Our front 7 next year

Don't forget about Dominique Ware. We get him back for one more year.

that plays DT be ready? Will Ray Drew or Timmy Jernigan shock the world and take their talents to Ann Arbor?

will be bigger than this year and hopefully the LB play will improve next year.

You mean front 6 right?

gets a lot stronger and more athletic! I also hope that this coaching staff can form a identity of what they want to do defensively, no more of this multiple 3-3-5/ sometimes 3-4 stuff. All good defensive teams have a scheme they run and stick to it. I hope RR lets Gerg run the 3-4 he originally wanted to run!

Hail

Beat tOSU

i'm not too hung up on schemes and what will/will not work in the big 10.  what i do care about, though, is getting our best players on the field.  that said, i think we should have 4 down linemen as the base.

i like the idea of black, van bergen, martin and roh on the Dline on most plays.  with heniger, ash et al providing depth.  if we are weak at LB and the safety hybrids, i would rather have a more talented DL in there.

of the three man front , I watched it yesterday and it seemed like whisky was clipping along at about 14 yards a try. We have got to get to a four man front! We need BIG, fast and strong DTs!

Stats can be very misleading, but the DL has to produce more next year.  Maybe Martin sneaks in an honorable mention All Big-10 (perhaps higher if people cut him slack on the double teams he's had to absorb)  but Roh, VanBergen and Banks, meh.

Perhaps one of your X's and O's gurus can help me with this, but could we play 2 "nose tackles" in a 4-3 front? I'm thinking Martin + Washington as the DLs? Is there some reason why that wouldn't work? Are NTs strictly reserved for a 3-man-front for some reason? Is their technique not as a polished as a 4-3 DL?

Seeing Watt and the rest of Wiscy's beefy line made me yearn for the '06 defense briefly, and wonder if we'll be seein a massive front four anytime soon. Seeing Martin+Washington as a wrecking ball of DOOM next year would be great fun if it could work.

There are defenses that have success with undesized DLs but they always utilize a four man defensive line.  The only teams that have success with three man fronts have larger DLs, particularly a NT well north of 300lbs.  We 'll never have that type of guy given our emphasis on conditioning.  If Roh and Black are going to be your ends you are going to need two DTs.

I love what we have coming back but RRod needs to find a way to close big un the recruiting trail this year. OSU has 3 DT signees listed in this class. As i always like to say...

"It's the trenches stupid!"

The way to address our defensive woes is to bring in size. 

This list shows that RR is doing a good job managing the scholarships on the d-front.  People complaining that he hasn't recruited d-line depth don't seem to understand that it takes 2-3 years from when these guys get on campus to when they are ready to play.   Hopefully the redshirts are ready to contribute in backup roles next year.  (it is still a year early for them, but it is what they need)

And, BTW, that 'sufficient' depth comes even with a 5-star DT not working out.

Our defensive line should finally have the depth and skill necessary to be an above average unit next year. This is how I see the 2 deep shaking out:

1st stringers--Roh, Martin, Van Bergen

2nd stringers--Black, Ash/Washington, Wilkins

With Black, Roh and Wilkins all gaining experience and adding muscle, that should be a very formidable defensive line. Contrary to popular opinion, I am really not too concerned with the linebackers. Demens will be very good as a junior and somone out of Fitzgerald, Jones, Ryan, Bell and Marvin Robinson will emerge as capable linebackers next season. I have a hard time believing that any of these guys will be significantly worse than Mouton and Ezeh. All in all, barring injuries, I predict that our front seven will be substantially better next season.  

Assuming we move back to a 4-3 with a new coordinator I would expect to see something like this:

WDE: Craig Roh

SDE: Ryan Van Bergen

DT: Q. Washington/R. Ash

DT: Mike Martin

SLB: Cam Gordon

MLB: Kenny Demens

WLB: um...someone out of Mike Jones, Ike Bell, JB Fitzgerald, Marvin Robinson, or our many other LBs will step up here.

...a four-man front with Roh, VanBergen, Q and Martin. That could be a monster matchup for nearly any O-line in the B10. Give the starting LB's to Demens, Fitz and a combo of Gordon/Robinson/Jones. Starting corners in Floyd and Avery with safeties T. Gordon and C. Johnson with Christian/Furman/Vinopal as the nickel-back.

Assuming the D players can improve like most players do between freshmen and soph. years, that D could be pretty good.

Washington really blew up the play at the goalline yesterday. Maybe he contributes in the bowl game?

I hope that we see enough development out of either Washington, Talbott, or Ash to run a 4-man line.  Everyone up front is better suited for it.