Odds the d is good this year?

[Big East Beast]

Secondary I think should be much improved considering last year rookies were forced to play major minutes after also losing out on reps during summer/camp due to lateness of suspensions. That full season of game action and practice reps should lead to exponential improvement in understanding the game.

DL - impact of Hamilton coming back can't be understated. He routinely drew double-teams which creates opportunities for other linemen and also occasional lanes for blitzing. I don't think it's entirely coincidental that Turay's production dropped given he garnered more attention. His injuries didn't help the cause. If these two are pretty healthy, I think Pinnix-Odrick, Lamert and Joseph are all solid and are also veterans.

This brings us to LBs. possibly this years X factor. I've seen comments that we didn't lose much here but I disagree. I think LBs will always struggle when the Line can't create pressure or mismatches and the safeties need to help CBs and can't step up to provide add'l run support. These guys are very green but they won't have to carry the load. Any thoughts on what to expect from this unit? Any other key players who are poised for a breakout year on D?

 

[Blitz8RUCrazy]

80%

 

[RU23]

I agree with everything you said, only guy you neglected to mention was Chris Ash. He is a defensive wiz, and specifically I think we will see massive improvement from our secondary thanks to him. Wharton, Austin, and probably Douglas will be our three top corners, while Cioffi, Hampton and Hester will be our top 3 safeties. All can play at a high level and if we stay healthy I like our chances of being solid against the pass. Additionally, I don't think the QB's we will be facing this year are quite the world-beaters we've been going up against the past couple years.

Our DL should be very good, definitely no pushovers there. If Hamilton and Turay were 100% healthy they'd have a chance to be scary good, but unfortunately that's not the case.

LB is the big question mark as you mentioned. However, our coaches understand this and I think are investing a lot of time into Clayton, Roberts, and Morris to get them game-ready. They're bodies are pretty much there, and I think with Ash's guidance they will get there mentally as well. The problem lies in depth, I think if injuries strike we could see a significant drop-off. However, there is potential in guys like TJ Taylor, Margolis, Marquez, Isaiah Johnson, Greg Jones, Brandon Russell, etc. It's a very lengthy list of decent options, but only time will tell if any of them can turn into legitimate B1G linebackers.

 

[RUfromSoCal?]

better than last year? 100%

good? time will tell.

Reading "between the lines" of what is being reported, D-line sounds solid with some actual depth (but injuries will be key). LBs sound (surprisingly) weak (which is scary/disappointing) - DBs sound like they will be much improved - but considering where they are coming from - anything would be an improvement. If they can cut down on the plays 20+ yards, get more pressure on the QB and recover more turnovers- then we will be in many more games then people expect.

 

[RURM85]

Guess it depends on the definition of good. I would expect the defense to be better than last year due to better coaching and defensive schemes. The DL should be the strength of the defense, especially if Hamilton is a go which most certainly sounds like he is. Also, the secondary will improve due to development from last year. The question mark is the LBers and I'm really excited to watch Roberts and Clayton play. Sounds like they're both physically ready to play LBer in the B1G.

 

[mildone]

Define good. Good when in the Big East was one thing. Good in the Big Ten East is another.

 

[zappaa]

Haven't heard much about Johnson at LB,
I thought he'd flash for Ash!

 

[Scarlet Shack]

A lot is going to depend on how much the corners improve

With the press scheme the corners need to grow up early for the defense to be the way CA wants to run it...

 

[76Scarlet]

Still a little concerning that Hamilton and Turay have injury issues. Previous injuries always seem to come back to haunt although we had some luck with Paul James last year. Hopefully the same will be true for both of them.

 

[AreYouNUTS]

Secondary I think should be much improved considering last year rookies were forced to play major minutes after also losing out on reps during summer/camp due to lateness of suspensions. That full season of game action and practice reps should lead to exponential improvement in understanding the game.

DL - impact of Hamilton coming back can't be understated. He routinely drew double-teams which creates opportunities for other linemen and also occasional lanes for blitzing. I don't think it's entirely coincidental that Turay's production dropped given he garnered more attention. His injuries didn't help the cause. If these two are pretty healthy, I think Pinnix-Odrick, Lamert and Joseph are all solid and are also veterans.

This brings us to LBs. possibly this years X factor. I've seen comments that we didn't lose much here but I disagree. I think LBs will always struggle when the Line can't create pressure or mismatches and the safeties need to help CBs and can't step up to provide add'l run support. These guys are very green but they won't have to carry the load. Any thoughts on what to expect from this unit? Any other key players who are poised for a breakout year on D?

