Of all the units on the 2021 Lions, the one with the most apparent holes to fill and tough questions coming along with that is the defensive line.
Columbia's D-line has been mostly a strength in the Bagnoli era, but key graduations and a coaching change have to leave everyone with some concern for the fall.
The biggest loss was due to occur even before COVID-19, as outstanding DE Daniel DeLorenzi graduated in 2020.
But also gone to graduation are key contributors like Arman Samouk, Cooper Wilson, Alex Robin, and Ogonna Oraedu.
The good news is that Cameron Carter, who continued to grow into a fierce pass rusher through 2018 and 2019, is returning as a 5th year senior. Carter will be a team leader and will certainly anchor the line.
Another piece of good news is that rising senior Paul Akere has impressed the coaches and is poised for a possible breakout season.
Other key returnees like senior Mitch Shinskie and juniors Cam Coleman and Mitch Moyer will need to step up their games, with Coleman looking especially promising.
But that leaves a lot of holes to fill, and so we're back to the speculation game with the two classes of incoming players who will need to produce some standouts for CU to have a fighting chance up front.
A few players who stood out to me during the recruiting process include freshman Justin Townsend from nearby Randolph HS in New Jersey, who may have only been available at the Ivy level because of a leg injury earlier in his career.
Fellow freshman Brendon Jones got some extra attention when he apparently decommitted from UTSA to commit to Princeton and then decommitted from Princeton to commit to us. If he sticks around, he could be a playmaker.
Officially a sophomore, Savon Rawlins was a late add to the 2020 freshman class and had a pretty good tape out of Princeton's Lawrenceville School.
Another official sophomore with a very good looking tape is James Knox from Connecticut.
Buffalo-area sophomore David Bartholomew had an intriguing tape, but also the biggest hands I've seen on a player in a long time. I'm not sure that will help him make tackles, but it can't hurt.
The good news for all these newcomers is that the holes Columbia needs to fill at the position means they have a great chance to see the field sooner rather than later.
The other good news is that they're going to be backed up by a deep and talented linebacking and secondary corps that should help ease this transition year for the DL.
1 comment:
Unfortunately, I once again will be critical of the coaching. In doing so, I’m careful not to be critical of the kids. They are not at fault and it wouldn’t be right under any circumstances.
In any event, turning to the DL, I readily admit I know little about the state of the DL as there are so many new faces and unknowns. So I’ll spare you my speculation. But your critique of the DL presents an opportunity to comment on the challenges that our DC faces this season. Unfortunately, in my view, his defensive schemes and play calling of the past (like the OC) have been disappointing.
As I see it, his defense the past few seasons has been both unimaginative and far too predictable. In my opinion this hampered the overall performance of the unit. Too often we sat back in a vanilla 4-3 and suffered the consequences, especially when faced with talented passing QBs. If you play a straight 4-3, you better be able to consistently generate a good pass rush from the front four. If not, a good passing QB ( and there are many in Ivies) will have time to pick apart the defensive coverage. And that is what we’ve experienced repeatedly. The fact of the matter is that our pass rush was subpar and the result was that the opposing receivers would ultimately get open even against our good DBs or get free beyond the coverage of our LBs. And this occurred time and time again despite the fact that our DBs and LBs were very good (and should also be good again this season).
In the Defensive CoachIng Manual 101 the adjustment needed is well understood: Utilize a variety of blitzing schemes on a more frequent basis. While it’s undoubtedly true that blitzing can be risky in that it can lead to big plays, nonetheless it’’a an important option to use. And I hope we will do this more frequently than the past few seasons. In a nutshell, it’s a tried and true way to put pressure on the QB and cause sacks, interceptions, incompletions and fumbles.
Looking to our first Ivy match against Princeton, we’ll be facing a high profile, big time Frosh QB who’ll be playing in his first Ivy game. If over the first two games, we haven’t generated a nasty pass rush, it’ll be absolutely essential to go after him frequently via a variety of blitz packages. The last thing we need is to give this talented throwing frosh time to unload the ball on his own terms. If so, he’ll pick us apart. We will need to keep him off balance, force him to throw the ball before he’s ready, and keep the pressure on him throughout. Of course there are risks involved, but in my judgment, this strategy beats sitting back and getting eaten alive.
In any event, let’s hope this largely unknown and inexperienced group of DLs are talented and deep enough to do the job. If so, our talented LBs and DBs will be able to do a great job defending the pass. If, however, it turns out that the DL cannot consistently generate a good pass rush, we better blitz, blitz and blitz some more.
I’m hopeful that our DC, with or without Bag’s direction, will see the light.
On an unrelated topic, now that my 4 AM Trump nightmares are on the wane, they’ve been replaced by the happy vision of a packed, raucous Wien Stadium crowd for the season opener and beyond. Go Lions!
And I’m looking forward to Jake’s take on the LBs, DBs and special teams. All three are very talented.
Go Lions!
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