would change him mantra about giving backup defensive players playing time but I think Bob has changed his ways because of the pressure to please the BCS pollster voters.

We'll see if Kellen Jones will come along and whether we'll find a JUCO LB.