FB : Flaherty looks for chemistry in new-look linebacker corps
Jake Flaherty is used to seeing new faces next to him in Syracuse’s defensive backfield.
‘I’ve played (weakside) and (middle) linebacker so I’m no stranger to having to adapt to different situations,’ the rising senior middle linebacker said. ‘Since my freshman year, I’ve played with quite a few linebackers.’
So it’ll come as no surprise to Flaherty that, come Syracuse’s opener against Northwestern on Aug. 30, he will once again be lining up with a new pair of linebackers, trying to develop chemistry that has often been absent from the position during his career.
Last year, Flaherty played primarily next to then-juniors Ben Maljovec and Vincenzo Giruzzi. Both outside linebackers struggled in their first seasons as starters, and this spring were moved to different positions – Maljovec to tight end and Giruzzi to defensive end.
So Flaherty, second on the team last year with 95 tackles, finds himself the stalwart in the middle, waiting to find out who exactly he’ll be lining up alongside in August.
That picture is far from clear. On the weak side, rising sophomore Mike Mele, who started two games last year, is the favorite to win the job.
The strong side is more muddled. Rising sophomore Parker Cantey is currently the starter, but his position has come under siege by another sophomore, Derrell Smith.
‘That’s a dogfight,’ SU head coach Greg Robinson said. ‘Those guys, they’re going at it. It’s very competitive.’
Smith’s size is certainly a perk for the Syracuse coaching staff. Both Cantey and Mele are somewhat undersized, weighing 215 and 218 pounds, respectively. At 225 pounds, Smith could add some muscle to a defense that gave up 207.8 rushing yards per game.
Cantey has experience on his side. Smith spent much of last year at running back and is still adapting to defense. Meanwhile, Cantey spent his time as an understudy on the strong side, even starting a pair of games.
Still, Smith’s athleticism has intrigued the SU coaches, and it earned him some reps with the first team at last Wednesday’s practice.
‘He’s a good athlete,’ Robinson said of Smith. ‘He can change direction. It’s one thing to say a guy can run but you have to maneuver. And he maneuvers well. He’s been a running back and safety as well. He’s that kind of athlete.’
Regardless of who ends up flanking Flaherty, the senior will once again start from scratch in terms of developing chemistry with his teammates. It’s an especially important factor at linebacker, a position in which players have to be in constant communication.
‘You play football for the guy next to you,’ Flaherty said. ‘It really is the sort of camaraderie you develop. … Once you have faith in the guy next to you that you know he’s going to do his job, that’s where that confidence comes from.’
The battle for who will get to join Flaherty in the backfield will likely extend past Saturday’s spring game. There won’t be much time for the SU linebackers to develop the sort of trust Syracuse will need to improve last year’s poor defense.
That will leave the onus on Flaherty to pull the group together.
‘We’ll find out in the fall, that’s the only way to really know that,’ Flaherty said. ‘Time will tell.’
Mitch Browning was none too pleased with his offensive line after Wednesday’s practice.
The Syracuse offensive coordinator has spent this spring working extensively with his offensive linemen, trying to eliminate the mistakes that led to 54 sacks against the Orange last year.
On Wednesday, Browning said some of the mental errors resurfaced.
‘Really I think we’ve seen great improvement every day, with the exception of today unfortunately,’ Browning said. ‘Sometimes you gotta take a step back to take a step forward. But as the old saying goes, you either get better or you get worse and we didn’t get better today.’
Syracuse is entering the final stretch of its spring schedule. The Orange has just two more practices – Wednesday and Friday – before the annual spring game, which takes place Saturday at the Carrier Dome. A time has yet to be determined.
Published on April 13, 2008 at 12:00 pm
