Mike D talking LSU Defense with Scott Long.... DandyDon.com's Q&A with Mike Detillier on LSU’s 2014 Defense Posted 7/10/14 Scott: As we've said before, success on defense starts in the trenches. A good defensive line can make every unit on defense more effective. What are your general thoughts about this year's D-line, starting with the tackles? Mike:It is the biggest unknown on this team defensively this season. It's like baseball – you have to be good at pitcher, catcher, second base and centerfield to be good on defense, and in football defensive tackle, middle linebacker and safety are keys. This conference still really runs the ball a lot and if you don't stop the run teams will just keep pounding away at you with it. Last season we spoke about this, but Ego Ferguson didn't get the recognition he deserved for his play. He was a tough guy in the middle and he made plays and made a ton of tackles. And you have to have numbers there. It is part of what we spoke about earlier. It is about wear-down too. Quentin Thomas and Christian LaCouture came out of the spring as starters. I am telling you that you could have built a house in Tahiti if you would have bet people on signing date a few years back that of all the highly touted D-linemen, it was LaCouture who would have made the quickest impact. He was a really good prep player, but the other guys had most of the ink. What I like about Christian is that for such a long and a lean guy he plays the game with really good leverage skills. He plays low, and the low man wins the battle in football. He's also a very good athlete and is getting better using his arms and hands to get off a blocker. This game in the SEC is so much more physical than anything any of those young men ever had in high school. They are having to get more physical, and, like a MMA boxer, learn how to use their arms and hands to come off of a block quicker or they get washed away. I really want to see the progress not only in Christian, who is a good football player, but in Greg Gilmore, who I really like as an athlete and as someone who can fly off the snap. I also want to see Maquedious Bain. He is more of the Ego Ferguson type guy. Bain is a huge man in the middle and he has the size and bulk to be that real strong run stuffer. I also want to see Greg Gilmore. He was the guy many upperclassmen on the team raved about., but none of us know anything about what Bain or Gilmore will do in game action yet. We have seen LaCouture and Quentin. This is "big boy football" and we saw Chris Jones at Mississippi State and Robert Nkemdiche at Ole Miss play and play well as freshmen, but they are exceptions to the rule. I also want to see what type of shape Travonte Valentine, the freshman from Miami, is in when fall drills start. He is a huge man at 330 or 340, but he can't play at that weight. He needs to lose some weight and utilize his unusual speed and quickness more for a big man. The success of this team defensively in 2014 really does start upfront, but DT has a lot more questions than answers. But I do know they have one really good player in Christian LaCouture and the offensive linemen who try to block him in practice have really praised his work ethic, talent and hustle as a player. Scott: And how bout the defensive ends? A couple of months ago at the Tiger Tour function in Lafayette, Coach Miles said something to the effect that Jamauria Rasco and Danielle Hunter might be the best tandem of ends he's ever had. That's saying a mouthful, isn't it? Mike:I think that is Les being Les. That is huge to say. But I really think the next superstar defensive lineman is Danielle Hunter. We saw flashes of his skills last season, and he was just unblockable in the spring. Great length, quick off the snap, has the speed to get away from tackles coming off the edge, and he has become a more powerful player at the point of attack. Where Hunter has made great strides is in his overall strength and taking on and defeating blocks at the point of attack in run defense. He is special, no question about it. I think he has a real shot to be a first round pick type player. He's that good. His pass rush skills are off the charts good. Jermauria Rasco has fought off some injuries, but he is a first rate athlete, cat-quick off the snap, and has good pass rush instincts. He closes in quickly to the quarterback. He just needs to stay healthy. Teams will run the ball at him. He's the smaller of the defensive ends and run-oriented teams will test him in run support. Because of the injury and rehab, he hasn't been able to lift as much, but he gives this team a real strong bookend at defensive end to rush the quarterback and also in pursuit. He's not as tall, but Rasco is a lot like Lavar Edwards. Just a superb athlete, especially when headed up the field and also in heavy pursuit. And I want to see the progress in Frank Herron, Mike Patterson and Tashawn Bower. All three are really good up the field athletes who can aid in rushing the quarterback, but who emerges to