BUILDING BLOCKS: Defensive Backs

Backs look to shine like line With a defensive alignment that floats seven players around the line of scrimmage, it is easy to forget the other four defenders on the field. But with that many players aggressively attacking the line, the job of the secondary becomes that much more important. The Quaker defensive backs know they are the last line of defense. The Penn secondary consists of a mixture of hard hitters and great cover men that should allow the unit to complement the Quakers front seven. Returning second team all-Ivy senior Jamie Daniels will line up as the left corner, while junior Kevin Allen takes on the right cornerback position. Versatile senior Nick Morris will start at strong safety, and juniors Sheldon Philip-Guide and Dana Lyons will compete for the starting free safety spot. A major difference between this secondary and the 1993 Quakers is this year's squad has more experience -- a fact that bodes well for a unit that limited opponents to only a 45 percent completion rate a year ago. "We take great pride in that," Philip-Guide said. "We have confidence in ourselves and as individuals that we can do the job. We have a lot of great athletes." One of those great athletes is Daniels. The big play cornerback is coming off a season where he led the Quakers with five interceptions. The returning starter, and probably the most consistent back, is an exceptional cover man and the Quakers most experienced defensive back, having started all 10 games last season. "[Jamie's] a great leader in the secondary," Morris said. "He leads by example. He's a solid player." So is Daniels' companion on the opposite side of the field. Allen started four games for Penn a year ago and seems more than ready to take on the position full time. The right corner possesses outstanding speed and quickness which allow him to stay with most of the league's best receivers. Allen's ability to make quick breaks on the football allowed him to lead the team in pass deflections last season. "[Kevin] has really quick feet and is very fast," Philip-Guide said. "He's another good cover man with a year of experience under his belt." While Allen and Daniels specialize in coverage, Morris takes care of the hitting. The talented strong safety, who even saw action at quarterback and wide receiver last season, has the task of replacing departed first team all-Ivy player Jim Magallanes. Morris knows those are some big shoes to fill, but he feels ready for the challenge. "We've got to make it be the strength this year," Morris said. "We're pretty big and we're pretty physical. We've got to step it up and make it happen." The intense competitor took over at safety last season after injuries hampered the original backfield. Morris proceeded to lead the Quaker secondary with 29 tackles and proved to be a physical force in the middle of the field. His 6-foot-2, 209-pound frame makes him an intimidating presence on the field. "Jim was a leader not only in the secondary, but in the whole defense," Philip-Guide said. "That will strongly be missed. But if anyone's up to the task to take over, it's Nick." The real strength of the Quaker secondary is its balance. With two great cover men on the outside and the hard-hitting Morris, Philip-Guide and Lyons patrolling the middle, the Penn defensive backfield has the potential to be dominant because of their unpredictability. The Quakers have enough confidence in their corners to isolate them in man-to-man coverage against the league's best receivers. Penn will mix up these man-to-man alignments with several zone coverages to help keep offensive units off-balance. And the defensive backs' responsibility will be eased because of the strength of the rest of the defense. If the front seven can apply pressure to opposing quarterbacks, the secondary will play accordingly. Since the cover men know the quarterbacks are not going to be able to hang on to the ball for a long time, they can take more chances, and this should ultimately lead to more big plays. But the backs don't want to just follow in the footsteps of the front seven, they want to create their own. "We want to strike fear in our opponents just like our front seven does," Philip-Guide said. And all signs seem to indicate the Quaker secondary is capable of doing just that.