Is there a #1 defensive player?
- Thread starter Tommaker
- Start date
He's talented, moreso than Blackmon for sure. Experience is his issue.
Wouldn't be at all surprised to see another freshman begin starting this season in the defensive backfield. Elijah Ball is super talented and getting him more and more playing time on defense and not just special teams would mean Purdue would be returning nearly every starter on defense next season.
Corey Trice has also been a name thrown out as potentially starting, but that may be message board speculation. We may see these guys the last 4 games of the season.
I think you could see as many as 8 or 9 freshman, RS freshman, or true sophomores starting for Purdue by the end of the season...which may make it the youngest defense in the P5:
DE: Reviere
DT: Marks
LEO: McRoberts
LB: Jones
LB: Barnes
CB: Major
CB: Mackey
S: Ball
S: Smiley
Question, which of these guys are thought of as having high ceilings? I think people expected a bit more out of some of the younger guys who were on the field and contributing last year as underclassmen, but maybe they have topped out athletically. Marks, Jones, Ball, and Trice to me seem to have the most upside out of the group of young defenders.
I think some of the DL are quality but probably lack in high ceilings in terms of NFL potential but Reviere may have some of that potential if he can show a bit more consistent effort throughout games. He tends to take plays off at times.
I think Jones and Barnes are both very good but I think Jones may have the higher ceiling there but needed a full year (and honestly probably needs another) to get his body in real shape to battle every down.
I'd go with Ball though as he has the athletic ability to come down and cover but play in space to defend over the top. If you can pair him with Grant coming in, that's as good of a safety combo as Purdue has had in probably 14 years.
Thieneman is smart. But he lacks the speed to be a free safety in the B1G. He was getting owned by the Missouri receivers.
That’s exactly what I have noticed the first three games. His lack of overall speed and athleticism has prevented him in making some plays that should have been made and also made him look way out of position. If Ball is ready I think Brohm has a history of going with the more talented guy if the veteran isn’t performing...see the CB’s for that.
Oh yes thank you for correction. I fat fingered the number. In my mind I knew it was #2.
Love guys like the Thieneman bros, Jackson, etc. They are true Boilermakers thru and thru. But they are place holders until the talent matriculates up. Rondale has already dusted Jackson, others will be there soon. For Jacob it will probably depend on where this team is at in November.
For any Cub fans out there think of Darwin Barney and Luis Valbuena. Solid players, but Bryant and Russell were always going to take their spots once they were ready.
And I believe Brohm has said as much to the media. He has stated that they need to bring the younger guys along and the fact that there is a 4 game rule may play in to it if need be for a RS. If the older guys were performing, they would likely be held to that 4 game RS option but I think it has been obvious that most of the young guys are performing equally if not slightly better during the games so there is no reason but to play them if they give you the best chance to win now. I believe Brohm was cautious about letting the young guys just be thrown in to the fire and now with it being week 4, those young guys are going to be asked and forced to do more. They may be more talented but Brohm was probably hopeful experience would win out...but when experience also isn't playing well, it doesn't mean much.
Team captains generally aren't benched unless its result of team infraction, injury or academics.Theineman will continue to start.
There is already one captain, sometimes two, on the bench at the start of every game. Not saying he won't play, but the likelihood of the reps being redistributed, especially if we get to the point where we are sitting at a 2-6 record, is very very high. Remember, you can now play freshmen in four games without losing eligibility. That is going to force a hand to be played that did not exist in previous years.
I don't care if he's a team captain and I doubt his teammates will if he continues to get owned by the other team. Captain doesn't mean crap if you don't get the job done and lose the game.
Blackmon and Theinemen are great kids who give 110%, but they are not going to get any faster or better than they have been since the start of the season. But if we put new kids in who are better athletically they will make mistakes that people here will get mad about.
He’s a good tackler is space but we could use more speed back there in coverage. You can’t discount his important contribution last year on defense.
Truth be told, I wish they would stop playing Blackmon so much. The younger CBs are more talented and faster.
JT is best against the run, which we'll need help with tomorrow. BC is actually a pretty decent matchup for him as they lack the elite speed Mizzou had. I think he will be around the LOS a lot tomorrow helping to contain Dillon. Going forward, the personnel in the secondary could be matchup dependent until if/when we are out of bowl contention, in which case I think you have to go with the young guys.
Theineman has deficiencies in man coverage but he did not "lose" the Mizzou game-lack of any pass rush or pressure on Lock guaranteed breakdown on 3rd down every series.
Agreed. You cant expect DBs to cover that long, especially when you are going against an NFL caliber QB.
My post was miscommunicated. I was never meaning to suggest he lost the Mizzou game. What I meant to say is if he's not performing, his teammates won't want him in there, especially if the team keeps losing.
No offense. But the DBs were as bad on quick throws as they were on plays that take time to develop. Both Blackmon and Thieneman weren't performing well against the pass in general. Don't blame that on the pass rush, even though that was bad as well.
At this point, the team needs players to get experience for next year. This team clearly isn't going bowling. So why not get the younger players more experience earlier this season?
Safeties usually get beat on quick throws. Your comment applies to the corners and Nickel more. (blackmon needs to see the bench imo.)
Clearly isn’t going bowling? Please. Brohm still has 9 games to get Purdue bowl eligible, and he will. It won’t be easy but it can be done. I’m glad Brohm and his staff don’t subscribe to your defeatist mentality. We were upset in one game so far. Last year when Purdue had to win out you probably said the same thing, right?
Look, I'm not being defeatist, just realistic. Most knew this was going to be a year when the team took a step backwards. And that's OK. I would rather get the younger players more experience and let the year play out that way. Next year should be a pretty decent step forward if the younger players develop this year. I think that's just being pragmatic, not defeatist.
Most knew? The defense isn’t as good and the offense is obviously better so far.
You just assume everyone agrees with you. “Just keeping it real” is something the AD would say under the previous management. Things have changed. For God’s sake, we’ve lost 3 games by 8 points total, and you could argue that Purdue beat itself moreso than NW and EMU beat Purdue. This team is better than it’s record has shown.
That’s definitely debatable. Arguably Purdue would have won the games it lost more than 50% of the time of the game was replayed. A young and inexperienced team needs to learn how to win games like this. That is why the team last year knew what to do in positions like this last year....they had lost so many games like those previously. Again, wait until 2020 and this team will not only win games but take close games and turn them in to dudbke digit wins. See Iowa 2016
Purdue was in position to beat NW outside of the stupid PF by Neal. If Cornel Jones doesn’t shove EMU’s QB to the ground Purdue ekes out a 19-17 win most likely. Purdue got hosed on replay vs Mizzou. It’s no stretch at all to say Purdue could easily be 2-1 right now instead of 0-3.
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