Coach’s Corner: Breakdown of the Defensive Line:

Posted at 4:00pm — 7/27/2010

Coach’s Corner: Breakdown of the Defensive Line:

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The information below assesses how the defensive line (and associated depth chart) looked at the end of spring, when Mike Martin, Will Henninger, and Brandon Herron (when UM’s defense goes to a four man front) were out with injuries.

When Michigan went to a three-man front this spring:

Defensive End – Greg Banks – Greg is always solid against the run and he was the GBMW staff choice as most improved this spring. The biggest concern is can/will he produce enough of a pass rush.

Back up – Adam Patterson – Adam has very good size and is a solid defensive end/defensive tackle. At the end of spring we thought Banks was better.

Nose Tackle – Will Campbell – Big Will was right with Banks for most improved. He is noticeably in better shape and has refined his technique. Will still needs a bit more conditioning and to be more consistent with his pad level. Focus, practice, and work repetition can improve pad level difficulties, but what a difference a year makes!

Back up – Renaldo Sagesse – All UM fans have to love this player for sticking it out when many others left/quit. Coach Barwis’ program is not easy on big guys and has taken a toll on big bodies. Renaldo’s body contour/condition has definitely improved and so has his play.

Defensive End – Ryan Van Bergen – Every coach and every fan should love this contributor’s attitude, work ethic, and motor. Ryan is always playing and practicing at 100%. In short, Ryan is a coach’s player but is just a bit of a tweener, not big enough for defensive tackle, or athletic enough for defensive end. But you can never have too many RVB’s on your team.

Back up – Steve Watson – The son of an NFL coach is a great kid and good worker. He is a solid back up and most readers probably remember that Steve was recruited as a tight end.

When Michigan went to a four-man front this spring:

Defensive End – Craig Roh – He is noticeably thicker and bigger and has obtained in the off-season the good weight that he needed. Craig has the most potential as a pass rusher on the UM roster judging from spring practices. If Michigan loses him for any period of time, things get very iffy.

Back up – JB Fitzgerald – JB would be a better fit at outside linebacker/defensive end than at middle linebacker in our opinion. He provides solid back up against the run, but is not the pass rusher Roh is. Brandon Herron was out for spring practice and he likely will be a back up to Roh.

4-3 Under Defense vs. Pro Set

4-3 Under Defense vs. Trips

Projected starting 2010 lineup with a three-man front:

Defensive End – Greg Banks

Nose Tackle – Mike Martin

Defensive End – Ryan Van Bergen

Question

Can Will Campbell play either defensive end spots and provide a pass rush and contain the quarterback in pass-rushing situations? If Will can, then there is a chance he competes for more playing time, or maybe he platoons with Ryan Van Bergen, playing on running downs with Ryan Van Bergen coming in on pass downs/situations. A key question becomes; how does the Michigan coaching staff use Will Campbell within the various schemes?

Key freshmen:

GBMWolverine believes there are four to watch, others think five. If any of the three incoming defensive linemen, Jibreel Black, Richard Ash, or Terry Talbot, can provide an edge pass rush similar to Craig Roh last year, said player will have a shot at major playing time. The number one freshman defensive lineman to watch in GBMWolverine’s opinion is Jibreel Black. His film and the All-Star performance indicate that at this time he is the best of the three as an edge rusher. GBMWolverine likes Richard Ash a ton, but believes that eventually he is better suited to play inside. If Richard comes in and gets the job done rushing the passer he will play.

Another youngster with a shot at playing time is Kenny Wilkins. He has the size and athletic ability to help at Craig Roh’s position. Will Kenny pick up the hybrid outside linebacker/defensive end position as Roh did?

Many are pushing Josh Furman as one who could have quick impact. We like Furman’s superior athletic ability and long-term potential, but he has the most to learn and adapt to, coming in from high school to college football, and the short time frame of a few weeks in the fall to prepare may be too much to ask. Maybe if Josh had come in during the spring things might be different. We will have to wait until fall practices start up to gain more insight.

