Untested linebackers look to replace Mack, Lewis

by Michael Robinson, Associate Sports Editor

After the departure of Jeff Mack and Alex Lewis, major questions surround the 2004 UW linebackers. Heading into spring workouts, the Badgers introduced a new defensive coordinator and linebacker coach, Bret Bielema, to guide a virtually untested group.

“When we take the field next year, whoever the starting [linebackers] are, those are going to be guys that will start their first ball game at that position,” Bielema said.

The Badgers entered spring practices without two potential starters, junior Elliot Goode and sophomore Mark Zalewski. Though much of their playing time came on special teams, Goode saw action in all 13 games during the fall campaign and recorded 16 tackles, while Zalewski played in 12 contests and posted eight tackles.

With Goode and Zalewski absent from spring workouts, Wisconsin has turned to a group of linebackers that lacks significant game experience.

“You got two of the top three that are out for the spring,” UW head coach Barry Alvarez said. “There are some green guys in there …We’ve got a long way to go there because that’s the greenest position, but I feel confident Bret (Bielema) will bring some guys along, and we may have to depend on some freshman kids coming in.”

In addition to the unit’s lack of experience, the UW linebackers face the challenge of adapting to a new coach. After defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove left Wisconsin to coach at Nebraska, former Kansas State linebacker coach Bielema, whose defenses ranked in the national top ten in both seasons with the Wildcats, signed on to coach the linebackers at Wisconsin. In spring practices, the UW linebackers have responded well to Bielema’s coaching style.

“He’s a very fiery, aggressive coach,” junior LaMarr Watkins said. “I think the players have taken to him well. Everybody on the team from the linebacking core is a pretty aggressive group, so I think we’ve just taken it and run with it.”

The only active linebacker to break into the starting lineup in 2003, Watkins currently heads the depth chart. Watkins started twice and saw action in 12 games in the fall campaign, recording 18 tackles. As a true freshman in 2002, Watkins earned playing time in all 14 games and started the final six contests.

After an impressive spring, the junior appears poised to assume a leadership role in the absence of Lewis and Mack.

“I feel like I’m in a position to do that,” Watkins said. “I’ve got the most experience at the linebackers, so I feel it is my duty to step up and try to be a leader as a linebacker.”

Watkins will shift to a new position this season, which will give him greater freedom to display his athleticism. Watkins hopes the shift will allow him to step out of the shadow of Lewis and Mack and enjoy a breakout year in 2004.

“This position, I think, is an easier position for me,” Watkins said. “I’m able to utilize my speed and quickness and not have to sit here and take on linemen all day.”

Versatile junior Dontez Sanders hopes to earn playing time behind Watkins and may serve as the team’s primary reserve linebacker during the 2004 campaign. In his fourth season at Wisconsin, Sanders has played three different positions.

Sanders initially joined the Badgers as a wide receiver in 2001 and was twice named Wisconsin’s scout team offensive player of the week during his redshirt season. In 2002, Sanders switched to cornerback and earned playing time in 12 of 14 games as a reserve defensive back and a member of the special teams unit. After playing mainly on special teams in the 2003 campaign, Sanders hopes to break through as a linebacker in 2004.

From a physical standpoint, Bielema has linked Watkins and Sanders to All-American linebacker Josh Buhl, who headlined Bielema’s 2003 linebacker group at Kansas State.

“Josh (Buhl) weighed at the combine 202, so they’re both bigger than him right now, but he could really run and these guys can do that as well,” Bielema said. “They got to learn some things that are an intricate part of where they need to be, how they need to get there, some different calls, some different alignments, and as they get more seasoned to them, they begin to do those things.”

Heading into spring workouts, Goode and Zalewski were slated to hold starting spots alongside Watkins. However, with Goode and Zalewski unable to participate in the spring sessions, sophomore Reggie Cribbs has made a strong push for playing time.

After redshirting in 2002, Cribbs did not see the field in 2003, but the former high school All-American has impressed Bielema in the spring.

“Probably over the last week, Reggie Cribbs has really stepped it up as far as his ability to make adjustments on the field, get people aligned, get people moving in the right direction,” Bielema said. “He’s done some good things.”

Freshman Brandon Kelly, who was ranked the No. 2 prep linebacker in Ohio by recruiting analyst Bill Kurelic, has also made a bid for playing time with an impressive spring.

“He got a lot of notoriety during the recruiting process, and he’s eager to please,” Bielema said. “I think Brandon [Kelly] has the ability to play, but he’s a guy that you have to look to get on the field because he can play a couple different positions. He hasn’t ever really played the position he’s playing at. He’s been playing some outside stuff, and we can get him to play faster and do some things when he stops thinking too much.”

Though the 2004 linebackers have not proven themselves in a game situation, Bielema is confident that his young squad can replace departed stars Mack and Lewis, who were two of Wisconsin’s top three tackling leaders in the 2003 season.

“Obviously, those guys are good football players, made a lot of plays for us,” Bielema said. “What we’re going to have to ask these guys to do is basically get themselves in position to fill the holes the way they need to be filled. That, I think, can happen.”

The linebacker situation remains questionable heading into the 2004 campaign, but Bielema believes his unit will be ready to contribute when the season gets underway.

“They’re a group that wants to prove themselves,” Bielema said. “They’re a group that has basically said … that there’s not anybody returning at these positions, and we need to do this, and they will. I think they’re ready to do that.”