help in run defense is key. John Chavis likes to play in waves, so this second group is a key also, like what we spoke about at defensive tackle. Injuries, the speed of the game and wear-down makes you play these second units a lot and you need to have good depth there. I really like what they have at defensive end. It is much more defined than at defensive tackle. I really believe that Herron and Bower will be the second wave and they can get after the quarterback. Key for both is holding up in run support. Scott: Mike, what about talk of Frank Herron being moved inside? Mike: Some things as a coordinator you sorta tinker with and other things you take from others. Watch and see John Chavis slip Frank Herron in at DT, especially in some obvious passing situations. You want Hunter and Rasco at end and you think Herron is your third best pass rusher so you move him inside to take advantage of his size, athleticism and speed as a pass rusher. You are looking for a mismatch with Herron going up against a guard instead of a tackle. The Saints move Cam Jordan inside sometimes in obvious pass rush situations. Seattle does it with Michael Bennett. It is taking full advantage of a talented edge player and putting him up against a not as skilled pass blocker inside. It's part of the hybrid world of football today. Eventually Frank may grow that large frame into a full-time DT. Right now, use his skills inside to get after the quarterback. Scott: Moving on to linebacker, everyone wants to know about the Mike position. D.J. Welter does a lot of things right and is a great student of the game, yet a lot of folks question whether he's athletic enough to hold on to the position with players like Kendell Beckwith, Ronnie Fiest and freshman sensation Clifton Garette waiting in the wings. Your thoughts? Mike: I think both will play and play a lot. D.J. is smart, he knows what to do and he has good instincts, but in reality there are guys blocking him more talented, bigger and stronger. I am a big fan of Kendell Beckwith. He has the package to be a really good football player. Now he is more physical, stronger and he knows the position much better than he did as a freshman, but Chief really likes Welter. Both will play, but Beckwith is the real talent here. You have to find a spot to play Ronnie Feist. He is a terrific athlete and he is just so fast to the ball. And he can rush the quarterback from the interior. He has become a more physical player at the point of attack, and he gets around that heavy traffic so well. I would find a spot for him. Clifton Garrette is well above his years mentally to play and play quickly. It will be how he handles the physical part of the game that is key on how much he plays this season. He is not a good prospect, but a "great" potential prospect at middle linebacker. I am not trying to avoid the question , but to answer it, I really believe D.J. and Kendell split the time at middle linebacker. The "X" factor is Ronnie Feist based on what he did in the spring and finding the right spot for him.
Part II.......... Scott: How do you see the outside linebackers shaking out? Personally, I feel like this is the year Kwon Alexander will make his name known on a national level. You agree? Mike: If Kwon stays healthy he is an All-SEC player. The question is health. He has what you are looking for in this defense. He is quick, he has excellent pursuit skills, he is a physical player at the point of attack and he has excellent football instincts. Kwon is also physically much stronger. He comes off the blockers quicker because of it. He is a better football player and more physical than Lamin Barrow. Lamar Louis is a quite an athlete. Just a blur running from side to side and pursuing a play. He has also become a stronger player, but where he gets high marks from the coaches is that he mentally has picked up the defense now. He is not over-pursuing plays. Playing smarter. What an athlete Louis is. Deion Jones is a little bigger and a playmaker also. Debo is a player. That's a nice No.1 / No. 2 shot at OLB. Deion's speed, like Lamar's, makes him perfect for this attack style defense and allows him to quickly get to the ballcarrier in run defense. Both have gotten better in pass defense and playing in reverse also. Because of Alexander's injuries, Duke Riley has to be ready to play too. I want to see how well he comes off blocks in the fall drills. He is a fine athlete and can run the field but if Alexander goes down for any reason, Duke has to ready to play strong in run defense. It's a different game getting around a 250 pounder than a 300-pound-plus guy who is every bit as quick and fast. Where Debo, Feist, and Duke can really make a difference is on special teams. But overall this is a really strong unit and they have the type athletes that John Chavis wants. Scott: In the defensive backfield, I'm really pumped about Rashard Robinson and Tradavious White at the corners. I think these are both future All-SEC if not All-American. But beyond them, what's