2017 discussion: Defense

Submitted by Real and Spectacular on

, Next years DL could still be very good and that is a great starting point. We absolutely need Hurst to stay and we need some depth to develop, and if that occurs the DL could be dominant once again.

The back seven has a few more questions, specifically in the secondary. I feel we will be ok at LB with McCray, Bush, Uche, Furbush ect. The secondary will have talent but will be unproven. I hope that we can keep getting Long and Hill some playing time, and Watson can improve next year as the nickel. The wild card may be Jeremy Clark. If we can get a 6th year for him, that provides much needed experience, although I'm not sure how likely it is for him to receive it. Kinnell will start at one safety position and I think he will be fine. The question is who starts with him. Hudson is an obvious choice, but I wonder if he would be better suited for the SAM that Peppers currently occupies. Metellus could be a great find and is an intriguing player.

Another consideration is that this will be the second year in Don Browns system, where teams have traditionally made big improvements. I don't think anyone expects to be better on D but perhaps the experience in his system will make up for some of the youth on the field. It's the bye week, what are some early thoughts on next years D?

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gobluedore

October 11th, 2016 at 10:48 AM ^

Metellus made 2 hits in the Rutgers game that has me believing he came to Michigan to compete and will see the field regularly next year in the very least a strong supporting role which is promising for the secondary.



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maize-blue

October 11th, 2016 at 11:26 AM ^

#29 I noticed making a lot of plays on special teams. I didn't know who that was and when I looked it was Jordan Glasgow. I wouldn't be suprised to see him in the secondary mix over the next couple of seasons. You can't count out a Glasgow.

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bronxblue

October 11th, 2016 at 11:40 AM ^

Defensive line should be strong, and I think the secondary has enough talent that at least one hits.  The LBs will remain an unknown, but we've seen some solid performances thus far and I doubt it struggles horrendously with the new guys.  The only thing I see is the offense becoming the driver of the team while the defense holds serve; top-25 unit versus #1 type of thing.

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CorkyCole

October 11th, 2016 at 1:25 PM ^

Guys... The 2016 defense is an all-time Defense. It really is. We will be lucky if we ever see another defense this great in the next 20 years. And I truly believe that. I know we haven't our toughest competition, so while there are still some tough games to be played... the numbers don't lie.

I say that because while I expect that the defense will take a hit (there's no way it won't), I still believe there is excellent potential for a top 10 defense next year. You don't need draft picks at every position to be a great defense, especially in Don Brown's system. I think we will be fine, but enjoy this season while it lasts - I think we will be talking about this one for a LONG time.

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reddogrjw

October 11th, 2016 at 2:05 PM ^

When all of the following are juniors

DT - Dwumfour

NT - Onwenu

SDE - Gary

WDE - R. Johnson (plus the WDE's coming in 2017)

LB - Bush, Mbem-Bosse, Uche

CB - Long, Hill

S - Melellus, Hudson

 

imagine this for 2018 PLUS the 2017 recruits in their 2nd year

what we see in 2016 will be the norm

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CorkyCole

October 11th, 2016 at 4:46 PM ^

Still going to be an all-time defense. Very rare that a defense has this many upper-classmen as starters who are essentially all NFL Draft picks. I know we are recruiting well, but this defense is rare in the amount of talent it has. The defensive line is the perfect example. Mo Hurst on the second line? I will be amazed to see something like that again.

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Perkis-Size Me

October 11th, 2016 at 2:05 PM ^

The potential is still there for this team to have a great defense next Fall, but let's be blunt: it's not going to be as good as this year's. There's almost no way. We have so many upperclassmen on the defensive side of the ball, and they've almost all come into their own to become GREAT players. Some have ascended to elite status. The bad news is they almost all run out of eligibility at the end of the year, or they will have the NFL kicking down their door and telling them to leave early.  

We could lose almost every starter off of the defense when the season is over. Peppers, Lewis, Stribling, McCray, Gedeon, Wormley, Charlton, Glasgow, Hurst, Hill and Thomas. The only (current) signficant contributors who may come back are Mone and Hurst.

I'm really hoping Gary starts coming into his own by the end of the year, because the line will need to be built around him next year, and the year after. There will be talent on the DL next year, but much of it will be vastly unproven. Same goes for the back seven. Lot of talent back there, but not a lot of true in-game experience. 

Moral of the story: this team will be talented next year, but it will be almost an entirely new team. There will be quite a few growing pains by year's end. 

 

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