there's no doubting that Allioti is a pretty good DC. That said, next year, should recruiting go right, we can get two star Defensive players in Vanderdoes and Hutchinson. But better yet....Nkemdiche hasn't ruled the Ducks out of his list for commits. We all had DAT commit last second... And with a growing secondary who has endured trials by fire against the likes of Barkley, LSU, Stanford, and Wisconsin, can the Front 7 be up to the task? ITT: Ducks Defense discussion, because do we really need to talk offense?
Speed and Height on the D-Line are what comes to mind. Oregon may never get the elite linemen except once in a while. So they are going the height route. Essentially making it difficult for the QB to see over them to throw over the middle. Without a ball being batted down, or deflected by a DB that the QB didnt see due to not seeing over the line. Speed, Speed, Speed, everywhere else.
The future of the Ducks Defense is AA, Bair, Vanderdoes and Hutchings! That ladies and gentlemen is a STATEMENT DEFENSE! USC thinks Hutchings is theirs. Perhaps they missed his interviews saying the Ducks are his highest interest team and calls Aliotti, Coach Al! As for Vanderdoes he and AA are big time buddies and want to play together!
...and liberally rotating in their quality depth to allow their speedy players to turn it up to 11 btw, in a recent rivals interview Dion Jordan was asked who of the young guys was standing out on both sides of the line. He singled out Jake Fisher on the O-Line and Tony Washington and Arik Armstead on the D-Line STOMP
I doubt it. He's going to have to switch positions to outside LB because of his relatively light weight (240 lbs) and even then he's probably got to beef up a bit. I see him as more of a high ceiling project then a sure thing so I'm guessing he'll go in the 3rd or so STOMP
I like the plans for the D-line. We can't get pay, errrrrrrrrrrrrrr, recruit the top SEC types that are incredible strong & athletic so we're going after speed & length. I think it's a good plan B.
If we get Nkemdiche next 2 years he's gonna be a True Freshman like how AA. But hey, Saban and Richt are vampires and can get talent. But yeah, Oregon's D is gonna be top tier this year. If they can beat Barkley twice, easy #2 ranking right there, and our most probable opponent for the Natty? Georgia
This year we'll be a better defense than last year but 2014 could be the best defense Oregon has ever had in my opinion!
following this upcoming season the Ducks lose at least 4 really good starters in Jordan, Alonso, Clay & Boyett and also stud tackle Isaac Remington. Having read stories of his extremely poor family, I wouldn't be that surprised to also see Ricky Heimuli leave early if he puts together a healthy productive year. I'm hopeful for the young guys and all but think it's a pretty safe bet that this season's D will be the better of the two. STOMP
Jordan will have an exact body type replacement and even bigger in Deforest Buckner who Jordan can groom this year. If we get Hutchings, the loss of Clay wont be as bad, and Vanderdous will easily slide into any loss of a DT we may come up with. There's also a stud LB can't remember his name that's on the team right now waiting in the wings to take over. He looks like he can paint helmets green!
about this time last year Cliff Harris was projected as the 19h pick. At this point we're all just guessing as to what will be, but here's the reasoning behind my stab in the dark Putting on some weight would probably improve Dion's chances of going higher in the draft as would showing more linebacker/coverage skills. But adding weight is something you'd think he'd have done once he switched to DL. It's two years later and through multiple measurements he seems pegged at 240. There aren't any similar sized NFL DLineman that I can think of, so a position change seems likely. STOMP
6'7 230 is bigger then 6'7 241? Coming out of HS Dion was a highly thought of *4 TE/DE. While he started off at UO as primarily a TE, he had future NFL mentors like Nick Reed, Kenny Rowe & Will Takuafu to show him the DE ropes during his Redshirt season and on. The guy you're now projecting as the Pac 12 Defensive Player of the year didn't earn a start until his 4th year in the program. It is not common for Redshirt or true Freshman to contribute let alone start along the lines. Guys obviously develop a lot physically in the 4-5 years following their 18th BD and of course experience matters. If the Ducks are starting teenagers across their DLine in 2013 as you're projecting, I'm worried. It's a huge step up from HS to D1, there is nothing easy about it in a rivals video interview following the Spring game, DC Aliotti waxed on about the overall state of his D. He stated that "our 1's are as good as I've ever been around, but I don't think our overall depth is. We want to play 24-25 guys, but I don't think we're there right now... we need to get better at some positions. We need to get better with our backups at inside backer and outside backer". Safe to say coach Aliotti doesn't share your optimism about the backup LB whose name you can't recall stepping in for Clay & Kiko. Given health, those two should be in the mix for All Conference honors. STOMP
I agree with that, but Cliff's stock dropped tremendously after getting kicked off the team. He is a liability to a team and might be a troublemaker in the locker room. Especially after a poor combine and not having amlost a year of playing time. Dion Jordan is a freak athlete though with a good head on his shoulders. He's fast and is a pretty good hitter. I see him putting up big numbers this year, having a decent combine, and going in low first or high second.
