Crick May Be the Key for Husker Defense To Take Next Step

In a recent conversation, a good friend of mine made the statement that Jared Crick may be the difference in the Nebraska Huskers having a good defense or a great defense.

I thought that sounded a little strange given the fact that we were talking about a defense that has Ndamukong Suh, the preseason defensive player of the year.

After all, Suh is a dominating force who led the team last year with 76 tackles, 19 for loss, and seven and a half sacks despite being double and triple teamed on virtually every play.  He's a 300 pounder with speed to make tackles from sideline to sideline, but I digress.

How could Crick, a 6'6", 285-pound red-shirt sophomore from Cozad, Nebraska, hold the keys to the Husker defense taking the next step?  The kid only played in nine games last year and made two tackles in a backup roll behind now graduated former starter Ty Steinkuhler.

Ok, so I decided to hear him out.

He said that because Suh will constantly be double teamed, Crick will be against his man one on one. If Crick is able to beat his man, he could make teams pay for double teaming Suh.  In turn, possibly making the double teams against Suh a little less frequent.

So why is it Crick who needs to be the one to step up?

Playing next to Suh, it's his level of play that will have the most direct effect on the way opposing offensive lines will handle Suh.

Furthermore, pressure up the middle is what creates the most havoc for opposing offenses.

Particularly against offenses with running quarterbacks like Tyrod Taylor of Virginia Tech and Robert Griffin of Baylor, just to name a few on the Huskers' upcoming schedule.

Pressure from the outside against a fast quarterback allows him to step up and possibly find a lane and break containment.

Pressure from the middle, and often times the quarterback has nowhere to go and a much less probability of breaking away and burning you for a big run on a busted play.

Pressure up the middle doesn't just cause problems for running quarterbacks, but passing quarterbacks as well. The pocket collapses and they have nowhere to step up and throw the ball.

It's equally effective against running the ball. It shuts down running lanes and defenders get into the backfield and are able to disrupt the entire play.

In conclusion, if Crick is able to step up his game, it could take a lot of pressure off Suh and also increase the pressure on opposing offenses from up the middle.  As a result, allowing the Nebraska defense to take that next step from good to great.

Well my friend, now that you put it that way, you have a good point.

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