Caspers to DL?

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Originally Posted by Bipolarcy

I wonder if Caspers' weight loss has anything to do with his move to the DL. Maybe they were planning to move him all along, but just had to trim him down some first. Unless his weight was just way off when we recruited him, he went from a 6-5, 295 recruit to 6-4, 292 on last year's roster to 6-5 277 this year. He was listed at 280-something on the spring depth chart.

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I think he was sick for awhile.

The move is possibly due to a combination of the status of the DL, OL, & Caspers development.

The DL has 2 solid starters and a solid 1st guy in with Dutch, JM, & CL. There have been some years when we haven't started with this much to count on, but it would be a real benefit to have a decent 4th guy to throw in the rotation. From the feedback that we have received, WW & BJ are not yet ready to be that guy. I don't see Caspers jumping into the top 3, but maybe he can move into the 4th slot. Even if he doesn't get any meaningful snaps in a game, he could help the team by saving wear and tear on the top 3 in practice.

I give Caspers credit for trying to help the team even if he doesn't project to have the skill set required to be a starting DL in the Big 12 (ie something more than simply weighing 290 lbs). The thing to remember is that if he was judged to have these skills, he would have likely never have made the move to OL coming out of Juco. Transfer DL who can play at the BCS level are hard to find.

The move could also be a reflection of the development of the 2nd year O-linemen. You typically see around 8 OL getting playing time with the game on the line. Caspers moving tells me that he either has not developed enough as an OL or that he has been passed over in the competition to be in the top 8 rotation.

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Originally Posted by Steve

The move could also be a reflection of the development of the 2nd year O-linemen. You typically see around 8 OL getting playing time with the game on the line. Caspers moving tells me that he either has not developed enough as an OL or that he has been passed over in the competition to be in the top 8 rotation.

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Or he was just on the cusp of that top 8 (or whatever the actual number this year will end up being) but it was deemed by the CEO* that his talents were needed more critically playing for Wally. An upgrade at the #4 DL spot may be much more valuable than a similar upgrade at the #8 OL spot. As has been pointed out earlier in this thread quality depth at DL is deperately important for the success of this team.

*I hope I don't have to tell anyone who that is.

In some respects, Jon Caspers is going back to DL. He played on the DL in high school and his first year in JC. He was moved to OL for his second year, in JC, because their coach likes his biggest guys on the OL. I think Caspers has the mentallity and size to be a good addition to the DL.

Hopefully this works out. Obviously the staff is VERY desperate right now at getting some depth on the DL inside. We have 3 serviceable players right now for two positions.

Not having Simon and Pompey at our disposal this year is NOT good at all. Add to the fact, Woods and Jensen are nowhere near ready to play yet either, and you have a mess on your hands.

I got to hand it to Caspers for giving this a shot. Hopefully it works out for him. With our depth on the OL, he may have never seen the field on that side of the ball anyway? This will give him a good shot at getting out there.

If Simon never shows up in Ames, we will need to go get at least one JUCO DT this year IMO.

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Originally Posted by jburke

I guess a negative view to take from this would be that Burnham may not think that Jensen and Woods are ready....

I don't think this change could have been made with the thought of Pompey and Simon coming to campus in the fall problems unforeseen have caused otherwise.

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Rhoads alluded that Woods and Jensen are not ready. So, on the interior d-line we are thin once again this year. We have 3 guys the coaches can trust to put in. One gets hurt and we are in trouble as the 2 we have may have to go it the whole way.

Strap it on and tackle the guy with the football. It's that simple.

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Originally Posted by bigsag

In some respects, Jon Caspers is going back to DL. He played on the DL in high school and his first year in JC. He was moved to OL for his second year, in JC, because their coach likes his biggest guys on the OL. I think Caspers has the mentallity and size to be a good addition to the DL.

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Footwork, quickness, and effective use of hands are all more important to successful DL play than size. Caspers has the size. Hopefully he is at least adequate in the other areas.

Sounds like Rump is dealing with some tweaks(minor injuries). Hopefully they don't slow him down to much.