The Lions' Pride

Jeff/Sean - I would like to know the status of the following players absent from this DC:

Khamrone Kolb
Ryan Nowicki
Mike Wallace (abluestreak mentioned above, but why is he not even listed?)

TIA...

-Love seeing Fortt listed as OR with Carson. Even if Fortt doesn't start, I at least feel confident he will get a lot of playing time. Him with Mauti and Hodges on the outside is a scary thought.

-I think Amos and Belt on returning kicks for the next three years could be very dangerous... that is if other teams kick to them with the new rules. Wonder if Kenney will get a shot too...

-FOOTBALL!!!!!!

Yes, generally you do not want tall interior OL because it hinders the QBs ability to see the field. Also, the shorter players have a little bit easier time with leverage which is crucial to being on the inside.

For the tackle positions, it's better to be tall with long arms to help out with pass protection. Since OT's are generally going to go up against guys who are smaller than them, there his a higher premium placed on quickness instead of bulk.

Kyle Carter doesn't surprise me at all. I said in the beginning of the year that he was the "surprise" player that I was going to watch for. Not seeing him much in the spring game concerned me a little, but it looks like I had this pegged (at least for now). His is the prototypical F TE that BOB is looking for. Well, maybe not as prototypical as AB, but we have to wait a little for him.

Assuming he can handle his school work...

PSU is going to play walkons in the defensive backfield. Fagnano will play this year. He might not be starting day 1, but he will play. PSU is super thin at defensive back and Fagnano has played well. Some of the incoming freshman will play as well.

Defensive tackle is a bit scary. It is really hard to count on incoming freshman to come in and play well at DT. That is a position that usually takes a year or two. I would not be shocked if another offensive lineman ends up there.

Also, long arms are an asset in pass blocking, especially at tackle when you are dealing with speed guys coming off the edge. The longer their reach, the quicker they can get engaged with the rusher. It is not an easy position to recruit. You want a tall, athletic guy, with very good feet and mobility and also has long arms. Plus, in some cases you have to talk recruits out of going to defensive line because they think that is a cooler position (i.e. Levi Brown who had to be talked into moving to tackle).

I think Alosi was over there and moved to O - could move back but I think that Pollard and maybe one more are going to be expected to be the three deep there. If it got that bad I think Zettel also comes back from DE before someone comes from O.

Penn State only has two true corners on the roster. The rest of the kids are safties. I think Amos natural position is safety, but it is hard to count on Thomas right now. Plus, in this day and age, you are going to be in nickle a lot and the third corner is basically a starter. It is really hard to believe PSU has a roster with only two true corners on the roster. Regardless, I think if all goes to plan - Amos, Thomas and Morris will be on the field a lot and PSU really needs to keep them healthy.

If PSU has to play Pollard, that is not going to be good. I could be wrong, but I think Pollard is really raw. He is a big kid and moves really well, but he does not have solid fundimentals. I think he is a kid that will be great, but he could be in way over his head as this year. LJ is really going to have to work with him if PSU needs him to play this year.

Hill was in the 4-deep as a true frosh. They have 4 freshmen DTs to choose from, so it's not like it all falls on Pollard.

Alosi... I was surprised he was moved in the first place... We have a ton of OLinemen that are interior linemen... Not a lot of DT's that are ready to go.

Royer might be too "stiff in the hips" to play any of the OLB positions, and might not have the instincts needed to play the position. But he's athletic as hell so putting him in the TE spot and letting him run routes down the seam is a great way to use his talent. The only position on defense he could play based on what he's shown so far is the stand-up weak side DE where he can just use that athleticism to get up field and after the QB in a hurry. Situationally, that might be ok, but I'd rather see what he can do on offense first since our defensive ends are good enough at this point in time.