re: Marcel Brooks' Position

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did we have more than 5 scholarship ILBs this year? correct me if im wrong, but believe that number was no more than 5 and we played a 3-4.

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At the beginning of the season you had...

Phillips
Divinity
Queen
Clark
Baskerville
McCallum
Starks

So that's seven.

They ended up not using Divinity inside all that much and then McCallum quit, but you started the season with 3 1/2 strings of ILB's.

Now you have three, only two of whom have played. You're adding a couple of true freshmen to get to two and a half strings, which makes you paper thin.

And then there's the question of getting the best 11 on the field, which has to include both Stevens and Brooks since they might be the best players you have outside of Stingley this fall. How do you do that? Brooks isn't going to gain 30 pounds in the offseason to play Chaisson's position, and I don't even think you want him to. Stevens maybe could be a 3-4 ILB, but that's a lot different position than he's been playing. For both of those guys you want to put them in space where they can pursue the ball and make plays. That's what 4-3 OLB's do, and they generally don't have to be all that big to do it.

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i dont necessarily disgaree with your logic that a 4-3 DE can come in many forms. but Farrell does not strike me as a guy that possesses the level of athletic ability to play a 4-3 DE. there may be other guys on the roster that fit that role a little better than him though, but he is a 3-tech in a 4-3.

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Nobody thought Lewis Neal could play a 3-4 defensive end either, but lo and behold he did.

Farrell would probably have to lose a little weight to be a 4-3 DE, but he's listed at, what, 295? We've played a number of guys that weight at a strong side DE in a 4-3. What we know about Farrell is that he's a penetrator who can rush the passer some and he plays with a nice motor, and he's strong as a moose at the point of attack. That isn't a bad starting point.

Not to mention, we have damn near a dozen guys who would project as DE's in a 4-3. If you hate Neil Farrell there, feel free to pick a couple others among them. They come in all shapes and sizes.

Neil Farrell
T.K. McClendon
Andre Anthony
Travez Moore
Ray Thornton (who I would put at Sam or Will in a 4-3)
Soni Fonua
Ali Gaye
Jerell Cherry
Ray Parker
Desmond Little
Eric Taylor
Philip Webb
B.J. Ojulari

Out of all of those you really don't think we can find a couple of strings of DE's who can play?