Notre Dame starting defensive tackle Jarron Jones is now out for the season due to damage to his medial collateral ligament. As the video below tells us, that’s a huge loss. Although you don’t need to be a “rocket surgeon” to realize that. (See what I did there, combining the two intellectual metaphor cliches “brain surgeon” and “rocket scientist.”
DT Sheldon Day-Sr, is the team’s best interior defensive player, so the video above it completely wrong with their analysis claiming that Jarron Jones is the best interior player on ND’s defensive line. However, any time you lose a starter for the whole season, at a position lacking depth to begin with, it’s a tough blow.
I don’t doubt the high NFL Draft stock value that Day is getting, but I just don’t see it. I don’t get it at all. The NFL Draft overvalues pass rushers above anything else and Day had just one sack last year. He’s also a bit of a tweener for the next level. Notre Dame football goes nowhere this season unless this defense figures out how to start generating a legit pass rush. Day needs to be the guy who sets the standard in getting that done, especially now with Jones out of commission.
So the new starter in Jones’ absence could be sophomore Daniel Cage, Sophomore Jay Hayes or freshman Jerry Tillery. They’re the next three highest ranked DTs on the ND depth chart.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is part of the FOX Sports Engage Network.Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. He also appears regularly on numerous talk radio stations all across the country. Catch him Tuesdays on KOZN 1620 The Zone.
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