What is the biggest one year jump for Total Defense in Football?
I am not wearing the Maize colored glasses today sipping Hoke's Special Kool-Aid by my UM-themed pool thinking about a Top 10 D, but am considering our current situation and some recent player comments. When considering the following, I wonder if we have a chance at the record of the biggest jump:
- We are starting from 108 out of 120 which provides a chance for a big leap
- We are returning a decent number of starters
- Huge, huge upgrade at DC
- Apparent upgrade with Defensive position coaches
- Comments like "Everyone knows their roles. Everyone knows why they've got to do this, why they've got to do that. In the old defense, we just knew this was what we were supposed to do. We really didn't understand it." from Jibreel Black seeming to indicate that we at least understand the scheme better.
I suppose the only wildcard to dramatic improvement would if the offense implodes and stresses our defense. Just getting to average provides a 50 spot boost. Allowing 350 yards a game and cracking the top 40 is a 68 position jump. Maybe that is not completely unreasonable considering spots 35-45 last year were NCST, Arizona, Illinois, Hawaii, Va Tech, Fla St, Missouri, San Diego State, Air Force, Penn State, Maryland. Granted, that is a 100 yards/game improvement from last year which would be stunning. I don't know what our upside is, I am at least feel optimistic about our chances.
Trust in Greg Mattison. He knows how to build. Whatever happens in 2011 will be an improvement. As will 2012. As will 2013. Reach for the stars . . . . . . .
I thought about them because it always mystified me that the Florida team with the secondary that Henne, Arrington, Manningham, et al tore to absolute cross-cut shreds in the Cap One Bowl in 2007-8 turned into a Nat Champ, top 10 type substance in 2008-9. So I looked it up, and here's the improvement they made in that one year:
Scoring defense went from 46th to 5th.
Pass defense went from 98th(!) to 20th.
Pass efficiency defense went from 71st to 3rd.
Interceptions went from 74th to 1st.
Source: http://www.gatorzone.com/football/history/2008/review.pdf see at page 6.
The biggest difference really simply seemed to be that the 2007 team was full of first year starters in the secondary, while the 2008 team, though still young, had that year of bludgeoning to learn from.