 TOLEDOROCKETS.NETYour source for information on Rocket Football! |
TOLEDOROCKETS.NETYour source for information on Rocket Football! |
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By Brian Nowicki 
The key to stopping the run and putting pressure on the quarterback in passing situations is the defensive line. Fortunately, this is an area that Toledo is pretty deep at.Sophomore Skylaar Constant is listed #1 on the spring depth chart at one defensive end position. The 6-4, 274 pounder had 15 tackles with one sack in 12 games as a true freshman last season. Constant has put on about 10 pounds of muscle from last season and he seems ready to be a starter for Toledo. Backing him up are sophomore Maurice Hill and senior Justin Collins. Hill (6-2, 289) played in 9 games last season as a true freshman, recording 10 total tackles, 2 for loss and 1 sack. He has put on about 15 pounds in the offseason and should see a lot of playing time this fall. Collins will most likely just provide practice depth for the Rockets. Sophomore Douglas Westbrook (6-3, 230) is listed #1 on the spring depth chart at the other defensive end position. Westbrook played in all 12 games as a true freshman last season, recording 6 tackles. He has put on 15 pounds this offseason and he also has the explosiveness to get in the backfield real quickly. Westbrook will be a key member of the defensive line this fall. Backing him up are redshirt freshman Joe Underwood and redshirt freshman Alex Johnson. Underwood (6-3, 240) redshirted last season, but defensive coordinator Tim Rose mentioned that Joe has been one of the most impressive players on the defense this spring. Expect Underwood to provide needed depth this fall. Alex Johnson (6-2, 235) also redshirted last season. He came into the program as a linebacker, but has moved to the defensive line this fall. Defensive coordinator Tim Rose has been happy with his progress and believes he has been one of the most impressive players on the defense this spring. Look for Johnson to see some good playing time this fall.  Senior Tyree Pollard (6-3, 312) is the anchor of the defensive line and listed #1 at defensive tackle this spring. Last season Pollard played sparingly in 8 games for the Rockets, but he has worked hard in the offseason with a new attitude according to defensive coordinator Tim Rose.Backing up Pollard at defensive tackle is senior Patrick Clark, redshirt freshman Nate Cole, and junior Al Martin. Clark (6-4, 266) played sparingly in 9 games last season for Toledo. Nate Cole (6-2, 302) redshirted last season for Toledo, but should see a considerable amount of playing time this fall. He's gained nearly 20 pounds from when he first came into the program last fall. Al Martin (6-5, 255) recorded 5 tackles in 11 games last season for Toledo. He started the season slow as he was recovering from a leg injury, but looked better as the season went on. He will definitely be in the mix this fall, and could see more playing time if Pollard and Clark are not producing on the field. Toledo signed just one player for the defensive line in the 2007 recruiting class, but he is a very good player. Defensive end Marlin Parker (6-2, 235) from Warren Harding High School chose Toledo over offers from Indiana, Boston College, and Akron. Parker was rated three stars by the Rivals.com recruiting service and listed as the #42 weakside defensive end in the country. Parker will come to Toledo in the summer and will most likely see playing time right away this fall. In fact, he could even move into a starting position at some point in the season. There are a couple of seniors on the defensive line, but this is mostly a young group of men that don't have a real lot of game experience. That said, it is a deep group in terms of talent and athleticism and they will be the key to a successful defense in 2007. Have a question or comment for Brian? Email |