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Post by gobeavs92 on Dec 22, 2016 11:30:10 GMT -8
Looking over the roster and recruits, there are a lot of players that will be interesting to see (if they play). QB- JUCO J Luton will be interesting to see his skill set and if it transfers over to this level.
RB- The more I hear about this recruit TJ Green, the more I wonder if he'll play as a true freshmen. With the loss of Lucas, I'm wondering if he'll fulfill that role (hopefully with more reps if he earns the ability to play this season). He's listed as an APB-All purpose back.
WR- D Sykes is a big guy (if his listing is correct-6'4" 213 lbs) and he's a JUCO. Just looking at; him, Collins and Villamin all being 6'3" or taller, that's becomes an interesting possible personnel package.
K Taylor and I Hodgins sound like they could possibly compete to play as true freshmen. Hodgins is another big frame (Listed 6' 3.5") that apparently can run. They will both be here through Spring and into Fall. That will be an advantage if they are physically capable coming in because they will be learning the playbook but also adjusting to some of the speed of the game.
TE/HB- The fact that one of the most impressive receivers (in terms of catching the football) from last Spring (N Togiai) got injured so early in '16, if he comes back at 100% starting from this Spring into Fall, he could be a huge weapon going into the '17 season. I think the Beavs missed his receiving abilities in the short to intermediate passing game.
I'm really excited to see if guys like; Q Smith and K Turnier (converted frosh last season from the hybrid DE/OLB position) and even if T Wily Matagi can come in and help in the running and passing game?! Last season, there wasn't that much depth at the TE/HB position.
One of the areas that's most interesting to me is the OLB/DE position. When you look at all of these freshman from last season (even the guys who redshirted) there is a lot of depth. Will it become quality depth? I'm a Steelers' fan and a lot of these guys remind me of some of the proto-type college DEs that were converted to OLBs. Guys like Joey Porter, long lean frame that can run. I'm not saying these guys will become a Joey Porter but just from the physical "eye ball test". But some guys who didn't even play last season like;
Hamilcar Rashed, Isaac Garcia, Kee Whetzel, Doug Taumoelau. Of that group, it will be very interesting to me to see one or more of them break into the line-up as a contributor on defense. Then you have all the guys (freshman) who played; A Hughes Murray, J Robinett, S U Whitson and Shemar Smith. Lastly add in the experienced guys with; Willis, Bright and Titus and that position group(s) has a lot of possibilities. Wonder if a guy like Garcia will be eligible?
DB-Will C Wallace be eligible? If so, will he play S or CB? Last season's JUCO L Payne got injured early on but there seems to be a lot of excitement around his abilities. It will be interesting to see if he's ready to go and how he performs if so?! Another intriguing freshman is D Morris from Sherwood. With so many options at OLB, will he play Safety and will he earn his way on the field this season.
Lots of different players to keep an eye on. Should make Spring ball very interesting watching these guys and this team grow (physically/mentally) every week. Exciting stuff IMO.
Go Beavs!
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Post by atownbeaver on Dec 22, 2016 15:31:42 GMT -8
Safety, other CB spot and MLB our our defensive positions of intrigue.
Guard, Tackle and Center are our offensive positions of intrigue. Well, QB is... it shouldn't be... but it is.
The who steps up there and how well is going to make or break our season I think. I was disappointed to not pull a DB from the JUCO ranks, and I think on the list you gave the guy that kind of bubbles to the top is Wallace. Does he qualify and where does he play. basically what you said. I still see him as a safety. Other Payne brother could have be a figure here too, I agree.
Who is going to be the beef at MLB this year? Willis? Hunt? Payne? I think we are very well stocked with OLB types. I think we lack real ILB types.
I liked Saulo, but he was 230lbs soaking wet. Even in a 3-4 you need a slobber knocker MLB type to be blowing up and getting off blocks. Gimmie a Bray, a Kristick, a Joey LaROCK. Gimmie 250-260 pound guy that moves pretty well. We really don't need him going sideline to sideline.
The OL will probably play out as we think, though it looks like Houston came over from DT to be a center? curious. but if it is him and Lauina taking another guard spot we have one tackle spot up for play.
Craig Evans is instantly of intrigue. he is a "get" by all measures. is he our next Paea? I hope so. I think Elu Aydon was rock solid as a RS frosh. if we get these two going together, or a solid rotation of both... man.
