Defense: An explanation?

Submitted by chunkums on
Please advice: I know the D lacks depth, lacks experience at some positions, lacks talent at some positions, is undergoing yet another scheme change, has suffered more than its share of injuries and attrition, has experience recruiting troubles and has gone through 3 DCs in 4 years. But I just wish someone would once and for all explain what the problem with the defense is.

CountryBlue

October 12th, 2010 at 9:05 PM ^

we see all the problems and get that things aren't going to be perfect, but it still seems like they could throw together some better preformances than we have seen to date.

spider

October 12th, 2010 at 11:04 PM ^

I have to smile reading all these posts about how fristrated everyone is with the defense. We are the new Indiana! Don;t you get it? Do you think Indiana and Purdue spend countless hours shocked at their defense? Hell no! They totally expect it year in and year out. We are in a heated battle with these two teams for the cellar in the Big Ten. I am more concerned with the Purdue mathcup, because that will determine the season for us!

cfaller96

October 12th, 2010 at 9:06 PM ^

I think the porster is spot on and this is an extremely compelling thread.  Thank God somebody thought to ask the MGoCrowd what they think is wrong with the defense.  This post will NOT get recipe'd because my God what a unique question

Giff4484

October 12th, 2010 at 9:10 PM ^

Really its an age old question. Chicken or the egg? Are we alone in the universe?
Can Michigan stop someone on D?

Calm down help is coming and we are young and someone guy who plays the mike is leaving soon.

switch26

October 12th, 2010 at 9:19 PM ^

All i know is there is something wrong cause obviously when we are getting some pretty good recruits defensively and poor teams still put up lots of yards on us..  I know we have a lot of young players, but no way we are the only team with an issue like this.

Looking at our company on pass D nationally it is pathetic, most of the teams only have a few wins on the season, so i guess we are lucky we have a functioning offense.

sbeck04

October 12th, 2010 at 9:21 PM ^

Please advice: I know I didn't use enough water, didn't stir the noodles, added the noodles before the water water was boiling, and lost a number of noodles due to careless straining. Also, I didn't realize that I was out of milk until it was too late. Can anyone tell me why my mac n cheese isn't very good?

Anonymosity

October 12th, 2010 at 9:24 PM ^

EXCELLENT TOPIC

I think GERG needs to give a 5-3 a try.  I also think he should try goal-line defenses on unexpected downs and distances.  Also, they need to blitz more.  They should be bringing at least 7 on every down.  Works for me in NCAA '06.

dennisblundon

October 12th, 2010 at 9:49 PM ^

When Woolfolk went down with an injury everyone, at least I thought, assumed we were pretty much fucked. Now the season is upon us and guess what? We are still fucked. There is no scheme or blitz package that can compensate for a lack of personnel. A lot of our missed tackles can be chalked up to an 18 year old trying to tackle a 22 year old. The answers are right in front of you but some fans would rather concoct their own defensive schemes and play David Brandon for a day.

This message is for the next guy who seriously asks this question. As for the OP, my sarcasm meter is working, thanks for the laugh.

gebe659

October 12th, 2010 at 10:00 PM ^

I really think it comes down to technique.

Sure, you mentioned all the other reasons, but you should've also mentioned technique.

Many guys are young and are playing "new" positions, so they will be out of place sometimes... but the main problem with your defense is that they just don't tackle very well. There's really no reason for a Big Ten defense to be that bad, even with all the youth, injuries, scheme changes, etc.

Look at Cam Gordon vs. MSU... dude looked like a human pinball. He was going all out on MSU's RBs and instead of making huge tackles, he just got bowled over repeatedly by Baker, Bell, and Caper.

Your guys are going for the big shoulder hit too much instead of wrapping up. I also feel like some of your guys (again, Cam Gordon) tackle waaaay too high against strong players with great balance. I'm sorry, but a shoulder hit to the chest is like a minor speedbump for a guy like Le'Veon Bell, let alone John Clay. You gotta wrap those guys up by their lower bodies.

Geaux_Blue

October 12th, 2010 at 10:05 PM ^

IT'S THAT DAMN HILLBILLY RICH RODRIGUEZ WITH HIS BS ODDITY OFFENSE AND NO FAMILY VALUES THINKS THAT DEFENSE DOESN'T HAVE TO BE DEFENSE BECAUSE HE ONLY CARES ABOUT AN OFFENSE THAT WILL NEVER WORK IN THE BIG TEN BECAUSE HE LIKES SMALL PEOPLE AND RUNNING AND WORKING OUT AND BIG TEN BIG AND I THINK YOUR JUST STUPID AND DON'T SEE THEIR ARE PLENTY OF GREAT KIDS WHO HE FORCED OUT THE DOOR WITH HIS WEST VIRGINIA MUD-STAINED BOOTS THESE COLORS DON'T RUN OH AND HE TALKS FUNNY TO

mgobleu

October 12th, 2010 at 10:40 PM ^

The problem with the D seems to be that they allow far too many points, yards, and first downs. Also, a lack of family values. Do they really think a Big East defense can cut it in the Big Ten????

stillMichigan

October 12th, 2010 at 11:26 PM ^

At least we eliminated the ridiculous  "Michigan offense is scoring too quick and not giving the D any rest" problem  as a potential cause of defensive woes against Sparty.

bighouseinmate

October 12th, 2010 at 11:43 PM ^

.....and it's future.

It is clear to me that other M boards are very negative on the defense in general, and RR's handling of it in particular. For me, I knew this season would be a tough one for the defense once Woolfolk got injured. He was our only possible hope at having a guy who could be a lockdown corner once Warren left. Because of this, GERG cannot run as many blitzes as he could be, and our coverage is too simple to keep experienced QB's and WR's from exploiting it.

Our DL, although very good, cannot hope to contain run games without closer support from the LB's, who are tasked with diagnosing run/pass plays and staying off the line too much for fear of getting burnt in the pass game, hence the out of position LB's on many plays, particularly to the middle.

All of this is fixed with experience, and will be evident next year, as many of our younger players are getting significant PT right now. I believe our secondary will be much better and allow for tighter line play from our LB's, more complex coverage schemes, and heavier doses of blitzing. While it may not be a top defense, it will be better than average given the athleticism our guys have, and coupled with an even more potent offense, should contend for, at the very least, the B10 title.

I am not worried about next year. This year is what it is, and our offense has to play better than they did in order for us to win against the good teams we will face from here on out.

Patience is the key, and we fans of UM need a big dose of it right now.