Kendall Fuller and Dadi Nicolas made Jared Shanker's list of ACC defensive player of the year along with Quin Blanding, Shaq Lawson and Jalen Ramsey.
http://espn.go.com/blog/acc/post/_/id/82333/five-acc-defensive-player-of...
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If Facyson comes back healthy, he might be a dark horse for some major awards, just because QBs will be throwing away from Kendall with all this national press he's getting.
Pretty much, if both stay healthy I think we'll have the backfield on complete lockdown.
If Facyson comes back healthy, I'm convinced this will be one of the best defenses that Foster has ever coached.
Bud seems very confident he will. I am excited.
Seconded, though I do have some concerns at mike.
I feel pretty good about Mike, I think Motuapuaka has a high floor and a high ceiling. He just needs to play with a heavier shoulder.
My concern is at free safety, but if Facyson comes back healthy and Chuck Clark can play Free... I really like Tech's starting secondary.
I have heavy concerns about the mike spot, Motu needs to learn how to tackle! He always gets driven back!
Well he definitely doesn't ALWAYS get driven back but that is one of the few areas he needs to improve on, I even wrote as much earlier this spring. However, he is pretty athletic and I think he's much quicker and more fluid than the past few Mike linebackers that Foster has coached, meaning he can get involved in more tackles sideline to sideline and will be better in coverage.
Let's not forget that he had over 10 tackles in every game he started. That's no accident, Motu has a very natural nose for the football.
Dare we say, a mike/
roverwhip hybrid? Arikewhike? Amovermip?EDIT: Got my ILB positions mixed up, and was stuck in our 2003 defense..
Agreed. Mike is the weak link IMO.
Maybe Carson gets reps by end of year.
Enough confidence in CJ Reavis in coverage?
I'm high on Reavis. His open field presence is Fulleresque.
Plus have you seen him dance? I'm pretty sure he won every dance off that the team had. That kind of skill has to translate to the field.
Personally, I'm more worried about Reavis correctly reading his keys as a young player than his coverage abilities. Although Jarrett didn't always make the play, he was almost always in the right spot. I think Reavis will be better in man coverage than Jarrett when it's all said and done.
Typical VT, always switching positions on these guys. What's next? Joel Caleb is playing DB now?
I don't think anybody in the secondary is really switching positions...if anything Chuck Clarke playing safety is not that different a spot for him.
Whoooooooosh
No, he's playing TE. Didn't you hear?
TE? Really? Has he considered giving QB a try?
I'm gonna go ahead and say it: none of our guys get DPOY. Offenses will try to throw away from Fuller and then Facyson will start racking up stats. Then they'll rely more on running away from Dadi and other linemen will start racking up stats. Or they'll scheme to pick on our safeties. When that doesn't work, they'll just start punting on first down and hope brewer throws a pick six. End result, none of our guys look fantastic on paper and the award goes to some schmuck at FSU.
sounds about right
ken isn't a slouch at the other DE spot so not sure that it's an option. The best chance for the DEs to pick up the stats needed is for our offense to score points early and force teams into passing situations so that we can stockpile the sacks, which is what dadi/ken will need to possibly get a DPOY. I agree that teams won't test kendall as much, so even if he is a completely lockdown corner he probably won't win.
part of the problem is that Ken and Dadi are both so good that they're going to eat up each other's numbers and end up with middling stats...they'll undoubtedly be the most dangerous tandem of ends in the ACC but there will probably be an individual who racks up better numbers elsewhere simply because he won't be competing with an equally talented player on his own team
they were 2nd and 3rd in the league in sacks last year in their first full year starting. Even if they just hit those numbers again they may wind up being the top in the league because I don't know of another dominant pass rusher in the league that is returning. If the secondary can hold up it's end and we can get out in front both of them should have big numbers in bud's scheme.
I hope you're right. That would be awesome. It would be even cooler if Facyson lead the league with INTs on top of that...now I'm just dreaming
I could see Ken and Dadi being top 2 in the league but I could also see them being surpassed by some talented first year starter who gets a lot of action as a byproduct of teams testing him for being 'new' and 'inexperienced'
i'd mainly be concerned about the athletes at FSU, but honestly with the scheme they seem to have transitioned to it's their OLBs that end up getting the sacks (josh sweat may take advantage of this in '16). Clemson probably has some 4/5* type guy in the wings waiting to replace Beasley as well.
i'm hopeful facyson is healthy and back to form. As crazy as it sounds i'd almost prefer him to not have as many ints because to me he gambles a bit too much and it hurt him a bit down the stretch in '13. Would just like to see him play consistently, which is what kendall does so easily minus a few plays.
I think what hurt him the most later in '13 was Kyle being injured the second half of the season. The coaches were able to play him aggressively early because he was usually on the same side of the field as Kendall and they could afford for Facyson to take chances. When Kyle got hurt, Kendall moved over to the other side of the field and Facyson had to play more conservatively.
I believe the same things were said about Jimmy Williams. Nobody threw his way and he still won All-American honors. Voters notice these sort of things.
I think you give ACC media members entirely too much credit...
No DB has won POY in the past 15 years (only once in 22 years, Anthony Poindexter who may have won because he had a bad ACL tear halfway through the year). The winner is always in the top 2 in TFL, if a DE then leads the conference in sacks, or is a LB that leads the conference in tackles. The only exceptions that I've found are Mark Herzlich and Poindexter. Based on that I would guess Dadi, Shaq Lawson, or a random Duke/FSU/Clemson LB wins it. Sheldon Rankins or Ekanem might sneak into the picture as well.
If they're smart they will run right at Dadi. That is how you neutralize him.
But they're not smart and he will chase QBs all year.
Only two?
As talented as Kendall & Dadi are, this guy is my preseason pick for DPOY
Damn that guy is a hoss