A trip back in time

[bg sports fan]

For all of you who compalin about how small our DL is I want to take you back to the 2002 season when we started out 8-0 and finished 9-3 and were holding teams under a 100 yards per game rushing to show you that our DL is the exact same size as it is today.

Jamal Bryant 6'1 270
Monty Cooley 6'2 260
Mitchell Crossley 6'3 245
Alex Glantzis 6'4 280
Pascal Kokke 6'5 250
Matt Leininger 6'3 280
Rick Mauer 6'3 250
D.J. Owchar 6'3 270
Will Teague 6'5 260
Mike Thaler 6'1 280
Dexter Wallace 6'3 285
Brad Williams 6'3 215

So you see that back then just like today the DL is the same there job in our defence is to get pressure on the QB and to keep the OL off the LB so they can make the tackles or get off there block and make the tackle on the RB it was working back then and i see why it can not still work today. They just need to be coached up better then what they might be getting.

[Falconboy]

For all of you who compalin about how small our DL is I want to take you back to the 2002 season when we started out 8-0 and finished 9-3 and were holding teams under a 100 yards per game rushing to show you that our DL is the exact same size as it is today.

Jamal Bryant 6'1 270
Monty Cooley 6'2 260
Mitchell Crossley 6'3 245
Alex Glantzis 6'4 280
Pascal Kokke 6'5 250
Matt Leininger 6'3 280
Rick Mauer 6'3 250
D.J. Owchar 6'3 270
Will Teague 6'5 260
Mike Thaler 6'1 280
Dexter Wallace 6'3 285
Brad Williams 6'3 215

So you see that back then just like today the DL is the same there job in our defence is to get pressure on the QB and to keep the OL off the LB so they can make the tackles or get off there block and make the tackle on the RB it was working back then and i see why it can not still work today. They just need to be coached up better then what they might be getting.

Uh....not quite the same size as it is today. I'd say that the '02 starting D-line is maybe a little bigger than it is projected today when you count in the DE's with Teage at 6'5 270 , Cooley at 260 and DT's Thaler and Glantzis. Our starting D-line this year maybe more athletic than that years team but its actually smaller at least at the DE position. We should be starting 2 DT's that should be in the 285-290lb range. Where we come really undersized this year is at DE with Briggs 235 and whomever the other guy will be which won't be much more than that probably with what we've got right now.

[VDub26Falcon]

yeah, and in 02 did we start against Big 11 and Big East opponents? Big conferences get bigger players...and I mean size...not name.

[hammb]

We still gave up over 150 yards per game that year, not sure where you're getting that 100 yards per stat, but whatever, doesn't matter.

Say what you will about their supposed role, I don't care. The fact is this team has been among the worst in the country against the run since Gregg Brandon became the head coach. If you're telling me that their philosophy is that their DL should be small and pressure the passer and run stuffing be damned then I'll tell you that our defensive philosophy is patently flawed and has little chance of sustained success. Personally, I think we're both right. The philosophy is flawed, the execution is worse. I think we're pretty much all used to it at this point, and to expect change is probably just asking too much.

[FormerFreddie]

yeah, and in 02 did we start against Big 11 and Big East opponents? Big conferences get bigger players...and I mean size...not name.

No, but BG did play two of their first three games against two Big 12 teams: Missouri and Kansas, and won them both.

[VDub26Falcon]

In '02 Missouri and Kansas were on par with the likes of Temple...I love that we took some Big 12 teams behind the woodshed and whooped on them but if we played Kansas this year, they'd probably destroy us...mostly because Mangini would jump up and down every time we had the ball and disrupt the playing field.