Coach’s Corner: Breakdown of the Linebacker:

Posted at 4:00pm — 7/27/2010

Coach’s Corner: Breakdown of the Linebacker:

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Some of the linebackers played multiple positions this spring. This isn’t unusual as teams experiment to find the best fit for players and improve the overall team performance. Some players also try different positions to provide depth due to injured players not being able to participate in spring ball.

Linebackers:

Strong side Linebacker/Hybrid:

1) Craig Roh – He is noticeably bigger and thicker this spring, all good weight. He is a very good pass rusher, likely Michigan’s best, and better off in coverage than some believe.

2) JB Fitzgerald – He bounced between strong side linebacker/hybrid and middle linebacker. JB is a better fit at outside linebacker in our opinion, but he can play either position. He made a couple of very good pass drops from the middle linebacker position in the spring game.

3) Kevin Leach – He bounced between middle linebacker and strong side linebacker/hybrid. He is a better fit at middle linebacker in our opinion. He moves well, but needs to get bigger and stronger.

***Brandon Herron*** injured. We expect Herron to be Roh’s primary back up.

Middle Linebacker:

1) Obi Ezeh – Obi has excellent size for a middle linebacker and he moves very well for his size. He was solid in pass coverage this spring, although every spring we cite his improved play. Let us hope this time the spring improvement carries through to the fall.

2a) Ken Demens – Ken is a very good run defender and he has a physical presence. If his coverage picks up it will be tough to keep him out of the line up.

2b) JB Fitzgerald – see above.

3a) Kevin Leach – see above.

3b) Mark Moundros – Mark’s move to linebacker was fairly smooth. He plays a physical game and has shown solid movement, but Mark is still learning some of the finer points of playing linebacker.

Weakside Linebacker:

1) Jonas Mouton – Same as Obi Ezeh, Jonas gets us excited every spring. And so he is another wait and see guy.

2a) Isaiah Bell – He was undersized a bit this spring, but man does he hit. Isaiah moves well and is still learning his position, but there is a lot to like here. If rumors of weight gain are true, he could be a big help.

2b) Mike Jones – Mike is long and lean, and is an outstanding blitzer. He could use another 15 to 20 lbs, but just like Bell there is a lot to like here.

Comments:

The 3-3 stack defense is an aggressive, fast defense. The blitzing and aggressive style should fit Obi Ezeh and Jonas Mouton, Obi will not have as much chance to overanalyze things and Jonas can just hit people. GBMWolverine does not believe Michigan will be a 100% 3-3 team. You will see multiple fronts and looks, especially when facing bigger, more physical teams such as Wisconsin and Ohio State.

Linebackers will continue to worry GBMWolverine until we see them on the field actually playing better. The salient question is will this group be able to improve significantly from last year to make a big impact?

Obi, has held a soft spot for the staff at GBMWolverine. The year before (during the spring) we all thought he would finally break through and show people what we saw last spring. Well as we all know this didn’t happen, and we saw him in the fall making the same mistakes over and over again with poor tackling, poor pursuit angles, and a bad job of filling the hole or going to the wrong hole to make a play.

This spring we saw glimpses of Obi doing a better job, but again until we see it in the fall we are going to take a wait and see approach. He has been a starting linebacker for many games at Michigan and the light needs to come on for this defense to improve. A defense is only as good as the linebackers, especially when a team is counting on players in the defensive backfield with limited experience.

A player needs to be smart to play linebacker, know his role and the roles of the surrounding players and also be able to take on offensive linemen in the running game while still being able to cover tight ends/running backs/slot receivers in the passing game.

No wonder top teams covet top linebackers, and top teams that sign top linebackers have a good chance of staying a top team.

Written by GBMWolverine Staff

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