DL - how much are we going to get out of Hamilton and Turay? Both in green shirts, IIRC, not a good sign.

LB's - lost all 3 starters. Anybody thinking this isn't a big loss is out of their minds.

Ash - a +++ but it's his 1st year here. We had a bad D last year, with one of the nation's worst secondaries - literally - so there is a ton of work to make up and losing your 3 starting, tons-of-experience LB's, doesn't help.

 

[Knight Ed]

I hate to say it but odds are against it. Just not sure we have the talent yet to compete with all the big boys on the schedule. I sincerely hope that I am wrong.

 

[AreYouNUTS]

BTW - the D could be better, however, that's not saying too much coming off of last season.

 

[RU-Choppin-Ohio]

Well, when Ash and Neiman talk about the defense they are positive and they are not the type of coaches that are going to BS anybody. The new scheme alone and not having a bonehead like Rossi in charge will result in a big improvement.

 

[Scarlet_Scourge]

Good? Last year's D was the worse ever in nearly 150 years. So you can't go from that to good but it should be better.

 

[knightfan7]

DL - how much are we going to get out of Hamilton and Turay? Both in green shirts, IIRC, not a good sign.

LB's - lost all 3 starters. Anybody thinking this isn't a big loss is out of their minds.

Ash - a +++ but it's his 1st year here. We had a bad D last year, with one of the nation's worst secondaries - literally - so there is a ton of work to make up and losing your 3 starting, tons-of-experience LB's, doesn't help.

I'll give you something to think about with the LB's. Last year the starting 3 accounted for 282 total tackles but only 21 were TFL with over 50% by Gause. They had a grand total of 3 sacks, 6 passes defensed, and 2 interceptions (both by Lewis). While the # of tackles is impressive the other stats show a veteran group that wasn't doing the things that can affect the outcome of close games.

If you say that's because of Rossi's crappy schemes, consider this....Which is better for the success of the team? Better players put in a position that doesn't maximize their talents or a staff that takes kids who at this point aren't as good individually but puts them in a position to make plays?

 

[RUBOB72]

Good? Last year's D was the worse ever in nearly 150 years. So you can't go from that to good but it should be better.

The D is more than capable in going from " worst " to " pretty good" in 2016 ...we need great improvement from the lb' ers and the corners...If Turay makes it back by game 3-4 and Hamilton can stay relatively healthy we can win 6-7 ...J.Leman just picked us as his surprise team this year...crazy yes....impossible no...What really holds the key? ...This new offense...

 

[MADHAT1]

The D-line should be stronger with Hamilton back and the DBack depth should be much better than last season.
LB is the question, but overall RU's D should show improvement based on ( hopefully) better coaching and not losing players because of off field issues that caused some depth problems last season..

 

[Mike from MD]

This season is where we get to see improvement just from a strength and conditioning perspective. The DL was getting pushed off the line by 5 yards and into the linebackers the past two seasons. There was no pass rush and blitzing was practically futile. Hold the line and things can be quite different.

 

[_dave_]

This season is where we get to see improvement just from a strength and conditioning perspective. The DL was getting pushed off the line by 5 yards and into the linebackers the past two seasons. There was no pass rush and blitzing was practically futile. Hold the line and things can be quite different.

As mentioned, good is relative. The D was decimated last year. The linebackers are new and the D Backs were mostly kicked off the team or graduated last year so are also young and inexperienced. They will be good compared to last year and if they can get back up to average (ranked 40-60 in Div 1) then it will be a very good sign for things to come in the coming years.

btw Mike, check your inbox.

 

[RU-ROCS]

Too thin and inexperienced at LB to be "good," but with better coaching and more experience at the other D positions we should be better. Any injuries to a LB corps that already has zero game experience could be devastating (perish the thought!)

 

[sct1111]

Considering we were ranked outside the top 100 in just about every category last year I would say there is nowhere to go but up. I think our defense is improved this year. If we are in the top 60 I'd be satisfied. I'm more worried about the offense actually.

 

[JerseyVegas]

Press coverage alone should put the Pass D somewhere in the 80's. Hopefully with Hamilton back the D-Line can create some pressure. Two of the 3 LB's last year were a liability in Pass D. So I would say much better but have a ways to go to get "good".

 

[fbc1866]

We are going to surprise some teams start with week one.

 

[sct1111]

I miss the days of RU defense being a strength. The 2012 team was a top 10 rated defense. The fall was so dramatic after that with Flood.

