It’s seems to be the consensus that the one weak part of our team this year will be the young linebackers. If we assume, for sake of argument, that all the other units do their job, how important are the linebackers to the overall success of the team this season?
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How important are the linebackers
- Thread starter BigSpur
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If the inexperienced LB gets out of position a good QB will pick that up and exploit it with a dump to the TE or a crossing route with a WR. One LB is usually the play caller on the Defense. Not sure who that will be this year with a 3 LB’s with little game time if any. Golightly played some last year so he is the most experienced of the bunch. If our DL plays super and our secondary is sharp it will give those LB’s time to learn quickly to read offenses. You have to remember back in 2010 we lost a few games because of LB and secondary being out of position. One game comes to mind when we had a 28 to 7 lead on Kentucky at the half and lost.
Linebacker has always been one of the most important positions on the defense. It is also one of the most difficult positions to master and requires the most exerience. The MLB usually is the QB of the defense and calls the plays. The primary job of the front four is to fill gaps and occupy blockers. It is up to the LBs to run to the ball and make the tackle. They also, have to be able to read and react quickly - but play with discipline at the same time. They can’t get get out of position and be fooled by play action and motion. Hopefully, these young guys will mature quickly and play well.