By: Fletcher Page

Defensive line coach Rodney Garner surprised many when he announced Tuesday who currently was starting along the defensive line.

Garner said if the season started this week, Demarcus Dobbs and DeAngelo Tyson would man the ends, with Justin “Bean” Anderson at the nose tackle spot.

The selected trio was both surprising and not surprising.

Yes, Justin Anderson did just move to the defensive side of the ball in the spring. But he does have the stereotypical size for a nose tackle in the 3-4 scheme. So I can see Bean starting. And I also could see him struggling. Neither scenario would be surprising.

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of Garner’s revelation is the fact that he announced his starting lineup publicly.

And that got me to thinking...Why would Garner do such a thing? Was he simply telling the media and fans where his line currently stood? Was he trying to motivate a player like Kwame Geathers to perform better in practice? Was Bean needing a confidence boost?

Maybe I just think about things too much, but since spring practice ended I’ve said the defensive line has been my biggest area of concern on this defense.

Here’s a few things about the d-line we do know:

Demarcus Dobbs is the leader of this segment. For some reason, and I’m guilty of this too, Dobbs gets lost in the shuffle at times. But talking to coaches on the record, and also to sources behind the scenes, Dobbs has had a solid fall camp.

DeAngelo Tyson is probably the most talented player of the segment. At a minimum, Tyson is the most versatile of the group. I’ve heard the argument that he is not big enough to play the nose, and not fast enough to play the end. I don’t buy it. Tyson is going to play all three spots on this line, and should enjoy a great season.

There are two senior defensive ends who only have one shot left to make their mark. Both Kiante Tripp and Brandon Wood are entering their senior seasons in Athens, and neither (for different reasons, most of which have not been of their doing) has done much at Georgia. Will they see the field? I can’t answer that question right now.

Abry Jones is a young player who is expected to contribute. He told me last week he thought he was in the mix for major playing time. A few other players agree with that statement.

Garrison Smith is going to be really good. I thought he might be undersized for this scheme, but everything we’re hearing points to him becoming a player in the future.

Here’s a few things we don’t know for sure:

Is Bean and Geathers truly ready? That’s a big question.

Is there enough depth at the position? And I mean quality depth.

Is Garner using the media to motivate/encourage his players?

Am i reading into things too much?

But here is my take:

I understand that Todd Grantham inherited these players. They’re not the Dallas Cowboys, and there wasn’t time left to grab someone that would fit the bill. Grantham is currently working on that.

But a statement I’ve come to learn and use that applies to everything in life: You just have to make it work.

Nobody cares that these aren’t Grantham’s guys. Nobody cares if Kwame is young and Bean is adjusting. Nobody cares. It’s just going to have to work.

What people do care about is winning and being successful.

In order for that to happen, I think either Bean or Kwame needs to step up to make this line legitimate. I believe Tyson can man the nose tackle, but I would prefer he see most of his snaps at end.

There is no doubt that if this line is productive this defense can have a monster first year. If the opposite occurs, where the line struggles to hold it’s on, I think the defense could have a problem.

Tell me what you think. Come chat and argue at the free Dawg Post message board HERE.