SB Nation - Derek Nicholson

Progression, Continuation, or Regression? Noles Linebackers

FrankDNole — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:37:07 -0000

Every day while catching up on my daily Nole must reads, I very often wonder to myself, "Are my 2009 Noles going to be better than last year’s team?"

Thank you for playing along, and we are almost finished. So far we have analyzed, discussed, and you have voted on whether the Defensive Line, the Receivers/Tight End, the Secondary, and the Offensive Backfield, will be better, the same, or worse than last years equivalent unit. Today we will take a look at the Linebackers, to determine if this unit has progressed, expected to continue at the same level, or regressed, in comparison to last years linebacking unit.

Going into this last offseason, all 3 of the units making up the defense (defensive line, linebackers, and secondary) clearly needed to be addressed if there was going to be any noticeable improvement in 2009

With the graduation of Derek Nicholson and Toddrick Verdell, the Seminoles lost their top two tacklers of the 2008 season. The pair combined for 147 tackles, 23 TFL, 5 Scks, 5 QBH, 3 FF, 4 FR, 2 PBU, and 1 INT. With these two players now gone, this revamped linebacking corps is considered by many to be the main concern of the entire defensive unit.

All of the LB position were wide open for competition during this last spring drills, and while there was some very good competition for the two starting jobs left open, many questions remain unanswered. Chuck Amato only had six scholarship linebackers available during those drills, and with Dekoda Watson out rehabbing his elbow, the offense shredded the defense for most of the spring. In addition, four of the six linebackers on the spring two-deeps were just sophomores.

Even though they will be playing together as a unit for the first time, there has been some talk that the linebacking corps have developed a close knit relationship, both on and off the field during this past off season. I hope that this is the case, because they will need to communicate, trust, and to cover for each other when mistakes are made.

Let's get right to it.

LINEBACKERS

2008 STRONG SIDE LINEBACKER=Dekoda Watson started 7 games, Kendall Smith started 3 games, and Kenny Ingram started 3. Ingram who was listed as a safety, filled in due to injuries and suspensions and he is now gone.

2009 PROJECTED STRONG SIDE LINEBACKER=Dekoda Watson, Nigel Carr (soph), and Mister Alexander(Soph)

Dekoda Watson=Going into his last season at FSU and one of the few defensive veterans left over from the 2008 campaign, Watson is expected to be the emotional and physical leader of the Seminole defense this year. Watson was the lone Seminole to land a spot on the All-ACC defensive squad. He has recorded 96 tackles over the last two seasons for Florida State and he played his best football at the end of 2008 with 28 tackles over the final four games of the year. An athletic linebacker, who reminds me some of Michael Boulware, Watson nearly matched his career high in tackles (50) last season (47) despite missing six starts due to the suspension and to various injuries. Watson missed all of the spring sessions after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his left elbow, but contributed as a coach by teaching and helping to develop the younger linebackers. He has the athleticism, the big-play ability, anticipates the snap count very well, and explodes on movement. Watson is amazingly strong for his size with 48" shoulders and a 26" waist. While recovering from his surgery, since he could only do ab exercises, he was quoted as saying "I’ve got abs to my throat almost."

2008 MIDDLE LINEBACKER=Derek Nicholson started all 13 games, was the leading tackler and he is gone. TT=81, TFL=15, SCK=1, QBH=3, PBU=1, FR=4, FF=2.

2008 PROJECTED MIDDLE LINEBACKER=Junior Kendall Smith will get the first crack at replacing Nicholson, followed by Senior Recardo Wright.

2008 WEAKSIDE LINEBACKER=Toddrick Verdell started 12 games, was the teams 2nd leading tackler, and he too has left. TT=66, TFL=8, SCK=4, INT=1, PBU=1, QBH=2, FF=1. Verdell injured his groin against Colorado and sat out against Miami, when Bradham started in his place.

2008 PROJECTED WEAKSIDE LINEBACKER=Two true sophomores Nigel Bradham, and Nigel Carr sit atop the depth chart as the weakside linebacker.

