Spring Break
Pirates look strong for 2009
Addison Harvey
Issue date: 1/22/09 Section: Sports
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Unfortunately, injuries were a recurring theme for the 2008 season, as starters Quinton Cotton, Jerek Hewitt, T.J. Lee and Dwayne Harris all went down. Many other key players like Stanley Bryant, Josh Smith, Darryl Reynolds, T.J. Terrell and Melvin Patterson also missed multiple games with injuries.
A positive spin on the injury problem is that it opened the door for younger players to step up. Some of those new faces were Joe Womack, Steven Baker, Emanuel Davis and Michael Bowman. These players gained valuable experience as freshmen and all have bright futures ahead of them.
The 2008 Pirates had one of the most successful seasons in history, closing with the first conference championship since 1976. It's hard not to be excited about all of the talent the Pirates have returning.
The defense will be lead by Conference USA All-Conference First Team members C.J Wilson and Van Eskridge.
Along the defensive line, I expect Jay Ross and Linval Joseph to continue their stellar performance. Replacing Zack Slate at defensive end will be tough, but sophomore Josh Smith and senior Scotty Robinson are solid replacements.
A player that will be an important part of the Pirates' success on defense next year is sophomore Emanuel Davis. Davis had a great freshman campaign, being honored as a Third Team Freshman All-American. Davis will anchor the defensive back position along with rising junior Travis Simmons.
Look for Dekota Marshall to possibly make a position change to strong safety to replace J.J. Millbrook and Leon Best. Marshall is very experienced in the defensive backfield and if he moves to strong safety the Pirates will have one of the best defensive backfields in the conference.
The most intriguing position to watch next year will be choices for linebackers. Rising seniors Nick Johnson and Jeremy Chambliss will lead the linebacker core. One of the things that will need to be addressed for next season is establishing a new leader on defense.
Pierre Bell was the emotional leader of the 2008 defense. Johnson plays the game with so much passion and aggression, I expect him to fill the void and have a great senior season.
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