[Goose]

My point in this obsessive stat-a-thon isn't that all is lost or the sky is falling.  I know that, basically, in the 3-4 alignment the DL's job is mainly to keep the OL off the linebackers and let the LBs make the play. It's just that last year Solomon Thomas was a game changer with his mad skills. This season is going to much tougher on the front 7.  But this year we might not be able to cope over a long season if our opponents pound it to us on the ground or have a decent grasp of our pass game rush scheme.

Also, it is not unusual for the defensive line to be lighter than the opposing offensive line. UCLA, playing a 4-3, has a starting DL average of 282.5 USC, with a 3 man line, averages 290. In fairness, we would really prefer to have two bigger guys who can play NT. If we could put Wade-Perry out there on a regular basis, we would be bigger than USC. Against most teams, we can probably do just fine without the extra size. However, in some cases it could certainly become an issue.

[Goose]

My point in this obsessive stat-a-thon isn't that all is lost or the sky is falling.  I know that, basically, in the 3-4 alignment the DL's job is mainly to keep the OL off the linebackers and let the LBs make the play. It's just that last year Solomon Thomas was a game changer with his mad skills. This season is going to much tougher on the front 7.  But this year we might not be able to cope over a long season if our opponents pound it to us on the ground or have a decent grasp of our pass game rush scheme.

Also, it is not unusual for the defensive line to be lighter than the opposing offensive line. UCLA, playing a 4-3, has a starting DL average of 282.5 USC, with a 3 man line, averages 290. In fairness, we would really prefer to have two bigger guys who can play NT. If we could put Wade-Perry out there on a regular basis, we would be bigger than USC. Against most teams, we can probably do just fine without the extra size. However, in some cases it could certainly become an issue.