Roster changes

[fourthandshort]

So here's the deal on Harris. IMO Harris is a 4-3 DE. He is a 9 technique get up the field DE. He was playing out of position last year. He is certainly not a 3-4 DE. He is also not a 3-4 Jack. He is not a "jack of all trades". Pass drop and coverage are not his forte,

I agree that pass drop coverage is not his forte but Harris is not a get up the field DE either. He played DE in a 4-3 in '16 and '17 which included 21 games played with 19 starts. In those two seasons combined Harris only had 4.5 sacks and 11.5 TFLs. In 2017 alone DT Dalton Keene had 8.0 sacks and 13 TFL's and reserve DE James Graham and 7.5 sacks.


In 2018 as a Jack Lineman Harris just 1.0 sack and 2.0 TFL's. His backup D-Lineman Ryan Guhl received much less playing time but he had 1.5 sacks and 4.5 TFL's. If you want your Jack to get upfield then go with Guhl. He loves to attack. He'll give up some big plays when someone gets past him but he'll also make more big plays for loss.


So what was Harris doing out there for the last 3 years? The strength of his game was horizontal. He's rangy and quick. On plays to his side he could string them out to the sideline and he was even better when teams ran away from him. Running down plays from the backside was his forte.

agree .. his height and athleticism allowed him to be disruptive in space. BUt I have to agree, given how much field he saw for 3 years, he was not a big time playmaker .. he just fielded his position well in space, while others around him were the playmakers. In that sense, he was a good role player and helped with containment more than big plays. And last year, we were one of the best defenses in FCS at containment. The fact that we finished #1 MVFC in defensive yards per play, but last in sacks, and near the bottom in tackles for loss (incl sacks) is impressive.

Not sure if Harris was told his job was to "hold the line" and it cost him stats, or he just was a "tweener" who struggled in this hybrid role. Some tweeners create mismatches (i.e. James Graham), other tweeners just struggle. If the former, maybe that is why Harris left .. and he didn't like his role. If the latter, maybe Spack helped him see writing on the wall, or he figured it out himself.

Why he left. might be revealed if he Grad transfers and winds up playing elsewhere in FCS, possibly even MVFC ... maybe he blossoms elsewhere in different role. Or maybe he is done like Brannon Barry.

Best wishes to him either way .. he was a good player and great role model by all accounts.

But I'm still a little concerned with the amount of turnover this season. We're now down 5 returners from our 2 deep .. 4 being potential starters. Got some transfers in on defense 2 LB and 1 DB per (2 from Iowa, 1 from New Mexico) .. we're set at DL withour young 2 deep, so the transfers will help replace the depth we are losing with these recent departures.

 

[Reggie Redbird]

But I'm still a little concerned with the amount of turnover this season. We're now down 5 returners from our 2 deep .. 4 being potential starters. Got some transfers in on defense 2 LB and 1 DB per (2 from Iowa, 1 from New Mexico) .. we're set at DL withour young 2 deep, so the transfers will help replace the depth we are losing with these recent departures.

If I'm not mistaken, the Iowa DB backed out and will be going the JUCO route. Losing Edwards and Broadnax means we need to allocate one of these schollies to DB depth.

 

[Chi-bird]

This has been as bad an offseason as Spack has had. It's easy to act like the fox with sour grapes....but we lost some good, talented players, including a potential star in Willie Edwards. Broadnax was also about as athletic and talented an athlete as we've had on the roster in the past 5 or 6 years. I thought he would become a damn good safety. I had our defense penciled in as one of the best in FCS next year, with a real shot at helping us with a deep playoff run. I don't feel nearly as good now. I hope the bleeding stops.

The good news is we appear to have some good depth up front and I think our offense will still be improved. The loss of Smith might end up being a positive in the long run. Despite what some people think, I don't believe Birch was ever going to be anything more than a 3rd string back at this level. He just doesn't have the running ability/instincts that is needed at FCS level. By NIU, I'm sure someone will emerge as a good #2.

 

[MadBird]

This has been as bad an offseason as Spack has had. It's easy to act like the fox with sour grapes....but we lost some good, talented players, including a potential star in Willie Edwards. Broadnax was also about as athletic and talented an athlete as we've had on the roster in the past 5 or 6 years. I thought he would become a damn good safety. I had our defense penciled in as one of the best in FCS next year, with a real shot at helping us with a deep playoff run. I don't feel nearly as good now. I hope the bleeding stops.

The good news is we appear to have some good depth up front and I think our offense will still be improved. The loss of Smith might end up being a positive in the long run. Despite what some people think, I don't believe Birch was ever going to be anything more than a 3rd string back at this level. He just doesn't have the running ability/instincts that is needed at FCS level. By NIU, I'm sure someone will emerge as a good #2.

I had some hopes for Birch. Thought I'd check the internets now, seems like he would have ended up somewhere in this signing period. His twitter showed he ended up at Emporia State, in December. Guess that's that. Good luck to the young man.