Picture Pages: Check Yo' Self

A woman came up to me and said
"I'd like to poison your mind"...

experience. (Way to dis' on the players ...) As we see with Kovacs, the system works if you have smart guys - or in the Baltimore case - experienced super athletic guys.

Hopefully, as they gain experience across the next two or three games, and as Cam Gordon comes back, and Troy's nose and hand heal, this gets better. It seems like it is getting better in the games, and they are getting a better feel for who to use when. So hopefully ...

Still - the prediction models across the summer predicted the Defense could get better, but not exponentially.

The schemes are also being used against non-NFL offenses so you dont' necessarily need a player like Ed Reed.  But considering these players haven't even played this defense for 2 full games yet, it's obvious they will make mistakes.  It will be interesting to see how they play once the Big 10 schedule starts.

I kind of agree.  I do think that fretting about a defense after 1.5 games is a fool's errand, but having elite performers at key positions (Reed, Polamalu (sp), Woodson, Revis, Suh, Willis) can mean all the difference between an average defense and a very good/elite one.  I do think that Mattison's blitz-heavy defense will work in college, but it might take some time before the talent and experience it needs to run at top speed arrives.

Sounds eerily simlar to the argument that the spread offense doesn't work if Denard isn't running it. I have no strong opinion on it. 

I sincerely doubt Greg Mattison is confusing anyone on our defense for Ed Reed, and is then gameplanning based on this confusion.

...even though I could be wrong on both accounts.  If you take a look at your 4th, and 5th photos, you'll notice that Kovacs and Ryan(? or whoever is playing that linebacker spot..cant see the number) are literally 4 yards apart the whole way...and really we end up with 3 guys within the same cover area when Kovacs makes the interception.  Now, that is unsound.  But, Kovacs is lined up directly over the slot and backpedals exactly 2 yards.  At this point (your 5th picture) Rees is looking directly at Floyd and the slot is right behind Kovacs.  Now, we can either say that a) this is a blown coverage and Kovacs, who presumably knows that the deep help is coming from all the way across the field, just let the slot run free or b) Kovacs let his guy go because Rees was staring down Floyd.  B sounds much more plausible to me, given what we know about Kovacs and what the pictures might show.

 I really think that this was going to be quarters coverage.  If you look at both CB's they are sprinting with their backs turned, the backside safety is also running right up the hash( where if he were the deep middle guy, he would have been taking a diagonal route) and he only rounded towards the center of the field after he looked over and saw the wide open slot (almost 15 yards later).  Look at the backside safety's path in picture 3,4 and 5.  He starts on the hash on the 37(3) and runs straight up the hash until the 49 yard line (4,5).  So, unless he was taught to run to the correct depth and then cut straight over,  I don't think he had deep middle.  I'm pretty sure that Kovacs abandoned his deep responsibility because he saw immediately that Rees was throwing to Floyd all the way and then made a play.

That zone drop is a very common zone drop from that position.  You can also see a DB busting ass to get back on the top of the screen.  It seems there is a busted coverage/someone out of position, but I don' think that person is Kovacs.

I thought about that when I started writing, but Rees looked to that side for a total of like .02 seconds( I made that up), and Kovacs did not sprint directly from his starting point out to that zone.  I really think he was supposed to be deep-(I replied above using the other guys picture page).  I might be giving Kovacs too much credit, but I think the actions of the backside safety as well as the outside corners lend a little credence to that. 

edit: "that" means kovacs was supposed to be deep

Or, maybe it wasn't a bust. One of the most fundamental aspects of coverage whilst running a zone defense is that players should not cover receivers that the quarterback isn't looking to throw the ball to. This becomes even more important when blitzing from a zone defense.

so long as Coach Mattison never utters the phrase "decided schematic advantage" I'm willing to write it off to new guys/complex system and wait for it to become 1997-ish at some point in the future

regarding your question about Mike Martin- I saw the Ravens this weekend drop Haloti Ngata into coverage on one play and he sacked the QB on the next, so while I hear what you are saying, I would again defer to the Coach

double post. my apologies

While Mattison was a fantastic pro coordinator, he isn't a Charlie Weiss with limited experience in college.  Even though the pro years were more recent, I doubt he has forgot that much of what he can and can't get college kids to do over the entire rest of his long career.

While Mattison was a fantastic pro coordinator, he isn't a Charlie Weiss with limited experience in college.  Even though the pro years were more recent, I doubt he has forgot that much of what he can and can't get college kids to do over the entire rest of his long career.

I sincerely doubt Greg Mattison temporarily confuses our defense for an NFL one.

He is being unconventional with his play calling, because as of right now, being unconventional is one of our only advantages defensively. We are, as of yet, largely incapable of lining up and "out-executing" the other team. So, our defense has to mix up play calling and keep the other team off balance.