The Lions' Pride

Really like Stupar but he is at a position where there are some future NFL players. I am sure he will see some time as Vandy will play 6 guys. Plus he will be on special teams.

Not sure about the stand up DE but if our regular DE's don't get some pressure then might be something to try.

I got some of those answers from Stupar yesterday, will put that together in the coming days.

Awesome Sean! Can't wait to read it.

This.
That was probably Stupar's greatest impact - and I would love to see him back on punt and kickoff coverage units. He's solid dropping into coverage (in '09 when Lee got hurt, Stupar was the nickel LB and he maintained that position with Mauti last year) although he does struggle to break down in space. Not sure he'd be great at standup-DE because - while he's had success rushing the passer - it was primarily on blitzes where he gets a 1-on-1 matchup with the back. Taking on OT's every play is an entirely different game - and personally I'm not a big fan of using the "stand-up DE" position unless you incorporate some zone-blitz packages (like Bradley did in 2006 but seldomly before/after).

Stupar never stood out at LB. RBs and LBs stand out IMO almost as soon as they step on the field. You can see instincts immediately from LBs. You saw that from Fortt and Carson last year. You knew they had the instincts. You saw Mauti had it when he was a frosh. Stupar is in alot of ways is a lot like Tim Shaw. Shaw never stood out at MLB. He never could be batman or robin. He was always number 3, which is what Stupar is at best a #3. Stupar will make a play in the nickel or as a pass rusher but playing in the base defense is not one of his strengths. Stupar was in a dog fight this year with 2 maybe 3 highly regarded LB prospects for the final spot. Mauti and Hodges already had 2 of the 3 LB positions locked up. Stupar limited practice time did not help. It gave Fortt a great opportunity to win that job but it was Carson who forced Mauti back outside. I would love to see Penn State put a 3-3-5 look into their nickle package with Stupar coming in replacing Carson or Hodges. I really like the idea of getting Stupar more involved in rushing the passer and I think a 3-3-5 package is a great place to start. They have used a 3-3-5 at times in the past. I remember seeing it with Poz, Connor, and Lee on occassion in 2006 when our DL was not a strength.

Shaw is still playing in the NFL.

He showed flashes of being good in his freshman and sophmore years, but last year he was pretty bad. If you go back and watch the Illinois game (you can check it out on ESPN3.com), he got schooled so many times, it's not even funny. I like the kid, but he just doesn't have it to be an every down LB in our defense, IMO.