(side note, if he is as advertised, can you imagine a 4-3 front with 320 Elu and 305 Evans?... MAN! brutal...)
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Post by blackbug on Dec 22, 2016 16:19:04 GMT -8
Safety, other CB spot and MLB our our defensive positions of intrigue. Guard, Tackle and Center are our offensive positions of intrigue. Well, QB is... it shouldn't be... but it is. The who steps up there and how well is going to make or break our season I think. I was disappointed to not pull a DB from the JUCO ranks, and I think on the list you gave the guy that kind of bubbles to the top is Wallace. Does he qualify and where does he play. basically what you said. I still see him as a safety. Other Payne brother could have be a figure here too, I agree. Who is going to be the beef at MLB this year? Willis? Hunt? Payne? I think we are very well stocked with OLB types. I think we lack real ILB types. I liked Saulo, but he was 230lbs soaking wet. Even in a 3-4 you need a slobber knocker MLB type to be blowing up and getting off blocks. Gimmie a Bray, a Kristick, a Joey LaROCK. Gimmie 250-260 pound guy that moves pretty well. We really don't need him going sideline to sideline. The OL will probably play out as we think, though it looks like Houston came over from DT to be a center? curious. but if it is him and Lauina taking another guard spot we have one tackle spot up for play. Craig Evans is instantly of intrigue. he is a "get" by all measures. is he our next Paea? I hope so. I think Elu Aydon was rock solid as a RS frosh. if we get these two going together, or a solid rotation of both... man. (side note, if he is as advertised, can you imagine a 4-3 front with 320 Elu and 305 Evans?... MAN! brutal...) I am not an expert in this, but I have seen you post at least a few times about the inside linebacker position. It seems to me that if the staff was looking for the ILB to be 250-260 lbs then they would recruit more to that size or develop to that size. So far neither has happened. Do you really think this is their philosophy? I was also a bit perplexed because I am almost certain that Bray, LaRocque and Kristick were never 250-260 lbs. In no way am against having this size as at the position.
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Post by RenoBeaver on Dec 22, 2016 17:00:14 GMT -8
What does last year count against Wallace, is it a redshirt?
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Post by gobeavs92 on Dec 22, 2016 17:19:24 GMT -8
What does last year count against Wallace, is it a redshirt? This is a good question. I know he was enrolled but not sure if he was officially with the team?! Go Beavs!
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Post by gobeavs92 on Dec 22, 2016 17:33:22 GMT -8
Safety, other CB spot and MLB our our defensive positions of intrigue. Guard, Tackle and Center are our offensive positions of intrigue. Well, QB is... it shouldn't be... but it is. The who steps up there and how well is going to make or break our season I think. I was disappointed to not pull a DB from the JUCO ranks, and I think on the list you gave the guy that kind of bubbles to the top is Wallace. Does he qualify and where does he play. basically what you said. I still see him as a safety. Other Payne brother could have be a figure here too, I agree. Who is going to be the beef at MLB this year? Willis? Hunt? Payne? I think we are very well stocked with OLB types. I think we lack real ILB types. I liked Saulo, but he was 230lbs soaking wet. Even in a 3-4 you need a slobber knocker MLB type to be blowing up and getting off blocks. Gimmie a Bray, a Kristick, a Joey LaROCK. Gimmie 250-260 pound guy that moves pretty well. We really don't need him going sideline to sideline. The OL will probably play out as we think, though it looks like Houston came over from DT to be a center? curious. but if it is him and Lauina taking another guard spot we have one tackle spot up for play. Craig Evans is instantly of intrigue. he is a "get" by all measures. is he our next Paea? I hope so. I think Elu Aydon was rock solid as a RS frosh. if we get these two going together, or a solid rotation of both... man. (side note, if he is as advertised, can you imagine a 4-3 front with 320 Elu and 305 Evans?... MAN! brutal...) I am not an expert in this, but I have seen you post at least a few times about the inside linebacker position. It seems to me that if the staff was looking for the ILB to be 250-260 lbs then they would recruit more to that size or develop to that size. So far neither has happened. Do you really think this is their philosophy? I was also a bit perplexed because I am almost certain that Bray, LaRocque and Kristick were never 250-260 lbs. In no way am against having this size as at the position. Hughes Murray and Whitson look like they could both add enough weight and be inside guys (at least from a physical size stand point). I gotta be honest, I was a little concerned when the staff said that Wesley Payne was going to be an inside backer (he's like 5'10" 210- as a JR- last season). So either he (W Payne) hit like ol' Sam Mills (ex-New Orleans Saints inside backer- undersized guy) or... well I'm not sure ha ha. The LB sizes vary among some of these guys. A guy like Shemar Smith who's a little shorter but has some bulk and moves well, then you have a guy like J Robinett who is tall and lanky, then a lot in between. But I like the lean but thick 6'3"-6'4" type athletes at the OLB/DE hybrid position. Reminds me of Richard Seigler (though he was a middle backer) but he was versatile. Same with Barnett (though 6'2") but lean, rangy athletes playing backer. Go Beavs!