your take on depth at the position? Mike: Robinson and White are the best freshman tandem at cornerback in the country. Enough said. The best. All-SEC type players and future first round picks, the both of them. Great depth too with Dwayne Thomas and Jalen Collins. Two very talented guys for the nickel and dime slots. All of them are long, very lean cornerbacks who break to the ball with speed and ease. Teams in college football would do just about anything to have that sort of depth. But the one guy I want to really see, and he might not even play this season, is Russell Gage. There is just something about him as a player that reminds me so much of watching Corey Webster in high school. Gage is a great athlete, quick in the hips and he has excellent ball reaction skills. If it's cornerback or free safety, in time Russell is going to be a good football player for LSU. Scott: With Jalen Mills' status up in the air, there have also been lots of questions about the safety positions. Care to speculate on what happens to Mills? And how do you see the safety positions shaking out, with or without Mills? Mike: That unit has a lot of depth and two star-like freshmen in Jamal Adams, who reminds me a lot of a young Kenny Vaccaro, and Ed Paris, who is a tremendous prospect also. Mills and Martin seemed to be the two they really were counting on, but you can interchange a little early on with Martin and Corey Thompson. Rickey Jefferson is going to really have to fight off some competition here to get playing time. Like what has happened in the past, I think Les Miles lets the legal system dictate his next move and Jalen Mills will miss some early time, but I would be shocked if he were not back on this team. I don't know all the specifics of what happened and what one said and then another, but I think Mills will be back on the team and he really is a fine football player, and a future pro player and probably a very early round pick. Ed Paris got rave reviews from his spring play. It's just amazing the talent in the secondary for LSU. And although it is young, these units are stockpiled with talent and they know the SEC is changing quickly and they need to matchup downfield in unconventional ways. I'm interested to see what Chavis does in some games to offset the changing world of the SEC. It is still all about blocking, tackling and overcoming adversity, but the different looks and the nature of the game changing from run oriented to pass oriented is now hitting you face first, and the speed of the play-calling has changed the SEC forever. Scott: Last question, Mike. Special teams: Who becomes top-man in the return game now that OBJ is gone? Mike: I really think it is D.J. Chark as the punt returner with Terrance Magee as the backup plan and Travin Dural as the kickoff guy. Now, TreDavious White might have a say about that too, but that is some heavy duty speed returning punts and kickoffs. Scott: Thanks, Mike. As always, I appreciate your insight and know the DandyDon readers do too.
Detilliar always has great insight and breakdowns, glad to see Scott keeps getting interviews with him. Russell Gage isn't a name you hear a lot, but Mike seems very high on him. We've missed on some 5 star elite DB's recently that would have been make or break players for many big time programs yet LSUs backfield is as talented and loaded as ever.....and they just keep coming! The back end of the D should be something special the next few years.
I hope that White takes to heart all the sayings he posts on his Twitter feed. Stay humble, and thank the Lord for the talent he gave you.
In the Spring game, Bain, Gilmore, Herron, Bower, Thomas, LaCouture, Patterson and Neal all played well. In the Fall we should get more of a feel for who will play the most downs. Rasco was out, but word is they got him to shed a few pounds. Hunter is gonna be fun to watch, I don't know if he plays his Sr year. Micky Johnson was also held out. All the guys that took Red-Shirts looked to be in better shape this year, with time under their belt.
It sounds a lot like what we were talking about before 2011. Remember everyone thought 2012 was gonna be the year and a bunch of sophomores and freshman had the greatest season in LSU history a year early. Maybe that'll happen this year too. This team has a lot of talent, and coordinators on both sides of the ball.
The coaching staff and the talent are there, just like it has been for years now. The question is how many of the inexperienced yet uber talented players have the light come on this season. LSU almost always has the potential, it's just a matter of everything falling into place in the same season. Huge attrition definitely doesn't help and adds to the many questions, but the talent is definitely there. DL is the only concern I have of defense. There has been a big drop off in recent years IMO and we have a big turnover there too. On offense WR isn't a concern as we have more talent than ever before in LSU football history, but QB is a great concern.