OTHERS WHO CONTRIBUTED IN 2008 AND ARE OUT=Vince Williams is injured

OTHERS WHO MAY CONTRIBUTE IN 2009=???????????

So there you have it. There are some pretty big shoes to fill and there are many questions that need to be answered by this years linebacking unit. The biggest question I think, is how well has Dekoda Watson recovered from his surgery. This question will start to be answered later today as practice finally begins. Can Smith and the 2 Nigels perform as effectively, or anywhere near the level of Nicholson and Verdell? Can this unit, with it's lack of depth, stay healthy all season? Does Chuck Amato still have it in him, and can he work any kind of miracles with this group?

My answer to every question with the exception of Watson's recovery is NO!

If Watson has truly and fully recovered, and if he can stay healthy, IMO the strongside position will PROGRESS.

IMO, the middle and weakside linebacking positions will REGRESS.

The lack of depth of this unit is a major concern. I hope I am wrong, but I have no confidence in Amato and I don't think he will bring much to the party. And finally, while this is not part of this debate, my questions about the defensive lines ability to keep blockers off the LB's, will only add to the hardships this group faces this season.

Therefore,

MY BOTTOM LINE FOR THE LINEBACKERS=REGRESSION

What is your bottom line? Please vote now.

Poll

2009 FSU LINEBACKERS-PROGRESSION, CONTINUATION, OR REGRESSION? Please read the story before voting. Poll closes Sunday August 9, at 11:55 PM.

PROGRESSION

146 votes

CONTINUATION

91 votes

REGRESSION

45 votes

282 votes | Poll has closed

Progression, Continuation, or Regression? Noles Defensive Secondary

FrankDNole — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 03:06:46 -0000

Every day while catching up on my daily Nole must reads, I very often wonder to myself, "Are my 2009 Noles going to be better than last year’s team?"

So far we have analyzed, discussed, and you have voted on whether the Defensive Line, and the Receivers and Tight End will be better, the same, or worse than last years equivalent unit. Today we will take a look at the Defensive Secondary to determine if this unit has progressed, remains stagnant, or has regressed, in comparison to last years secondary unit.

Mickey Andrews’ secondary lost two solid players with the departures of cornerback Tony Carter and rover Myron Rolle who combined to start 85 games during their careers at FSU. In 2008, this secondary was the 6th best passing defense in the nation.

The two senior starters that return in this position group are cornerback Patrick Robinson and safety Jamie Robinson, who are expected to be the veteran leaders in the secondary.

Patrick Robinson will be looking to add to his seven career interceptions, six of which came in 2007. Outside of Patrick Robinson, the current Seminole secondary has combined for ONLY one career interception, that coming from Jamie Robinson. All last year the entire FSU defense combined for only 9 interceptions, and only one was returned for a touchdown which was Neefy Moffett’s exhausting rumble and tumble of 18 yards. Of those 9 interceptions, only 6 picks were made by secondary players.

Tony Carter-2

Kenny Ingram-1

Darius McClure-1

Jaime Robinson-1

Patrick Robinson-1

This season, there will be some familiar faces, but in different places, as former cornerback Korey Mangum will move to rover to get the first crack at replacing Myron Rolle, and former cornerback Terrance Parks has been working at both rover and safety.

To his credit, Mickey Andrews realized that we had a problem in the secondary, and that problem would have continued to exist with the players remaining on the roster. The coaching staff did some very good recruiting and brought in some talented youngsters to beef up the secondary. The new players expected to compete, or at least push the veterans on the practice field, include Greg Reid and Xavier Rhodes at corners, and Gerald Demps, Jajuan Harley, and Justin Bright at safeties. However, do not be too surprised if there are some changes made as to what position these players actually line up at.

The two cornerback positions are known as the FCB and BCB. For those who may not be familiar with the difference between these two, here is a easy way to remember courtesy of FSUn. The BCB is boundary corner, who typically plays the short side of the field all alone, while the FCB is the field side (wide side), and who typically gets help from the safety.

