Most Improved Defensive Player

[RuntheBall]

As everyone knows/ can tell our defense has been amazing this year. A lot of guys have stepped up to make this happen. Who do you guys think has improved the most from last year (or surprised you the mos tin terms of first years starters)?

Im curious as to what you guys think as SO many guys have really improved.

Sorry if there is another thread like this, I couldn't find it.

 

[PANDFAN]

honestly you could make a case for nix,tuitt,teo,zeke,shembo

 

[koonja]

How can freshman be the most improved player? Lol. I vote for Tuitt. Became a beast this off season and our 2nd best defensive player.

 

[Irish YJ]

Going with ZM. I think ST has always been a beast. Just easier to see now that he has the spotlight. I think ZM has truly picked up his game while also taking a leadership role with all the kids.

 

[notredomer23]

Motta. I remember him being scrutinized big time, he was one of the least favorite players for anyone on this team, and he was slow. This year he has played all out, lays the wood on every play, and really can't say he has been beat deep or has looked slow. He is definitely going to get drafted I would say now. At the beginning of the year I would have laughed at you if you said he was going to get drafted

 

[koonja]

So premature to say it's Motta. His biggest weakness has always been pass defense. He was always a great tackler. We haven't played a good passing team yet. And the one that was half way competent (Miami), would have made him look silly in the first half if they could catch. No way you can say it's Motta until we play Oklahoma, IMO.

 

[notredomer23]

To be honest Te'o should be an option. I am not taking anything away from him his first three years because he was obviously our best player on defense then, but he has taken it to a whole new level this year. He rarely misses tackles(I remember many missed the first couple years) and his pass coverage is amazing for an ILB this year. He sucked at pass coverage his first three years, and he will be the first to tell you that.

 

[Mr. Larson]

To be honest Te'o should be an option. I am not taking anything away from him his first three years because he was obviously our best player on defense then, but he has taken it to a whole new level this year. He rarely misses tackles(I remember many missed the first couple years) and his pass coverage is amazing for an ILB this year. He sucked at pass coverage his first three years, and he will be the first to tell you that.

THIS.

 

[PraetorianND]

I voted for Fox because he has been so impressive in coverage. He's truly been fantastic and a huge surprise. Was close to voting for Russell because when you look at pure improvement he went from never having played this position before to being pretty consistent.

The whole D is outrageous I must say. No TDs allowed by our defense in how long????? Awesome.

 

[NDinFL]

Motta, no doubt.

Halfway through the season and he looks way better than before

 

[koonja]

Motta, no doubt.

Halfway through the season and he looks way better than before

Against what passing team? He was always a great tackler. I hope you still have a reason to feel this way after the Oklahoma game. If so, I like our chances.

 

[NDinFL]

Against what passing team? He was always a great tackler. I hope you still have a reason to feel this way after the Oklahoma game. If so, I like our chances.

Miami... To name one.

I know what you mean though, we'll see how he does against OU

 

[koonja]

Miami... To name one.

I know what you mean though, we'll see how he does against OU

If Miami could have caught those 3 balls they got past our secondary on, we would have torched Zeke on here. I agree, he's been great so far, but we haven't seen a legit passing team. If our 2ndary can hold their own against OK, I'll be super impressed by Zeke and everyone else back there.

 

[irishff1014]

I voted for tuitt but Fox should get some love to. He has been much better this year all around.

 

[NDinFL]

If Miami could have caught those 3 balls they got past our secondary on, we would have torched Zeke on here. I agree, he's been great so far, but we haven't seen a legit passing team. If our 2ndary can hold their own against OK, I'll be super impressed by Zeke and everyone else back there.

The thing people fail to realize is:

If Dorsett catches that first pass, that's a TD, then there ISN'T a 2nd pass, because they were both on the same drive...

When it comes to Zeke, he has gotten a little better in coverage, but he's gotten noticeably better at being an on-the-field coach, leader, and example for the younger guys.