 

[Scarlet Shack]

I'll give you something to think about with the LB's. Last year the starting 3 accounted for 282 total tackles but only 21 were TFL with over 50% by Gause. They had a grand total of 3 sacks, 6 passes defensed, and 2 interceptions (both by Lewis). While the # of tackles is impressive the other stats show a veteran group that wasn't doing the things that can affect the outcome of close games.

If you say that's because of Rossi's crappy schemes, consider this....Which is better for the success of the team? Better players put in a position that doesn't maximize their talents or a staff that takes kids who at this point aren't as good individually but puts them in a position to make plays?

I really buy this 10000000%. I never saw LBs with the pretty good speed we had last year constantly being behind the play and making the tackle instead of head on.

Problem is we are a complete LB redo. If we had LAST years LB coming back intact with CA....we would be going places on D....but at least the LBs now will be grown up right...and just need some time to come in on their own...

 

[Scarlet Shack]

I can't begin to tell you how important my above post is....if we don't get better corner play....and show the ability to press...a lot of how CA wants to play either goes out the window or he stays stubborn with it with some potential negative conseqeuences...

Need a big step up in the CB play that we suffered through last year with inexperience with all the craziness that happened prior to the season

 

[Scarlet16E]

I can't begin to tell you how important my above post is....if we don't get better corner play....and show the ability to press...a lot of how CA wants to play either goes out the window or he stays stubborn with it with some potential negative conseqeuences...

Need a big step up in the CB play that we suffered through last year with inexperience with all the craziness that happened prior to the season

Ash has said that he really likes what he sees in the secondary, particularly the corners.
The d-line is being touted as a strength. Linebackers are not exactly getting praise, but neither are they being derided like they were in spring.
I'll say it. This D will surprise everyone and be pretty good.

On the other side of the ball the o-line will be much better as well.

I think we are in for a surprisingly good season.

 

[seels2662]

I always felt it wasn't the CBs that were the issue the last few years it was the safeties. (although last year it was.both). The reason why the corners always played 10 yards back is the staff had no faith in the safeties covering the deeps.

 

[Yeah Baby]

Didn't we all make these same comments about 20 times now? LOL.

Yes, we lost 3 LB's and I think 2 were very good. But none of them were really able to do what they did the year before or what they likely were capable of because of the 6 D backs being separated from the team and 3 of our DL being out or playing hurt with another DL playing out of position.

The weird part to me was they looked very good against the BIG champs at home but very bad in most others games. I think at home we used the noise to our advantage and blitzed the crap out of MSU. OSU saw the film and torched us deep 3 or 4 times. Plus Carroo was hurt so we did not have any Offense vs OSU. But how does that explain our second half against MD? Maybe because the crowd was booing KF and CL instead of making it a hostile environment.

Why did Indiana torch us all game long and then a QB who only had 1 INT all season throws 2 INT's on 2 pass attempts in a row? That one to me was our True Freshman D Backs growing up on the job. So I do have pretty high hopes in the secondary this season.

As fans, we can only help by making a lot of noise and not booing our own team and coach. There is no excuse for that. We could have gone bowling and IMO KF was already done because of the off field problems. So don't think you helped RU by rooting for us to lose as some of you have moronically stated.

 

[newwavedave1]

I think we'll have a good defense if we are healthy from start to finish. Big "if".

 

[knightfan7]

I really buy this 10000000%. I never saw LBs with the pretty good speed we had last year constantly being behind the play and making the tackle instead of head on.

Problem is we are a complete LB redo. If we had LAST years LB coming back intact with CA....we would be going places on D....but at least the LBs now will be grown up right...and just need some time to come in on their own...

Glad you understood what I was trying to say.

All 3 LB's were solid contributors but not game changers like many of us expected. I'm not blaming them. In my humble opinion it was the circumstances surrounding the defense as a whole that brought the unit down.

 

[loyalson66]

Better? Yes. How much better? Depends on DEVELOPMENT, especially at LB. While Hamilton has been limited in camp so far, and Turay is non-existent, this gives others a chance to develop and build the depth that is so vital.

There is also a wild card. Special team play can help out by giving the D more yards to work with by keeping teams deeper in their own end. We need to see better kick coverage than we had last year.

 

[mdh2003]

I'll give you something to think about with the LB's. Last year the starting 3 accounted for 282 total tackles but only 21 were TFL with over 50% by Gause. They had a grand total of 3 sacks, 6 passes defensed, and 2 interceptions (both by Lewis). While the # of tackles is impressive the other stats show a veteran group that wasn't doing the things that can affect the outcome of close games.

