What are the Bandit and Rover positions?

[Herndon]

I know a kid from my H.S., Kevin Grant is on your guys' depth chart starting at "Bandit". It looks like a DE/LB hybrid position, am I correct?

[InTheZone]

I know a kid from my H.S., Kevin Grant is on your guys' depth chart starting at "Bandit". It looks like a DE/LB hybrid position, am I correct?

That's correct. The "Bandit" is a linebacker position which is an outside backer in the base 3-3 front the Zips run and who goes down to an end position when the Zips show a 4-man. The Rover, in contrast, is a hanging safety/linebacker position which plays like strong safety in the base 3-3 and when the Bandit goes down to the line for a four man, the Rover steps up and plays an outside backer. The Rover is also much more involved in blitz schemes than your average defensive back.

[Captain Kangaroo]

What kind of player was Kevin in high school? A "man amongst boys" or just pretty good?

I read in one on-line publication that he was one of the top 30 HS players in Virginia his senior year? We're expecting good things from him this year.

[Captain Kangaroo]

Just because it had to be posted:

If I'm Kevin, I get a Bandit tatoo on my bicep...but that's just me!

[Herndon]

Not a man among boys. A darn good player, but nothing flushy that made you immediately say "that guy's got college stud written all over him" Herndon plays a 4-4-3 set, and Kevin played strongside inside LB. The defense is designed to funnel plays inside to the ILB's, so he didn't make many plays outside the hashes, just he was the last guy to stand up at the bottom of the pile a lot of the time. REALLY big hitter though, just a darn headknocker in there, shed a guard, blow up the fullback, slide to the tailback, that was his game.