This is a soapbox I have been on for quite sometime, so I apologize if I am beginning to sound like a broken record. I do find it pertinent to discuss what a Will, Mike, and Sam are in a 4-2-5/4-3 defense.
In a 4-3 or 4-2-5 defense the most significant difference is the player playing the Sam or Nickel position. In a 4-3, it is a true Sam LB... In a 4-2-5 it is the nickel, which is what Tennessee has ran the majority of the time Butch has been here. There is little difference to the other 10 guys on the field.
The type of player at Sam or Nickel does dictate the type of calls the DC will make. For example, you aren't going to ask a Sam LB to cover a slot man-to-man. Just like you wouldn't want a Nickel playing a 9-tech vs a TE. The Sam and Nickel line up in essentially the same place and are asked to do very similar things.
I find it incredibly important that we find a way to get in and out of a 4-3 and 4-2-5 to be a better defense in 2017. There is zero excuse we have been stuck in a 4-2-5 for 4 years...
Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl played a ton of 4-3 because of how much Auburn ran the football. To get into their 4-2-5 defense the Sam came off the field, one of the starting safeties moved to nickel, and a replacement safety subbed in the game. 3 guys moved and your in a totally different personnel package. No excuse we cannot make this happen. It is not hard.
MIKE: Traditionally the Mike is the ass-kicker of the group. In our under-front (shade to the strong side, 3-tech to the weak side) the Mike is uncovered by the defensive line. This means the Mike needs to be able to get off blocks more so than the Will. This is where the differences between the two positions start and stop, IMHO. Because offenses can trade strengths via motioning guys around, Mike has to be Will and Will has to be Mike on a good number of plays in any game you play.
WILL: Typically the best athlete of the group. He is covered by the DE and 3-tech DT in our under front. This means he can be a ball chaser because it is less likely to have OL able to get up to the second level. However, because of the reasons outlined above, he has to be able to do a lot of the same things the Mike LB does. Both the Mike and Will spend a lot more time in the box than the Sam does.
SAM: You can't play in today's game with your daddy's Sam LB. Today's "modern day sam" has to be a guy who can play in space but also be physical enough to set the edge in the run game. There will be times where the Sam is splitting the 2nd and 3rd WR's in trips, or be playing a 9-tech on the LOS vs a TE. This is a versatile skill set and requires a unique body-type.
OUTLOOK: Player development is in question at the LB position. We have recruited pretty well, but there has been little production outside of Kirkland and JRM. There were some technique and schematic issues last season in terms of alignment and pass drops that I strongly disagreed with. Good news is, those issues looked to be resolved in the bowl game. We are all hoping that last year's lumps lead to a much more sound group next season.
SAPP: Sapp looks the part for sure and shown great athletic ability in him limited special teams opportunities. If he can ever stay healthy, he has a chance to be a big time LB for us. (Will or Sam)
BATES: Needs to continue to develop his body and be more physical. Not sure what has hindered his development. At this point, I am hoping for a Robert Ayers type close to his Tennessee career... But I am not expecting one. (Will or Sam)
McDowell: I would like to see McDowell take his body to another level. He has some obvious physical tools but lack of experience led him to play slow quite a bit last season. He is a good tackler when he gets to the ball carrier, but he seems unsure of where he's headed and it slows him down too much. Potential is there but the time to realize it is running out. (Will or Sam)
KIRKLAND: Kirkland is special when he is healthy. He is our Mike LB, unless Bituli playing Mike and Kirkland playing Will is better for the defense... And that is a possibility, IMO.
Bituli: Bituli reminds me of Jarrad Davis at FL. Monster of a man who is still a good enough athlete to play LB. (Mike or Sam)... Probably not quite smooth enough to play Sam on an every down basis, but he could surprise there.
Bryant: Doesn't necessary look like an SEC LB but he plays his tail off and hits a ton. He is a Mike all day long. Not enough length to play on the edge and not athletic enough to play Will. If we had a fullback position, I would move Bryant to it.
Berry: Like McDowell he had some flashes last season, but the consistency wasn't there. Berry needs to continue to develop his body. He will compete to be the starting Will, but I don't anticipate him winning the job.(Will)
Jumper: He is a solid #2 Mike. Physically, he isn't there. I do think he played pretty well before the mass exodus of SEC DT's playing in front of him. (Mike)
Blakely: He is positionless right now. He is built like a Sam but probably not athletic enough to be an every down player there. He gets healthy and grows into being a DE is his best bet, IMHO.
