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Theoretically Smart's deficiencies aren't going to be exposed near as much in a 3-4 defense if that what we run as it might be in a 4-3 defense. That may be the thought pattern

Here's an interesting discussion in Wikepedia about the different qualities generally sought in DLM and LBs in various defenses. Smart might well serve as the LB generally assigned as a run stopper between the tackles in the 3-4 Defense

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linebacker

BTW Bryce Hudman is now listed as LB/S on the Roster at www.SMUMUSTANGS.com

Physical freak or not...if you keep in mind that Hunt has never played a down of football in his life, it is easy to temper your expectations for him. And I think that's probably a good idea

Margus Hunt will play...It's not just his size. The coach's are very high on his potential. I'm sure they have already put him through drills, etc. He could be the big story this spring practice. JJ will make sure he's ready by fall.
If you go back to last years prognasticators, most of us were wrong about the make up of the team, by fall, due to JJ using most of his incoming class. This year may be no different and we won't really know anything until fall practice begins.

we may have been wrong-basically because we didn't think anyone was going to try something as silly as JJ did last year. JJ was wrong too thinking that you can run a bunch of underrecruiting freshman into the lineup and- well-actually win a Division 1A Football Game which I'll remind you he didn't.

I don't enjoy mocking anybody's high hopes, but we've so far heard a lot of breathless hyperbole on Hunt, with no evidence that he has decent football instinct. How about we start with "maybe he won't suck" and go from there.

This is what I'm saying. I think some of you guys are a little too polyanna about Hunt and what he brings to the defense.

He appears to be very athletic -- something that hasn't been around this program for some time. But given what we have read, he appears to be very raw. There is going to have to be some amount of remedial work involved with him. Maybe a lot.

Jones may throw him in there. He may not. If this guy picks up any of the stuff the defense is running, maybe some plays here and there would be the way to go.

It's great to be pumped up on his potential -- but that's all it is.

If there was ever an occasion to take a flyer on an athletic big guy with potential, it is on the defense for this team. Can it get worse than last year?

Jaws, I agree with that. He's a freak of nature. And we've seen stories of guys like who picked up football pretty quickly.

Let's just see how the spring works out before his is proclaimed as the greatest in the history of....

jtstang wrote:If there was ever an occasion to take a flyer on an athletic big guy with potential, it is on the defense for this team. Can it get worse than last year?

Ask NTSU.

mrydel wrote:

jtstang wrote:If there was ever an occasion to take a flyer on an athletic big guy with potential, it is on the defense for this team. Can it get worse than last year?

Ask NTSU.

Didn't they beat a d-1 team last year?

Stallion wrote:we may have been wrong-basically because we didn't think anyone was going to try something as silly as JJ did last year. JJ was wrong too thinking that you can run a bunch of underrecruiting freshman into the lineup and- well-actually win a Division 1A Football Game which I'll remind you he didn't.

Silly? Or just a decision that the upperclassman by and large didn't have the talent to win so you might as well get younger kids some experience. Before you say that's what all coaches do in playing their own kids, history doesn't prove that with JJ evidenced by him playing upperclassman much more extensively at Hawaii because they were more talented than SMU's upperclassman.

Do you really think JJ was naive enough to think he'd play a bunch of freshman and be successful? While implementing a new system? While having a true freshman who didn't throw much in high school? Come on...of course he said he was going to win but you can't say otherwise...

Yes I think that what we saw last year with a bunch of second level freshman recruits playing well before they were physically or mentally ready was silly and a waste of a redshirt year for about 3/4th of them.

Was it a waste for the quarterback? I swear to you if anybody just took what was said on this board, you would have thought the quarterback only threw 23 interceptions to lead the country.

The interesting thing was that he also threw for 2,865 yards and 24 TDs -- hmmmm. I just thought some of you would like to know that.

BTW, he had every right calling out those sluff ball upper classmen at the end of the year. Again, I'll go back to the laughing it up crap I watched in the stands when we were getting beat.

Who cares what Mitchell did? The freaking team was 1-11, for godsake. Pointing out individual achievements (or failures, for that matter) is a pointless exercise.