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Post by lebaneaver on Dec 22, 2016 18:36:06 GMT -8
Size and speed. The "tangibles" sound GREAT. Many (most?) times it is the NON-tangibles that separate those with the goods from the others. Hard to measure (if one doesn't personally KNOW the person). Instincts. Intelligence. Courage. Mental toughness. Just plain ol' TOUGHNESS. Etc. We've had some greats with these qualities. Hopefully, most of these kids have them too!
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Post by blackbug on Dec 22, 2016 20:27:45 GMT -8
I am not an expert in this, but I have seen you post at least a few times about the inside linebacker position. It seems to me that if the staff was looking for the ILB to be 250-260 lbs then they would recruit more to that size or develop to that size. So far neither has happened. Do you really think this is their philosophy? I was also a bit perplexed because I am almost certain that Bray, LaRocque and Kristick were never 250-260 lbs. In no way am against having this size as at the position. Hughes Murray and Whitson look like they could both add enough weight and be inside guys (at least from a physical size stand point). I gotta be honest, I was a little concerned when the staff said that Wesley Payne was going to be an inside backer (he's like 5'10" 210- as a JR- last season). So either he (W Payne) hit like ol' Sam Mills (ex-New Orleans Saints inside backer- undersized guy) or... well I'm not sure ha ha. The LB sizes vary among some of these guys. A guy like Shemar Smith who's a little shorter but has some bulk and moves well, then you have a guy like J Robinett who is tall and lanky, then a lot in between. But I like the lean but thick 6'3"-6'4" type athletes at the OLB/DE hybrid position. Reminds me of Richard Seigler (though he was a middle backer) but he was versatile. Same with Barnett (though 6'2") but lean, rangy athletes playing backer. Go Beavs! That was the other thing about this. When the coaching staff has a linebacker that has the frame to have 250 lbs or actually has that weight they put them at the outside spot. Which is another reason to make me think that the staff's philosophy is that size matters more at the outside linebacker spot than the inside. Part of the flexibility of 3 down lineman system that the 4-7 rushers are more hidden to the offense. This can also mean that the linebackers are also very flexible and do not always follow an inside and outside system. Really just thinking out loud.
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Post by justdamwin on Dec 23, 2016 7:59:15 GMT -8
1) The defensive front should take an exceptional leap forward this year: Aydon, Vaka, Evans, Napoleon, Pritchard, Savaea, That could be an SEC front, or at least as strong as UW 2016. 2)With the other options on the outside, Failauga can move into the middle. Him and Hungalu would be solid. Or Hughes-Murray in the middle, he has a build to play ILB. The great thing is in reality out of seven positions they lose on starter, Saulo. Now looking at the 2017 recruits I wonder where the next flight of DTs comes from, I do not see the Island Connection recruiting the next guy(s) from high school.
