Q: We know that they can rush the passer, but can defensive ends Greg Romeus and Jabaal Sheard stop the run?

Mark Mack, Norristown

ZEISE: A great question. I think Sheard is better at it than Romeus and both are obviously not going to do well trying to take on 310-pound tackles locking them up and plowing them over. But with their quickness, burst of speed and athleticism -- they certainly get to the football a lot and make a lot of tackles at the point of attack in the backfield, before they are snatched by the tackles. It is something that is probably still a work in progress, but they are both better at playing the run than you'd think given their size and their skill set. I will say this -- Sheard is going to be a special player and might, in a few years, be the better of the two -- which is a scary thought because Romeus is going to be a great one (at least according to coaches) as well.

Q: Greg Williams seemed to excite a lot of people in the spring at linebacker, yet he is nowhere to be found in the two-deep, or even a mention of him. What's going on with him?

Aaron M., Takoma Park, Md.

ZEISE: He, like the other three redshirt freshmen linebackers, really did not have a stellar training camp. All four of them were outstanding in the spring and maybe as a result raised expectations to an unrealistic level -- but they all came back to earth in camp. Williams is going through what many young players do -- his learning curve has slowed and now he is trying to get the fundamentals and the details down. He can clearly make plays with his athletic ability but too often in camp he'd get lost on as many plays as he'd be where he is supposed to be. Coaches aren't disappointed in Williams or any of those linebackers, they are just more realistic about the timetable for which they'll arrive and really be ready to contribute.

Q: How has Adam Gunn looked at strong-side linebacker? Will he be above average, just OK, or a bit of a liability?

Dan Schaffer, Elizabethtown

ZEISE: Adam Gunn is one of those guys -- like a Brian Beinecke from a few years back -- that goes about his business, makes plays, knows where he is supposed to be and gets there and never really gets much credit. He has been Mr. consistency for this defense and he will continue to do so. And though he doesn't make a lot of spectacular plays, he makes the plays he is supposed to make and does come up with some very clutch tackles. I think he might be the most under-appreciated player on the team and it won't shock me if he's an All-Big East player this year.