If you say that's because of Rossi's crappy schemes, consider this....Which is better for the success of the team? Better players put in a position that doesn't maximize their talents or a staff that takes kids who at this point aren't as good individually but puts them in a position to make plays?

Damn, this is a really good football post. Thanks for that.

 

[BlockR]

1.Three brand new LBs
2. Dont know if Hamiltion is 100% and will play whole season.
3. Turay looks like hes at least three weeks behind everyone else at best..possibly a third down rush specialist after first couple games.
4. Secondary should be improved after last season getting youngsters game time..

MANY unanswered questions that need alot of things to go well to be improved.

 

[BlockR]

I always felt it wasn't the CBs that were the issue the last few years it was the safeties. (although last year it was.both). The reason why the corners always played 10 yards back is the staff had no faith in the safeties covering the deeps.

Cioffi led the team in interceptions and has chance to break all time RU RECORD..WHAT SAFTEYS ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?

 

[knightfan7]

1.Three brand new LBs
2. Dont know if Hamiltion is 100% and will play whole season.
3. Turay looks like hes at least three weeks behind everyone else at best..possibly a third down rush specialist after first couple games.
4. Secondary should be improved after last season getting youngsters game time..

MANY unanswered questions that need alot of things to go well to be improved.

#3 - After 2 surgeries and so much lost conditioning and development time, I'd take a 3rd down specialist right now.

 

[RUChoppin]

I think the secondary is going to be greatly improved year over year.

Our corners were really thrown into the fire last season. Austin, Adams, and James were all true freshmen.... they had no spring practice, and they were splitting reps in summer camp with Barnwell, Boggs, and Peele. Wharton was a RS Fr, so he had some more time in practice, but he was still not listed as a starter in summer camp and was splitting reps behind a handful of guys.

At safety, it was Hampton and Hester's first year on the field and Cioffi's first at the safety position. They also had split time with Stephenson taking starting reps through the spring and summer (and Jacobs taking starting reps in the spring and summer before getting injured and missing most of the season).

This year, all have had a full season under their belts, plus a full spring practice session under Ash, plus a full summer camp. Ross Douglass is another added element who has been there through both the spring and summer.

All of that extra experience and practice time, along with the attention by Ash (who is a defensive specialist with focus on the secondary), makes me believe that they'll be a much improved unit.

If Hamilton is healthy on the DL, we should get more push up front on passing downs, too, which will help out the secondary.

 

[Wolv RU]

Last year, according to the S&P rankings (which inputs every play of the whole season for every team minus garbage time), Rutgers had the #116 ranked defense.

Getting back to around the #65-75 range this year would have to be considered a success. That would put Rutgers at the middle of the pack. Anything better than 65 would be quite an achievement.

Moving up to #30 or so (which seems to be what one would consider "good") seems just too daunting for one year.

For the record, here is who was between 60 and 80 last year:

Wake Forest 60
Central Michigan 61
Southern Miss 62
Georgia Tech 63
Oklahoma State 64
Baylor 65
Texas 66
North Carolina 67
Iowa State 68
Air Force 69
Syracuse 70
Arkansas 71
Memphis 72
East Carolina 73
Washington State 74
Florida Atlantic 75
Louisiana Tech 76
Arizona State 77
Purdue 78
Arkansas State 79
Kentucky 80

 

[Wolv RU]

For comparison purposes, last year's Rutgers offense was ranked #90. If there can be a slight improvement there (to #70-80) then, along with the defensive improvement, this should be a better year. Of course, the schedule looks tougher on paper, so it may not necessarily show up in the record.

 

[knightfan7]

Last year, according to the S&P rankings (which inputs every play of the whole season for every team minus garbage time), Rutgers had the #116 ranked defense.

Getting back to around the #65-75 range this year would have to be considered a success. That would put Rutgers at the middle of the pack. Anything better than 65 would be quite an achievement.

Moving up to #30 or so (which seems to be what one would consider "good") seems just too daunting for one year.

For the record, here is who was between 60 and 80 last year:

Wake Forest 60
Central Michigan 61
Southern Miss 62
Georgia Tech 63
Oklahoma State 64
Baylor 65
Texas 66
North Carolina 67
Iowa State 68
Air Force 69
Syracuse 70
Arkansas 71
Memphis 72
East Carolina 73
Washington State 74
Florida Atlantic 75
Louisiana Tech 76
Arizona State 77
Purdue 78
Arkansas State 79
Kentucky 80

I'd take #70 and walk away happy.

Heck, UNC made a 30+ ranking improvement on D and played for the ACC title.