02-08 DL Comparison

[ShakerBuck]

02
DE Will Smith (Simon Fraser)
DT Tim Anderson (David Thompson)
DT Kenny Peterson (Marcus Green)
DE Darrion Scott (Mike Kudla)

08
DE Lawrence Wilson (T. Gibson)
DT Todd Denlinger (Larimore)
DT Doug Worthington (N. Abdallah)
DE Cameron Heyward (M. Johnson/Solomon Thomas/Rob Rose?)

'02 wow 5 years later 5 of those guys are still in NFL, and 1 is All Pro

This is a no brainer, although i think '08 could be VERY good on the edges,

 

[xcrunner]

Not even close, '02 by a mile... especially on the inside...
What we have to hope for is that '08 gets even a little close, and that's not a knock on the '07-'08 DL. The '02 DL was just one of the absolute best ever (I haven't been around nearly long enough to make a statement like that, but it was good enough that I figure it must have been ).

I expect a lot of improvement from '07 to '08- I think it's just one of those things that happens with young guys... get them in another year of S&C, plus get some injured guys back, get some depth back... But I can't see a way in which they improve to the point of '02.

 

[BearBuck27]

'02...one of the better defensive lines i've seen assembled. will smith and darion scott were great on the outside, and anderson and peterson were tremendous on the inside. they shut some GREAT rushing attacks down that year.

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

Biggest difference between the two teams by a big margin. I'm one of the optimists about this year's DL, but their pie-in-the-sky upside still doesn't measure up to '02 IMHO.

 

[Dryden]

No contest.

I love threads about the 2002 D-Line, just because it gives me a reason to watch this again, and it never gets old.

[ame=http://youtube.com/watch?v=2l6slzy-U2o]YouTube - OSU's Darrion Scott's hit on WSU's Jason Gesser in 2002.[/ame]

 

[matcar]

With anything close to the 2002 DL in 2006 or 2007, we'd be marching towards a 3-peat.

Problem is, lines like that of 2002 only come around once in a long time, so lots of teams could probably make that statement.

 

[Buckeye86]

2002. An amazing D-Line and one of the biggest reasons why we brought home the hardware in my opinion.

This year our D-Line will be good, and may even be great, but it won't carry the team like the 2002 D-Line did.

 

[Oh8ch]

02 easily of course.

But if you were ever looking for a roster that had the potential to best that line - 2008 is that roster.

 

[MUBuck]

But if you were ever looking for a roster that had the potential to best that line - 2008 is that roster.

...or 2009 if Wilson ends up staying. In that case, I believe we would only lose Nader from the 2-deep.

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

02 easily of course.

But if you were ever looking for a roster that had the potential to best that line - 2008 is that roster.

...or 2009 if Wilson ends up staying. In that case, I believe we would only lose Nader from the 2-deep.

I have to wonder if Oh8ch wasn't talking about the entire roster, not just the DL roster. It is only when you consider the teams across every position that the difference between the two DLs might be made up. And that is only if you consider the potential of the 2008 team.

 

[Dryden]

I have to wonder if Oh8ch wasn't talking about the entire roster, not just the DL roster. It is only when you consider the teams across every position that the difference between the two DLs might be made up. And that is only if you consider the potential of the 2008 team.

"There is no greater curse than being blessed with unlimited potential."
-- Ken Brett (George Brett's less talented brother)

 

[Oh8ch]

I have to wonder if Oh8ch wasn't talking about the entire roster, not just the DL roster.

Actually, what I was ambiguously referencing was the DL roster over the next few years - not necessarily in 2008.

For example, in 2009 we have Rose (whom we have only seen healthy as a Frosh), Denlinger and Worthington with another year under their belt (DL often bloom late and despite the many barbs thrown their way it is still early for these two), Heyward (sky is the limit), Gibson (imagine another year in the weight room for this kid), Larrimore, Johnson and 10 kids who will be RS Sophs, RS Frosh, or true Frosh (and four of whom were rated in the top 10 at their position out of HS). And yeah, you could add Wilson to that group.

And if not 2009 then think 2011.

My point was simply that there are more beasts committed or on the roster right now than at any time I can recall (and I have vague memories of Alexander Lilley).

 

[DukeBuckeye]

I think most people hit it on the head. The main difference between the '02 and '08 teams is pretty much all in the D-Line. We haven't seen Lawrence Wilson play in 2 years but if you watch the OSU-Miami game, even as a casual and unfamiliar observer, you can't help but notice how active our D-Line was; they are the reason or one of the major reasons we won that game.

I like where we're headed this year with the evolution of Heyward, the return of Wilson and hopefully Robert Rose's coming out party (fingers crossed) but the comparison isn't even close as of today.

I also agree with Matcar; if we had anything close to that 2002 DL the past two seasons, you're probably looking at OSU going for 3rd straight NC right now. And our DL in '06 with Richardson and Pitcock wasn't too shabby.

 

[generaladm]

By far the easiest call in this series. My clear Buckeye memories only go back to the 90's, but I have a hard time believing that we ever had a better D-line from top to bottom than 02. Not only were the starting four all great players, but they complimented each other perfectly. Anderson was the stay at home DT with the hands and feet to grab hold of any ball carrier coming his way. Peterson was the bull-rushing beast who could split most double teams. Scott, the outside speedster. And Big Will Smith was just a freakish combo of size, speed and athleticism. Remember when he chased down McGahee from behind on a right sweep? That line was dominant in every game. Fraser, Green, Thompson, and Kudla were all capable backups, but weren't really needed that much. They only surrendered 5 rushing TDs in 14 games, that's .357 per game. Pretty impressive, considering they faced touted backs like Anthony Davis, Larry Johnson, Chris Perry, and Willis McGahee. In the NC game, they combined for 4 sacks and numerous hurries against am O-line that only surrendered 8 sacks in 12 games.

The 08 line, while it pales in comparison to 02, should be a solid squad. The players returning from injury, and the infusion of new blood, combined with the motivation of being labeled a weak spot in 07, should spark a good deal of improvement. With All-American talent all over the defensive backfield, the D-line doesn't need to be spectacular (though that would be awesome!). If they can be effective against the run, and get consistent pressure on the opposing QB, it should be sufficient to keep the Buckeyes at the top of the defensive standings.

 

[Flash TarHusky]

You all make me proud...

...because I was expecting at least a couple Homer replies in here (e.g., 2008 rules, 2002 drulz, etc.).

I think we could all agree that the D line was collectively 2007's weakness. However, it won't take much for things to fall into place for the 2008 D line to be excellent--especially when you look at some of the individuals, their age, and how they did for where they were.

There's some massive upside here...