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Post by beaverintheberg on Dec 23, 2016 8:35:37 GMT -8
Safety, other CB spot and MLB our our defensive positions of intrigue. Guard, Tackle and Center are our offensive positions of intrigue. Well, QB is... it shouldn't be... but it is. The who steps up there and how well is going to make or break our season I think. I was disappointed to not pull a DB from the JUCO ranks, and I think on the list you gave the guy that kind of bubbles to the top is Wallace. Does he qualify and where does he play. basically what you said. I still see him as a safety. Other Payne brother could have be a figure here too, I agree. Who is going to be the beef at MLB this year? Willis? Hunt? Payne? I think we are very well stocked with OLB types. I think we lack real ILB types. I liked Saulo, but he was 230lbs soaking wet. Even in a 3-4 you need a slobber knocker MLB type to be blowing up and getting off blocks. Gimmie a Bray, a Kristick, a Joey LaROCK. Gimmie 250-260 pound guy that moves pretty well. We really don't need him going sideline to sideline. The OL will probably play out as we think, though it looks like Houston came over from DT to be a center? curious. but if it is him and Lauina taking another guard spot we have one tackle spot up for play. Craig Evans is instantly of intrigue. he is a "get" by all measures. is he our next Paea? I hope so. I think Elu Aydon was rock solid as a RS frosh. if we get these two going together, or a solid rotation of both... man. (side note, if he is as advertised, can you imagine a 4-3 front with 320 Elu and 305 Evans?... MAN! brutal...) I am not an expert in this, but I have seen you post at least a few times about the inside linebacker position. It seems to me that if the staff was looking for the ILB to be 250-260 lbs then they would recruit more to that size or develop to that size. So far neither has happened. Do you really think this is their philosophy? I was also a bit perplexed because I am almost certain that Bray, LaRocque and Kristick were never 250-260 lbs. In no way am against having this size as at the position. Yeah, Kristick was maybe 215- 220. Great motor.
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Post by atownbeaver on Dec 23, 2016 10:09:11 GMT -8
Safety, other CB spot and MLB our our defensive positions of intrigue. Guard, Tackle and Center are our offensive positions of intrigue. Well, QB is... it shouldn't be... but it is. The who steps up there and how well is going to make or break our season I think. I was disappointed to not pull a DB from the JUCO ranks, and I think on the list you gave the guy that kind of bubbles to the top is Wallace. Does he qualify and where does he play. basically what you said. I still see him as a safety. Other Payne brother could have be a figure here too, I agree. Who is going to be the beef at MLB this year? Willis? Hunt? Payne? I think we are very well stocked with OLB types. I think we lack real ILB types. I liked Saulo, but he was 230lbs soaking wet. Even in a 3-4 you need a slobber knocker MLB type to be blowing up and getting off blocks. Gimmie a Bray, a Kristick, a Joey LaROCK. Gimmie 250-260 pound guy that moves pretty well. We really don't need him going sideline to sideline. The OL will probably play out as we think, though it looks like Houston came over from DT to be a center? curious. but if it is him and Lauina taking another guard spot we have one tackle spot up for play. Craig Evans is instantly of intrigue. he is a "get" by all measures. is he our next Paea? I hope so. I think Elu Aydon was rock solid as a RS frosh. if we get these two going together, or a solid rotation of both... man. (side note, if he is as advertised, can you imagine a 4-3 front with 320 Elu and 305 Evans?... MAN! brutal...) I am not an expert in this, but I have seen you post at least a few times about the inside linebacker position. It seems to me that if the staff was looking for the ILB to be 250-260 lbs then they would recruit more to that size or develop to that size. So far neither has happened. Do you really think this is their philosophy? I was also a bit perplexed because I am almost certain that Bray, LaRocque and Kristick were never 250-260 lbs. In no way am against having this size as at the position. To be sure you are correct. LaRocque came to us barely 220 though he beefed up considerably. Bray played at about 240 and Kristick was a generous 240 as well. Richard Seiglar played around 240. Alan Darlin, probably our most wrecking ball of all wrecking ball MLBs played at about 255. He was seriously a big dude. Top NFL MLBs are close to 250. 260 is likely wildly unreasonable, I was just tossing out a general idea of size I suppose. It was offered, by OA I think, that we are modelling our 3-4 closer to Wade Phillips Denver Broncos. One of the things that makes that go is the Danny Trevathan, Brandon Marshall pairing at ILB. one of your ILBs needs to be like Saulo. a quicker 230 pounder. but you need to have a beef guy. Marshall is that. 6'1, 250. we don't have a beef guy, and I think getting the right piece in there can make a huge difference. I saw Saulo get taken for a 3-4 yard ride by a rumbling RB more than once. not too many sticks in the hole out of our LB core. Lastly, as for size. well easier said than done!!! in my opinion there are two extremely rare football bodies on defense. the "true" NT and the "true" MLB. (like a true tackle is really hard to get on offense...) and getting those are highly, highly desirable. It means guys that project there are recruited hard. I mean, we can't just wave a magic wand and say, okay! I am going to get a 250 pound MLB that is still a 4.8 type of speed runner. Ultimately it comes down to my opinion being, for this defense to take the next step in improvement, we gotta be tougher in the middle. good teams obliterated us straight up the gut. part of that was size factor at ILB.
