re: Key to a dominant sec team.

quote:

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I'd throw a dominant O line in there too. Love how a great D line can change the game though.

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SEC offensive lines aren't appreciably better than those in any of the other major conferences. It's the talent that we have on the defensive line that sets us apart.

Believe me on this one, I had a bet with a buddy of mine (Michigan fan) a couple years back about the number of players the SEC put into the NFL at various positions vis a vis the B1G. Figuring out the winner of this bet was a bit of a tedious affair, but the results were clear. The SEC and the B1G were putting roughly the same number of players per team into the league at every position except one....defensive line.

And the difference was striking. My friend didn't even bother trying to argue away the significance of the discrepancy. It was at that point that I realized that "SEC speed" didn't mean that ALL of our guys all over the field were faster than ALL of their guys. Just a very very important unit of guys.

"Oh, so that's why Troy Smith invented the thirteen step drop that year in Glendale."