ESPN Knows how to stop Denard...

Submitted by bigmc6000 on

In their Skeptic or Believer segment Trevor Matich at ESPN is a skeptic of DRob for Heisman (but also says he's going to square off against Pryor in the 'Shoe for it - doesn't sound like a skeptic but moving on) and said he's seen video of DRob and knows how to stop him.  His answer "Get the contain men up field."  Sounds simple - I suppose we should ask ND how that worked out...

 

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Enjoy Life

September 14th, 2010 at 3:41 PM ^

Trevor was also the same guy that said DRob would be at wide receiver if he did not start at QB. (Trevor said that just 2 weeks ago when there was abso-f'ing-lutely no way DRob was ever going to be at wide receiver!)

He basically said to the defense needs to keep DRob in front of them -- well, duh -- and good luck with that.

Joined: 07/02/2008

MGoPoints: 2658

briangoblue

September 14th, 2010 at 3:43 PM ^

I think Denard WILL win the heisman this year, and he'll put up great numbers and win big games.

Ok, that's it for, "2 Guys Kill Time With Opposing Viewpoints," up next, "Skip Bayless Makes You Question The Qualifications of Network Executives Making 7 Figures."

Joined: 08/03/2009

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EGD

September 14th, 2010 at 4:48 PM ^

I received a Rick Bayless cookbook as a wedding gift five years ago and have been slowly eating my way through it. 

Unfortunately many of the recipes require techniques beyond my skill level but even the simple recipes are delicious.  I bet Denard could cook anything in the book though.

Joined: 09/16/2009

MGoPoints: 35199

umjgheitma

September 14th, 2010 at 3:46 PM ^

while V. Smith stood beside them all ("containing upfield") to accept a short screen pass and run it into the end zone. You would be doing M a favor by shooting guys upfield by letting our slots carry some of the load Denard has been handling on his own. 

Joined: 12/02/2008

MGoPoints: 2388

Vasav

September 14th, 2010 at 3:46 PM ^

Bringing the contain guy upfield on the zone read will get the ball out of Denard's hands at least, won't it? AND then our RBs can shut the haters up.

But yes his is an overly simplistic solution that exposes the defense in many other areas.

Joined: 12/13/2009

MGoPoints: 19203

expatriate

September 14th, 2010 at 3:46 PM ^

I am sure there are ways to stop Denard- and in doing so open up every other playmaker on this team- but there is no way it is that simple.  If it was, you would think the geniuses over at UConn and ND would have figured that out, or at least not been gashed for record yardage in consecutive weeks.

I am not going to crown Denard with the Heisman after two weeks, nor am I going to start following the hype for a pretty meaningless award.  However, this guy is a true quarterback and he plays like it- he is not an all-time wildcat or a running back or anything else.  There were countless times he hung in the pocket and tried to throw rather than take off- he is committed to being a great quarterback, and just because he is CAPABLE of running (faster than light), doesn't mean he should be pidgeonholed into the generic "athlete" role by the media.

Joined: 12/15/2009

MGoPoints: 1155

Blazefire

September 14th, 2010 at 8:46 PM ^

Can't argue with that. Should've gone to a defensive player (Suh?) last year. 2008 I can't remember who should've had it, nor who did. Same with 2007. Last player I can remember who won it and I can remember thinking, "Yup. That's correct", was Troy Smith.

To note, Denard has the potential to be SO much more than TS ever was.

Joined: 04/17/2009

MGoPoints: 25038

Vasav

September 14th, 2010 at 4:02 PM ^

There was a thread this weekend that talked about how David Molk may be more valuable to the offense than Denard. Whether or not this is true, the point is that the Heisman trophy typically goes to the QB or RB with gaudy stats on a top ten team. Woodson was an exception (with some offense and special teams) and Suh made some noise, but I do think there is a lot of hoopla about the Heisman trophy being for the best player when that's a nonsensical thing to try to identify in football.

Which is why it'd be great if Denard won it - you know that more than any other winner, he would talk about he was "accepting it on behalf of THE TEAM"

Joined: 12/13/2009

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BlockM

September 14th, 2010 at 4:01 PM ^

This is true if Denard had the ball glued to his hands with some sort of super-epoxy. Unfortunately for him, Denard has the option of throwing the ball. Throwing defenders at the problem leaves the guys they would have been defending wide open.

