Is it Personnel or Scheme?

#26
#26
UTjonez said:
What happened to bumping recievers off the line? Isn't timing key to a successful passing attack?
Click to expand...

Nothing hinders a passing game more than having it's timing thrown off. Whether you force the qb to pull the ball down or knock the receivers off of there route (hopefully both) disruption is paramount.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#27
#27
Personally, I think we're trying to blitz too much, especially with the MLB and Gordon and the whole middle of the field is being left open. I remember seeing Maggitt lining up as a defensive end in the game a couple of times rushing, so we're left with Johnson blitzing up the middle and Herman (slowest LB) trying to cover 2 or 3 receivers crossing in the middle. I think we have the defensive line to do the 3-4 but not necessarily the linebackers and the secondary is just.....well I don't know where they are. Lately, Waggner has been doing a pretty poor job on hanging with receivers. All game, he was getting beat by comebacks because he's playing too soft and not biting enough. I think Byron Moore is probably our best defensive back so far.
 
#29
#29
beavbullvol said:
I've never pretended to understand football schemes, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. I'm a fan, period.

However, I like most, understand and appreciate a good athlete when I see one. That said, it appears our athletes on defense are markedly better, we just don't have enough of them. The secondary, from a speed standpoint seems to be the weak link.

Football gurus, what is it? Is the scheme that bad or am I misreading our athleticism? Or is it a combination of both?

I'll hang up and listen.
Click to expand...

Neither. Other than Bray's notable chokes at critical junctures the O has been good across the board except for Bama.

The 3-4 works. UT has the right personnel to run it and enough talent to be much more effective than they are. The problem is coaching and getting people to play their assignments- Execution and coaching.

Wilcox had made significant improvements last year. I do not know how much of the problem lies with Sal's ability as a coach and how much lies with the conversion. But both come back to coaching. One is fixable. One is not.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#30
#30
HardKnoxVol said:
I remember one point in the game where the scheme was awful. SC drove it down to the goal line and got pushed back to like the 30 yd line for 3rd down. It's third and goal and you know Spurrier is going deep on you to try and score and we play one safety....and they scored. It was a pretty bad call
Click to expand...
:no: Sunseri put Moore where he belonged, in the post. He had a play to make on the ball. He whiffed. Touchdown. When ran correctly, MOFC is the hardest coverage to pass against. We need the player that can go up and pick that ball off. When Bray tried to hit Pig Howard and it got picked in the endzone against Bama it was the same coverage that we played you arw speaking of. The difference is the safety came over and erased it. If the ball had been thrown out front like it should have, he still would have knocked the pass away. It comes down to ability of the players to make plays.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people
#31
#31
HardKnoxVol said:
Personally, I think we're trying to blitz too much, especially with the MLB and Gordon and the whole middle of the field is being left open. I remember seeing Maggitt lining up as a defensive end in the game a couple of times rushing, so we're left with Johnson blitzing up the middle and Herman (slowest LB) trying to cover 2 or 3 receivers crossing in the middle. I think we have the defensive line to do the 3-4 but not necessarily the linebackers and the secondary is just.....well I don't know where they are. Lately, Waggner has been doing a pretty poor job on hanging with receivers. All game, he was getting beat by comebacks because he's playing too soft and not biting enough. I think Byron Moore is probably our best defensive back so far.
Click to expand...

They blitz but then let receivers run free across the middle. If you are going to blitz you can't let the QB have his check routes in time. I have yelled at my TV several times when a S or LB has failed to jam a receiver off the line of scrimmage who then gives the QB an outlet before pressure gets there.
 
#32
#32
it's both. You can't leave bmoore in single safety with 3rd and 26 and 4 seam routes headed your way. You can't leave Teague man on the other teams fastest wr with no help. Same for Brewer, in multiple games. You can't leave AJ to cover any wr man on a crossing route. You can't drop Couch into coverage. You can't show your blitz too early as we do every time. You can't have AJ continue to clear the middle in the zone package and allow the TE to get inside him on a post.
That said, our D runs like their feet have been dipped in molasses. Our D speed over the last few years has been absurdly slow. We look like a NWestern or Indiana D as far as speed.
 
#33
#33
It's both--but scheme and coaching certainly seem to be an issue this year as the defense was considerably better last year with the same personnel. Actually, we have more experienced personnel this year--except for losing Randolf. Our DEs, outside LBs and cornerbacks all seem pretty weak this year against the run--late recognizing plays, out of position, slow. The defensive line generates NO PASS RUSH--ZERO. The only way we can pressure a QB is to blitz--and even then we aren't very good. Outside of AJ, we don't have any really good players on defense. Some who are decent, but no studs at all. This defense reminds me of the year when DeLong was a senior MLB. He was STOUT but the defense otherwise was BAD. This year, same thing.
 
