Defensive Line By Committee?

We’ve heard of running backs by committee, receivers by committee…and early last year Charlie Weis even toyed with the idea of having a quarterback by committee with an option specialist (Demetrius Jones) as well as a dropback passer (Jimmy Clausen or Evan Sharpley).

But what about a defensive line by committee? With the official return of Pat Kuntz, who attended Ivy Tech in Indianapolis during the 2008 spring while taking care of personal matters, Notre Dame’s defensive line is stocked with capable bodies but not a linchpin, veteran figure in the mold of a Trevor Laws, Victor Abiamiri, Derek Landri, Justin Tuck or Anthony Weaver.

There are five players in 2008 who it appears will form the nucleus of the defensive line: Kuntz, fifth-year senior Justin Brown, juniors Morrice Richardson and John Ryan (both of whom converted from outside linebacker) and sophomore nose tackle Ian Williams. For now, none fits the mold of the aforementioned stalwarts of the past eight seasons. Williams might be the closest, but his best days are more likely to be in 2009 and 2010.

Collectively, the current group is more in the complementary role, a la Ryan Roberts, Greg Pauly, Darrell Campbell, Cedric Hilliard or Kyle Budinscak. None was a superstar or drafted by the NFL, but each maximized his skill level at Notre Dame as his career progressed. When buoyed by a Weaver, Tuck or Laws in the same lineup, they became more effective. Kuntz, for example, displayed exceptional durability last season as an undersized nose tackle, recording 42 tackles and nine passes broken up – a national high for defensive linemen – before missing the last two games with back and knee problems. Part of the production was aided by the attention offenses gave to Laws. It’s like a No. 2 or No. 3 figure in basketball. Pao Gasol and Lamar Odom filled those roles nicely with the Los Angeles Lakers this season – but what if they had to move to No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, should the current No. 1 (Kobe Bryant) no longer be with the team?

There is no Laws-like figure this year for the Notre Dame defensive lineman, so the Irish likely will have to compensate with more bodies contributing by committee, similar to last year at right end when fifth-year senior Dwight Stephenson played 193:19 while Brown added 146:11. Even at nose tackle, Kuntz’s action totaled 210:40 and Williams 125:20. Laws, on the other hand, understandably monopolized the playing time at left end with 330:17 because he had the benefit of past proven production, durability/stamina and a robust 296-pound frame.

It would be difficult to envision seeing an Irish defensive lineman accrue the playing time Laws did last year. Rather, we could see Brown, Richardson and Ryan splitting time at defensive end, with Williams and Kuntz the two mainstays in the interior. Richardson and Ryan are in the 260-pound range, so it’s not ideal for them to be in for 70 plays per game against offensive tackles who probably will outweigh them by at least 40 pounds. But if they can form an effective tag team without losing rhythm, they shouldn’t have to.

The wild card in the equation is Will linebacker Kerry Neal, who is backed up by Kallen Wade. Neal is the hybrid defensive end/outside linebacker figure who, despite his title, worked with defensive line coach Jappy Oliver during the spring, not with linebackers coach Jon Tenuta. From what was gleaned in the Blue-Gold Game and the one open practice in April, the Irish often seemed to be in a 4-3 set, although there is plenty of flexibility involved.

By adding Neal to the perimeter, there are more options in that arena. The question centers on how ready either junior Paddy Mullen or sophomore Emeka Nwankwo will be to see action in 2008 in the interior behind Williams and Kuntz. If they’re not, it’s probable that at least two of the five incoming freshmen might be pressed into service. Sean Cwynar, Brandon Newman and Hafis Williams are the likely candidates on the inside, with Ethan Johnson and Kapron Lewis-Moore on the outside. They might not play as much as Williams did in 2007, but they might not have to with the return of Kuntz.

Ideally, a defensive line has an excellent combination of star power with complementary players who fill their roles. The 1977 national champs are a prime example. End Ross Browner was the nation’s most dominant linemen, and Willie Fry and Scott Zettek provided All-America ability on the other side. Meanwhile, there were no stars on the interior, but a lot of “Grabowski-type” figures who rotated as a four-man unit in the interior. Tackles Ken Dike, Mike Calhoun and Jay Case were not coveted by the pros, while Jeff Weston was a ninth-round pick who eventually moved to the offensive line. They were ideal complementary players who didn’t need to be stars.