Defensive coordinator John Marshall met with us for about 25 minutes and was great, discussing most aspects of the defense.

When he was asked about what he likes about Red Bryant, he said, "He's country. And I love country."

Marshall very obviously is a big fan of Bryant. He said he just loves sitting down and talking to the guy. He called him "unique." Marshall said he thinks Bryant is at about the same place development-wise that Brandon Mebane was at this point, but he thinks that once they go through training camp and the preseason, he will be ready to contribute. He said he thinks that Mebane and Bryant can play together, or he can sub in for him and complement Rocky Bernard and Craig Terrill.

Marshall said Marcus Tubbs is still "a ways off" in his recovery from knee surgery. He said they will not really know anything until Tubbs gets out on the field and starts pushing off against live bodies. Marshall said he rehabbing diligently and doing everything he needs to do to come back, but there is no way of knowing at this point if he was successful.

[More:]

Marshall also really likes Lawrence Jackson. He said the one thing that really impresses him is that when you evaluate five or six different tapes, Jackson is the same player on all the tapes. He has a very high football IQ. Marshall said one of the things he likes to do when he interviews guy is ask them to draw up schemes. He said a guy like Jackson will draw the entire defense and know what everybody is doing -- while Bryant (as is the case with most defensive tackles) -- will draw the ends, the tackles and then have no idea what is going on behind them. It sounds like Jackson is going to play the right side and compete with Tapp for a starting spot. Marshall said he thinks Baraka Atkins still has some developing to do but he thinks Atkins is poised to make a big jump this season. Interestingly, Marshall never once mentioned Jason Babin's name.

Marshall said that D.D. Lewis is going to be the guy to play the role of Kevin Bentley, a versatile linebacker who can sub in at different spots. He said that all the backups are young and inexperienced and they need to develop quickly for the defense to be successful. He said Lance Laury is the buck linebacker.

He said he thinks Kelly Jennings also is ready to make a big jump because of the experience he got last year playing against bigger receivers. He said he loves the work ethic and diligence of Jennings, who is always paying attention even when people are not speaking to him.

If you have any other questions, let me know and I'll see if I can answer them.