Taken as a whole, the Young Ducks would give Jordan, Clay and Alonso everything they could handle at an NFL Combine. The 2013 LBs are faster, stronger and more athletic than any group that’s worn an Oregon uniform.
In 3 short Saturdays though, they have to do it on the field, where chemistry, knowledge, reaction, recognition and cohesion are the difference between a tackle for loss and an explosion play.
In the beginning these youthful linebackers will give up a few of the latter. But Don Pellum has not only been to this rodeo before, he’s packed his glove into the strap around the bull’s chest.
All eyes on me: Don Pellum instructs the linebackers at the Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin, January 2012. A 23-year veteran of the Oregon coaching staff, with five of his pupils currently in the NFL, Pellum has 9 weeks to get this crew ready for Washington. The initial five games of the season will give him time to tutor, correct mistakes and build on the teachable moments and positives this group experiences in practice and on the field. (Alex McDougall, Oregon Daily Emerald photo.)
By Stanford, they’ll all be veterans, and a couple of the underclassmen and the JC transfer will be solid contributors to the rotation, trading paint with the Smashmouth Cardinal. In this video, taken in April by KEZI Sports, Pellum talks about Tyson Coleman and the development of the linebacker group:
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