Brian: Earlier today, we took a look at BC's NCAA '11 offensive rankings. Today let's take a closer look at the (actual 2011) defensive rankings.
Here are the rankings for the Eagles' front four:
No. |
Player |
Pos |
H |
W |
Year |
Ovr |
| 47 | Brad Newman | DT | 6'2" | 256 | Sr. | 84 |
| 93 | Bryan Murray | DT | 6'2" | 295 | So. | 83 |
| 98 | Alex Albright | LE | 6'5" | 248 | Sr. | 82 |
| 56 | Max Holloway | RE | 6'2" | 242 | So. | 81 |
| 97 | (?) | DT | 6'3" | 299 | So. | 74 |
| 96 | Kaleb Ramsey | DT | 6'3" | 274 | Jr. | 74 |
| 3 | Ifeanyi Momah | LE | 6'6" | 228 | Sr. | 73 |
| 33 | Dan Williams | RE | 6'2" | 240 | Jr. | 72 |
| 55 | Damik Scafe | DT | 6'3" | 291 | Jr. | 72 |
| 91 | Kasim Edebali | RE | 6'2" | 245 | Fr. | 69 |
| 99 | Dominic Appiah | LE | 6'5" | 260 | Fr. | 68 |
| 92 | Dillon Quinn | DT | 6'6" | 279 | Fr. | 66 |
Two questions. Ifeanyi Momah is listed as a left defensive end and not as a wide receiver. Do the EA game makers know something we don't? Also, are you surprised that players like Dillon Quinn and Damik Scafe are ranked so low in relation to our other defensive linemen?
Jeff: I don't think the EA people know anything that we don't but I think they are pretty intelligent and there is a 50% or better chance that Momah does play at defensive end. I am absolutely shocked that Scafe is ranked lower than Momah who hasn't played a down yet. I know they play different positions but still both play on the defensive line.
Brian: Next, let's look at the linebacking corps:
No. |
Player |
Pos |
H |
W |
Year |
Ovr |
| 94 | Mark Herzlich | LOLB | 6'4" | 238 | Sr. | 93 |
| 40 | Luke Kuechly | MLB | 6'3" | 225 | So. | 91 |
| 53 | Mike Morrissey | ROLB | 6'2" | 219 | Sr. | 83 |
| 50 | Will Thompson | MLB | 6'1" | 230 | Jr. | 80 |
| 39 | Darius Bagan | ROLB | 6'2" | 232 | Sr. | 79 |
| 57 | Sean Flaherty | LOLB | 6'3" | 226 | So. | 79 |
| 32 | Kevin Pierre-Louis | LOLB | 6'1" | 215 | Fr. | 73 |
| 41 | Jake Sinkovec | MLB | 6'4" | 228 | Fr. | 72 |
| 44 | Alexander DiSanzo | ROLB | 6'3" | 230 | So. | 66 |
Herzlich edges Kuechly ever so slightly to take the highest rated spot in the linebacking corps. That cool with you?
Jeff: ABSOLUTELY! This is a video game so his leg should not be an issue. Herzlich deserves to be the higher rated player on the Eagles' defense.
Brian: Finally, here's a look at the Eagles' secondary:
No. |
Player |
Pos |
H |
W |
Year |
Ovr |
| 45 | Wes Davis | FS | 6'1" | 221 | Sr. | 85 |
| 9 | DeLeon Gause | CB | 5'11" | 179 | Sr. | 84 |
| 4 | Donnie Fletcher | CB | 6'1" | 196 | Jr. | 82 |
| 26 | Dominick LeGrande | SS | 6'2" | 218 | Jr. | 82 |
| 27 | Okechukwu Okoroha | FS | 6'1" | 195 | So. | 77 |
| 23 | Jim Noel | SS | 6'4" | 181 | So. | 74 |
| 28 | (?) | FS | 6'1" | 209 | So. | 74 |
| 19 | Isaac Johnson | CB | 6'0" | 183 | Jr. | 73 |
| 42 | Gerald Levano | CB | 5'11" | 198 | Sr. | 70 |
| 31 | AJ Currelley (?) | CB | 5'10" | 199 | So. | 68 |
| 37 | Jarick Walker | SS | 6'3" | 203 | So. | 67 |
With two seniors and four starters rated in the 80s, the Eagles' secondary should be a strength of this team this season, no? Your thoughts?
Jeff: Didn't we have high hopes for the secondary last season as well and they were somewhat disappointing? I hope every unit on our team is strong but I'm not putting any money on any unit other than the linebacking corps.
Overall, wouldn't you say that the team has some pretty high rated players and better than last seasons ratings?
Brian: Well, since I took the wrong data from the Team Builder, I can make the comparison in rankings year over year.
On the defense, we have a bunch of players who have dramatically improved their overall rating, including Brad Newman (+16), Alex Albright (+9), Wes Davis (+8), Bryan Murray (+7), Sean Flaherty (+6) and Will Thompson (+5). They left Herzlich's ranking alone this year and only DeLeon Gause lost a point. On the whole, this team, and in particular the defensive unit, seems to be much more highly rated than last year.
Thoughts? Any updates? I took the EA Sports Team Builder template for BC and tried to marry it up to the roster and the spring depth chart, but if I messed up anyone, let us know in the comments section.