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Demarcus Waldrop

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Capt. Jack

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Jun 20, 2006
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I noticed the football roster on RollTide.com had Demarcus Waldrop listed at 6'-0", 213 lbs. I think height at the linebacker position is overrated, but if this weight is accurate it looks like he's added about 15 pounds. I really like the way he plays. He has great speed and always seems to be around the ball. It's likely he'll be a starter to begin next season. Even though he played a lot last year, I was a little concerned about having a 200 lb. starting linebacker. If he has bulked up a little I'm going to be really excited to see what he makes of the opportunity. What do you guys think?
 
I've never been sure about his size. He seems to be a decent linebacker, but he's always been listed at 5'11" - 190 lbs. That's pretty small for a safety, much less a linebacker.
If he has gained weight, then I feel more confident about him playing full games for a full season.
 
FWIW, if I were you, I would never take what's listed at RollTide.com or in the game programs as accurate. (weight, height, etc.) It very seldom is...and that doesn't just apply to football...you can add just about every sport played at Alabama.

Personally, I'm not so worried about size/weight/etc. as much as I am about how they'll do in pass protection. Against the run, they are top notch...against the pass is a different story right now. They have a long way to go.
 
I would prefer to have slightly undersized outside backers as long as they have blazing speed, as Demarcus appears to have. I think it will be beneficial in stopping the spread/hybrid offenses that are popping up. Another school in this state that I don't mention has recently done well with the small and fast linebacking corp.
 
Terry, given that he'd probably going to be a starter

vs Hawaii, don't you think that his inadequacy in regards to pass protection can be minimized with repetition after repetition in the August drills? I'm not saying he's going to be getting 5 INTs vs Hawaii but it seems to me that if he knows what he's doing, he could be at least adequate out there. Nothing is quite the same as game experience but if he gets the reps over and over with the 1st team D, it would appear that his skills would improve.
 
Re: Terry, given that he'd probably going to be a starter

Braveheart said:
vs Hawaii, don't you think that his inadequacy in regards to pass protection can be minimized with repetition after repetition in the August drills? I'm not saying he's going to be getting 5 INTs vs Hawaii but it seems to me that if he knows what he's doing, he could be at least adequate out there. Nothing is quite the same as game experience but if he gets the reps over and over with the 1st team D, it would appear that his skills would improve.
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I think Terry's talking about all the young backers in general, not just Demarcus. And with Juwan's status for that game being uncertain at this moment there really isn't any experience there at all.
 
I know that being undersized is not always that bad, but being undersized has to reach a point where it becomes a liability.
Auburn's linebackers, I believe, have all been 200+ lbs. Waldrop has been listed at 190 consistently. If you've seen him, you know that can't be too far off. He really looked smaller than Peprah, and Peprah was not very big for a safety, much less a linebacker.
He has looked pretty good when I've seen him, but I've never seen him play for four quarters, much less four quarters for 10+ games in a row. I would think that without a certain level of strength and size, it would be tough for a linebacker to take the punishment for that long of a time. I've seen 205 lb linebackers do it, but I don't remember seeing a 190 lb linebacker play consistently well for a whole season. Please help me remember one, because, really, I'd love to feel great about him being our starter for a whole season.
 
Re: #55 comes to mind

redwood11 said:
If memory serves, Derrick Thomas wasn't the biggest of LB's. He seemed to do pretty well, huh? What an absolute nightmare for opposing DC's!
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You're memory is wrong. DT was a good sized LB, not the biggest but most definitely not the smallest.
 
DeMarcus will be just fine where he's at.... he just needs playing time and he'll make an impact. He always had, wherever he's played. I watched him several times at Pinson Valley and he's a beast.
On special teams over the years he's made some nice plays. Good or bad, however we prefer to look at it, Juwan's off season problems will probably cause Demarcus to get a lot of playing time.....
We'll be fine.
Roll Tide
 
GrandBayTider said:
There was also the Pride of Semmes AL, "Ralph Staten" at about 190-195. Lots of speed, laid the lumber, not a great pass defender. Sound familiar?
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I loved watching Staten play as a kid, and i've always thought he was underrated...maybe a little overshadowed by Dwayne Rudd or something, just seems like he never got the credit he deserved, he could throw a lick....

Looks like we may have 2 of Pinson HS's starting 'backers from 2002(?) starting for us vs. Hawaii. did anybody see them play together? Did the both play LB back then?
 
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Blake,
I saw DeMarcus play at Pinson (he played with Desmond Jennings) several times. I covered high school football for the newspaper and he was a beast.
If you're speaking of Matt Collins, he played for Clay-Chalkville, which is right down the road (so to speak) from Pinson Valley. They didn't play on the same team, although Collins is from Pinson.
Roll Tide.
 
From discussions I would say 5 10ish 200. S playing LB, but I dont doubt he can get it done. Zach Thomas has the same height and has gained a little more wgt over his NFL years but otherwise was undersized but not underplayed.
Peprah weighed a little more than I thought at the NFL combines.
 
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