Linebackers

[RazorbacksFan]

Considering the differences between the defense in the final games of last year vs. the first 5 games of this year, how significant was the change from Coach Shannon to Coach Hargreaves? The key player losses since last year are obvious, but does the position coach change make a great difference? In tackling, etc?

[ErieHog]

The difference is experience.

You can't play a lot of freshman snaps at linebacker, and expect to get the same recognition of an upperclassman.    You can't shuffle people out of their natural position, to try to help hedge that inexperience, and it not show.

[ricepig]

The difference is experience.

You can't play a lot of freshman snaps at linebacker, and expect to get the same recognition of an upperclassman.    You can't shuffle people out of their natural position, to try to help hedge that inexperience, and it not show.

Ellis played as a freshman, but he was overmatched a lot of the time, Dre is too. That being said, we are running short of bodies, in lots of places.

[incHOGnito]

There are two major differences. First without playmakers on the d-line (Philon and Flowers) our linebackers have to play in coverage much longer. Second, Speight is probably the best linebacker we have had in the SEc era.

[Nuttcracker, Sweet!]

The LBs have been really exposed with the loss of Speight and the safeties too. I do think Ramirez has improved the safety play.

Liddell got caught staring into the backfield too many times, thus the change to Ramirez. That double pass almost got us again tonight though Jared Collins had decent coverage.

None of the D linemen require a double team, that's a problem, also. Either Flowers or Philon was doubled a lot last year.

Philon didn't have a whopping number of sacks, but he was by far our best interior rusher.

[jackflash]

from what I seen so far I like Ledbetter I haven't seen much improvement in Lb I really like Tolliver and Santos at some point this could be a good defense

[regi]

I think Dre led us in tackles tonight with 13 (not 100% on that). Ellis is lining folk up and fighting his butt off, Hackett and Eugene are MIA for some reason.

[PORKULATOR]

I like our young guys, am curious when we might see something from Harris. They love his effort and energy... Or something like that...lol

[upperdeck_hawg]

We miss Martrell Spaight dearly. He was a tackling machine.

[azhog10]

I don't buy the experience piece. IMO our issues on defense aren't experience. Our ends don't keep containment. They are selfish and fly at the ball with poor angles hanging our LBs out to dry. Our LBs take poor angles, miss tackles, and don't keep assignment. It's not experience it's an attitude and mentality.

[azhog10]

I think Dre led us in tackles tonight with 13 (not 100% on that). Ellis is lining folk up and fighting his butt off, Hackett and Eugene are MIA for some reason.

Brooks had a bad night IMO. He didn't tackle well and often took awful angled and didn't get some of their WRs covered. Our DBs were playing their WRs so soft. Luckily Dobbs couldn't throw it very well and when he did their guys didn't catch it. I'm not impressed with our defense as of this point. Flowers set an edge, and Speight attacked the gaps and made tackled. We haven't found a single person to do it even half as good as those two.

[sickboy]

We miss Martrell Spaight dearly. He was a tackling machine.

Not to mention he was a massive disrupter. Even when he was tackling he was having an effect.

[FANONTHEHILL]

I have confidence in our linebacker play and the first four games were the perfect storm of bad luck.  Ellis in a new position and Greenlaw having to step in because of injury against three teams that thrive on mismatches and crossing routes.  As painful as it was, it will pay off in time.  Greenlaw is an incredible player and Ellis is getting more comfortable at Will.  It was mentioned above that Ellis had an off night, but I think that could attributed to bad footing as much as anything else.  Everyone outside the box were having trouble on the saturated field.  It will hurt losing Williams, but LB play will continue to improve.

[Hogeration]

We are severely down in numbers at this position.  This position had me worried before the season started and now do to injury we are really hurting.  BB has to step up recruiting in this area.