By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
@LonnPhillips
Watching fan favorite and 5 Star badass Marcel Brooks leave Baton Rouge is a big deal...a massive wound to LSU's defense, especially concerning the pass rush and the fragility of the linebacker position.
During the off-season, we were becoming rabid just imagining the orgasmically potent sauce Pelini would've dialed up surrounding Brooks' talents: blitzes more exotic than Cambodian opium with James Spader, bizarre pre-snap formations more diabolical than Oliver Stone's script for Frozen II....
...alas...it was not to be...
Marcel Brooks would've found himself as a 2020 leader alongside Stingley, Shelvin, Stevens, Harris, Vincent and Damone Clark...Brooks would've been a calculated mastermind at the line of scrimmage and potentially in coverage...would've being the key word.
But, as lsuodyssey.com first reported, Marcel Brooks is off to Gary Patterson's TCU, a school which continues to produce NFL Draft picks year in & year out while located only a mere 35 minutes away from Brooks' family home in Flower Mound.l
So...who will replace Brooks' speed, versatility, thoroughbred dynamism and titanic psychological devastation?
Although I've tinkered with the idea of Jacoby Stevens moving to outside linebacker, I think the player most ready, firmly suited and uniquely qualified to fill Brooks' shoes IS.....???
PHILLIP WEBB...
Webb is lengthy, rangey and possesses a poltergeist motor which make his movements impossible for offensive tackles to track, thus unsuspecting quarterbacks become oblivious when throwing towards his massive hands or running right into the pacey executioner.
While mostly a backfield disruptor, just as Brooks is, Webb's an inch and a half longer than Marcel and his robust build houses a dominant wingspan equipped with 33 more pounds than Brooks' 194; due to this length helping Webb during pass plays, the freshman may prove more adept in coverage, too.
Webb is a scary dood, one who wreaked havoc on the interior, around the edges, disrupting pockets, jarring the ball free from receivers or tight ends over the middle (he's also very good at covering slants for a hybrid LB/DE)...he does it all...
Phillip has room to develop and grow as a player as well: with the absence of Marcel Brooks clearing a path to the field for the Georgia colossus, Webb will be an optimal option for Bo Pelini to call upon.
The slow development of upperclassmen Ray Thornton and Micha Baskerville may finally give way to Pelini's assistance in their infinite rise while staring down the cold, sullen face of doubt...however, if those two prove to be an every down bust (as we've seen the previous few seasons), you won't be able to hold this Tiger back from making an impact and taking his opportunities.
If Pelini can trust the Lanier High specimen and identify his best attributes, we expect Webb to be jettisoned into the starting lineup as a fixture among the linebacker trio (alongside MIC LB Damone Clark and Jabril Cox), Phil running from the SAM position.
Yes, Brooks' loss is huge, but when I show you this next line, you should be excited for what could be next:
In 32 Games at Lanier High, Webb amassed 216 total tackles, 159 solo, 26.5 sacks, picked off 1 pass he returned for a TD, forced 4 fumbles, recovering one (scooping and scoring on the same play), he hauled in 54 tackles for loss, defended / deflected 9 passes, and blocked 4 punts (!!!!!)....wow....
He will affect the game in many different ways, shapes or forms, providing a Herculean tenacity in the linebacking corps we desperately need right now.
After Brooks' departure, LSU coaches and fans look to the likes of the aforementioned Micha Baskerville (who Pelini has raved about), Ray Thornton, Hunter Faust, Carlton Smith, sophomore wild card Devonta Lee (caught a pass at WR in 2019, but Lee could be "2020's Patrick Queen" if he takes his chances) freshmen badasses Josh White, Antoine Sampah, and DE/LB hybrid B.J Ojulari to all support Damone Clark and Jabril Cox within the under-fire LB unit.
From those options, we feel Webb is most talented since Ojulari will be headed to DE.
Trust in Phillip Webb...believe in Phillip Webb...
We've been talking about this kid for more than a year and expected great things from the young stallion anyway....however, with Brooks' absence, we don't just expect it, we forecast 2020 as a breakout year for Webb's all-encompassing oblivion.
By
LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
BLACK LIVES MATTER
GEAUX TIGERS
COPYRIGHT 2020 Uninterrupted Writings Inc LLC
SHOUTOUTS TO:
AD THE BIRTHDAY BOY, HAROLD AND CHASE'S @Geauxxxxsports , DORIAN, MARK ROGERS, CALEB WILLIAMS WHO WILL COME TO LSU, ED INGRAM FOR BEING SUCH A NICE GUY, S and J and J for the Info this weekend, and thank you to Marcel Brooks, not only for also being a nice guy to me as well, but for his sack on Trask or hits on Tua which helped us win a title last year. Your energy, effort and personality will be damn near impossible to replace, but you will be an NFL starter soon enough. Just wish it was as a full time, all time Tiger.
What coulda been....
SEE YA MARCEL, WE'LL ALWAYS LOVE YOU