#34
#34
Northwestern stops more talented and speedy teams by playing their assignments consistently. That's where this team fails. When you run the 3-4, you give up some speed in exchange for size. You have to let physical play and discipline make up the difference. Even Bama isn't fast compared to UF, LSU, or previous UT D's.
 
#36
#36
sjt18 said:
Northwestern stops more talented and speedy teams by playing their assignments consistently. That's where this team fails. When you run the 3-4, you give up some speed in exchange for size. You have to let physical play and discipline make up the difference. Even Bama isn't fast compared to UF, LSU, or previous UT D's.
Click to expand...

Wish I knew how to bold the part about playing assignments correctly. You can close this thread on that one.
 
#37
#37
AJ is having a great statistical year. But there are times when he runs himself out of a gap trying to make a tackle rather than jamming lanes up so someone else can make a play. Many of the big play lapses aren't because of the lowly players on the D but because one of the "leaders" has tried to "make a play" rather than play their assignments.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 people
#38
#38
guys aren't making reads and instinct plays. Nowhere in zone coverage 101 does it say to not play the man coming into your zone. Seems like we sit and watch, wait for a pass to be thrown and caught, then try to make a play. It's too late. Can't believe we sit back and watch them throw over AJ's head and under the safety over and over, all year. Play the wr and make a damn play on the ball.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 people
#39
#39
The personnel isn't much different than last year. In fact, it's hard to argue that it wasn't upgraded considering that Hood was your starter at Tackle last year. I still think the personnel is much better suited for a 4-3. McCullers is NOT a NT, I don't care how much he weighs. This guy is the leanest 360 pounder I've ever seen. He would kill in a 4-3. Couch and McCullers should be your tackles, with Sentimore and J. Smith as your ends. The LBs don't move that well.
3-4 NTs are fireplugs. Picture Tony Siragusa.

Guys that seemed to have their best football ahead of them such as Gordon, Coleman, Brewer and Waggner have regressed. Losing Lanier and the Randolf were blows. No real depth at inside LB, and not having LBs who can cover.

That said, the vast majority of the roster stands to come back next year. I can't think of a better time to make a change.
 
#40
#40
UTjonez said:
What happened to bumping recievers off the line? Isn't timing key to a successful passing attack?
Click to expand...

If you don't have the speed to catch up to them, then you will get torched even more often. The 3-4 defense relies upon defensive pressure from the front 7 and forcing the opponents to go down the field in small chunks of yardage. It is designed to minimize the deep ball (due to the pressure) and to keep the play in front of the defense. Unfortunately, our players are out of position many times and are not solid tacklers. There are times that our guys look very confused as to where they are supposed to line-up.

The 3-4 works, but you have to have the players (and coaches) to make it work. I am not sure we have either this year. Remember that the 3-4 is our base defense and is not the formation on every play, so some of our breakdowns occur when we are not in the 3-4.
 
#41
#41
To me it's more bad scheme/execution. We have some good athletes on the Defense but with the bad coaching/playcalling it doesn't matter.

You can't really blame speed as we're not physical to compensate for speed like ND is in college and Seattle is in the NFL. We have LBs faster than some of Seattle's DBs.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#42
#42
beavbullvol said:
I've never pretended to understand football schemes, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. I'm a fan, period.

However, I like most, understand and appreciate a good athlete when I see one. That said, it appears our athletes on defense are markedly better, we just don't have enough of them. The secondary, from a speed standpoint seems to be the weak link.

Football gurus, what is it? Is the scheme that bad or am I misreading our athleticism? Or is it a combination of both?

I'll hang up and listen.
Click to expand...

It is both with a larger part if the blame on coaching on both sides of the ball. First of all coaching problems became very visible when SC was backed up to the 26 yrd line and needed a td. Thats right 26 and goal. But UT uses a single safety back. That's scheme. That one play was enough to loose this game. We won't even go to the offensive side where we failed to leave an extra back to help block clowney When we are in range to tie the game and possibly go ahead.
So in a very large part it is coaching. However, with coaching like this one can't expect to recruit top notch atheletes. Who wants to put their future in the hands of such incompetence? Who can blame them
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#43
#43
The move to 3-4 was absurd. This was a huge strategic coaching error. Why would you switch to defense that you admittedly do not have the personnel to run. Recruit the personnel and then switch the scheme. Especially in a hotseat year. These players were setup for failure from day one...imho
 
#44
#44
DC Vol said:
To me it's more bad scheme/execution. We have some good athletes on the Defense but with the bad coaching/playcalling it doesn't matter.

You can't really blame speed as we're not physical to compensate for speed like ND is in college and Seattle is in the NFL. We have LBs faster than some of Seattle's DBs.
Click to expand...


AJ and Lathers wouldn't be considered fast in the ACC
 
#49
#49
Just another example of coaches thinking that they have a advantage just from schemes. If you don't have the players that fit those schemes, then it is all irrelevant.
 
New posts
You must log in or register to reply here.
Advertisement



Back
Top