Tony Osborne: Alright, Bri-guy, I was thinking about the little debate we were having at practice the other day. I’ve had a lot of time to ponder it, and think about what you said, and there is no doubt in my mind that the offense will be the strongest side of the ball for the NIU football team this season.

Brian Belford : Well, T.O., I agree that the offense is potent, but I really think that at times this year, the defensive side of the ball will step up and carry the team. Have you forgotten about head coach Dave Doeren’s defensive background, and that he used to be the former defensive coordinator for the Wisconsin Badgers football team? Knowing this, why on Earth would you think the offense will be better?

TO: I have not forgotten, my friend. I have a few great reasons why the offense will be better. Since it all starts up front, I’ll begin with the offensive line. NIU’s offensive line has been playing together for two straight years with the same five guys. This is a major confidence booster for the quarterback, wide receivers and running backs, who should only be motivated by the offensive lines familiarity.

BB: Yes, this is true. That chemistry they have should prove useful down the stretch, but NIU’s defense has been playing well in practice. New defensive coordinator Jay Niemann wants the defensive line to be aggressive, and the defense has been very disruptive at the line of scrimmage so far during practice. Hopefully this translates into more quarterback sacks. Also, may I remind you Tony, and please pardon the cliché, but the best offense is a good defense.

TO: I prefer to say that the Huskies best defense will be a good offense, Brian. The offense’s versatility will be their strength this year. Quarterback Chandler Harnish is always a passing threat, and the Huskies have three guys that could start at running back. Pair Harnish’s arm with his scrambling ability, the Huskies wealth of wide receivers and a versatile running game, and I think teams will be hard pressed to stop them.

BB: The offense might be tough to stop, but the defense will be hard to score on. The Huskies’ plan to disrupt the run by blitzing the ends more often, instead of having them sit on the line and read and react. They also aren’t afraid of fast teams, fast wide outs or fast backs. Sean Progar, one of NIU’s starting defensive ends, says the defensive line can run, the linebackers can run and the secondary can cover. I don’t think that they will be scared of too many MAC offenses. Do you think the offense has learned the no huddle well enough to be that dangerous?

TO: From the scrimmages and practices I’ve witnessed, the offensive players don’t seem to have that hard of a time grasping the no-huddle. With the no-huddle running smoothly, they will run a lot of plays. The more plays you run, the more they should score. The more you score, the more pressure they put on the other teams offense to keep up, and they have the talent and the offensive combinations to succeed in putting up a lot of points.

BB: In that case my friend, I think the offense will be thanking the defense for creating turnovers so that they can get back on the field and score those points. Starting defensive back Rashaan Melvin is turning into a shutdown corner, and Tommy Davis is a big play safety who is physical and has a nose for the ball. They both had a great camp over the summer, and should help keep the Huskies’ turnover ratio in positive numbers. Besides, without Chad Spann, won’t there be a running back by committee approach this year?

TO: There were questions about whether or not NIU could fill their tradition of strong running backs after Spann left for the NFL. Well, only time will tell, but after 21 days of practice, it’s evident that their is depth at the running back position. Jasmin Hopkins has good lateral quickness, and has shown he can be a strong downhill runner. On the other hand, you have Jamal Womble, who, at 5’11” and 247 pounds, is big, strong and a hard to bring down ball carrier. At some point, you may be seeing a thunder and lightning approach to the running game. The defense should be worried about losing seven starters from a year ago. Who’s going to step up on the line and stop the run?

BB: Look for defensive tackles Nabal Jefferson, Kyle Jenkins, and Anthony Wells to fill those gaps. Wells put on 40 pounds this year to bulk up, and hopefully those extra pounds will help him take blockers off of middle linebacker Pat Schiller and company. We’ve both seen him get into scrapes in practice; he’s got the Ray Lewis mean streak and that should pay off down the road when teams try to grind out clock on the Huskies defense.

TO: Good point, Brian. But the depth of the Huskies offense will trump any opposing defense that they will face. Look for NIU to wear out a lot of defenses not only with the no huddle, but with their depth at the skill positions. I expect the offense to have a banner year with the experience on the field. Let me conclude by saying that the offense should be the side of the ball to keep your eye on, but this debate could change down the road.

BB: Agree to disagree, but either way you spin it, the Huskies get good grades on paper. We’ll see what happens when they play against real opponents on the road in front of angry fans. Until they are tested like that, we can only speculate.