Adams: SEC getting even more defensive in '09

If the SEC wanted to make a statement at media days this week, it would bring more than head coaches and two players from each school. It also would include defensive coordinators on the dais.

Or, if it had a dark sense of humor, it could include the offensive coordinators.

Remember how dominant defenses were in the SEC last season? They could be more dominant this fall.

And that's saying something.

Last fall, six SEC teams ranked in the top 22 nationally in total defense and 10 ranked in the top 40. Conversely, six SEC teams ranked in the bottom 23 in total offense, and only three ranked in the top 40.

Not only was the SEC top-heavy with defense, many of the top defenders will return this fall.

For example, Florida All-American middle linebacker Brandon Spikes was expected to go pro after his junior season. It wasn't as though he had anything left to prove to NFL scouts.

Instead, he is more intent on helping the Gators win a third national championship in four years. So he returns as part of a star-studded group of SEC defenders.

Many of the SEC's best defenders are pass rushers and pass defenders. By contrast, the offensive talent pool appears shallow at quarterback and wide receiver.

When you compare those defenders with the best offensive players, you can appreciate why the SEC again will bear no resemblance to the offensive-minded Big 12.

Many of the SEC's best defenders are pass rushers and pass defenders. By contrast, the offensive talent pool appears shallow at quarterback and wide receiver.

And you know how difficult it is to move the ball through running alone in this conference.

Tennessee safety Eric Berry is the best defensive back in the country. Ole Miss defensive end Greg Hardy could be the best pass rusher if he stays healthy and out of the coaches' doghouse.

If UT has the best defensive back, Florida has the best group of defensive backs. The Gators have backups who likely will play in the NFL, and the nation's top cornerback tandem in Janoris Jenkins and Joe Haden.

The conference also returns safety Chad Jones and cornerback Patrick Peterson at LSU, cornerback Javier Arenas at Alabama, cornerback Trevard Lindley at Kentucky, safety Reshad Jones at Georgia, and cornerback Myron Lewis at Vanderbilt. Those veterans will be joined by a heralded group of freshman defensive backs, including South Carolina's Stephon Gilmore, who won a starting cornerback job after just one week of spring practice.

The SEC has great wide receivers like Julio Jones of Alabama and A.J. Green at Georgia, but it doesn't have nearly the depth of talent at that position as it does in the secondary. The defenses also will have the advantage at the line of scrimmage.

While the league lost some of its best offensive tackles, it returns prominent pass rushers like Hardy, Antonio Coleman at Auburn, Rahim Alem at LSU, and Carlos Dunlap and Jermaine Cunningham at Florida. UT's Chris Walker looked as though he could join that elite group based on how he performed in the spring.

Those pass rushers could make life miserable for SEC quarterbacks, who aside from Florida's Tim Tebow and Ole Miss' Jevan Snead, are a questionable bunch. But there's little questionable about SEC defenses.

The defensive coordinators can vouch for that. So can the offensive coordinators.

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com.