The competition at the field corner position between Ochuko Jenije and Dionte Allen should intensify with the arrival of Greg Reid. FSUncensored projects Reid surpassing Allen as Jenije’s backup almost immediately, and many feel he could possibly be in the starting lineup very quickly.

Now let’s take a look last years starters and this years projected secondary.

2008 FCB=Tony Carter started all 13 games and he is gone. Carter=25 Tot Tck, 2 Tck for loss, 2 int, 4 passes broken up, and 1 FR.

2009 PROJECTED FCB=Ochuko Jenije, Greg Reid, and Dionte Allen

2008 BCB=Korey Mangum started 5 of the first 6 games, then Patrick Robinson started the last 7 games for 8 total starts.

2009 PROJECTED BCB=Patrick Robinson and A J Alexander

2008 ROVER=Myron Rolle started 12 games and Kenny Ingram started the one against MD when Rolle was interviewing for the Rhodes. As previously stated, Rolleis gone and so is Ingram (Tot Tck=22, 3.5 Tck for loss, Sck=1, Int=1, PBU=5)

2009 PROJECTED ROVER=Korey Mangum, Nick Moody, and Terrance Parks

2008 SAFETY=Darius McClure started 7 and Jamie Robinson started 6. McClure (Tot tck=25, 1.5 Tck for loss, 1 Int, and 1 PBU) is gone.

2009 PROJECTED SAFETY=Jamie Robinson and Terrance Park

OTHERS WHO CONTRIBUTED IN 2008 AND ARE NOW GONE=Michael Ray Garvin, Rod Roberts, Roosevelt Lawson.

OTHERS WHO MAY CONTRIBUTE IN 2009=Many expect Greg Reid to make a immediated impact. Also, Xavier Rhodes, Gerald Demps, Jajuan Harley, and Justin Bright. These players have all been discussed in depth here at TN, so I will not discuss their upsides or weaknesses in this story.

So there you have it. The biggest question I have is not if Carter and Rolle can be replaced as defensive backs, but rather who will fill Rolle's shoes in run support. Rolle, while in my opinion was just average in his pass coverage ability, he was very good in run support and a tackling machine. Rolle was second on the team in unassisted tackles with 40, and only Derek Nicholson's 44 solo's were better, and Rolle was third on the team in total tackles with 62. Even though I said I considered him just average in his ability to cover, he was second on the team with 5 passes broken up behind Korey Mangum's 7.

If I were to compare and rate each of the positions individually, I would rate them something like this.

FCB=STAGNATION only because Reid is expected to be taking over soon. Otherwise, I would have said REGRESSION because the experience and leadership Carter provided will be missed, and while he was not Mr. Interception, he was a dependable and a very serviceable corner.

BCB=PROGRESSION. I expect Patrick Robinson to be avoided by the opposing teams QB and I believe he will regain his 2007 form and numbers.

ROVER=REGRESSION. Even though I should rate this position on coverage ability only, I can not help but feel that Rolle's run support will be missed terribly. Our rover has traditionally been our last line of defense on break away runs. Hopefully the LB corp be better equipped to stop the run, and that will depend on if the defensive line does a better job of freeing them up. However the LB play will be discussed in the near future and the D-Line has already been covered. This is the secondary position that concerns me the most, especially when you factor in the loss of Ingram.

SAFETY=STAGNANT.

Therefore as of today, based on my averages of the 4 positions for this unit,

MY BOTTOM LINE FOR THE SECONDARY=STAGNATION.

What is your bottom line? Please vote now.

Poll

2009 FSU DEFENSIVE SECONDARY-PROGRESSION, CONTINUATION, OR REGRESSION? Please read the story before voting. Poll closes Wednesday August 5 at 2:53 AM

PROGRESSION

112 votes

CONTINUATION

98 votes

REGRESSION

55 votes

265 votes | Poll has closed