He's a sure tackler and can hit like a freight train

 

[Grahambo]

To be honest Te'o should be an option. I am not taking anything away from him his first three years because he was obviously our best player on defense then, but he has taken it to a whole new level this year. He rarely misses tackles(I remember many missed the first couple years) and his pass coverage is amazing for an ILB this year. He sucked at pass coverage his first three years, and he will be the first to tell you that.

THIS.

What they said.

I picked Te'o. He went from a solid, dependable, top 5-10 LB in the nation to a top3-5 best defensive player, Heisman candidate. His coverage skills have improved greatly, has gotten even better at reading plays, and a really good tackler.

 

[North Buffalo Irish]

I voted for Bennett Jackson. He looked lost in limited action as a defensive back last season. He's been basically shut down as a cover corner, very reliable tackling in open space, and still has those receiver skills.

Close behind are Motta and Fox. I have targeted both for criticism in the past, but both have really shown growth and are really solid defensive football players.

 

[Emcee77]

I cast the first vote for Calabrese. Previously he looked like a guy playing in a system he wasn't recruited for. Tough, sure, but slow and lost. He is much quicker, physically and mentally, this year. He's not our best player, not even close, but he has come the farthest.

I was very close to picking Motta though. He has been outstanding this year. What is the argument Kuehnja, that because he and Farley (a first-year player) were having trouble communicating on the first drive of the Miami game, Motta hasn't demonstrated that he can play against a passing team? What about the other 3.75 quarters of the game? What about the bone-crunching hits/pass breakups/knockouts he had deep in the secondary against Purdue and Michigan? I don't care whether you are impressed with the passing offense of either team (obviously Michigan's is $hitty); I've watched him make not some but many outstanding plays in which he's covered a great deal of ground to get to the ball carrier/intended receiver and prevent big plays. I can remember one play in particular against Michigan in which Bennett Jackson was completely beaten and lost on a deep ball and Motta came over and made the play. You must have seen it; Mayock pointed it out. Additionally, Motta has looked faster, stronger and quicker to the ball this year; he's not just tackling guys, he is overpowering them, tackling them BACKWARD. Like Calabrese he is playing much faster this year, he is clearly a much-improved player and if he weren't already running away with this competition I'd definitely have voted for him.

Phew, sorry for the rant. The unfair Motta criticism just touches a nerve with me. Always thought he was a solid player.

 

[4irishnation]

Te'o

 

[JD Irish]

Te'o, hands down.

 

[BGIF]

Te'o, hands down.

"Most Improved Defensive Player" ?

Te'o was a Preseason ALL-American. He's gone for an "A" player to an "A+" player.


Motta got an "F" last year from the same guys grumbling this year. If Motta only got a "C" this year it would still be a big jump in performance. Jackson would be a close second. Russell as remarkable as he has played wasn't on the team last year.

 

[Irishnuke]

Since ND has only played 6 games, that's what you have to base this off of. We don't need to wait to see until we play team X or team Y to see who is the most improved so far which is what was asked. He didn't ask who will be the most improved at the end of the year.

It's Motta.

 

[kmoose]

As everyone knows/ can tell our defense has been amazing this year. A lot of guys have stepped up to make this happen. Who do you guys think has improved the most from last year (or surprised you the mos tin terms of first years starters)?

Im curious as to what you guys think as SO many guys have really improved.

Sorry if there is another thread like this, I couldn't find it.

I voted for Sheldon Day. This kid has been getting major reps almost from week 1, and he's a true freshman who looks like he belongs on the field. He hasn't been spectacular, but I think he will be. The important thing is that he doesn't look like a freshman; he looks like a second year starter. That's what I look for in Freshmen; do they look like they already know what they are doing? If they do, then they likely have the natural instinct for the position, and are more apt to make huge strides as they grow bigger and stronger. I think this kid is destined for big things.

 

[4irishnation]

"Most Improved Defensive Player" ?

Te'o was a Preseason ALL-American. He's gone for an "A" player to an "A+" player.

