Why is our defense still the nail and not the hammer?
Outside of Martin, Mouton and Roh (only when he is on the line) we seem to be "catching" on a good number of our tackles. I thought we were supposed to finally start playing faster with the scheme changes to simplify the reads. If we need better athletes out there, where is Furman or MRob? I am just not sure it is a technique thing for individual players, the fact we are adjusting to another scheme change which is causing too much thinking or this defense has been kicked around for the last two years and just doesn't have the swagger. Yes, UMass has 300lb lineman, but I also saw their freshman TE get off the line, deliver a blow to Kovacs and finish running his out. Yes, Kovacs made the eventual tackle, but that seemed to epitomize to me the mentality. Obi flashes occasionally and seems to be regularly be caught in the wash with both end positions rarely collapsing the pocket to deliver hits or pressure. Maybe this will just be the way we will play the rest of the year, but I would love to see us playing more downhill.
EDIT: Yes, we have freshmen playing in a couple positions so that is not the answer I am looking for. The front 7 should at least be fearsome to a FCS school.
September 19th, 2010 at 9:50 PM ^
Most teams try to avoid having freshman and sophomores on the field, and even more so converted players and walk-ons starting. That...um... describes our entire secondary. Our "last-line-of-defense" is full of players that a seasoned coach with a seasoned team would avoid at all costs. We have no choice. HUGE liability. And MRob or Furman? FRESHMAN. So you cannot fix the problem of inexperience with putting in more inexperience. Even if they are faster, that means that they can get out of position faster.
How do you over come such liability? Play zone coverages. Drop LBs into coverage. Bend but don't break playcalls. It is frustrating, but it is either that or get big play after big play dropped on you all game long. Now, we should be tackling better by now, and not have as many mental errors ESPECIALLY in our front 7. I think there may even be some legit complaints as to schemes in certain situations... but right now our hands are tied.
Next year will be better, as we are dealing with mainly sophomores and up, and have more depth with experience (getting Woolfolk back doesn't hurt either).
September 19th, 2010 at 10:08 PM ^
Why is the sky blue?
September 20th, 2010 at 12:26 AM ^
What we need every signing class are a few studs at each level of the defense. BG was the last one, but we need to be bringing in these types of players every signing class if we want a consistently solid D. When we win a lot of games this year, we should be able to accomplish that and in future years, have a stout defense.
September 20th, 2010 at 2:03 AM ^
I did a breakdown of class ranking based upon Rivals 2-deep charts they provided in their preseason build up and the results were simply staggering. Most everyone states the obvious "We are a young team." Ok we get that, but what I found is that we are the youngest team on Defense of the 61 teams I looked at (based upon class ranking, not games played or starts).
My point is while most teams may have a Freshman start or a couple of Sophmores, they are surronded by Upperclassmen on the field. Our defense has so much youth, there is very little Upperclassmen to lean on. So it's trial by fire. Those who survive will be better next year.
September 20th, 2010 at 2:21 AM ^
From the 2005 through 2008 college football seasons, Greg Robinson was Head Coach and also served for part of that time as Co-Defensive Coordinator at Syracuse. Using mostly Paul Pasqualoni's players, Robinson led the Orange to a 57th finish in Total Defense in 2005 and then three seasons where Syracuse was ranked below 100 in Total Defense. Robinson's Syracuse record of 10-38 (3-25 in Big East games) included the only two double-digit loss seasons in the school's history and represents the worst four-season stretch for any Syracuse Head Football Coach.
Scott Shafer suffered through the 2008 season as Michigan's Defensive Coordinator when the Wolverines were ranked 67th in Total Defense. Using many of those same players, Robinson's Michigan team finished 82nd in Total Defense in 2009.
Shafer's Syracuse team was 37th in Total Defense in 2009 and is 23rd in Total Defense after three games in 2010. Syracuse fans might not be happy with their school's record since Robinson, but I believe they're very happy with the "trade" of Greg Robinson for Scott Shafer.
It may not be completely fair to compare teams that don't play common opponents, but Greg Robinson's record since 2000 as a Defensive Coordinator in both the NFL and NCAA has not been very good. His only "success" since 2000 came in 2004 when,as Co-Defensive Coordinator at Texas, he helped the Longhorns finish 23rd in Total Defense after they'd been 25th in Total Defense in 2003.
Granted, Syracuse is a medium-sized public university in an economically-depressed part of New York State, and is considered primarily a basketball/lacrosse school which plays its home football games in an un-air-conditioned indoor stadium, so it might not be able to regulalrly attract the quality of football players that Michigan can attract. (Ironically, the Carrier Dome is NOT air-conditioned, and the days of having players like Jim Brown, Ernie Davis, John Mackey, Floyd Little, Larry Csonka, Joe Morris, Darryl Johnston, Donovan McNabb, Marvin Harrison, Keith Bulluck and Dwight Freeney at Syracuse are long gone. Robinson's starting MLB at Syracuse in 2008, Mike Mele, was UMass's starting MLB vs. Michigan on Saturday.) But Michigan's defense is experiencing what Syracuse's defense suffered through when Greg Robinson ran the show there, and Michigan probably has better talent than Robinson ahd at Syracuse.
By most accounts, Greg Robinson is a very nice man, and it would be great to see him experience the success at Michigan that has eluded him for most of the time since 2000, It just hasn't looked too promising for Michigan's defense since Robinson became Defensive Coordinator.
September 20th, 2010 at 8:57 AM ^
a NC this year, and I was really hoping we would. But, I was drunk and stuff.
September 20th, 2010 at 8:57 AM ^
a NC this year, and I was really hoping we would. But, I was drunk and stuff.
September 20th, 2010 at 8:57 AM ^
a NC this year, and I was really hoping we would. But, I was drunk and stuff.
September 20th, 2010 at 9:14 AM ^
Another thread with some needlessly angry people--not everyone, mind you, as there is some goodt discussion going on within.
But to the folks that are pissed off? Why? What it is about you that cant be happy with a win and move on to the rest of your weekend and your life?
I am stunned that people watch college football every week and are caught off guard by an obvious let down game, let down situation. And, its not like UMass ever the ball onve in the second half with a chance to tie or take the lead.
Some folks need to chill out
September 20th, 2010 at 11:31 AM ^