Agree with @oneilcd in every way. Any of the 3 could emerge but I'm comfy, one can step in and be reasonably effective.
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Spring Game on March 18th
- Thread starter Buffnik
- Start date
I'm less worried about our current ILBs against the run. It's a totally different story against the pass. If QBs are allowed time to throw, the middle of the field will expose Gamboa and company. And I'm not sure who is going to consistently apply a pass rush on this defense. Remains to be seen.
Addison Gilliam comes to mind
Gamboa looks like he has everything you want in an ILB but speed. Unfortunately in the PAC12 lack of speed is a huge but.
We play in a league that has the kind of athletes and system that will expose a lack of speed. Once teams see it happening on film they aren't going to wait to attack it.
If we were playing in the old Big 8/12 with teams that ran the ball 70%+ of the time it wouldn't be an issue but if Gamboa gets a lot of playing time this year they are going to have to give him a lot of safety help
We play in a league that has the kind of athletes and system that will expose a lack of speed. Once teams see it happening on film they aren't going to wait to attack it.
If we were playing in the old Big 8/12 with teams that ran the ball 70%+ of the time it wouldn't be an issue but if Gamboa gets a lot of playing time this year they are going to have to give him a lot of safety help
I'm confused. Gambia has had 2 years of a lot of PT. Why is next year the big concern?
Sykobuff
Well-Known Member
Has he improved his speed and lateral movement? He has good instincts but gets exposed at times. I think he'll be okay.
He is not going to be slower than last year, which I think might be what Mtn is implying.
I don't expect Gamboa to lose his spot, but let's at least be honest in saying he is a pretty average football player who can be a liability at times. We are not Bama, so it's hard to expect all-conference play at every position, but if Gamboa is going to be a mainstay on the field, the other inside spot needs to be pretty good. Olugbude made plenty of plays last season. Given the current options there (and backing up Gamboa), the true freshmen need to be an option.
Gamboa will have a very good year. He had a good season in 2016. I think we're under-valuing him. Not going to blow anyone away at a combine, probably, but there have been a lot of great college players (and NFL players) who made it happen through technique, IQ that allowed anticipation, and being a winner/ aggressive football player.
He won't be slower but last year we saw plenty of instances where opponents to advantage of his speed, no reason to think that won't continue this year.
I like the guy and think he's a good football player but he does have that one weakness that the coaches have to deal with when he is on the field.
8Jah
Well-Known Member
JL brought concepts from the 49ers 3-4; who assigned TED and MIKE ILBs. The TED is the stouter guy who clears the way for the MIKE; who is the faster, more athletic guy. TEDs have to be big, tough and smart. They shouldn't be asked to rush the passer much, drop into coverage much, or seal the edge much. If TED is doing these things in a game, then something else in your defense is breaking. Gamboa fits at TED.
It will be interesting to see if the new coaches use the same concepts.
It will be interesting to see if the new coaches use the same concepts.
I just think throwing the word "great" around in the context of Gamboa is a little much. You are describing an effective college football player and equating that to greatness.
Semantics. I would say that Jeff Smart was a great college play his senior year. Those kinds of hyper-productive, assignment-perfect guys are the glue that makes a defense work.
The whole bold above is just internet bull**** quite frankly, that is repeated all the time. Much like the "Gamboa is a total waste of scholarship and will never play here" - followed a few weeks later by the revelation that he had won a starting job. Gamboa is not exposed weak in and weak out by the mad scientists OCs of the PAC12.
I watch every game about 5 times, dissecting every defensive play and I really can't think of that being an issue. Why? It's not a key requirement of the position in this scheme. Dissecting quickly and quick reactions is at a premium. Being in the right place, at the right time, and being a sure tackler is extremely key. Our defense is like a ballet. Sit back and observe it's beauty!
BuffLuke80
Well-Known Member
Ray Lewis agrees with you. He was a ton like that.
Is it though? It ties in with the Parker Orms discussion in the recruiting forum a couple months ago. Somehow he has become a standard for some fans as a defensive back. How?
Again, not saying we need 5* players at every position, but ascribing greatness to average college players means you think Gamboa is essentially irreplaceable. Not buying it.
I don't think that Ray Lewis is the type of comparison we want to make.
I do think we can talk about an NFL ILB comparison of a guy like Tedy Bruschi in terms of the type of player Gamboa can be on the college level. Ran a 4.68 forty, which is slow for an NFL linebacker but had a 42 inch vertical (explosive, but not fast). Only 6'1". We're talking NFL-level athleticism here, though. So that's not really apt for Gamboa, I don't think.
For college comparisons, I look at a guy like Pat Fitzgerald who was amazing as a player for GB's Northwestern teams. Fitz was ran a 4.82 on his pro day and he has said that was his best ever time (maybe the only time he clocked under 5 seconds). A little taller at 6'2".