Joined: 07/03/2008

MGoPoints: 40711

LB

September 14th, 2010 at 4:34 PM ^

don't they know that Denard doesn't like being caught from behind? He hasn't even gotten mad yet, he might yet rend the fabric of the space-time continuum if they make him not smile.

Joined: 09/26/2009

MGoPoints: 25494

TheOracle6

September 14th, 2010 at 5:00 PM ^

Matich couldn't be more wrong.  If you're going to bring that many guys into the box then Denard is going to beat you with his arm.  He is the fastest player on the field and can take it to the house at any moment.  I'd love to see a Matich coached defense try and stop our offense.  All these analysts at ESPN act like it's only DRob, when in fact it's our entire offensive line, our TE's and our excellent WR's who are some of the best blocking WR's in the country.  Anything the defense does this offense has a recipe for and it's a matter of execution on whether or not we succeed.

Joined: 09/02/2010

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steelymax

September 14th, 2010 at 5:26 PM ^

All these analysts at ESPN act like it's only DRob, when in fact it's our entire offensive line, our TE's and our excellent WR's who are some of the best blocking WR's in the country

That's an excellent point.

I love me some Denard, but I also believe Rodriguez when he says they can win with any of their QBs. Through necessity (attrition), he's had to assemble a team of interchangeable parts.

Would Tate or Devin be as successful as Denard? No. That's why Denard is the starter. But could Tate and Devin successfully run that offense? It remains to be seen, but I do believe so.

Joined: 11/17/2009

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blueloosh

September 14th, 2010 at 7:12 PM ^

You're exactly right.  Also, bringing the contain men upfield almost plays into Denard's hands.  He does not like to begin runs by circling around the end with speed.  He likes to string the play out down the line and then knife up through the middle (then bounce outside later).  Rushing contain players up to the outside would only open more seams. 

Remember when Tenuta tried this brilliant tactic?  Here's a reminder.

You can certainly flood the box, and ND did this with some success for 3-5 plays.  Then Denard burned them with the pull-up pass to Roundtree.  Michigan has contain plays for that.  And that type of pass will continue to make Denard look like a better passer on paper than he probably is (though I consider him to be a very solid passer at this point).

There is one way to stop Denard statistically -- beg us to hand the ball off.  Teams may do that, and our RBs will produce.  Bad for Heisman, fine for us.

Joined: 10/26/2008

MGoPoints: 831

Bb011

September 14th, 2010 at 6:17 PM ^

He says it so easily too. Its as if he thinks its some easy feat to stop a good duel threat qb. Seriously....How can you shut down a player than can throw a bullet and/or run it 10 yards with ease. His comment wouldn't bother me so much if he didn't make it seem like it was such a damn easy task. 

Joined: 09/02/2010

MGoPoints: 4721

Gene

September 14th, 2010 at 6:23 PM ^

That might stop the highlight reel runs (which are no doubt all this guy watched) from so far, but that sounds like a recipe for upping Denard's average runs by an extra 3 ypc.

Joined: 07/01/2008

MGoPoints: 443

OregonWolverine

September 14th, 2010 at 7:31 PM ^

Doesn't matter which great player you name, from Jim Brown to Peyton Manning, there are schemes that can be designed to "stop" them. The thing that makes great offensive players great is that they leave you with such a small margin for error. Almost everybody has to execute nearly perfectly every time. Even just one key defender is a step slow in recognition, or fails to beat the block to the correct side, or doesn't break down perfectly on the tackle, or takes the fake - and boom, big play. Mistakes which were inconsequential against Steve Threet are instant TDs against Pat White or Denard. That's why talk of stopping players with a scheme is mostly just silly talk - it's really more down to the talent and experience of the opposing defense. It's not going to be easy against Iowa and Ohio State, regardless of the particulars of the scheme they run.

Joined: 12/19/2009

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BigCat14

September 15th, 2010 at 12:18 PM ^

any stat guru's out there that can see, from the teams's rosters on our schedule, if there are any legit starting or part time defenders that have 4.3/4.4 speed? 

Joined: 09/14/2009

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