3rd of 7 columns on the top positional
units in college football
When
choosing the best LB unit, should a team be punished or
rewarded for having an extra player? Some might
struggle with that question; but when looking at the
various LB corps in the nation, I did not let that sway
my judgment one way or the other. So having said that,
the best group of linebackers in the country does happen
to play in a 3-4 — the Virginia Cavaliers.
Much respect
to Ohio State’s AJ Hawk and Anthony Schlegel, to San
Diego State with Kirk Morrison and Matt McCoy as well,
but when you have a sophomore like Ahmad Brooks, another
sophomore like Kai “The Hammer” Parham, and junior
Darryl Blackstock, who that 4th player is
becomes less important. The level of athleticism, mixed
with youth and experienced depth, makes this choice
easier than one (let’s say…a Buckeye fan?) might think.
Breaking
down the unit, you have to start with Super Sophomore
ILB Ahmad Brooks. All this kid did last year was come
in as a true freshman, at 6'4" and nearly 250lbs, and
rack up 117 tackles, 10 TFL, 4 sacks, 15 QB hurries, and
broke up 6 passes. Brooks is in a similar situation as
Larry Fitzgerald last year, as he’s a sophomore, who’ll
be 3 years removed from high school at the end of the
season (via a year at Hargrave Military Academy). He’ll
be easily as NFL-ready as any linebacker in the country,
regardless of age.
Now, talking
about the rest of the unit may seem anti-climactic after
discussing Brooks, but the rest of these guys never
disappoint. Outside of the Cavalier community, junior
OLB Darryl Blackstock is not exactly a household name,
but only two seasons ago, he was the National Defensive
Freshman of the year. In two years as a starter, he’s
averaged 96 tackles, 8 sacks and 22 quarterback
hurries. Blackstock is an absolute terror as a blitzer
on the outside with his scary combination of size and
speed. At the next level, he’ll be an all-pro as a 3-4
OLB. Brooks has come in and stolen all the headlines,
but there’s no player more vital to the Cavalier defense
than Blackstock.
Now, I
realize that having Brooks and Blackstock essentially
puts the Cavaliers even with the other top units in the
nation. What puts them over the top? The trump card,
so to speak, is their redshirt sophomore ILB Kai
Parham. “The Hammer” had some back concerns in 2002 as
a true freshman and the team opted to redshirt him. He
came back in 2003, playing his way into the starting
lineup for the final 9 games, and finished the season
with 89 tackles and 7 TFL. Kai Parham is one kid on the
verge of blowing up in a big big way. With Brooks and
Blackstock around him, the amount of big plays he’ll be
able to make will be plentiful —
with his skills, those plays will get made. Considering
that Parham only has one year of experience, along with
Brooks, this unit should make a quantum leap in terms of
production, setting the bar very, very high, for other
LB units.
It’s almost
unfair that other starting OLB position might seem like
than afterthought, but the acts of Brooks, Blackstock, and
Parham are tough to follow. The other outside position is
essentially a two-man race. The experienced veteran is
Dennis Haley, who has been the most consistent backup on
the team and knows the defense. He’s a solid player, but
he doesn’t approach the explosiveness of the other three.
Enter redshirt freshman Jermaine Dias. He isn’t as
experienced as Haley, and may not be the safest pick to
start, but his level of athletic ability at 6'3" and
228lbs, better compliments Blackstock on the opposite
side. Whichever young man gets the starting nod, there
will be plenty of plays funneled their way as a result of
offenses doing all they can to play away from the
Cavaliers' "Big 3."
Now, I would
be remiss if I didn’t comment on the depth that Virginia
has at linebacker. On the outside, whichever player
between Haley and Dias who doesn’t start will be first man
off the bench in the outside rotation. In that scenario
that player should fill in without missing a beat. You
mix in another highly touted redshirt freshman, Vince Redd,
and the amount of depth on the outside becomes obvious.
On the inside, playing time beyond Brooks and Parham will
be tough to come by, but seniors Rich Bedesem and Bryan
White both have starts and are very talented backups. To
further advance the point of Virginia’s linebackers, Olu
Hall, an incoming freshman, and one of the top 50
defensive recruits in the country and the best recruit
coming out of Virginia, probably won’t even sniff the
field in 2004.
What makes
guys like Blackstock, Brooks, and Parham so effective?
Sure, the 3-4 being a linebacker heavy defense helps, but
there’s no doubt in my mind, you line those 3 players up
in a 4-3, with Parham playing the strong side, and there
would be little or no drop-off in production. Three
amazing young athletes, with nothing but upside, can’t be
penalized for the system in which they play. ACC teams
will want to do two things this year when they play
Virginia: attack a mundane secondary and avoid the
linebackers at all costs. Three young, big-time college
and soon to be NFL talents, all playing together in an
attacking system, gives the Cavaliers the best of the
linebacker bunch.