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Post by atownbeaver on Dec 23, 2016 10:14:20 GMT -8
I am not an expert in this, but I have seen you post at least a few times about the inside linebacker position. It seems to me that if the staff was looking for the ILB to be 250-260 lbs then they would recruit more to that size or develop to that size. So far neither has happened. Do you really think this is their philosophy? I was also a bit perplexed because I am almost certain that Bray, LaRocque and Kristick were never 250-260 lbs. In no way am against having this size as at the position. Yeah, Kristick was maybe 215- 220. Great motor. Kristick measured 234 at the combine, and likely played at 230 most of the time. He was 6'3 and 234. he was also a pretty big dude. one of his "pluses" was that his frame could hold more weight. On the same tokien, his con was a lack of bulk to be an NFL MLB.
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Post by blackbug on Dec 23, 2016 12:42:33 GMT -8
I am not an expert in this, but I have seen you post at least a few times about the inside linebacker position. It seems to me that if the staff was looking for the ILB to be 250-260 lbs then they would recruit more to that size or develop to that size. So far neither has happened. Do you really think this is their philosophy? I was also a bit perplexed because I am almost certain that Bray, LaRocque and Kristick were never 250-260 lbs. In no way am against having this size as at the position. To be sure you are correct. LaRocque came to us barely 220 though he beefed up considerably. Bray played at about 240 and Kristick was a generous 240 as well. Richard Seiglar played around 240. Alan Darlin, probably our most wrecking ball of all wrecking ball MLBs played at about 255. He was seriously a big dude. Top NFL MLBs are close to 250. 260 is likely wildly unreasonable, I was just tossing out a general idea of size I suppose. It was offered, by OA I think, that we are modelling our 3-4 closer to Wade Phillips Denver Broncos. One of the things that makes that go is the Danny Trevathan, Brandon Marshall pairing at ILB. one of your ILBs needs to be like Saulo. a quicker 230 pounder. but you need to have a beef guy. Marshall is that. 6'1, 250. we don't have a beef guy, and I think getting the right piece in there can make a huge difference. I saw Saulo get taken for a 3-4 yard ride by a rumbling RB more than once. not too many sticks in the hole out of our LB core. Lastly, as for size. well easier said than done!!! in my opinion there are two extremely rare football bodies on defense. the "true" NT and the "true" MLB. (like a true tackle is really hard to get on offense...) and getting those are highly, highly desirable. It means guys that project there are recruited hard. I mean, we can't just wave a magic wand and say, okay! I am going to get a 250 pound MLB that is still a 4.8 type of speed runner. Ultimately it comes down to my opinion being, for this defense to take the next step in improvement, we gotta be tougher in the middle. good teams obliterated us straight up the gut. part of that was size factor at ILB. Height and weight are always interesting things on a football roster. I remember the time my buddies and I played in a 3 on 3 basketball tounament for players 6 foot and under. They allowed some fudging as long it wasn't obvious you were taller than 6 foot. My team played a team that Richard Seigler was on. I was the tallest on my team at almost 6 foot exactly, to this day I would tell you that Seigler was not taller than me. Everything I find though list him at 6'2" or 6'3".
