re: Lewis Neal in a 3-4

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. I know they're freshman but they're very talented have the size and with limited snaps and responsibility they can be productive at the nose

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You rarely ever have freshamn DTs that are really productive.

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Are you kidding me? We havent had 1 player that can be a 2 gap. Outside of your OLBs your NT eating up double teams is what makes a 3-4 successful.

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That's a problem. We don't have a typical big space eater NT on the roster. Locoture maybe being the closest thing we have to it out of our experienced player as far as being someone who is strong and seems to tie up blockers and get some push. But a lot of 3-4 teams get by with more of penetrating type NT. PLus if White could earn a starting spot next to Beckwith at ILB, that would go a long way to bringing the size and strength to the middle even without a big space eater NT. It's not gong to be a typical 3-4. But our OLB's and DE's are better suited to being 3-4 linebackers. Players like Bower, Keys, and Teahuma. Even in the recent past a lot of our DE's like MIngo and Rasco should have been 3-4 OLB's. We have a lot of multi-talented players that Aranda should be able to work in well with his atypical 3-4 defense. It's not like he is going to have to put square pegs in round holes to make it work.

But yeah I'll be glad when we start landing some prototypical NT's with size and strength to push the pile and that can move well. Maybe Ed Alexander can be developed in that direction for future seasons. Alexander at 340- 345 could maybe suffice after this season until we start landing more of those types.

Would have liked to see Josh Boutte tried at the position just for the hell of it. He's a big strong lumbering sort with a lot of back end on him. Probably doesn't have much experience with it, but I bet he could push a pile.