With less than three weeks to go, it's time to analyze the most important component of any football team: the defense.

Defensive End:

The one thing that concerns me at DE is depth. Beaver fans should have faith in both starters. Henry was a force last year and should have received more playing time than he did. Miller is equally adapt. Both should have breakout years and put pressure on the QB in passing downs. Neither is particularly stout against the run. Henry could wind up being a (very good) third down specialist.

When you're talking Andrew Seumalo as the number one backup that's flat out scary. Glover and his 4-star rating look good on paper, and I do think he'll be a player by the time all is said and done, but right now in camp he is unproductive. Glover's size will help immediately on running downs, and as I note below, the Beavers are going to need that. Devon Kell is a guy to keep an eye on.

Grades:

Starters: B+

Depth: C-

Defensive Tackle

Again, much like DE, the starters are excellent. Brennan "the clown" Olander and Paea are as good as it gets. Behind them are Masaniai and Frahm. Not only is that a scary backup situation for this year, but next year we're looking at a bottom of the conference finish unless we find some help or one of the scrubs emerges.

Grades:

Starters: A

Depth: D-

Linebackers

To me, this group is the weakest on paper. For a school that dubs itself "Linebacker U, west coast" they sure have a lot of problems at the linebacker position. Dwight Roberson is the only solid starter whom you can count on to make routine tackles. Pankey flails and misses tackles constantly. As a senior, he is still undersized for his position. Based on pictures, Reuben Robinson appears to be undersized and have scoliosis (look at the arch in his lower back). Tony Wilson looks out of shape and by all accounts cannot shed blocks. I think the Beavers are going to have a very bad year on defense, and this group is the reason why. Teams are going to lineup and pound the ball at the Beavers and tackles will be made 10-15 yards down field by the safeties. Kevin Unga is the play at MLB, and if he starts bump the unit up to a C. The under classmen are extremely talented but won't get any time.

Grades:

Starters: C-

Depth: B+
 

Cornerback

Hardin and Poyer are quite the players. Dockery is what he is: a batted pass here, a blown coverage there. If Poyer were allowed to overtake Doc, this unit would be so solid, but as it will play out…

Grades:

Starters: B

Depth: B

Safeties

Moving the oversized-for-his-position Cameron Collins to MLB would have been the proper strategy this off-season. Collins is way too bulky to be chasing down and/or covering WRs and TEs. He'll be good in run-support if he's able to get to the spot in time. Tuimaunei is making a push this fall because Collins isn't getting it done. That's a scary thought, isn't it? Even after the debacle in the Rose Bowl, Mitchell is the number one play-maker in the secondary. LaGrone and Dilbeck are backups who can get the job done.

Grades:

Starters: B-

Depth: C+

Special Teams

With the plethora of safeties, young LBs, and wide receivers, this unit should once again be excellent defending kickoffs.

Starters: A-

Depth: B+

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As fall camp progresses, it's becoming clear what type of team this will be. On offense they will be able to move the ball, yet turnovers will be their detriment. On defense, they won't be able to stop the run. This is a fairly deadly combination. We can blame the MLB (#45) for leaving the team, but at the end of the day it's the head coach's responsibility to recruit capable backups and have them properly developed. Like I said, moving Cameron Collins to MLB would have been a good play for many reasons. I'd like a reason as to why it didn't happen, but it's unlikely the media is going to ask that question. Anyway, you heard it here first: the run defense is going to be the achilles heal. Order your toupees now, beavlettes, because you're going to pull your hair out versus TCU's excellent ground attack.

Cliff is reporting Michael Phillipp broke his nose today.

Glover is in camp and a surprisingly lean 240lbs.

Katz threw a bunch of interceptions on day 1 and still has no touch on his short ball. Look for Cody Vaz to make a move.

Keep an eye on Jordan Poyer…he might grab one of the starting CB spots.

Beaver Beware: Lance Mitchell is being pushed by #28 for the starting job. Say it ain't so.

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According to Kerry Eggers the Beavs received two more commitments:

The Beavers have 13 verbal commitments from high school seniors, including Jabral Johnson, a 6-2, 220-pound linebacker from Lawton, Okla., who originally committed to Arizona, and 6-5, 225-pound Kellen Clute of Spokane, who is projected as a tight end

Riley's weak and feeble comments in the Oregonian reignited my rage. Just in time for the season! The guy is already banking on a loss versus TCU. His quotes on the game are ridiculous:

Riley said the TCU game at Cowboys Stadium will tell him a lot about the 2010 team’s character and personality, win or lose.

“You’ll be hardened. You will know who you are,’’ said Riley.

“Then it’s a matter of who gets better as the season goes on," he said, because he predicts the Pac-10 race "is going to go down to the wire."

1. Riley is already talking about "character" and "personality"…also known as "moral victories".

2. Riley says the team will be hardened, suggesting a loss. Wins do not harden teams.

3. Riley says, "it's a matter of who gets better as the season goes on." Gets better?? Meaning what? He plans on the Beavers playing badly? If the Beavers play well enough to beat the #10 team in the country, then they won't need to get better. The comment was a slip of the tongue that clearly shows Riley figures he'll lose the game.

Ugh. It's sickening to read things like this from your University's head coach. Simply put, it is not a winning mindset.

The following things must change for the Beavers to be both mentally and physically tuned heading into the new season:

Depth–The number one problem, by a long margin, is the lack of quality, experienced depth. Having zero or one viable backup at key positions limits what a head coach can do during spring and fall camp preparation. The Beavers usually field a quality starter at every position, but behind that starter is always a crummy walk-on or some guy who needs three years of seasoning to even become a backup. They've been able to have successful seasons because they've avoided injuries at key positions, or the injuries they did have were at the one position of depth, quarterback. Riley knows depth is either bad or under-developed, so he pampers his starters during camp, and when the season kicks off, they're not ready.

Scrimmages–Riley needs to let the starters (a) actually play in these games and (b) go full speed. This problem is intimately connected with lack of depth. It's not hard to understand that if Player X is valuable, and Backup Z is crummy, then the head coach will protect his asset more than if Backup Z were able to step in and produce to a level similar to Player X. While it's smart to protect assets, it's not smart to coddle them, and that is what Riley does. When the lights turn on and the games matter, guys are feeling their way through the games and playing a step slow (i.e. practice speed). Ironically, as we all know, players are more often injured when playing at half effort than full speed. If Riley is this concerned about players' health, he should recruit guys who are further developed and able to step in before their junior year.

Expectations–For the Oregon State Beavers, expectations are not set before the season's kickoff. They are set a few games into the season when things either (a) go well or (b) go in the tank. If things are going well, suddenly you hear musings about the Rose Bowl. However, if the team starts poorly, Riley will talk about getting better, building character, and learning about his team. This "loser's mentality" is entirely the fault of coaches, and precisely the head man. Mike Riley can't say things like, "The game against TCU will show us what kind of team we have" or something to that effect. He constantly talks in this manner, and it is weak, passive, and has connotations that it is okay to fail. Riley needs to set the highest realistic goal, and he needs to do it publicly so the pressure is square on the team from day one. And most importantly he needs to demand it, not hope for it. The setting of expectations and their subsequent achievement is one of two reasons (the other being creativity) Chip Kelly is twice the coach Mike Riley is. And I said twice the coach, not twice the guy.

Until all three of these things change, I can't take the Beavers seriously in any early season game. Keep an open ear to Riley's quotes and handling of the roster this fall. He does the "aw shucks/loser mentality" thing a lot, and it's time people stop lionizing the guy just because he is nice and instead start calling him out.