With an injury. The DE position is thin to begin with. The transfer portal can be a game changer with issues like this.
Zuriah Fisher out for season
- Thread starter PSUJam
- Start date
It won't impact how cold my beer is!
Ugh, that would explain why he wasn't practicing at the practice I saw. Tough loss.
Hate to lose anyone. The entire year is a bummer. The only positive thing I can say from any standpoint is that he was our least effective DE with logged snaps.
Any thoughts on the other young DEs? Townley perhaps.
One step forward (MD DE transfer Robinson), one step back (Fisher). This season-ending injury lessens the boost that Robinson might bring.
The DE room is still very thin and while Tarburton is a high-motor player, his pass-rushing skills are almost non-existent. He is a good run-stopper, but he provides little, if any, pass rush.
Losing Fisher is a tough blow as there was a lot of talk about how much he had improved this off-season. Zuriah is still on scholarship so they are still up against the limit of 85. This team is in a tough position going forward for September.
The DE room is still very thin and while Tarburton is a high-motor player, his pass-rushing skills are almost non-existent. He is a good run-stopper, but he provides little, if any, pass rush.
Losing Fisher is a tough blow as there was a lot of talk about how much he had improved this off-season. Zuriah is still on scholarship so they are still up against the limit of 85. This team is in a tough position going forward for September.
They have plenty of bodies and potential at the DE position. It’s not like Fisher was a proven commodity.
Starters: Isaac and Tarburton
Rotional Players: Vilbert, Robinson, DDS, Townley, McGraw
Not bad when your depth consists of 2 Five Stars and another guy who had 3 sacks in last years bowl game.
This probably gives Robinson a better chance at playing time than I expected next season, I was anticipating it to be something like:
Isaac - Tarburton
Vilbert - Fisher
DDS - Townley
Robinson - Vanover
McGraw - Talley
Now its probably
Isaac - Tarburton
Vilbert - DDS (thinking by B1G play he'll be in the second group over Townley)
Robinson - Townley
McGraw - Vanover
Talley
The depth after reading that chart is a bit better than I was thinking it would look, ever after Fisher's injury. Honestly I like that depth chart better than the DT depth chart, assuming DDS comes ready to play and Townley keeps making the strides we have heard about him in practice from last season.
Isaac - Tarburton
Vilbert - Fisher
DDS - Townley
Robinson - Vanover
McGraw - Talley
Now its probably
Isaac - Tarburton
Vilbert - DDS (thinking by B1G play he'll be in the second group over Townley)
Robinson - Townley
McGraw - Vanover
Talley
The depth after reading that chart is a bit better than I was thinking it would look, ever after Fisher's injury. Honestly I like that depth chart better than the DT depth chart, assuming DDS comes ready to play and Townley keeps making the strides we have heard about him in practice from last season.
Hate it for the young man. For the team, better now than later. Maybe staff can find another in portal.
They may have many "bodies" at the DE position, but this team is SHORT on proven DE talent.
Tarburton is okay, but not a player opposing OCs worry about.
Dani Dennis-Sutton, Townley, and McGraw have yet to play a collegiate snap. Who knows what Smith Vilbert will give them.
The reason that the staff went out and lured Robinson to PSU was because they knew the DE unit was thin. If they were content with the talent there, Robinson would not have been offered a scholarship.
Not sure why some forget Vanover in the discussion of the 2022 DE's. Vanover got more playing time early in his PSU career than Fisher and some others on the DE roster. Beamon has played at DE as well. Most of the recent "need" publicized recently at DE is squarely on pass rushing DE's. I don't believe Fisher has even one sack in his limited playing time, so I'm not seeing the great impact on the 2022 season here. Don't get me wrong, I've been rooting for Fisher since he was recruited from Aliquippa in the 2020 class. His high school film showed a missile of a LB, and I'm rooting for a complete recovery and his future contributions on the field for PSU.
It's bad to lose depth, but there are still a good number of very talented DE's on the roster. And with Isaac, Vilbert, Robinson, and DDI, the roster has some very talented pass rushing DE's.
It's bad to lose depth, but there are still a good number of very talented DE's on the roster. And with Isaac, Vilbert, Robinson, and DDI, the roster has some very talented pass rushing DE's.
Good optimistic take Greg. I like it. I’m really optimistic about the addition of transfer Robinson. I too think we will have options at DE. Diaz will put something together. Rush an extra linebacker or safety when the situation calls for it.
Diaz had 2 DE chosen in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft. CJF said recently, before we got the transfer, that we are thin at DE. I'll take our coaches word for it.
Not saying he didn’t say it, but can’t find it online. I found that he said they are thin for the spring game at OL. With respect to DL, he said: “We’ve got to find somebody who can come in and help us with edge pressure and affecting the quarterback.”
DIAZ actually said that he was thin for pass rushing DE's, and that the best help for secondary coverage was the pass rush. No one is doubting that Diaz would like to have the Steelers 1975 Dline. Even Sabin cries all the time and then goes out and beats the crap out of about every team he faces and then has half his starters drafted into the NFL about every year. Fisher has potential, but no proven production, and the numbers at DE for PSU are not slim by any means. Diaz has added a proven pass rusher, high end talent, in Robinson that actually has more field time and D1 accomplishments in 1 year than Fisher had in 2 years. Robinson seems to be the type of player that Diaz wanted to come in, along with DDI and Talley this summer. and add edge pressure which should fill out the DE room to the point very few B10 teams can match PSU DE roster. Yep, I'm optimistic that Robinson, DDI, and possibly Talley will compliment Isaac and the rest of the PSU DE's and form a very good group.
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He was asked about balance across the defensive line. I didn’t hear him say they are thin at DE at 6:40. He talked positively about a number of players and their skills. He talked about the need for consistency. He said they are looking to the portal for a player who can bring pressure from DE like AK. I listened until they started talking Allar.
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Yep, I believe it was Diaz that talked about the way to improve coverage in the secondary is to have a good/great pass rush, and that adding more pass rushers would improve coverage and the defense. Which he supposedly did by adding Robinson. Lots of young developing players at DE now with Townley and McGraw complimenting Isaac, Vanover, Vilbert and Tarburton, as well as the incoming 2nd year player/transfer Robinson and DDI and Talley. The sky doesn't seem to be falling......
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What I meant was, he basically said we were thin at guys that can contribute this year. Otherwise, why talk about going to the portal and then actually doing it?
I didn't spend a lot of time watching them. I was happy to see both Beamon and Isaac on the field again. I also liked the tweaks to how the DE's are playing under Diaz. I won't share details, but if you look at Miami's film under Diaz, you will see what I mean.
That’s college football. 5 star players are 3 years and out. How many teams enter each season with experienced proven talent on their second and third string? If your backups are 5 star young Guys you should be happy.
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