The Blue Board

Stop being lazy

Have seen 2013 post yet, so I'll add a little.

DE - We lose Crawford and Latimore, but add Massaro from injury and Barnes from a redshirt as a freshman. Latimore was never a player that was going to be a playmaker and his end spot should be an upgrade this year. Crawford had a lot of athletic potential, but he was just learning football when he got to PSU and never really broke out. He played to stiff in my opinion. Stanley had 4.5 sacks last year and is much better in pass rush than he is defending the run, but he did put a little weight on in the offseason. I'd expect he can can get 6 or so sacks this year, but I expect a 4 man rotation at end. Massaro should get the most time. He was our best pass rusher a couple years ago before he sat out last year with a knee. Two players to watch out for are Olaniyan and Barnes. Olaniyan had three sacks in the spring game, not that that means much, but he did look a lot better than his limited action last season. The guy to watch out for is rFr D. Barnes. Barnes is a little undersized right now, so he'll primarily see time on third down and other passing downs. He's the most pure pass rusher we've had in a couple years and should be a real good one down the road. He might be a year away, but he'll be up there in the league leaders for sacks at some point in his career.

DT - The loss of Devon Still is always going to be a tough loss, but expect Jordan Hill to take his place. Hill was overshadowed all season by Still last year, but he was very productive in his own right and took some of the pressure off Still. I expect Hill to put up 4 or 5 sacks and a ton of pressure on the QB with improved play at the end position. The other tackle spot will be occupied by D. Jones. Jones had a solid freshman campaign and kind of disappeared last year with the other two taking the majority of the snaps. Jones has a lot of potential and should take some pressure off Hill. Zettel is a young guy that like Barnes is the future of this line. He's said to have a non-stop motor and should see some snaps this season. Yes, we lost a lot of QB pressure from Still but the unit shouldn't drop off too much.

LB - Depth at the position is becoming an issue with all the injuries we've had lately. We lost Van Fleet for the year and although he was a backup, he provided depth and was a strong special teams player. Mauti and Hodges will both start and be up for All-Big Ten honors at the end of the season. The other linebacker spot will be occupied by Carson or Fortt. Carson isn't too strong in pass coverage and hence didn't play much against teams like Houston. He's the odd man out in the nickel. Depth beyond these four isn't very good, but if these four can stay healthy they'll be competing for the top unit in the conference.

DB - This will be a very interesting year replacing 3.5 starters. Technically Powell started last season, but Morris is more or less a returning starter.

CB - Morris will be the leader and strongest part of the secondary. He had a very strong freshman campaign and was pretty tenacious for a guy his size. He had tackling issues his sophomore year, which hindered his playing time. He took a backseat to Lynn and Powell last season, although I always thought he was better than Powell. His biggest issue is his height, but he has decent speed and should be a All-Big Ten HM type player. The other corner spot depends on a lot of variables. First, we'll assume for now that Amos will stay at safety although he played corner as a true freshman and even started a game. The depth will be a walkon in Della Valle and Mike Wallace. Neither are anything more than depth. Drake, converted over from receiver, and Derrick Thomas will compete for the other spot. Thomas has battled off the field issues his entire career, but has a lot of talent. Drake is probably one of the top, if not the top, athletes on the team. Drake made some mistakes this spring, but he's still learning the position. The athleticism at the position will be stronger than a year ago, but I wouldn't be surprised if they surrender more big plays.

S - We lose both starters in Sukay and Astorino. Malcolm Willis will replace Sukay and will be an upgrade in my opinion. Sukay had flashes but was never all that consistent. Willis has plenty of experience including some starts while Sukay was hurt. Willis isn't going to beat anyone with his speed, but he is a solid tackler and performer. The other safety spot is probably the biggest question mark on the entire team. Astorino was very good last season. He played a lot in the box and was one of the most consistent tacklers on the team. He'll be hard to replace and there's really no one behind him. The four that could replace him are a pair of walk-ons Keiser and Fagnano, Amos, and Stephen Obeng-Agyapong (SOA). Keiser got hurt to end the spring, Fagnano really shouldn't be a starter in this conference, Amos might not even play safety come the fall, and SOA is fast but he was hurt this spring and still has a lot to prove on the football field. Amos and SOA probably have the best chance at the job. SOA needs to prove he is more than speed. Amos is an athlete and will see the field regardless of where he plays. He has the size for safety and it's just a matter if he sticks. If we want to get the best 4 in the backfield on the field, he'll play safety. The depth beyond the starters is an absolute joke and a result of poor recruiting efforts.

Overall, the pass defense will probably suffer a little from last year. If the right players play, the athleticism will be at a higher level but they could be prone to bigger plays. There's a lot of inexperience in the secondary and if injuries happen it could be a very long season.

Sorry Hawkeye, but .

I had the same thing happen to me Monday night. I was pissed and went to bed. Decided to man up and retype it yesterday. Thanks for you input and patience.