Prater back tomorrow

[cibula11]

I'm not trying to attack him, I'm not saying he is a bad player, because I know he will learn from it and I mean he is better than my fat *** and thats why he's in the black and gold. I'm just trying to point out that I think that Ballard will be more significant to our D than Prater will. Not saying that any of our D players are bad, I was just trying to state that if Prater's back up could hold his own then the D may not hurt as much as it would if Ballard was out.

I get your point, I just think our depth at D line is much better than at CB. Losing Spivey isn't going to be easy. I think most fans don't realize how little he was tested simply because of his talent. Many teams threw to one side only because of him, which made their offenses much more predictable. It'd be nice if this year's CBs can make a name for themselves too.

 

[VintageHawkeye]

Don't get me wrong man, I have full faith in that if there was any doubt as to how effective he might be, he wouldn't be in there at all. I think we all know that when it comes to any player coming back from injury, Ferentz will hold a player out - even if he's been cleared by doctors - if he (Ferentz) has any doubts.

Of course.
I'm just a superstitious person, and I believe in jinxes.

 

[Not4cy]

Yes and No. Hyde was who got beat twice.....bad. Honestly, I think all three are good enough to compete in the Big 10....it just happened that Hyde was caught looking in the backfield twice and they happened to throw his way both times.

Yes. Hyde got burned last game but Hyde is the starter. Not Castillo.

 

[homerHAWKeye777]

If folks don't recall, Sash usurped an established starter (Dalton) at safety. Also, if folks recall, Sash screwed up plenty of times early .... however, all the same, he still helped make the team that much better too.

I'm willing to bet that the coaches feel similarly about Hyde. He'll make some mistakes early ... however, I'd much rather have him learn from those mistakes in games that we'll likely win than games that are even (on paper).

I think that Castillo deserves props for his quality play too.

 

[iahawk20]

If folks don't recall, Sash usurped an established starter (Dalton) at safety. Also, if folks recall, Sash screwed up plenty of times early .... however, all the same, he still helped make the team that much better too.

I'm willing to bet that the coaches feel similarly about Hyde. He'll make some mistakes early ... however, I'd much rather have him learn from those mistakes in games that we'll likely win than games that are even (on paper).

I think that Castillo deserves props for his quality play too.

Hyde is a darn good player and the staff is VERY high on him.

 

[ShadasRevenge]

If folks don't recall, Sash usurped an established starter (Dalton) at safety. Also, if folks recall, Sash screwed up plenty of times early .... however, all the same, he still helped make the team that much better too.

I'm willing to bet that the coaches feel similarly about Hyde. He'll make some mistakes early ... however, I'd much rather have him learn from those mistakes in games that we'll likely win than games that are even (on paper).

I think that Castillo deserves props for his quality play too.

Didn't Dalton get kicked off the team after the Illinois game in 2008?

 

[CAARHawk]

Interesting discussion about lynchpins. I would say AC and Prater as blindside rusher and lockdown corner. However, Ballard's versatility will allow the team to sub the entire D line without missing a beat.

But come on, how could you miss Sash?

 

[PatrickAdamovicz]

I would say Clayborn and Ballard. Did you not see Ballard in on almost every play last week?

While I agree that Ballard is a big part of the interior defense, when you have a potential shut down corner, ala, Spievey, you can take away half the field and apply pass coverage in other areas, maybe even blitz on occasion leaving him one on one. Prater is that type of player so yes I still believe he is a linchpin along with Clayborn.

 

[tm3308]

Interesting discussion about lynchpins. I would say AC and Prater as blindside rusher and lockdown corner. However, Ballard's versatility will allow the team to sub the entire D line without missing a beat.

But come on, how could you miss Sash?

I think you can still say Prater over Sash. If Prater is in there, the essentially gives us one corner who we can depend on every play. I've got a lot of faith in Hyde, and think he's going to be a special player. But at this point, with Prater on one side, you can have Greenwood really help out Hyde over the top, while Sash can play centerfield. Without Prater, Sash can't freewheel back there quite so much, and that diminishes his playmaking to an extent.

 

[ICHawk24]

That was a big 2 plays. It ruined our shutout.

Exactly right. Which shows a great corner like Prater is more important than a great DT like Ballard. two mistakes by Ballard generally don't result in 50 yards.

Corner is a thankless position. You make a mistake, and you get killed.

 

[rodg12]

Interesting discussion about lynchpins. I would say AC and Prater as blindside rusher and lockdown corner. However, Ballard's versatility will allow the team to sub the entire D line without missing a beat.

But come on, how could you miss Sash?

Exactly. If, for whatever reason, the other D linchpin isn't a lineman, it has to be Tyler Sash.

 

[Mac50702]

While I agree that Ballard is a big part of the interior defense, when you have a potential shut down corner, ala, Spievey, you can take away half the field and apply pass coverage in other areas, maybe even blitz on occasion leaving him one on one. Prater is that type of player so yes I still believe he is a linchpin along with Clayborn.

I dont think we can call Prater a shutdown corner as of yet, so we really cant say ala Spievey. Ballard has proven for 2 seasons straight that he is a very valuable part of our D. Prater still has not proven to be as valuable as Ballard is.

 

[Mac50702]

Exactly right. Which shows a great corner like Prater is more important than a great DT like Ballard. two mistakes by Ballard generally don't result in 50 yards.

Corner is a thankless position. You make a mistake, and you get killed.

Actually it could happen with ease. If a DT reads the play wrong or over pursues and lets the player who is suppose to be assigned to blocking him get to the second level and take on an extra defender, then BAM big *** run.

 

[tm3308]

Actually it could happen with ease. If a DT reads the play wrong or over pursues and lets the player who is suppose to be assigned to blocking him get to the second level and take on an extra defender, then BAM big *** run.

Yeah, but that happens how often? Because the D-Line is the FIRST line of defense. I would be that the % of 50+ yard plays per missed assignment is quite a bit lower than they are for corners. When they slip up, the only thing stopping a 50+ yard play is a poorly thrown ball.