If you ask most experts where the game of football is won, they will tell you it is won in the trenches, or on the line of scrimmage.
Offensive and defensive lines set the tempo for both sides of the ball. If the offensive line is not blocking, then it is impossible to run or pass the ball. If the defensive line is not getting pressure on the quarterback, then it makes it tougher for the cornerbacks in coverage and it puts more pressure on the linebackers to make plays out of position.
That was the case for last year’s defensive line. Out of 27 total sacks last season, defensive lineman only accounted for nine and a half. Four and a half of those sacks were from Marcell Dareus, who left school early and declared for the NFL.
The lack of pressure on the opposing team’s quarterback exposed some of the flaws the Tide had with its young defensive backs and unproven linebacking corps. Two of the players who have the most game experience, Damion Square and Josh Chapman, will be looked to for leadership this season.
“If a younger guy makes a mistake, they are looking at us,” Square said. “Coach [Chris] Rumph is a new guy as well, so he is looking to us to help correct the younger guys and let them know the ins and outs of the technique we play up front because me and [Chapman] have been playing for quite some time now.”
Square also said that teaching and helping the younger players is easier because he plays outside and Chapman plays inside on the line.
“We are both on the field at the same time,” Square said. “I help the guys with the five and three technique and he helps the guys on the inside. He knows the outside and I know the inside, so whoever is closer to the guy that needs help will help them. We always let them know that it’s about us as a unit getting better and not the individual.”
Another obstacle for the defensive line will be adjusting to a new position coach. Rumph is in his first year with the Tide after four years at Clemson. He is one of three new coaches on the Tide’s staff.
“Coach Rumph has been preaching that a lot,” Square said. “He teaches us how to rush half a man and how to get push in the pocket. We are a run-stopping team and that’s what we focus on, but we have to get push in the passing game to help our secondary out.
“We are trying to be more complete and not one dimensional. He understands that Coach [Bo] Davis was a great coach, so he is working off what Coach Davis has already taught us. There’s nothing that he came in and changed. That’s what I like about him the most. He recognized who we are and he didn’t try to make us something that we’re not. He’s taking what we already have and making us better.”
One thing the Tide will have working in their favor on the defensive line is depth. Along with Chapman and Square, the Tide has ten players who could help contribute this season, including junior college transfers Jesse Williams and Quinton Dial.
“You want to know that you have depth that can go all day,” Square said. “You want to know that when you leave the field, the next guy is going to come in and wear that offensive line out and you can come back in and wear him out some more. It’s big to know that we have depth, because it has been a while since we had depth like this up front as far as bodies go. We are working on quality now, but we have a lot of bodies.”
