Coach Pete laid the banhammer on Boise State defensive tackle J.P. Nisby yesterday, sending the senior home for good after a misdemeanor battery charge stemming from a bar fight. Do you feel vindicated now, Sports Illustrated? I hope you're happy.
With Nisby gone, the Broncos will be without one of their biggest and best D-line backups. So where does that leave them? Are there enough other big-boned people with chips on their shoulders to carry the load? Find out what the depth chart looks like after the jump.
A brief recap of J.P. Nisby's career
2007: Nisby joined the Broncos as a giant defensive tackle prospect who had trouble making it through an entire practice without hurling. His conditioning would improve.
2008: Fell asleep and aged 40 years, kinda like Rip Van Winkle.
2009: Played sparingly in 10 games.
2010: Saw significant time on the second-team defensive line and recorded three sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss. Earned the nickname Old Man Nisby from OBNUG readers who thought he looked like a grandpa.
2011: Was hanging out at a bar when he spied a man with whom he was having an ongoing dispute, someone started playing Rebecca Black's "Friday," people became enraged, one thing led to another, and before you knew it, Nisby had his nemesis in a chokehold. Charges were filed. Nisby was dismissed from the team.
Boise State's defensive tackle depth chart
Nisby was expected to compete with Michael Atkinson and Ricky Tjong-A-Tjoe for playing time on the second team defensive line. When Atkinson was suspended last year, Nisby filled in admirably, and he would have seen plenty of time this fall, too. Not any more. Updated depth charts look like this:
- Billy Winn
- Chase Baker
- Michael Atkinson
- Ricky Tjong-A-Tjoe
- Greg Grimes
- Darren Koontz
- Justin Jungblut
- David Cushing
Incoming true freshmen:
- Jeff Worthy
- Robert Ash
Observations:
The Broncos can still rotate in a complete backup defensive line with Atkinson and Tjong-A-Tjoe anchoring the second team ... Grimes has played well in spot duty over the past couple of seasons ... While it remains unlikely, the odds definitely increased of seeing one of the true freshman tackles play right away ... I will feel a lot better if Atkinson makes it through an entire season without being suspended ...
Your turn
How do you think Nisby's departure will impact the Broncos? Are you happy with the depth on the D-line? Share your thoughts in the comments.