PowerMizzou.com's Preseason Previews moves to the middle of the defense and the linebackers. It's a group that will have a big hole to fill after the departure of Kentrell Brothers, but the returning talent and experience level should be enough to make up for that loss.

The candidates for Missouri at linebacker seem pretty obvious. Barring injury (clearly), Michael Scherer will start at middle linebacker. While Donavin Newsom saw plenty of competition from Terez Hall at SAM this spring, it's likely his job to lose. On the other side, some combination of Joey Burkett, Brandon Lee and possibly even Terez Hall will take over for Kentrell Brothers at the weakside linebacker spot.

What's more interesting to watch, however, is how the duties and look of Missouri's linebacker position will change under DeMontie Cross. In the spring, Donavin Newsom and Terez Hall said that the SAM linebacker is being considered more like a safety, with a lot more responsibilities in coverage. That, conceivably, could open the door for more varied fronts from snap-to-snap this year. If the tight end is key to going multiple on offense, then the SAM linebacker is its doppelganger on defense.

By having a SAM linebacker who is more like a safety, you don't have to drop into a nickel every time the offense goes three or four wide. You're able to stand up a defensive end as a rush linebacker, and now the offense isn't sure where the pressure will come from. This change in responsibilities could be the key in allowing Missouri to stay in a perceived 4-3 base defense, but switch seamlessly into a 3-4 or 3-3-5 without any substitution.

So, this August, it will certainly be interesting to see how some of the young linebackers push for starting jobs, but more so, it's the changing role of the position that I'm most interested in.