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Lucas: Injuries along D-line offer a chance to be noticed

Mike Lucas  —  4/11/2008 9:00 am

Sizing up the depleted roster, University of Wisconsin linebacker Jonathan Casillas tried to put a positive spin on the injuries that have decimated the defense during spring drills. Casillas was speaking from first-hand experience since he has been among the starters who have been injured. After watching Thursday's practice from the sidelines, Casillas pointed out the juggling that has taken place on the defensive line. "It's tough when you move an offensive lineman (Kenny Jones) to D-tackle and a linebacker (Josh Neal) to D-end," he said of two backups who have been getting reps in the rotation. "But you just have to deal with it.''

Neal's versatility has not gone unnoticed by his teammates, given that the 5-foot-10, 250-pound senior -- the son of former UW scatback Marvin Neal -- has lined up at a variety of positions throughout his career, including fullback, linebacker, defensive tackle and defensive end. Picture the square-shouldered but squat Neal lining up opposite a hulking offensive tackle like the 6-7, 338-pound Josh Oglesby. That was the case Thursday while Neal was getting snaps with the No. 2 defense. "Everybody loves Neal,'' said Patrick Butrym. "He's kind of the spiritual leader of the D-line."

Butrym, a freshman redshirt, was speaking from experience, too; the invaluable experience that he has been gaining this spring. Since both of Wisconsin's projected senior starters at defensive tackle -- Mike Newkirk and Jason Chapman -- are rehabbing injuries, it has created an opening for Butrym to get a little exposure. It also has solidified Jeff Stehle, a redshirt junior, as the No. 3 tackle behind Newkirk and Chapman. "If you talk to the defensive coaches, he's probably been the MVP of the spring," UW head coach Bret Bielema said of Stehle, "just the way he has been able to improve."

Getting back to what Casillas was saying about the defense, he acknowledged the development of Stehle, Butrym and Jasper Grimes, a freshman redshirt. From the context of the inexperienced inside techniques (tackles) taking advantage of the situation, Casillas added, "One of the important things about older guys being injured is the younger guys are getting reps and they're learning and getting better. And that's what you have to do when somebody goes down and you have a chance to play. You've got to show that you deserve to be out there."

That was echoed by Stehle ("All these reps have certainly helped; the more you practice, the better you get") and Butrym ("It's something that you've got to embrace and you've got to view it as an opportunity where you can show the coaches and your teammates that you can play"). The twist is that Stehle was recruited to play on defense by former UW line coach John Palermo and wound up on offense before making the transition back to defense, while Butrym was generally projected as a defensive end by the recruiting analysts and has since been moved inside.

"We felt when we recruited him that he was going to be an inside guy," Bielema said of Butrym, who earned all-state recognition on offense (tight end) and defense at Waukesha Catholic Memorial. "But, on the same account, the reason that we started him out at defensive end in the fall is that I'd rather start a guy outside and move him in. I think it's a lot easier to do. Patrick could probably do both (D-tackle and D-end). As his career develops, we hope he becomes bigger, thicker and stronger. Where does he fit in next year? I don't really know."

And that's perfectly understandable to the 19-year-old Butrym, who has increased his weight from 245 to 268 pounds, figuring all along that he was destined to be groomed as a defensive tackle. Along with Grimes and defensive end Louis Nzegwu, who's also a member of the 2007 freshman class, Butrym has been focusing on the fundamentals. "You've got to learn on the run," Butrym said of his accelerated learning curve this spring, "and learn from your mistakes and it will all come to you eventually. At defensive tackle, things just happen quicker inside and you have to make quicker decisions."

Like the quick decision Tom Crean made to leave Marquette and take over the Indiana basketball program. Butrym is well-versed on the subject. "We have a little bit of a family tie with coach Crean and we're sad to see him go," said Butrym, whose father, Craig, was a 7-foot back-up center on the 1977 national championship Marquette team. His hoops lineage doesn't stop there. One uncle played at Creighton, another played at UW-Milwaukee. He also has an uncle (on his mom's side) who lettered in football at Iowa and SMU, where he was teammates with Eric Dickerson and Craig James, the fabled Pony Express.

Butrym, a two-time captain of the Waukesha Catholic basketball team, noted that his football commitment has made him more of the exception than the rule in his family. As it was, the 6-6 Stehle also played basketball as a prep in Constantia, N.Y. But he attracted the college recruiters because of his work on the defensive line. While he also played some tight end, Stehle's transition to offense didn't go smoothly during his formative years at Wisconsin. "I really didn't like offense much," he confided. "I wasn't used to it, and you just can't jump in and instantly star on the offensive line without ever playing it."

A frustrated Stehle expressed his feelings. "After basically sitting on the sidelines for about a year,'' Bielema recalled, "he came up to me and said, 'Coach, I'd really like to move back to defense and play.' That's why I kind of admire him -- where he was and where he has come." Stehle would be the first to admit that he still has a long ways to go. So does Butrym. So does this banged-up Badger defense as a whole. Casillas, though, is counting on better days ahead. "When we get everybody healthy," he said wistfully.

Mike Lucas  —  4/11/2008 9:00 am