[NU Sports] Persa and defense

[Jonathan Hodges]

I agree that Persa would be even better with more talent around him; I hope
that the NFL gives him a good look instead of passing on him due to his size
(or lack thereof) - though I'd imagine he's around the same size as Brees
and look what he's done.  I've heard that a lot of scouts look for accuracy
out of QBs and Persa certainly has that, possibly more than any other QB
I've seen in my time.

On defense, I don't think coaching is the big issue minus some of those
secondary miscues in the first 3 Big Ten games.  I agree that the talent
level just isn't there - particularly in the secondary (as demonstrated by 3
starters/players at 1 CB & 1 S position) and on the DL (once again,
different starters there, too).  Talent makes a huge difference, and the
inability to cover plus no pass rush has been disastrous this year.  NU was
able to mask that in previous seasons with just enough talent to get by or
with some solid players that made up NU's best defense in a decade back in
2008 (Wootton up front plus Smith/Phillips/McManis/Mabin in secondary) - but
it was relatively pedestrian by national standards.  In my NU experience,
it's just very difficult to find really good coverage CBs, and I just think
that is a tough spot in college recruiting.

On NU's recruiting, I want to see Fitz continuing to do what he's doing now:
running a clean program that brings in clean recruits who are held to the
highest standards and focusing on seeing them to graduation while also
developing them as players.  I do not want to ever hear of NU lowering its
standards (in terms of academics or character) - and thankfully only the
frantic fans are insinuating that (the administration has been steadfast in
supporting the program and the coaching staff).  I hope that he can bring in
more big playmakers in those key spots, though, and I'm sure he knows what
the needs are better than any of us here.

The fact is that due to NU's academic restrictions, that recruiting pool is
indeed smaller and therefore NU's margin for error is smaller since it's
routinely going up against those with larger pools (and those teams that get
the best out of those larger pools).  This year I would argue that NU has
been in every game and has lost thanks to a handful of plays in each game
that have gone the other way; NU hasn't been blown out of the water in any
game this season unlike in previous "down" seasons.  Every team is bound to
have off years; plus, NU was bound to fall back at some point thanks to the
law of averages and the insane number of close games it has seemed to win
until this year.

Jonathan

--
Jonathan Hodges
Contributor, HailToPurple
Web: http://www.hailtopurple.com/jhodges/
Twitter: @hailtopurple
Email: j-hodges at alumni.northwestern.edu



On Mon, Oct 24, 2011 at 1:13 PM, Brad Wilson <bwdolphin146 at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Tom is absolutely correct on Persa. He might have had one bad pass
> Saturday. Whatever problems the Wildcats have do not relate to him.
>
> Can you imagine Persa, though, with Silas Redd? Or behind a Wisconsin-esque
> offensive line? Or with a deep threat such as our old friend Mr. Bates? Or
> with all three? Wowza.
>
> But that brings me to a point on defense. How many NU defenders would have
> started for Penn State? One? Maybe? Until the talent level gets better -- at
> least back to the 2009-esque days of Wootton, McManis, Phillips, etc. --
> NU's defense will struggle no matter what the scheme (though I agree the
> coaching could help more). To succeed in the Big Ten, especially now with
> annual games against Nebraska (ugh), NU has to have a few Devon Stills-es
> and Gerald Hodges-s on defense -- or Dan Persas, to put it another way --
> and right now it's painfully obvious they do not.
>
> Brad Wilson
> Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®
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