[NU Sports] Looks like the rest of the team woke up, too ...

[Tom Maycock]

> Did the coaching staff find more talented players than the
> ones who had been playing? - No

Actually, I think the answer to that is yes.

The prime example is Colin Ellis. He would have been the starter to begin the season, but was out with an injury. Now that he's playing, you can see why the coaches were so high on him. 

Also, Damian Proby has emerged as a starter, and is playing very well. 

Dinardo missed a couple of games, and that really hurts. Tyler Scott's absence for a couple of weeks was a huge blow. 

I believe Mafuli also missed several games? If so, there's another key ingredient that was missing early in the year. 

Right now, we're as healthy as we've been all year on D (knock on wood).

I think the other big factor is the development of the (very) young players. I'm sure Ellis has improved with experience, and it seems like Proby in particular has really improved. Then there's Ibrahim Campbell--he was looking lost out there at times early in the year, and seemed to specialize in giving up big plays. But he appears to be playing much, much better. 

So, better guys playing, young guys getting better. They've been doing some different stuff on the line with the nickel package too. Mostly, though, it seems like the whole D is really stepping up. Two big challenges ahead though.

Tom