Depth Chart:

Defensive End – Banks, Patterson, Black

Nose Tackle – Martin, Campbell, Sagesse

Defensive End – Van Bergen, Watson, Ash/Talbott

Outside linebacker – (Defensive End in four-man front): Roh, Fitzgerald

Comments:

When Michigan plays a 4-3 under tackle look, with Ryan Van Bergen reduced down over the offensive guard, it is our opinion that Will Campbell might do a better job with his size lined up in this spot, especially against power running games.

Anytime a team must count on true freshmen in the two deep rotation, it becomes scary, regardless of talent. UM may end up with one or more freshmen in this rotation because of a lack of depth (yes, again this year) on the defensive line, at cornerback, and at the spur and bandit positions. These younger players might eventually see a playing role or just create more depth. But, again we say, anytime a team counts on a freshman to be in the two deep on defense, he is either a great player or there is a lack of quality players already on the roster. In both cases, this becomes on the job training and usually something happens to remind all of us he is only a freshman.

Banks and Patterson both looked good this spring and really have improved over last season. Let us just hope they will not catch the Obi disease where all the improvement goes away in the fall. Both finally seem to get it and were playing well.

Depth-wise Michigan should be better (the team must be better depth-wise, there really is no option if the team wishes to make strides) and there is indication that the second group can come in and help, or at least give the starters a breather without being too much of a drop-off, unlike previous years.

Can Campbell take the next step from having potential to being a major contributing player in this defense? Can he be more than just good or provide depth on the defensive line? Will looked good this spring, but can he do it all season, every down, every play?

Craig Roh is the only player on the roster that during the spring was able to get a pass rush going on a consistent basis. This is what worries GBMWolverine because other teams will just shift a tight end or move an H-back/running back over to his side to help out the offensive tackle with blocking. Then UM will be forced to rely on the others in the front seven (or six) to create a pass rush, or at least get some pressure on the quarterback and make him do something with the ball before he is ready.

And so we restate: defensive line may be an area where one of the freshmen can come in and provide help. Maybe not be as an every down player, but a player that can come in on obvious passing downs and use his speed to try to get to the quarterback, or at least rush him to making a quicker decision.

Mike Martin pushes himself all the time. He wants to get better. This spring, even though he wasn’t allowed to scrimmage, he was always working hard, running laps around the field and running on treadmills, or just talking to the other defensive linemen. He really improved over the course of last season and if Michigan can get some pressure up the middle from Mike, it will only make this defense better.

The problem we see with the current 2010 defensive team (sans incoming freshmen) is UM has many “good players” but not many “great players” and success means counting on many of the “good” players stepping up this year. How many can accomplish this noble objective? Can player potential be translated into player success? Can a lack of experience by many who will be playing defense be overcome? UM has many defensive players with little quality game experience at key positions.

With any good defense, success always starts upfront.

If the defensive line can create a pass rush, or get enough pressure on the quarterback to make a poor decision, the job of a linebacker or defensive back becomes easier, and importantly the performance of linebackers and defensive backs improves.

Linebackers and defensive backs will have coverage times cut, helping to eliminate big plays. While there is no gold standard, most coaches would like to see a quarterback in the pocket feel pressure within three seconds, four at the most. If no pressure is delivered within four seconds, the offense now has the advantage, even against skilled defenders.

In the running game the defensive line can also make the life of a linebacker so much easier if a player can demand double teams and offensive coordinators have to scheme against a skilled defensive lineman. Look, for example, how Suh of Nebraska played against Texas, and how much one player changed the game and created mismatches that resulted in double and triple teaming. Such match-ups provide other players opportunities to make plays and simplify life by making their task more one-on-one.

In conclusion, readers likely see why the GBMWolverine staff starts with the defensive line; it truly is the gateway to better success and hence a better team.

Written by GBMWolverine Staff

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