Bear Down Wildcats

We are looking to be quite deep at experienced linebackers next season which is good for a 3-5 but we have never seemed to have enough size/depth to adequately cover the 3 down linemen position.

If we go to a more conventional 4 linemen scheme next year, won't we temporarily be even more undermanned on the defensive line?

That is a valid question. Maybe the new DC will come in and recruit some JCs to fill the hole? Also, we have Sharif Williams coming off a red shirt, I believe.

I don't disagree. A 3-4 would be an easier transition in the short term, but letting go of Casteel is about as clear a sign as there could be that RR will allow a transition in defensive philosophy.

If we go 4-3, we need D line depth badly.

I don't see how a 4-3 wouldn't require some immediate help from transfers or juco with some bigger bodies.

We do add Fotu back to Fuimaono (sp?), Zellers, and Bruno which I think is a good start. Hopefully Marcus Griffen and Shariff Williams can contribute, I thought they were both great gets when we signed them. Also, maybe a miracle happens and we get Boss Tagaloa and Josh Allen who I think could both help off the bat. That's a workable rotation there, escpecially if some of the other depth contribute (Connoly, Holt, Ultsey). Additionally with a 4-3 some of the guys practicing at LB could be moved to end (i.e. Franklin, Ware, etc.)

Time will tell. We don't know who is going to be hired.

The only good thing to come out of our freakishly large injury problem, was that we plugged a lot of younger guys into the rotation. We developed some depth and a lot of underclassmen got game experience. Hopefully, there will be plenty of guys ready the step up.

Spaceman Spiff wrote:I don't disagree. A 3-4 would be an easier transition in the short term, but letting go of Casteel is about as clear a sign as there could be that RR will allow a transition in defensive philosophy.

If we go 4-3, we need D line depth badly.

I hope so... But I will not rest comfortably that is the case until a new DC is named and we get confirmation.

If he brings in some guy and forces him to continue running the 3-3-5... I will go bonkers. And the pressure on him to deliver next season will be no different than it would have been if Casteel was kept on staff.

I am banking on the fact that RR is a smart guy...

For those in the know, was RR a 3-3-5 guy before he connected with Casteel?

Harvey Specter wrote:

Spaceman Spiff wrote:I don't disagree. A 3-4 would be an easier transition in the short term, but letting go of Casteel is about as clear a sign as there could be that RR will allow a transition in defensive philosophy.

If we go 4-3, we need D line depth badly.

I hope so... But I will not rest comfortably that is the case until a new DC is named and we get confirmation.

If he brings in some guy and forces him to continue running the 3-3-5... I will go bonkers. And the pressure on him to deliver next season will be no different than it would have been if Casteel was kept on staff.

I am banking on the fact that RR is a smart guy...

I can't image a non 3-3-5 guy agreeing to come here to adopt it unless he is desperate. We do not have a particularly deep talent pool, and RR's dalliance with other schools matters in terms of long term job security.

Spaceman Spiff wrote:

Harvey Specter wrote:

Spaceman Spiff wrote:I don't disagree. A 3-4 would be an easier transition in the short term, but letting go of Casteel is about as clear a sign as there could be that RR will allow a transition in defensive philosophy.

If we go 4-3, we need D line depth badly.

I hope so... But I will not rest comfortably that is the case until a new DC is named and we get confirmation.

If he brings in some guy and forces him to continue running the 3-3-5... I will go bonkers. And the pressure on him to deliver next season will be no different than it would have been if Casteel was kept on staff.

I am banking on the fact that RR is a smart guy...

I can't image a non 3-3-5 guy agreeing to come here to adopt it unless he is desperate. We do not have a particularly deep talent pool, and RR's dalliance with other schools matters in terms of long term job security.

I guess I don't understand the point of firing the Godfather/guru of the 335 only to hire some mid-major scrub to keep running it. The recruiting angle doesn't sell me, nor does it sell to the recruits.

azgreg wrote:For those in the know, was RR a 3-3-5 guy before he connected with Casteel?

No, he wasn't.

chiefzona wrote:

azgreg wrote:For those in the know, was RR a 3-3-5 guy before he connected with Casteel?

No, he wasn't.

No. But Rich Rod initiated implementing the 3-3-5 at WVU after his inaugural 2001 WV season (he fired 2001 WV DC). He took his coaches (CTG and Casteel) to other schools who ran various versions of it during offseason. Implemented their own version of it initially in 2002 with CTG and Casteel as Co-DC's

BearDown89 wrote:

Spaceman Spiff wrote:

Harvey Specter wrote:

Spaceman Spiff wrote:I don't disagree. A 3-4 would be an easier transition in the short term, but letting go of Casteel is about as clear a sign as there could be that RR will allow a transition in defensive philosophy.

If we go 4-3, we need D line depth badly.

I hope so... But I will not rest comfortably that is the case until a new DC is named and we get confirmation.

If he brings in some guy and forces him to continue running the 3-3-5... I will go bonkers. And the pressure on him to deliver next season will be no different than it would have been if Casteel was kept on staff.

I am banking on the fact that RR is a smart guy...

I can't image a non 3-3-5 guy agreeing to come here to adopt it unless he is desperate. We do not have a particularly deep talent pool, and RR's dalliance with other schools matters in terms of long term job security.

I guess I don't understand the point of firing the Godfather/guru of the 335 only to hire some mid-major scrub to keep running it. The recruiting angle doesn't sell me, nor does it sell to the recruits.

He tried it at Michigan, and well.... I can't imagine he'd fire his long time DC just to repeat the same mistake.

RazorsEdgeAZ wrote:

chiefzona wrote:

azgreg wrote:For those in the know, was RR a 3-3-5 guy before he connected with Casteel?

No, he wasn't.

No. But Rich Rod initiated implementing the 3-3-5 at WVU after his inaugural 2001 WV season (he fired 2001 WV DC). He took his coaches (CTG and Casteel) to other schools who ran various versions of it during offseason. Implemented their own version of it initially in 2002 with CTG and Casteel as Co-DC's

My understanding is prior to 2002, RR didn't use the 3-3-5. Elmassian was the DC in 2001 and Casteel was the DL coach. They did not run the 3-3-5 until the next year when Casteel was promoted to Co-DC. I heard that Casteel was a bug in RRs ear about the 3-3-5 in 2001, which partially led to Casteel's promotion.

chiefzona wrote:I heard that Casteel was a bug in RRs ear about the 3-3-5 in 2001, which partially led to Casteel's promotion.

Some times it takes a while to shake a virus.