Autzen Audibles

Looks really good on paper. If they can be dominant the offense is going to be even filthier. Poor dawgs. Gonna be another offseason of saying "we got em next year"

We lost a lot of talent and experience after the 2010 season and we saw the expected dropoff in 2011, but in my almost 25 years of being an avid Duck fan, I've never seen a Duck D lose so many good players and still be as solid as they were last year. It's clear that the stage is set for an improved defense this year. We are loaded in the secondary, with depth, talent and experience. We are loaded with talent at LB, with proven depth more of a ? than DB. We are loaded with depth and experience on the DL, and we very well may be loaded with talent as well.

After 2010 we lost TJ III, and 3 others on the 2 deep at DB, and then lost Anthony Gildon AND Cliff Harris for half the season in 2011. Aaron Gipson and Marques Binns redux? Nope. The #3 PED in the conference with 6 of the top 8 DBs being freshmen or sophomores.

At LB we lost Paysinger and Casey Matthews to NFL rosters. A year later and 2 of the most physically gifted LB recruits in recent memory in Hardrick and Wallace, are fighting for jobs on the 2 deep because we have so much talented depth at LB. A backup LB won the Defensive MVP in the ROSE BOWL.

On the DL we lost 3 starters in Bair, Rowe and Clark. A year later we have as solid a 2 deep as any team in the conference. A DT rotation of Hart, Keliikipi, Remington, Ebert and Heimuli are you kidding me? There might not be an NFL talent in that group, but there are 5 guys who would be starting at a majority of conference schools. DE is less settled but a rotation of Washington, Jordan, Armstead, Ka'ai and maybe Buckner and maybe 1 or 2 of the DTs looks very good on paper.

For the vast majority of Duck teams since...ever, 2011 would have been fair to middling at best after losing that much talent. What happened? No worse than a top 4 defense in an expanded conference with a strong OOC schedule.

Fans of pretty much every team say every year that the guys they lose are being replace by guys who are bigger/stronger/faster/better etc, etc, and it's complete homer nonsense. At Oregon, it's legitimately true at many of the positions. This team has more talented depth on defense waiting in the wings than it has ever had, period. Chip Kelly is NOT just some 1 dimensional offensive genius.

It could very well end up the best D Oregon’s ever had. The best part is the better this D gets the more the offense gets the ball back and that’s got to be a very scary thought for Duck opponents.
We could end up averaging 55-60 Points a game.

Michelangelo earns +1. Nice job checking off the +++'s

I think Dion can bring the drop end position to the NFL. A 3-4 team looking for versatility, Ravens or Steelers, maybe Texans could take a shot on him because a 6'7" DE that can apparently run in the 4.4s, what a defensive weapon he could be. He could cover RBs, TEs, and be an amazing edge setter and pass rusher, that is everything you want in a defender in one!