How will the 3-4 Defense shake out this year???
By Editorial Staff
Last year the Georgia Bulldogs were known for mainly two things on defense, giving up alot of yards and not producing many turnovers. After the firing of Defensive Coordinator Willie Martinez, Coach Mark Richt wanted to make a change to the defense that would tell people that he is committed to making the Dogs better on that side of the ball. In steps Todd Grantham from the Dallas Cowboys bringing his 3-4 scheme with him. A scheme that includes taking a ton of chances with elaborate blitzes and stunts. Grantham takes over a defense however that has been carved up by the running game and has given up the 20 yard plus pass on occasion. One thing is clear: The Dogs needed a change and as fall practice has wore on, it looks like Grantham is the right man for the job.
In Saturdays second scrimmage of the year, the Dogs looked more focused on defense. Alot more flying to the ball. The pressure was solid all day and the turnovers were aplenty. The defense dominated so much in the scrimmage, that they started letting up a little prompting Coach Mark Richt to step in and say something: “There was one defensive huddle where I kind of jumped in there and told them to not get tired of whipping (the offense’s) tail,” Richt said. “Just keep whipping it. Don’t get tired of it or get bored or feel sorry for them. Just keep whipping it.”
It looks like in the great scheme of things, the Dogs will line up something like this:
Defensive Line: Senior Demarcus Dobbs appears to be the only one that has solidified his spot so far at defensive end. The other 2 spots however are cloudy at the moment. Deangelo Tyson has played some at nose and the other defensive end spot. He played more at the end in Saturday’s scrimmage competeing with Abry Jones for that spot. The nose seems to be down to a battle between Justin Anderson and Kwame Geathers. Anderson is 6’5″ and 330 lbs and a Junior but has moved over just this year from the offensive line. He is also coming off a shoulder injury that shelved him for much of last year. Geathers is 6’6″ and weighs in at 326 and is just a freshman. I look for Anderson to start the year at Nose based solely on game experience but look for Geathers to possibly unseat him before the year is up. Geathers has been impressive in camp so far and is gainng ground on Anderson quickly if he hasn’t already surpassed him. My projected starters for the opener: Dobbs, Anderson , and Tyson.
Linebackers: This may be the deepest spot on the team. Led by outside LB and pre-season All SEC pick Justin Houston, the Dogs should be able to provide a sizable amount of pressure to the QB all year long. While Houston has won his spot on the outside, the 3 other spots are a little more competitive. Darryl Gamble has come on strong and just about nailed down the other outside spot. Akeem Dent has a slight lead at one of the inside spots over Mike Gilliard and Akeem Hebron. I look for Cornelius Washington to possibly slide inside and take one spot. In my opinion this would put our best athletes on the field. Imagine a linebacking corp of Houston, Washington, Dent, and Gamble. Those are my wishful projected starters.
Defensive Backs: The defensive backfield is lacking on experience but not on talent. Brandon Boykin is the lone holdover from last years starting secondary but a slew of young players are poised to take over for the other remaining spots. Senior Vance Cuff is expected to get the nod at the other corner but will be pushed for playing time by 6’2″ Sophmore Sanders Commings. Commings is a big physical DB who can jam bigger receivers at the line and get them out of their timing. Sophmore Branden Smith is another that will see alot of action at corner. Smith brings much needed speed to a secondary that gave up chunks of yards at times last year. At Safety, the Dawgs have a stud in Baccari Rambo. Last year, Rambo had 25 tackles, 2 INTs and broke up 5 passes. He also showed the ability to lay a big hit, knocking himself out as well as breaking up a pass with a massive hit against Auburn last year. While Rambo should nail down one spot, the other safety spot looks to be headed in the direction of JUCO transfer Jakar Hamilton. Hamilton is another big hitter who has tremendous speed and ability. Hamilton was coveted by every elite school in the SEC including reigning National Champion Alabama, but chose to stay in Georgia and play with the Dogs. Hamilton could be a sleeper for the next big defensive star at UGA in my opinion. Starters for this group: Boykin, Cuff, Rambo, and Hamilton.
Overall anlysis: I think this years version of the Junkyard Dogs will be fun to watch at times and frustrating to watch at others. While the Dogs will put more pressure on the QB and cause more tunrovers, they will also give up some big plays here and there. The one concern with the 3-4 defense is how it will stack up against the run game. While the Dogs will be new to this scheme, they do have the size and girth to plug the trenches along the defensive line. We will just have to wait and see how this defense improves over the course of a long season. My opinion: This defense will be better and will play harder. They won’t be a top flight unit, but you will see the direction that they are headed in is the right one. You will see some big plays and some gambles, and you will see some payoff and frustration. I think at the end of the year though, Dog fans will be pleased with the overall product.