Incoming Freshman: Ignont is an old school Mike. Reid and Henderson are Will LB's. Page is a perfect Sam but could also play Will.
In a 4-3 or 4-2-5 defense the most significant difference is the player playing the Sam or Nickel position. In a 4-3, it is a true Sam LB... In a 4-2-5 it is the nickel, which is what Tennessee has ran the majority of the time Butch has been here. There is little difference to the other 10 guys on the field.
The type of player at Sam or Nickel does dictate the type of calls the DC will make. For example, you aren't going to ask a Sam LB to cover a slot man-to-man. Just like you wouldn't want a Nickel playing a 9-tech vs a TE. The Sam and Nickel line up in essentially the same place and are asked to do very similar things.
I find it incredibly important that we find a way to get in and out of a 4-3 and 4-2-5 to be a better defense in 2017. There is zero excuse we have been stuck in a 4-2-5 for 4 years...
Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl played a ton of 4-3 because of how much Auburn ran the football. To get into their 4-2-5 defense the Sam came off the field, one of the starting safeties moved to nickel, and a replacement safety subbed in the game. 3 guys moved and your in a totally different personnel package. No excuse we cannot make this happen. It is not hard.
MIKE: Traditionally the Mike is the ass-kicker of the group. In our under-front (shade to the strong side, 3-tech to the weak side) the Mike is uncovered by the defensive line. This means the Mike needs to be able to get off blocks more so than the Will. This is where the differences between the two positions start and stop, IMHO. Because offenses can trade strengths via motioning guys around, Mike has to be Will and Will has to be Mike on a good number of plays in any game you play.
WILL: Typically the best athlete of the group. He is covered by the DE and 3-tech DT in our under front. This means he can be a ball chaser because it is less likely to have OL able to get up to the second level. However, because of the reasons outlined above, he has to be able to do a lot of the same things the Mike LB does. Both the Mike and Will spend a lot more time in the box than the Sam does.
SAM: You can't play in today's game with your daddy's Sam LB. Today's "modern day sam" has to be a guy who can play in space but also be physical enough to set the edge in the run game. There will be times where the Sam is splitting the 2nd and 3rd WR's in trips, or be playing a 9-tech on the LOS vs a TE. This is a versatile skill set and requires a unique body-type.
OUTLOOK: Player development is in question at the LB position. We have recruited pretty well, but there has been little production outside of Kirkland and JRM. There were some technique and schematic issues last season in terms of alignment and pass drops that I strongly disagreed with. Good news is, those issues looked to be resolved in the bowl game. We are all hoping that last year's lumps lead to a much more sound group next season.
SAPP: Sapp looks the part for sure and shown great athletic ability in him limited special teams opportunities. If he can ever stay healthy, he has a chance to be a big time LB for us. (Will or Sam)
BATES: Needs to continue to develop his body and be more physical. Not sure what has hindered his development. At this point, I am hoping for a Robert Ayers type close to his Tennessee career... But I am not expecting one. (Will or Sam)
McDowell: I would like to see McDowell take his body to another level. He has some obvious physical tools but lack of experience led him to play slow quite a bit last season. He is a good tackler when he gets to the ball carrier, but he seems unsure of where he's headed and it slows him down too much. Potential is there but the time to realize it is running out. (Will or Sam)
KIRKLAND: Kirkland is special when he is healthy. He is our Mike LB, unless Bituli playing Mike and Kirkland playing Will is better for the defense... And that is a possibility, IMO.
Bituli: Bituli reminds me of Jarrad Davis at FL. Monster of a man who is still a good enough athlete to play LB. (Mike or Sam)... Probably not quite smooth enough to play Sam on an every down basis, but he could surprise there.
Bryant: Doesn't necessary look like an SEC LB but he plays his tail off and hits a ton. He is a Mike all day long. Not enough length to play on the edge and not athletic enough to play Will. If we had a fullback position, I would move Bryant to it.
Berry: Like McDowell he had some flashes last season, but the consistency wasn't there. Berry needs to continue to develop his body. He will compete to be the starting Will, but I don't anticipate him winning the job.(Will)
Jumper: He is a solid #2 Mike. Physically, he isn't there. I do think he played pretty well before the mass exodus of SEC DT's playing in front of him. (Mike)
Blakely: He is positionless right now. He is built like a Sam but probably not athletic enough to be an every down player there. He gets healthy and grows into being a DE is his best bet, IMHO.
Incoming Freshman: Ignont is an old school Mike. Reid and Henderson are Will LB's. Page is a perfect Sam but could also play Will.
