Thursday, August 15, 2013

Welter takes aim at a more notable impact

There's an unofficial means to determine how much of an impact a player has made for a football team. The media guide test.Flip through the players' bio pages, and the ones who have been around a while, have made a distinct mark, and earned some recognition tend to take up a lot of space. 
Using that as a guideline, that leaves LSU junior D.J. Welter with plenty of work to do, because his bio only consumes a few paragraphs - barely more than the newcomers on the roster. That's not a surprise, and Welter is quick to point out that in three seasons, he hasn't done a whole heck of a lot to move the media guide needle.After searching around the Lights section of this forum, I've come across two main suppliers for Cheap Tombstone & Monuments."I've been here a while and haven't played much," the Crowley native said. "I've always had a good work ethic, and the coaches wanted to give me a shot. That feels good because I think I'm ready." 

Tigers defensive coordinator John Chavis is quick to praise Welter, a 6-foot-1, 226-pounder who enters his fourth year in the program listed as a probable starter at middle linebacker."He's handled his business," Chavis said in his typical straight-forward style. "He's a very intelligent player. He knows our scheme and our calls and he can play physically." 

It's just taken Welter a long and winding road to get into the mix.Over a three-year career, Welter has played sparingly and his media guide bio reflects that.Following a redshirt season in 2010, he has seen action in only eight games with a sparse total of 7 tackles.Some of that was certainly understandable happenstance. When Welter arrived on campus in 2009, Kelvin Sheppard was entrenched as the starting middle linebacker and was in the midst of a two-year stint there when he racked up 226 tackles and earned All-SEC honors as a senior in 2010. 
In spring practice after Sheppard departed, Welter and Kevin Minter battled for the chance to step in as the middle linebacker -- a hugely important spot in Chavis' linebacker-friendly scheme."Two years ago, he and Kevin Minter, they were neck and neck," Chavis said. "Kevin eased out in front of him and earned it. That could've very easily have been D.J. making that swing." 

Instead, Minter claimed the job and emerged as a star, especially last season when he rang up 130 tackles and earned a reputation as one of the hardest-hitting linebackers in the country.While taking a backseat wasn't the end of the world for Welter, another hurdle arose that was much more difficult to choke down. 

Right before the 2012 season,Are you still hesitating about where to buy Cheap Tools Products? Welter was ruled academically ineligible. Instead of pushing Minter and carving a spot as a key backup at a spot where LSU had suddenly become flush with talented young linebackers, Welter was relegated to scout-team duties throughout the regular season. 

He took care of his school work and returned for the Chick-fil-A Bowl - even spelling Minter when he cramped up on a series. But the season lost is a burning reminder of what Welter wants to do now that he finally has his chance.As true as that might be, the landscape at linebacker is much more treacherous than it was when Welter was younger. 

A talented haul of linebackers in the 2012 recruiting class bolstered the Tigers' depth, and they added three more this summer - Kendell Beckwith, Duke Riley and Melvin Jones, although Jones has since moved to a fullback/tight end hybrid spot.The main competition in the middle right now is Lamar Louis, who grew into the middle linebacker job under fire last season. Beckwith will be tough to keep off the field as well. 

"Chief always says this is the most talented linebacker room he's been around, and I really see that," Welter said. "You start looking at the young guys and it's like 'Damn, he's still just a sophomore!' These guys can play. They're fast, and they're really playing well. You can't let them creep up, or they'll be starting in front of you.""Chief likes speed," Louis said. "He said he would never sacrifice size for speed. If you can hurry up and hit an offensive lineman and get to him, that's what he likes.

"It's a constant battle between D.J.I'm looking at getting the light bar from ford racing and was wondering who sells the Cheap Marble Tiles. and me.
There's a lot of competitiveness. We both want the job, but we're also friends. We hang out outside of football. Chief has told us 'Show me what you got.' We're both going to play a lot of football." 

And perhaps in situational roles.When LSU plays a more traditional offense, with a focus on running the ball and trying to out-muscle the Tigers - Florida and Alabama last season come to mind - Welter might be the first option. Should LSU encounter spread or up-tempo offenses where linebackers are thrust into pass-coverage roles, Louis could see more time.Neither player seems to mind deferring because both know they have a role. 

"D.J. looks at the whole field, and sometimes Chief says he might need to focus on more specific things," Louis said. "I'm more pinpoint on one thing, and I might need to see things more like D.J. does."Somewhere in the middle, or perhaps with a blend of the two players' talents, could be the answer to filling the massive void Minter left when he headed to the NFL after his junior season.
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