Offense and defense always at odds

Flipping a coin can produce two mutually exclusive events: heads or tails. Fielding a potent offense, however, does not exclude the possibility of fielding an equally formidable defense. But when it comes to the strength of Wisconsin's two units, the uneven distribution has been so consistent that it has begun to resemble the result of—what else?—a coin toss. Entering the 2004 season, the Badgers boasted a veteran linebacking corps, Jim Leonhard and the best defensive line in the country. The offense cooperated that same season, buying into the apparent ""take turns"" philosophy as they stumbled without a consistent passing attack or any healthy members in the backfield. In 2005 the trend continued. John Stocco passed with greater proficiency than any other quarterback in UW history, and Brian Calhoun breathed life into a dormant rushing game. Meanwhile, the defense graduated its most significant contributors—politely injuring the young and promising replacements—and made sure never to steal the spotlight from its counterpart. As you might expect, 2006 will be no different. The injuries on the defensive line have healed, the athletic linebackers have experience and the previously questionable secondary is beginning to hit its stride. On the other side of the ball, the offense graduated the majority of its talent last spring and watched injuries plague the new class this fall. Brandon Williams and Jonathan Orr left vacancies at receiver filled by juniors Marcus Randle El and Paul Hubbard. However, Randle El recently suffered a season-ending knee injury while the tight end position became a former linebacker free-for-all when Owen Daniels and Jason Pociask graduated. Andy Crooks and Travis Beckum are the linebackers contending for the spot, but ex-quarterback Sean Lewis is also expected to compete. Every skill position will be earned by an inexperienced player at the college level, which is considerably worse news considering the fact that Stocco's recent knee surgery will likely sideline him for a few games. Therefore, the defense must be ready. Both Jamal Cooper and Matt Shaughnessy—Wisconsin's answer to NFL-bound defensive ends Erasmus James and Jonathan Welsh—suffered ACL injuries that kept them out for the better part of last season, making the bookends of the defensive front one of the most-rotated positions on the field. With the two of them healthy, however, it will likely be one of the positions that head coach Bret Bielema can rely on most for consistent output. Behind them are senior captain and middle linebacker Mark Zalewski, sophomore DeAndre Levy, who will play left outside linebacker, and fellow sophomore Jonathan Casillas, who will patrol the right. Zalewski is on the watch list for several national awards and clearly the leader on defense, but the secondary has grown up due to the emergence of senior Roderick Rogers—who could very well be the team's best all-around player—and the steady development of senior Joe Stellmacher. When asked how much of the team's success is riding on the defense's performance, Bielema had this to say: ""We're going to rely on everybody. We're going to rely on offense, defense and special teams because we're a program that has to have a complete game out of all those phases to have success."" Ben Hubner can be reached for comment at bphubner@wisc.edu.