Solid Linebackers, So What?
Last week, I compared defensive linemen to baseball pitchers. What would that make linebackers? - Infielders, of course. Add a gold glove shortstop to your infield and your team will give up fewer runs. But it won’t cure all of your defensive problems either. DeMorrio Williams couldn’t stop the bloodletting when Nebraska faced Missouri, Texas, and Kansas State in 2003, nor can a strong linebacking unit in 2007carry Nebraska for a full season.
The best of teams at Nebraska, in addition to having star lineman, included star linebackers. Whether it was Jerry Murtaugh, Ed Stewart, Terrell Farley, or Jay Foreman, the Huskers had linebackers who could be impact players. The good news for 2007 is that Nebraska has two returning starters in Bo Ruud and Corey McKeon that have shown they can play at an all-conference level. Steve Octavien has also shown the ability to be a playmaker when healthy.
Beyond those three, Lance Brandenburgh has been very solid when called upon to play. Phillip Dillard, though still recovering from injury, was considered a major prospect out of high school. The youngest prospects, Blake Lawrence and Austin Stafford are probably at least a year away from being real contributors. There are some other unknown quantities in Kyle Moore and Nick Covey who might factor in this year, but chances are they won’t play a great deal before 2008.
If the 2007 Nebraska defense is underwhelming, it won’t be because of the linebackers. This group is easily the strongest part of the defense and it’s a big reason why we might see Nebraska in a 3-4 front at times this year. These linebackers won’t propel Nebraska to greatness on their own, but they are good enough to anchor a great defense.
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