Saw the dawgman lazy ass depth chart yesterday and noticed that all they did was take the current depth chart and delete the seniors and guys expected to leave.
Really hoping that some of the rs freshmen and sophomores step up. Those were the classes where the talent really started to level up.
Another year of Benning at buck makes me want to chop my dick off, but then again, maybe he has a Mathis-like jump his senior year.
People disappointed with Benning are missing the point of what he's supposed to do. He has basically four responsibilities:
1. Collapse the pocket without allowing the QB to escape
2. Set the edge on runs[/b]
3. Get sacks
4. Cover in flats
Our entire defense is predicated on 1-2[/b]. 3 and 4 would be great, but they are above and beyond what's fundamental.
Right now Benning goes in the category of: solid, unspectacular.
He is doing what he's supposed to do, but doesn't make any plays in the pass game (although he's made a couple in the run game). We will level up when we get guys who can do all 3, but again - the key is - our defense is designed to be containment oriented and as such, Benning is doing a good—not great—job.
I hope he can figure out how to get off blocks like the rest of all of us, but I also recognize that he's constantly trying to make sure he doesn't Ryan Bowman-it and get past his guy on the way to the QB only to completely distort the purpose of the defense and give the QB an easy running/passing lane where they have the advantage.
In the pass game I would give Benning a C and in the run game an A-. It would be nice to have Kikaha back, but for that we'd have to actually figure out how to a) identify talent and b) recruit it.
I suspect Tryon will be a beast next year.