KTJ
10-17-2007, 10:49 AM
I can't take much more of this crap at all. (Am I allowed to say crap, btw?)
Veteran Longhorns' LBs hang on
Talented youngsters aren't pushing aside experienced trio - yet
11:14 PM CDT on Tuesday, October 16, 2007
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AUSTIN – It's one of the toughest decisions a coach faces: when to replace a veteran who has helped a team win big with a younger player who may have more physical ability and the potential to make more plays.
Mack Brown and co-defensive coordinator Duane Akina have just such a dilemma at linebacker. The starters – senior Robert Killebrew, junior Rashad Bobino and senior Scott Derry – helped Texas win a Big 12 and a national title in 2005.
But they have been part of missed tackles when Central Florida and Oklahoma broke big runs. Killebrew suffered two personal fouls Saturday against Iowa State, a recurring problem throughout his career.
Waiting behind them are future stars in sophomores Sergio Kindle of Woodrow Wilson, Jared Norton of Rowlett and Rod Muckelroy. Kindle was all over the field Saturday against Iowa State, making two stops behind the line and providing pressure on quarterback Bret Meyer that led to an interception by Texas cornerback Deon Beasley.
Norton has a knack for hitting opposing quarterbacks. When Norton blitzes, he never hesitates, plowing through blockers to disrupt plays even after getting picked up. Muckelroy, who suffered a minor hamstring injury early against Iowa State, may be the team's best sideline-to-sideline striker.
So when are the young studs going to replace the veterans? Don't plan on it.
Brown and Akina suggested this week that Killebrew, Bobino and Derry aren't leaving the starting lineup anytime soon.
"The three older linebackers have won a national championship and played really well for us and done some great things," Brown said. "Last year, we didn't have much help for them, so they could wear out easily. Right now, we're able to keep fresh people in the game. That's an advantage we have at Texas that a lot of people don't have."
Added Akina, "All six of them deserve to play. They're all playing well. The older ones have spilled a lot of blood for this program. And I'm one that maybe believes they should still be playing.
"There's nothing on tape that says they should not. And yet the younger ones are playing well, too, and there's nothing on tape that says they should not be playing, either. That's why you see them rolling in and out."
But at what point do the younger linebackers start and get the majority of the plays, and the veterans come in to give them a rest? Isn't Norton more physical than Bobino? Isn't Kindle a better athlete than Killebrew – and without the personal fouls?
Isn't Muckelroy a more electrifying playmaker than Derry? And aren't the young linebackers the cornerstones of your team in 2008 and 2009, when Texas should be a veteran team in position to make title runs? What if they are the leaders this team has been searching for?
"Like a running back out of high school has problems with pass protection, young linebackers have trouble with pass drops," Brown said. "In high school they didn't worry about it. They were just attacking the ball. The discipline in pass drops takes them a little longer."
Brown was reluctant to play Cedric Benson against Oklahoma as a freshman because Benson didn't pick up blitzes real well. Benson ended up as the school's second-leading rusher behind Ricky Williams. Sometimes you just have to get the young players on the field and let them learn.
Veteran Longhorns' LBs hang on
Talented youngsters aren't pushing aside experienced trio - yet
11:14 PM CDT on Tuesday, October 16, 2007
AUSTIN – It's one of the toughest decisions a coach faces: when to replace a veteran who has helped a team win big with a younger player who may have more physical ability and the potential to make more plays.
Mack Brown and co-defensive coordinator Duane Akina have just such a dilemma at linebacker. The starters – senior Robert Killebrew, junior Rashad Bobino and senior Scott Derry – helped Texas win a Big 12 and a national title in 2005.
But they have been part of missed tackles when Central Florida and Oklahoma broke big runs. Killebrew suffered two personal fouls Saturday against Iowa State, a recurring problem throughout his career.
Waiting behind them are future stars in sophomores Sergio Kindle of Woodrow Wilson, Jared Norton of Rowlett and Rod Muckelroy. Kindle was all over the field Saturday against Iowa State, making two stops behind the line and providing pressure on quarterback Bret Meyer that led to an interception by Texas cornerback Deon Beasley.
Norton has a knack for hitting opposing quarterbacks. When Norton blitzes, he never hesitates, plowing through blockers to disrupt plays even after getting picked up. Muckelroy, who suffered a minor hamstring injury early against Iowa State, may be the team's best sideline-to-sideline striker.
So when are the young studs going to replace the veterans? Don't plan on it.
Brown and Akina suggested this week that Killebrew, Bobino and Derry aren't leaving the starting lineup anytime soon.
"The three older linebackers have won a national championship and played really well for us and done some great things," Brown said. "Last year, we didn't have much help for them, so they could wear out easily. Right now, we're able to keep fresh people in the game. That's an advantage we have at Texas that a lot of people don't have."
Added Akina, "All six of them deserve to play. They're all playing well. The older ones have spilled a lot of blood for this program. And I'm one that maybe believes they should still be playing.
"There's nothing on tape that says they should not. And yet the younger ones are playing well, too, and there's nothing on tape that says they should not be playing, either. That's why you see them rolling in and out."
But at what point do the younger linebackers start and get the majority of the plays, and the veterans come in to give them a rest? Isn't Norton more physical than Bobino? Isn't Kindle a better athlete than Killebrew – and without the personal fouls?
Isn't Muckelroy a more electrifying playmaker than Derry? And aren't the young linebackers the cornerstones of your team in 2008 and 2009, when Texas should be a veteran team in position to make title runs? What if they are the leaders this team has been searching for?
"Like a running back out of high school has problems with pass protection, young linebackers have trouble with pass drops," Brown said. "In high school they didn't worry about it. They were just attacking the ball. The discipline in pass drops takes them a little longer."
Brown was reluctant to play Cedric Benson against Oklahoma as a freshman because Benson didn't pick up blitzes real well. Benson ended up as the school's second-leading rusher behind Ricky Williams. Sometimes you just have to get the young players on the field and let them learn.