So much for the new defensive scheme
So we start out running a new scheme with the 3-3-5 and my God, as if we haven't looked bad enough this year, we give up 48 to Purdue. A Purdue offense with a converted RB at QB in his 1st start and we get shredded. At the start of the season RichRod made the statement about the defense possibly being "dominant". Pfftttttt......
We better look at recruiting some kids on defense who can fundamentally tackle with hopes that maybe they can teach our current players how to. We finally play a fairly mistake free day on offense, get some big plays (excluding the Odoms fumble which led to an easy TD), and the defense was horrid. Jamison and Taylor are underachievers, the LB's are what they are - nothing special, and the secondary with their "cushion" is horrible. Warren is a 5-star recruit who plays at about a 3-star level. How do you have triple coverage on a heave and get a pass interference call? Disappointment in this season isn't even the word.
Here's looking to next year! Dear Santa all I want for Christmas are the commitments of William Campbell, Jelani Jenkins, Vlad Emilien, and one more defensive player.
November 1st, 2008 at 6:13 PM ^
November 1st, 2008 at 6:25 PM ^
I refuse to believe that our personel is really this bad. The delta from last year I think is a starting safety and one fucking linebacker. Were Adams and Crable really that important that it'd warrant this big a drop off?
Week in and week out, we're getting exploited in the same manner. Scrub QBs are finding huge holes in our secondary especially on third and long. And on third and long, when our pass rush should be at it's strongest, we seem to have no pass rush ever. Instead, we manage to provide the same fucking underneath pass to these formerly horrible QBs while giving them all day. I don't know about you guys, but that screams coaching. Yeah, I know the tackling is a large part of it too, but don't tell me coaching doesn't affect that in anyway. Scott Shafer doesn't seem to have the chops to coach at this level. I wish nothing but the worst things on him (sorry Gsimmons).
November 1st, 2008 at 11:17 PM ^
Alright, you as an observer see these problems. Now, you have to believe that Shafer seems them too when he goes back and looks at the video. Accordingly, he's made changes throughout the season to try to fix this. We've run a lot of different schemes and nothing has worked. In fact, nothing will work unless the players can start making tackles and performing their assignments.
We like to talk about how we can't possibly have such bad talent. Well the fact is that a lot of 4* and even 5* players don't live up to the hype. When you don't get a lot of backups at a position, if one of those players isn't really that good (i.e. Stevie Brown) you don't have anyone else to put in there. That isn't Shafers fault, not yet at least.
November 1st, 2008 at 6:35 PM ^