Big Will & D-line technique
In other posts, West Texas Blue has commented on Big Will's bad tackling technique. I'd like to hear more from insiders about this. How long do these things take to learn? Why didn't Will pick up more in spring practice? (and WestTexasBlue, can you tell me how you know this? Are you a coach who has broken down film of him?)
On a related note, Roh seems to have a lot of moves down. Was this because of his one-on-one with an NFL coach last summer, or inherent talent, or because Roh is more driven? Roh was in a bunch of tackles Saturday, including one or two sacks and the interception. Pretty incredible for a true freshman. I'm curious about how high Roh's ceiling is. Can he learn a lot more too, or is he pretty polished? When he gains weight, will he keep his speed up?
September 21st, 2009 at 10:07 AM ^
I don't think the thought is that his tackling is poor but rather that his technique in getting off the line, keeping his pads low, and engaging with his man with good leverage is probably not up to par yet. I think people are assuming this b/c he is obviously physically gifted but not playing and b/c having poor (or just not-great)technique is common for young D-lineman. I also think the coaches said something about this in the spring...
September 21st, 2009 at 10:14 AM ^
The question about Roh's ceiling.
In strictly football terms, his ceiling is 13 feet high. In case you didn't know, that's the new paradigm for rating recruits. It's kind of a strange formula where 13 feet high is pretty good, but somehing like 14'8 feet high stinks.
However, 8'9 feet high is darn good. It all depends on the "floor" as well. Who has the higher or lower floor? Who has a vaulted ceiling, or a flat ceiling? Who has a ceiling fan, or recessed lighting in their ceiling?
It's just too complicated to answer in one post. You should purchase my soon-to-be-released book: "Recruiting: It's All About Teasing People on Pay Sites so they Think They Know Something"
Long title, amazing results.
September 21st, 2009 at 10:29 AM ^
This is a smart-ass post, yes, but it's a funny post too.
That said, I still miss Nick Nolte...
September 21st, 2009 at 11:33 AM ^
I agree with Erik_in_Dayton. This is a funny post, if smart-aleck-y. But, it raises another point: neg-bombing a pithy contributor. I mean, the King wasn't being a douche here, which would certainly have qualified.
I've noticed a disagreeable trend toward mega-negging. Long term, that's likely to turn off thoughtful contributors. If that happened, the site would descend from its present heights into a message board for five guys living in their parents' basements and be renamed "Wolvnuts".
At that point, life would not be worth living.
September 21st, 2009 at 10:22 AM ^
How good is Indiana? Is this something I need to worry about this week? My question is specifically directed at King of Belch.
September 21st, 2009 at 10:23 AM ^
If you can imagine the adjustment he has to make from High School when he out weighed kids by 30-70lbs. Now with the Barwis Football Program he has probably dropped 30lbs (atleast)himself....But now his competition is outweighing him.
There is going to be a learning curve/technique to adjust not only to the competition being bigger/better, but also dealing with his own size.
September 21st, 2009 at 10:48 AM ^
Campbell was listed at 320+ on most sites coming out of high school. So it's more likely that he outweighed most of his opponents by 80-130 lbs (rather than 30-70).
This only serves to strenghthen your point.
September 21st, 2009 at 11:05 AM ^
We had 2 guys over 300 lbs on my high school football team. They were not good, and never started over people that were in the 200-220 range.
You can't just weigh a lot, you have to actually be good at football as well.
September 21st, 2009 at 11:56 AM ^
That can't be true can it?
September 21st, 2009 at 10:26 AM ^
it's that he plays too high. He needs to learn to play with his center of gravity lower or he's just going to be made ineffective by anyone that knows how to block (i.e. get under his pads and use leverage), regardless of size.
That said, by all accounts he has a great attitude and is working his tail off. He's lost the weight and learning technique he didn't often need in HS.
It's hard to be patient when you want to play so badly and have the size the team desperately needs right now. He just needs to stay patient and keep working and he could end up being one of the best we've had at that position.
Side note, I thought Banks was solid last game.
September 21st, 2009 at 10:32 AM ^
Throughout high school Will was able to reach for a guy and throw him down due to his superior strength. Now opposing running backs are bigger and stronger, which means Will's tackling technique - just like the rest of his techniques - need to be refined. We will probably see a lot of arm tackling out of him this year, but I would say he'll be a better tackler by next year.
Roh's ceiling, in my opinion, is very high. He's got a good motor, he uses his hands well, and he's athletic. I don't know how much more weight they want him to put on. He's supposedly 238 right now and could probably stay around that weight and still be effective. If he stays at Quick, I don't think they'll want him any heavier than about 250. But if he puts his hand in the dirt every down like Graham, he could probably bulk up to 260 or 265.
September 21st, 2009 at 10:59 AM ^
in his crab claws. But then again, the drawback might be getting fewer interceptions.
September 21st, 2009 at 11:00 AM ^
Aequitas and Magnus pretty much explained it. Leverage and pad level is what it's all about for a DT. Pretty rare you see a true freshman DT start in college. Most of those guys just got by in high school because of size advantage. Big Will be fine; he just needs time to get down his techniques and improve his S&C. Barring a massive improvement, I see Campbell getting in minutes here and there for rest of the year, but next year he'll get alot of PT.
September 21st, 2009 at 11:06 AM ^
he's not Big Will anymore.
He's Svelte Will.
September 21st, 2009 at 11:22 AM ^
...... when WVa, just after RichRod left, beat Oklahoma in the 2008 Fiesta Bowl. The Mountaineer defense was all speed and strategic strength. The Sooners, built to Stoop-id Big 12 specs were on their fat heels all game.
This even with Bill (Bubba Gump) Stewart coaching.