NO!!! A+++

 

[ulukinatme]

I would have to say Shembo or Motta, although Bennett Jackson could also be there. I couldn't really vote for Sheldon Day or any of the other freshman, we just haven't seen enough of them in their career to say how much they improved since they never started before.

I ended up voting for Shembo, but it was close. Shembo has just looked very good imo, a far cry from getting beat by Matt Barkley last year on bad pursuit angles. I've been pretty impressed ever since the Michigan State game.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

"Most Improved Defensive Player" ?

Te'o was a Preseason ALL-American. He's gone for an "A" player to an "A+" player.


Motta got an "F" last year from the same guys grumbling this year. If Motta only got a "C" this year it would still be a big jump in performance. Jackson would be a close second. Russell as remarkable as he has played wasn't on the team last year.

^

Most improved is a delta; an obvious change in apparent competence.

• Day, Russell, Shumate and Farley are automatically disqualified as freshman; they had never played at this level before, so there was no starting data set from which to draw conclusions about improvement.
• Similarly, Jackson and Spond are seeing their first significant reps as starters. We didn't see enough of them last year to have a reasonable expectation about their competence this year.
• Te'o, Nix, Tuitt and KLM all had very good seasons last year; they're surely better, but definitely not most improved.
• A case could be made for Fox or Calabrese, as they've definitely improved in coverage, but we were very stout against the run last year, and those two were a big part of it. Again, I'd be hard-pressed to say their improvement against the pass qualifies them as most improved overall.
• A case could also be made for Shembo, since his brief tenure at DOLB last season was an unmitigated disaster, but that merely reinforced what we already knew; Shembo's a natural at ROLB, so he's best rushing the passer and setting the edge. I'm hesitant to give him most improved based on a failed positional experiment by the coaching staff.
• Which brings us to ZEKE MOTTA. The kid has easily been the weakest leak in our secondary for the last TWO YEARS, but he's matured into the veteran leader of our inexperienced secondary, and he deserves no small amount of credit for our defense ranking 7th against the pass this year. kuehnja is right to mention that we haven't really faced an elite passing team this year, but our dominance of Miami shouldn't be disregarded. Yes, there were a few fortunate drops, but once our DBs adjusted to Miami's speed, they shut down Miami's WRs for the last 3 quarters.

Disagree? What'sa Motta witchoo!

Don't get up. I'll show myself out.

 

[Grahambo]

"Most Improved Defensive Player" ?

Te'o was a Preseason ALL-American. He's gone for an "A" player to an "A+" player.


Motta got an "F" last year from the same guys grumbling this year. If Motta only got a "C" this year it would still be a big jump in performance. Jackson would be a close second. Russell as remarkable as he has played wasn't on the team last year.

I can understand your line of thinking but Te'o has elevated his game to Heisman territory. I don't think anybody would be 'wrong' for thinking Te'o (like myself) because he simply has gone above A+ work.

 

[JD Irish]

"Most Improved Defensive Player" ?

Te'o was a Preseason ALL-American. He's gone for an "A" player to an "A+" player.


Motta got an "F" last year from the same guys grumbling this year. If Motta only got a "C" this year it would still be a big jump in performance. Jackson would be a close second. Russell as remarkable as he has played wasn't on the team last year.

I agree, Motta's improved tremendously. He would be my second choice, with Nix, Tuitt, and Shembo all deserving consideration as well. The whole defense is playing much better since last year.

I don't want to get into an argument, especially since the point of this thread is to point out some major positives in our defensive players this year. All I will say is that just because he was a great player last year, he isn't precluded from making the biggest improvement. I think he's gone from great to Godly, which I believe is a bigger jump than from bad to good (Motta). Te'o could be the best defensive player in the country. He is on a whole different level now.

 

[pkt77242]

I can't even believe this is a question. Motta.

 

[Cogs]

Motta hits hard as ****. Probably the hardest hitter on the team all around.