Safety Marcellus Lee and cornerback Brandon Howard are more confident this spring.

Last year they were the new faces. This year they will be the seniors.

The two second-team all-district selections from a year ago are fresh off a deep playoff run and think this year's defense, which returns six starters, will be smaller than last year's, but quicker.

Maybe that is why they are more confident.

Or maybe it is because Lake Travis' Garrett Gilbert will not be back.

"He was a regular quarterback," Lee said. "I didn't see him like a star or anything."

The two look at each other and laugh when asked about their run-ins with the University of Texas-bound quarterback who set state records to go along with back-to-back Class 4A state titles.

"... he was good," Lee added, finally.

Gilbert threw for more than 500 yards and seven touchdowns in his two encounters against the Roos' secondary last season, including a 71-9 win in the Region IV-4A finals and a 50-9 win in the District 25-4A opener.

"I got down on myself a lot ... I got beat a lot in that (regular-season) game," said Howard.

A season and a half later and wiser, the two newcomers from a year ago are now the veterans.

"I know what I messed up on a lot and I know what (last year's seniors) told me: 'Just go out there and have fun,'" Howard said. "I'm just trying to do the same thing."

Even in their learning roles last season, Lee and Howard finished the year as the teams' No. 4 and No. 6 leading tacklers, respectively, and separated from the top only by graduating seniors.

Lee finished with 86 tackles – 55 solo – three tackles for a loss and one forced fumble. Howard posted 75 tackles, including a team-high five against Lake Travis in the playoffs, and seven batted passes.

Last season was not about them as individuals, it was about the defense they were a part of; a defense that went from allowing almost 307 yards a game during the regular season to just 284 in the first three playoff games.

Lake Travis' 621 yards in the state quarterfinal pushed the Roos playoff average to almost 368 a game.

"The seniors wanted to go to the playoffs," Lee said. "Everybody just wanted to prove something to somebody"

Added Howard, "we got closer (in the playoffs). In the newspaper, all the advantages went to the other team. We felt disrespected ... we fed off it.

"(Against Alamo Heights), we came out with a turnover on their first possession. It was a different football team."

That was all left in 2008. The year 2009 brings new faces to the defense and a new chemistry, though the expectations are just as high.

"I expect to go back to the playoffs and hopefully further than last year," Lee said. "We don't have the chemistry we did at the end of last season so the chemistry needs to get built back up."

Not even a year removed from being the new kids with a lot to learn, Lee and Howard are the experience because of their experiences last year, including the bad ones against Gilbert.

"I learned not to get down on myself when I mess up on a play," Howard said. "I can always come back and make up for it."