New Panthers’ Defensive Line Coach Frank Okam Excited To Help Develop Panthers’ Young Defensive Line

[SBBlue]

Frank Okam Excited To Help Develop Panthers’ Young DLine (theriotreport.com)

About Frank Okam

While Okam is a new face as the defensive line coach for the Panthers, he is not a new face in this role under Phil Snow and Matt Rhule, having spent two seasons as the defensive line coach at Baylor prior to joining them in Carolina

"You really want to have a DLine that’s tough, that’s hard working, that’s competitive..."

"try to play the game the way we drafted in the first place to be dominant game-changing type players.”

On Hassan Reddick

"Haason, he had a lot of options to pick his place and go where he wants and I think when you’re trying to get guys to see your vision and join in, it doesn’t hurt that you have Brian Burns opposite you” admitted Okam"

On Derek Brown

"Derek has become way more comfortable within himself; ...this Spring so far I’ve seen him make huge technical strides that are really gonna help his game” explained Okam. “Just the ability to understand how to make the most of his size, how to rush and rush well. He’s made vast improvement at that, in my opinion. His ability to collapse the pocket and finish, I think he always had the ability to collapse the pocket, but it’s the point now where he’s starting to finish some of those reps where you have us, the defensive coaches, excited about the possibility of what he could do.”

Yetur Gross-Matos

“Yetur  has grown into a hunk of a man, he’s gained some weight, he’s getting physically more solid, and I think he’s still scratching the surface of how big he can get. He’s padding all this mass and not losing any speed and so that’s what’s really exciting about him because, when you have a guy who’s six-five and then that long and who moves that well, he’s gonna have a chance to be impactful"

On Phil Hodgskins

“We drafted him to be a large nose tackle defensive tackle type body, he’s about 300 pounds. He’s a long, 300-pound kind of body type person” clarified Okam. “Six-five, great length, great power, great initial quickness I’m excited about what he can what he can do.

On Daviyon Nixon. 

“He’s a different type of body type. He’s more of the true traditional, as far as length athleticism and leanness level, three-technique. So no, he really isn’t shaped like DaQuan and Bravvion and Derek and even Phil for that matter. He’s kind of his own little his body type that is unique for our room” explained Okam. “So you get to see a kid that has the athleticism that we desire from that 3-technique position, see, a kid that has the length that you desire from that 3-technique position. So we’re really happy to have him and it’s really something for us to just help him become a pro as fast as possible"

Nixon was a fifth round pick from Iowa was expected to be selected somewhere on day two but landed in the Panthers lap towards the middle of day three. A former community college star who transferred to Iowa.

On Morgan Fox on Daquan Jones

“Morgan Fox just came in and he’s been a Pro’s Pro. He’s done a great job of his vocal and physical leadership, him and DaQuan Jones together... Those guys have come in and kind of taken that baton and they’ve carried it and ran with it. So they helped set a standards...you say, ‘Hey guys, this is how I want it to get done’, and he can articulate it to a guy that’s out there doing it every day who’s confused on the coaching point, it allows people in our room to grow exponentially faster  it takes less time to help them understand the technique...DaQuan and Morgan, they definitely helped us speed that process up faster than anticipated."

[Peanut Butter]

This defense might make the 2013 D look bad

[Daeavorn]

Derek Brown is going to prove why he was a great pick this season. Having a NT that can move the QB of his spot is a huge asset.

[Jared Patterson]

What if we add Johnathan Allen next year and resign Reddick. That would literally be the best defense in the league. Then just draft all oline next year...

[BrianS]

1 hour ago, Daeavorn said:

Derek Brown is going to prove why he was a great pick this season. Having a NT that can move the QB of his spot is a huge asset.

Even having a NT who demands a double team every down is a straight up win for your defense.  If you double Brown, are you saying you're going to single block Burns?  That seems . . . suicidal.  You're single blocking Reddick?  What happens if we blitz just one guy?

If Brown plays up to his potential, he's going to unlock our line to maximize every other player on it.  I know there was a section of the fanbase that didn't like taking Brown where we did, but he really could be all that.  I'm hoping we see it this year.

[Moo Daeng]

40 minutes ago, Jared Patterson said:

What if we add Johnathan Allen next year and resign Reddick. That would literally be the best defense in the league. Then just draft all oline next year...

DT isn't really a position of need or the position that woukd put the defense over the top.

[Moo Daeng]

Who is Phil Hodgekins?

[Daeavorn]

4 minutes ago, Moo Daeng said:

Who is Phil Hodgekins?

7th round pick

[SBBlue]

On 6/28/2021 at 11:09 PM, Moo Daeng said:

Who is Phil Hodgekins?

There isn't a ton out there on him.  He's called Big Snacc.  

Played in 31 career games with 11 starting assignments, all coming in the 2020 season
Totaled 53 tackles, 7.5 TFL, 4.0 sacks, seven QBH, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery
Had a season-high 30 tackles, 4.0 TFL and five QBH as a senior
Totaled a career-high six tackles vs. Vanderbilt (11/14/20)

Named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week for his play vs. South Carolina (12/5)
On the first possession of the South Carolina game, on third-and-5, his two-yard TFL forced a field goal that was missed by the Gamecocks ... His quarterback hurry came in a series that ended in a punt
Got his first career interception when he batted a pass, then caught it vs. Georgia (10/31/20) 

 

[Moo Daeng]

23 minutes ago, SBBlue said:

There isn't a ton out there on him.  He's called Big Snacc.  

Played in 31 career games with 11 starting assignments, all coming in the 2020 season
Totaled 53 tackles, 7.5 TFL, 4.0 sacks, seven QBH, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery
Had a season-high 30 tackles, 4.0 TFL and five QBH as a senior
Totaled a career-high six tackles vs. Vanderbilt (11/14/20)

Named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week for his play vs. South Carolina (12/5)
On the first possession of the South Carolina game, on third-and-5, his two-yard TFL forced a field goal that was missed by the Gamecocks ... His quarterback hurry came in a series that ended in a punt
Got his first career interception when he batted a pass, then caught it vs. Georgia (10/31/20) 

 

That's Phil Hoskins

[Moo Daeng]

On 6/28/2021 at 11:13 PM, Daeavorn said:

7th round pick

 

52 minutes ago, SBBlue said:

There isn't a ton out there on him.  He's called Big Snacc.  

Played in 31 career games with 11 starting assignments, all coming in the 2020 season
Totaled 53 tackles, 7.5 TFL, 4.0 sacks, seven QBH, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery
Had a season-high 30 tackles, 4.0 TFL and five QBH as a senior
Totaled a career-high six tackles vs. Vanderbilt (11/14/20)

Named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week for his play vs. South Carolina (12/5)
On the first possession of the South Carolina game, on third-and-5, his two-yard TFL forced a field goal that was missed by the Gamecocks ... His quarterback hurry came in a series that ended in a punt
Got his first career interception when he batted a pass, then caught it vs. Georgia (10/31/20) 

 

His name is Phil Hoskins

[Moo Daeng]

Christ. Not being able to edit is fuging annoying.

[hepcat]

On 6/28/2021 at 7:19 PM, Peanut Butter said:

This defense might make the 2013 D look bad

lol let's pump the breaks there. Luke Kuechly was on that defense, no one of his caliber on the 2021 defense.

[RumHam]

So its either Sacksonville or Homertown