We are going to miss DJ.

[Big-Cock]

That just made me wanna truck somebody. The next mouthy customer in my office better watch there ars!!!

[Mick Chicken]

He was at practice yesterday, per Spurrier. He (Spurrier) said he also expects Latt, DJ and a bunch others to be at the spring game. These guys have definitely left their footprint in the USC athletics program, now it is up to the nkotb to put their spin on it. I could see guys like DJ and Marcus staying involved with this team in one way or another...they certainly deserve a bunch of credit for the persona of this TEAM.

[Garnet girl]

Shaq Wilson was very valuable to the defense because he read offenses so well. EJ often said he was a coach on the field. We will miss those guys.

[henmania]

Originally Posted by ConwayGamecock

I remember how we were supposed to miss Eric Norwood's leadership and confidence on the field.....miss Corey Boyd's exuberance and fire. We will have new leaders step up: we used to have a handful on the team every season....now we have a ton more every season...

You beat me to it. We were going to miss MI, Antonio Allen, Eric Norwood, Stephon Gilmore, etc, but someone always steps up. Spurrier is getting kids who were leaders in their HS and these kids know how to step up. I think Clowney will be the leader more than anyone through his actions.

[snoopcockycock]

i disagree with the notion that this defense will drop off from what we have had the last few years. in fact, i believe we can be better, for several reasons. first off, while we all loved jerideau and his unbelievable strength, i believe dixon jr is a better dt, but just needed time to develop and learn the system. with he, surratt and griffin, i think the dt spot will be much more athletic. big byron was agile for his size, but no where near the agility these other guys have. and don't underestimate the power of having a new dl coach, who is young and eager to put his spin on this unit. furthermore, having sutton as an every down de opposite clowney is an upgrade from taylor in my opinion. taylor was great, but i just think sutton can be more of a threat over there.
now, as far as the issue with the lighter lb's, again i'm not so sure that is a crisis. first at spur, while holloman was a very good player for us, i don't think he was anywhere nearly as good as antonio allen was. allen was lighter and much more mobile, and i think that is what the spur position needs. having a more athletic guy playing spur will actually benefit us in my opinion, and golightly and diggs are both in that category. they will be much better in coverage, and from what i have seen and heard they both can really hit. also there are conflicting weights on golightly. he may be heavier than some have listed him recently. i think the same point can be made about the lb's. while we are giving up some size in this unit, they are considered to be more athletic and much faster than the guys going out. they also have all summer to put on more good weight. now, you can't immediately replace the smarts and experience of those guys leaving, but i am optimistic about this group, and think there is a lot of talent there for now, and the foreseeable future.
i think brown has done a fine job, and with guys like hampton, williams and legree returning, and the extremely talented younger guys like gurly, mcwilliams, christian, elder and moody we are set in the seondary for quite a while.
i'm not saying this defense won't have some growing pains, as all of them have had over the last few years, but i don't see any drop-off either. quite the opposite. with our newer coaches getting more entrenched, i see this defense getting better and better over the next few years, starting this season.

[SCBLACKDOG]

I think D.J. got better every year. He played with great emotion and aggression - just on the brink on every play...Love that kid. He is going to make a great pro.

[ucan'tlickourcocks]

nm

[uscsabres]

Originally Posted by ucan'tlickourcocks

FINALLY! We are on the giving end, instead of the receiving in!!!

Best game of the year for BW!

Good to see Lakeem go out with a win at home!

Maybe Frank will sleep just a little better tonight!

Snip snip.

Sticking with the thread, I liked very much what I saw out of Gurley. However (though I could be mistaken) I thought I saw him listed at FS for the spring roster.