Mean Green Preview, Part 2

[mad dog]

Mean Green Preview, Part 2

Linebackers

Summary

The linebacker position is one of the deeper positions on the 2006-2007 Mean Green football team. The talent and depth at Wide Receiver is solid, but the linebacking corps – even in a 3-4 formation - are 2-deep with eight quality athletes. But quality athletes are not necessarily the greatest linebackers as guys like Taylor Casey and Chris Hurd will attest. How well this coaching staff can prepare a group of good athletes to play the linebacker position in the 3-4 may be the key to this season defensively.

Here’s what we know: Maurice Holman was the star of the LB crew this past year. Not only did he have the highlight reel INT return for a touchdown to beat MTSU, but he provided both vocal and example-based leadership on the field. Several times during the Spring, he was barking out commands to the rest of the defense, encouraging and firing them up. This year, it’ll be HIS defense, and you get the feeling it’ll respond because of his leadership. Phillip Graves is a madman, plain and simple. GMG.com interviewed him a couple of years ago, when he had this thick reddish blond goatee, and he looked for all the world like a member of a Viking raiding party. He will definitely take a burn and pillage, swashbuckling approach to the position. He flies all around the field and loves contact more than anyone else except possibly Tobe Nwigwe. Unfortunately, however, Graves has been a more consistent special teams player than a linebacker in his tenure at UNT. This year he gets a chance to show he can do both well. He is undersized and often struggles against the run. He overcomes his size limitations with blazing running back caliber speed and physical tenacity which make for an outstanding pass rusher.

Former walk-on Derek Mendoza is slow but physical and one of the better run stoppers on the team. When he plays within his abilities he can be adequate. Brandon Monroe is probably the best athlete of all of the linebackers. Sadly, Monroe’s entire career has been hampered by injuries. At this point his epitaph is similar to Jamario’s: if only he had been healthy... At the time of this report, Shawn Early’s status remains tenuous as he is trying to recover from a debilitating knee injury, and put into play the considerable size and strength he has gained during rehab. Tobe Nwigwe, who of all the linebackers has perhaps the best combination of size and physical tools, is playing as a redshirt freshman and has the potential to crack the starting lineup in the middle. Colt Mahan had the biggest breakout spring performance, and really showed that he could play. Mahan may be the most improved linebacker on the team and will help solidify the weakside position.

Converted defensive linemen Chad Cooley and Raifu Durodoye as well as journeymen Lawrence Brown and Henry Eke will battle to get time. None possess the physical tools to make much of an impact at the D-I level.

UNT has some numbers here but need more consistent playmakers to step up this season. With a watered down defensive line, UNT has good athletes here, but they need to get more physical against the run. The coaches hope that Tobe Nwigwe will help them do that. If the team can get a good performance out of Nwigwe and see improvement from Monroe, Graves and Holman Mean Green fans could be in for a treat.

Players to Watch

Tobe Nwigwe

Can he link up his physical skills with a mental understanding of the position?

Brandon Monroe

Can he get healthy and in shape in time for the season?

Shawn Early

Has his knee fully healed?

Phillip Graves

Will he take his senior season to the next level and become a true impact player?

*Projected Starters 4-3

WLB – Phillip Graves

MLB – Maurice Holman

SLB – Brandon Monroe

*Projected Starters 3-4

Rover – Phillip Graves

MLB – Tobe Nwigwe

MLB – Maurice Holman

Bandit – Eddrick Gilmore (Brandon Monroe?)

Impact Newcomers

Tobe Nwigwe

Has physical tools. A keen mental understanding of the game could make him a star.

Henry Eke

Showed up and surprised this spring. Could earn a scholarship if he keeps playing well.

Sam Owusu-Hemeng

Will he be able to garner playing time at the Bandit position as a true freshman if Gilmore can’t play?

Sleeper

Colt Mahan

Is a big spring a harbinger of things to come? Is he being groomed to be Phillip Graves’ replacement?

*Projected starters are who we think should start based on what a player has shown to us in practice and in games. We are not trying to guess the coaches’ picks, but rather who we’d pick if we were making out the depth chart.

[BIG DAWG]

All seems GREAT for the defense in July, lets see about September!

Great Report!

[Nt4Life!]

Much thanx for the report. Keep up the Good Work.

[Guest GrayEagleOne]

Great report!

Now, I have a couple of questions.

In the event that Gilmore and Ransom are not here in August, who starts at bandit? Is it possible for Tobe Nwigwe to switch from the middle to that position and start? Maybe even Mendoza? Or are they too short? Since we know very little (at least first hand) about Owusu-Heming and his ability to start, is there any other player capable of playing bandit?

If Early is 100%, wouldn't he be one of the starters?

[mad dog]

Great report!

Now, I have a couple of questions.

In the event that Gilmore and Ransom are not here in August, who starts at bandit?  Is it possible for Tobe Nwigwe to switch from the middle to that position and start?  Maybe even Mendoza? Or are they too short?  Since we know very little (at least first hand) about Owusu-Heming and his ability to start, is there any other player capable of playing bandit?

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We'll see for sure once two-a-days start. For now, though, it is mostly speculation. I would guess Brandon Monroe would be in the mix there due to his athleticism and strength. I am pretty sure they want Tobe in the middle though, where his bulk and physicality could be best put to use.

If Early is 100%, wouldn't he be one of the starters?

Not until he proves his knee can hold up, and that he can play after more than a year away from the game. If it can, he would probably get the nod over Nwigwe, or possibly over on the bandit side.