Our Incredibly Veteran Defense

[Soul Surfer]

Of our 11 projected starters, (including Joyner at Nickelback, and excluding whoever our Free Safety is) every player has between 4 and 9 years experience on the defense.
That would be 60 training camps under their belts and an average of 5.5 years of experience as Pros.

THAT should help with the transition to a 3-4 defense and get it up and running at a high rate of efficiency more quickly.

These are seasoned proven professionals we are talking about.
Not rookie maybes.
Even our confirmed rotational backups in Gaines Westbrooks and now Walker have between four and six years of experience under their belts.

More evidence that the mentality is win now and not rebuild for some later date.

 

[Legatron4]

Good post my friend. You bring up a great point. Our average team age just went up about it 3-4 years. And I think it will really show on the football field.

 

[Soul Surfer]

Thanks man.
I've never bought into the "rebuild" theory.
To me, the best way to get a winning attitude and a winning tradition is to try to win EVERY GAME, EVERY SUNDAY, EVERY SEASON.

Consistently try to upgrade every weak link player on your team.
Consistently out scout/draft every team out there.
Consistently replace any coaches that are not not up to par.

Building your team on the premise that it will magically come together in a couple years is foolhardy and wishful thinking in my opinion.

 

[OldSchool]

Excellent points Soul Surfer and welcome aboard! Two of our free agents are going to be huge in this transition in Barwin and Webster will play an especially huge role. Barwin being the elder statesman of the defense and a veteran of Wades system could see him being a silent type of captain. Also Webster will be huge with helping the DB's change to the more press style that Wade employs, our guys will be too used to Williams' soft/zone system. I said in the Barwin signing thread but I think he'll be as important in the Defense as Whitworth will be fore the Offense.