TAMU copied Mattison blitz in CMU game for Bama prep

The Michigan-TAMU connection continues. 

Must have worked, they held Bama to 49

... how hard these guys must work to game plan.  Pretty amazing... results aside.

Greg is about 30% better DC than he was his first go around here.  He has really picked up a lot of new ideas that he implemented since he arrived.  His first go round here though it seemed he always had people so well trained in technique they never got in trouble that way. Also remember him getting a bunch of talent out of TX way prior to heading for ND. This guy simply belongs on the defensive side of the ball. I loved late in the third against ND when  he started gaming the ND OC by placing 8 on the line jumping back and forth, basically daring him to do something and hope it was correct. As the players get better, say we land Hand, Peppers and a few others The Commish is working on, we really won't have to bitch about the O side too often.

 Amazing how small the world has become with technology. TAMU's rapid implementation of a Mattison blitz package; Manziel messaging Devin Gardner, telling him to keep his head up. Which is a fitting segue into my Devin Gardner analysis. Free of charge, just this once.

So Devin, have a seat. Get comfortable. Let's talk about this thing called pressure. I understand you are fond of saying it is an imaginary thing which doesn't exist for you. However, Terry Bowdon made a point of saying that their studies revealed that you can be wreckless. His team probed you with pass rush/blitzing pressure and you made forced errors. Understand that with technology, now all of your opponent's coaching staffs will study this and bring it as well.

And this is as good a point as any to tangent off into the psychological underpinnings of 'forced' errors. I must preface this diatribe with this: I am about to stir the proverbial hornets nest because some folks, when they see certain words, immediately go ballistic. 'Choke' is such a word. Before you let your indignation blind you to the rest of my point, reserve judgement for a paragraph or two. 

One of the dictionary definitions of the inflammatory word 'choke' is this:

 4. To fail to perform effectively because of nervous agitation or tension, especially in an athletic contest: eg. 'choked by missing an easy putt on the final hole'.

Nerves. Agitation. Anxiety. Hyperactivity. Lack of focus. Lack of composure. Whatever you call it, I submit you have a mild case of it.

And now comes the money part of this post, the free insight offered to free you forevermore from this dibilitating state.

First, you must embrace it. To continue to deny it is to attract it to yourself moreso. Accept and acknowledge that you sometimes enter a zone wherein your ability to analyze a situation and react optimally is diminished. Your thinking becomes panic induced (oh no, don't take the safety!'..exhibit A).

Here it is. Your key to ending this complex is to predetermine your actions. In other words, think through each possible scenario in advance and determine your response ahead of time. Like an outfielder in baseball who has to decide where he is going with the ball if it comes to him based on the situation in advance. What you must do is set aside time to envision (meditate, if you will) daily how you will react in a given situation. You must see yourself reacting perfectly every time in your imagination. Over and over and over. This mental practice is just as effective (if not moreso, because you never screw up with mental reps) as physical reps. The best scene to play to yourself over and over is hurting teams when they pressure you. See yourself making the perfect read and reacting automatically and without hesitation. Know and focus on your hot reads and always respond with attack mode. See yourself becoming deadlier under pressure. Cultivate anger at the act of teams pressuring you. Use that anger to drive your making them pay for trying you.

Because son, the pressure is on the way.

This is great and all, but dont assume Mattison invented the package out of thin air. He probably borrowed it from some other DC, and put his spin on it based on the opponent and his players. I would like to know where Mattison looks for inspiration. As some wise dudes said, 'There is nothing new under the sun.' But, 'you will never step in the same river twice.'

Can't compare A&M and MSU.

MSU is several notches below UM in terms of academics and athletics. If you're a Michigan HS student and you get into both schools, there's no question you go to UM.

A&M and UT are equals in terms of academics and athletics (each have their own strengths in various depts/sports). UT is more of the glamour school, but aside from that, they are equal.