Obviously, losing all that experience and leadership sucks. However, on the flip side ... a few guys are getting A LOT more snaps now than they would have received had Shannon been a go. Thus, in the longer term, that means that the DL will likely be better off than it would have been otherwise.
Similarly, I think that we'll already be seeing the payoff with Lee at corner ... getting those starts in the first 2 games.
I'll be curious to see how guys develop through the year. Will Thompson, at DT, develop to a point where Coach Bell will give him some snaps? How about Filer, at DE? Obviously, those guys have to earn their opportunities ... but will they?
It's interesting how this is one of the first years in a long time where we haven't seen ANY true freshmen play right away. Of course, plenty of young guys are playing ... X is starting, Lee earned starts ... and Entringer and Hall are contributing too. As for younger guys on the DL ... we're seeing Graves, Llewellyn, and Pittman all see quality snaps.
Continued development of our younger LBs is still a place where we need to see growth ... otherwise the transition from this year to next year might be quite painful.
Similarly, I think that we'll already be seeing the payoff with Lee at corner ... getting those starts in the first 2 games.
I'll be curious to see how guys develop through the year. Will Thompson, at DT, develop to a point where Coach Bell will give him some snaps? How about Filer, at DE? Obviously, those guys have to earn their opportunities ... but will they?
It's interesting how this is one of the first years in a long time where we haven't seen ANY true freshmen play right away. Of course, plenty of young guys are playing ... X is starting, Lee earned starts ... and Entringer and Hall are contributing too. As for younger guys on the DL ... we're seeing Graves, Llewellyn, and Pittman all see quality snaps.
Continued development of our younger LBs is still a place where we need to see growth ... otherwise the transition from this year to next year might be quite painful.