D-line slow going at Clemson

By Nate Crossman  |   Saturday, April 01, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Clemson Tigers
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When the Clemson Tigers conduct their first post-spring break scrimmage on Saturday, an interesting area to watch will be the defensive line.

On paper, the Tigers are loaded there, with one returning superstar in defensive end Gaines Adams and four sophomores - Rashaad Jackson, Phillip Merling, Jock McKissic and Dorell Scott - who logged significant minutes as freshmen last season. But instead of being comfortable with the state of the position, head coach Tommy Bowden has been frustrated by the fact that none of these guys has stepped up and distinguished themselves from the rest.

“I'd like to see which one of those takes the initiative to say 'Hey they are always lumping us together. I think I'm better than some of these guys,'" Bowden told The State newspaper earlier this week. “I would like to see one or two of them kind of mentally take the challenge that I'm going to be a difference maker."

It's surprising that nobody has taken the lead considering the types of 2005's that Jackson, Merling, McKissic and Scott had. Jackson and McKissic both started games, and Jackson finished with 37 tackles, including 8.5 for losses. Merling had four for losses and a pair of sacks, while Scott also had two sacks. All four made huge contributions to a defense that ranked 20th in Div. I in total defense.

A situation like this spring's would have been a lot easier to explain last spring, when the Clemson Tigers had two new coordinators and both sides took a long time to get used to each other. But there is no such unrest this year, and Bowden claims that the team is getting a lot of work done.

Therefore, it's probably nothing to worry about. Like any good fantasy football owner, you have to look at the numbers to see that everything is going to be fine at some point. Jackson's 8.5 tackles for losses is too strong an individual performance for him not to come back and make a contribution to this team.

One person Tigers fans won't have to worry about is Adams, who considered going to the NFL but decided to stick around, and will be one of the top defensive linemen in the ACC. Gaines was sixth on the team in tackles last year, but first in tackles for losses (15 for 83 yards) and sacks (9.5).
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