Gamboa is only 6'0" and I don't know his other measurables (other than a claimed 4.7 coming out of high school), but he's always been a tackling machine. iirc, he had over 100 tackles for Chaminade in HS, which is big time football. He has delivered that same kind of productivity for 2 years at CU and I see him taking it to another level this year as a leader of this defense. It won't surprise me at all if he's on an all-conference team this season and next. Dude makes plays. And, even though it's a stretch upside, I don't think it's outside the realm of possibility that he could win a DPOY in the Pac-12 before he leaves with the tackle numbers he's going to put up.
I still have the games DVRd and going back have seen multiple incidents where teams took advantage of his speed, it is there.
That in no way means that I think he is a waste of a scholly or that he shouldn't be playing, as I stated earlier the speed looks to be his biggest weakness. Virtually every player has some weakness or weaknesses, doesn't make them a bad player but does mean that coaches have to be aware of the weakness and adjust so it doesn't hurt the team. I would much rather have Gamboa on the field than a guy with better speed but lesser instincts. In the recent past we have seen Buff LBs who had plenty of speed but who would overrun plays, take bad angles, or get tied up with blockers.
Not every guy is going to be a HOF talent, I don't see a problem with making realistic evaluations of the guys we have playing. Doesn't mean that we dislike a guy or want to replace him, just means that we make realistic evaluations.
I don't think Orms was on the same level as a Gamboa. Not in the least.
I do think Gamboa is essentially irreplaceable. He's made 75+ tackles his frosh and soph seasons. Next step, which I expect him to make, is adding more big plays (INTs, FFs, FRs & Sacks) to that production now that he's an upperclassman.
Offseason debates gonna be offseason debates, though. I'm clearly much higher on Gamboa than most fans. But I truly see him as an all-conference type guy who will lead one of the Pac-12's better defenses this season.
Next time you see him being exploited, please let me know. I still have them as well.
With that said, I'm not quite as high on Gamboa as Buffnik, but think he's a very good player in our defense and is NOT being exploited by the opposing OCs as you say.
I specifically remember Gamboa chasing the ultra-athletic Jake Butt around on wide open crossing routes in the Michigan game. Was a little exposed in that one, IMO. I don't have any other examples, though.
Yep. I also have memories of KO chasing guys in coverage and looking bad. This is more of a pass rush issue, imo. If a QB has time to wait for crossing routes or wheel routes to clear against LBs in coverage, we're gonna get torched.
Hmm. I can't make that leap with you. He's a solid piece on our defense with physical limitations that prevent him from being all conference or a consistent provider of big plays. Which is fine and necessary, but you need more than that at most places on the team in order to win a championship.
BuffLuke80
Well-Known Member
Ha ha, no ****. My point was really just ability to diagnose a play and be in the right spot. It can overcome some physical limitations. Thanks for making fun of me tho prick lol.I don't think that Ray Lewis is the type of comparison we want to make.
I do think we can talk about an NFL ILB comparison of a guy like Tedy Bruschi in terms of the type of player Gamboa can be on the college level. Ran a 4.68 forty, which is slow for an NFL linebacker but had a 42 inch vertical (explosive, but not fast). Only 6'1". We're talking NFL-level athleticism here, though. So that's not really apt for Gamboa, I don't think.
For college comparisons, I look at a guy like Pat Fitzgerald who was amazing as a player for GB's Northwestern teams. Fitz was ran a 4.82 on his pro day and he has said that was his best ever time (maybe the only time he clocked under 5 seconds). A little taller at 6'2".
Gamboa is only 6'0" and I don't know his other measurables (other than a claimed 4.7 coming out of high school), but he's always been a tackling machine. iirc, he had over 100 tackles for Chaminade in HS, which is big time football. He has delivered that same kind of productivity for 2 years at CU and I see him taking it to another level this year as a leader of this defense. It won't surprise me at all if he's on an all-conference team this season and next. Dude makes plays. And, even though it's a stretch upside, I don't think it's outside the realm of possibility that he could win a DPOY in the Pac-12 before he leaves with the tackle numbers he's going to put up.
Olugbode is not an irreplaceable player either. Again, nobody is saying Gamboa is a bad player by any means; just that he's not great or irreplaceable. There may not be a better ILB on the CU roster, currently, but that's more of an indictment on ILB recruiting the past 3 years than it is praise for Gamboa.
8Jah
Well-Known Member
Yep. The TED is often assigned the task of covering the TE. Butt was an elite one, but I do think that is Gamboa's weakness.
I think that most fans on here simply haven't gotten over the general opinion developed on Gamboa when he arrived as being pudgy, slow and lost out there.
And I'd say that when you're replacing 8 starters, the guy who led the team in tackling and is a coach on the field is pretty damn irreplaceable.
I'm not. I think he's got a ton of potential at that Buff position when we use it and I think he could move right in to start in Fo's spot next to Fisher at S in 2018.