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Post by atownbeaver on Dec 23, 2016 13:25:06 GMT -8
To be sure you are correct. LaRocque came to us barely 220 though he beefed up considerably. Bray played at about 240 and Kristick was a generous 240 as well. Richard Seiglar played around 240. Alan Darlin, probably our most wrecking ball of all wrecking ball MLBs played at about 255. He was seriously a big dude. Top NFL MLBs are close to 250. 260 is likely wildly unreasonable, I was just tossing out a general idea of size I suppose. It was offered, by OA I think, that we are modelling our 3-4 closer to Wade Phillips Denver Broncos. One of the things that makes that go is the Danny Trevathan, Brandon Marshall pairing at ILB. one of your ILBs needs to be like Saulo. a quicker 230 pounder. but you need to have a beef guy. Marshall is that. 6'1, 250. we don't have a beef guy, and I think getting the right piece in there can make a huge difference. I saw Saulo get taken for a 3-4 yard ride by a rumbling RB more than once. not too many sticks in the hole out of our LB core. Lastly, as for size. well easier said than done!!! in my opinion there are two extremely rare football bodies on defense. the "true" NT and the "true" MLB. (like a true tackle is really hard to get on offense...) and getting those are highly, highly desirable. It means guys that project there are recruited hard. I mean, we can't just wave a magic wand and say, okay! I am going to get a 250 pound MLB that is still a 4.8 type of speed runner. Ultimately it comes down to my opinion being, for this defense to take the next step in improvement, we gotta be tougher in the middle. good teams obliterated us straight up the gut. part of that was size factor at ILB. Height and weight are always interesting things on a football roster. I remember the time my buddies and I played in a 3 on 3 basketball tounament for players 6 foot and under. They allowed some fudging as long it wasn't obvious you were taller than 6 foot. My team played a team that Richard Seigler was on. I was the tallest on my team at almost 6 foot exactly, to this day I would tell you that Seigler was not taller than me. Everything I find though list him at 6'2" or 6'3". I played safety in high school at about 5'5" and maybe 140 lbs in pads. maybe... I think our roster had me at 5'8" and 160. something just patently absurd. At any rate... numbers only only kind of my point, not a hard and fast rule. regardless of what the person really weights, you gotta have at least one real beefy, block busting devastating MLB out there.
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Post by gobeavs92 on Dec 23, 2016 14:24:59 GMT -8
To be sure you are correct. LaRocque came to us barely 220 though he beefed up considerably. Bray played at about 240 and Kristick was a generous 240 as well. Richard Seiglar played around 240. Alan Darlin, probably our most wrecking ball of all wrecking ball MLBs played at about 255. He was seriously a big dude. Top NFL MLBs are close to 250. 260 is likely wildly unreasonable, I was just tossing out a general idea of size I suppose. It was offered, by OA I think, that we are modelling our 3-4 closer to Wade Phillips Denver Broncos. One of the things that makes that go is the Danny Trevathan, Brandon Marshall pairing at ILB. one of your ILBs needs to be like Saulo. a quicker 230 pounder. but you need to have a beef guy. Marshall is that. 6'1, 250. we don't have a beef guy, and I think getting the right piece in there can make a huge difference. I saw Saulo get taken for a 3-4 yard ride by a rumbling RB more than once. not too many sticks in the hole out of our LB core. Lastly, as for size. well easier said than done!!! in my opinion there are two extremely rare football bodies on defense. the "true" NT and the "true" MLB. (like a true tackle is really hard to get on offense...) and getting those are highly, highly desirable. It means guys that project there are recruited hard. I mean, we can't just wave a magic wand and say, okay! I am going to get a 250 pound MLB that is still a 4.8 type of speed runner. Ultimately it comes down to my opinion being, for this defense to take the next step in improvement, we gotta be tougher in the middle. good teams obliterated us straight up the gut. part of that was size factor at ILB. Height and weight are always interesting things on a football roster. I remember the time my buddies and I played in a 3 on 3 basketball tounament for players 6 foot and under. They allowed some fudging as long it wasn't obvious you were taller than 6 foot. My team played a team that Richard Seigler was on. I was the tallest on my team at almost 6 foot exactly, to this day I would tell you that Seigler was not taller than me. Everything I find though list him at 6'2" or 6'3". I'm 6' myself and I know that sometimes when you're around guys that are 6'2 and even 6'3, depending on if they're moving around or even stationary they can look the same height as me (to me). Depending on how ya see them, height can be deceiving. Sometimes you can look out on the field (especially with O Lineman and taller QBs) and you'll have a couple 6'7" lineman next guys that are 6'3" or 6'4" and they all look the same height. Not saying your perception wasn't correct BB, just saying what I've experienced with some of my perceptions. I met Seigler back in 2002 and he seemed around 6'2 or 3 to me but that was just my perception. Go Beavs!
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