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Film study sounds so much more impressive doesn't it? I wish I had real film though, so I could see what was happening away from the ball. Now that we all have huge screens and high def, I wish producers would make a commitment to go to a wider view of typical play coverage.
I just watched three fourths of our defensive series. Today, I didn't get caught up in formations, strategy, and tendencies etc. I just simply watched position groups and individuals to see how they were playing. My overall goal was to see if we had made gains and to get a general picture of where we are personnel-wise.
While I don't think BC gave a look into what pressure other teams may be able to put us under by spreading us out, they were generally very physical along the line and had a good RB. I'll bet their QB will give them a boost this year compared to recent years. With that said, I don't think there was a ton of playmaking ability all over the field. Most of their skill guys are serviceable, if I were to describe them with a single word.
For whatever reason, our defense was slipping and sliding out there a lot more than theirs seemed to. I don't know what to make of that. Either we are just a little more clumsy, or there is something to this nagging equipment choice issue while playing on sloppy tracks. Are we trying to cut costs by going with cleat choices that meet the bulk of our needs, but not all? I have no idea, but we were slipping more. You decide what you think is going on.
I don't want to sound like we played a bad game. We didn't. After all, we held them to 7 points, on a single run out, into the fourth Q, on a day where we had 6 first downs up until that point. That can only be so bad. Based on the point total, you may feel as though our defense was "dictating" out there and dominating the action. I really don't think that is a fair characterization at all. In fact, I would say they were more physical than we were. I was kind of hoping we had made major gains along the LOS on this side of the ball during the offseason. Based on this viewing, my impression is that this was not the case. In fact, I would say we look pretty much the same, not bad, but not a swarming mass of pressure either. I watched every DL player and LB individually and then rewound before moving on. The DBs were out of the screen, so sorry, not much news for this bunch.
DL is still not the strength of our defense. Here are some general impressions: Keshun had no lateral capabilities to speak of. He could run straight ahead fine, but if you asked him to turn, it wasn't going to happen. IMHO, he possibly shouldn't have been playing. He wasn't himself out there playing on one leg. So any judgement of his progress is a waste of time currently. Gamble looks solid to me, but not dominating, pretty much the same as last year. Kallon? What to say? He looks so good chasing a play with all that speed to go with his size, but he just doesn't break down and come under control insinctively and he can't use his weight when engaged. Getting off blocks continues to be an issue. He did move the pocket some during the pass rush, even if he didn't make a play. At least he is tall and can get his hands up. KCH looks good at times. I found it interesting how many double teams he faced. I like him better against the run, but Kallon better against the pass. Chungong played well at times, but he isn't electric either. To me, he is the kind of player that power programs would love to have on second string. Simmons did some things. Currently, he is the only DL we have that can beat you with speed. He affected the play more often than anybody else and got there a few times too. If there was a play behind the line, he made it. Of all the players I mentioned on the DL, he is the only one that looks like a noticeably better player this season.
At LB I don't see a huge change either. Lewis #52 plays with energy. I like that. He is coming along. Mitchell ended up starting and playing more than Alford after all. Go figure. There some things to like about his game. I think he does a good job of getting his drops and anticipating throws. His instincts are good in this area. Still, though, he fits in the wrong place (apparently) in run support a little too much. I will ask 'Ballin to chime in, but that is the way it looks to me. Both he and PJ took themselves out of plays at times. To be fair, playing behind our DL is not the easiest. Run fits are not as obvious when your DLs are getting pushed around.
It is hard to judge the backfield, so I will just comment on what it looks like when they actually come into the picture. Corey sometimes has the wrong angle during the chase. Gray always seems to take the right one. The Austin's aren't quite fast enough or big enough, but they tackle so well. I really like when Gray comes up to support the run. He has a LB feel to him.
So in summation: it is early, but the returns from this film are not wildly optimistic. I think we have a defense that can slow some teams down possibly, but to expect that we can win games like this one consistently may be a bit too hopeful. Once again, we will need to move and possess the football on offense to have a solid year.
Let's see how the season develops.
I just watched three fourths of our defensive series. Today, I didn't get caught up in formations, strategy, and tendencies etc. I just simply watched position groups and individuals to see how they were playing. My overall goal was to see if we had made gains and to get a general picture of where we are personnel-wise.
While I don't think BC gave a look into what pressure other teams may be able to put us under by spreading us out, they were generally very physical along the line and had a good RB. I'll bet their QB will give them a boost this year compared to recent years. With that said, I don't think there was a ton of playmaking ability all over the field. Most of their skill guys are serviceable, if I were to describe them with a single word.
For whatever reason, our defense was slipping and sliding out there a lot more than theirs seemed to. I don't know what to make of that. Either we are just a little more clumsy, or there is something to this nagging equipment choice issue while playing on sloppy tracks. Are we trying to cut costs by going with cleat choices that meet the bulk of our needs, but not all? I have no idea, but we were slipping more. You decide what you think is going on.
I don't want to sound like we played a bad game. We didn't. After all, we held them to 7 points, on a single run out, into the fourth Q, on a day where we had 6 first downs up until that point. That can only be so bad. Based on the point total, you may feel as though our defense was "dictating" out there and dominating the action. I really don't think that is a fair characterization at all. In fact, I would say they were more physical than we were. I was kind of hoping we had made major gains along the LOS on this side of the ball during the offseason. Based on this viewing, my impression is that this was not the case. In fact, I would say we look pretty much the same, not bad, but not a swarming mass of pressure either. I watched every DL player and LB individually and then rewound before moving on. The DBs were out of the screen, so sorry, not much news for this bunch.
DL is still not the strength of our defense. Here are some general impressions: Keshun had no lateral capabilities to speak of. He could run straight ahead fine, but if you asked him to turn, it wasn't going to happen. IMHO, he possibly shouldn't have been playing. He wasn't himself out there playing on one leg. So any judgement of his progress is a waste of time currently. Gamble looks solid to me, but not dominating, pretty much the same as last year. Kallon? What to say? He looks so good chasing a play with all that speed to go with his size, but he just doesn't break down and come under control insinctively and he can't use his weight when engaged. Getting off blocks continues to be an issue. He did move the pocket some during the pass rush, even if he didn't make a play. At least he is tall and can get his hands up. KCH looks good at times. I found it interesting how many double teams he faced. I like him better against the run, but Kallon better against the pass. Chungong played well at times, but he isn't electric either. To me, he is the kind of player that power programs would love to have on second string. Simmons did some things. Currently, he is the only DL we have that can beat you with speed. He affected the play more often than anybody else and got there a few times too. If there was a play behind the line, he made it. Of all the players I mentioned on the DL, he is the only one that looks like a noticeably better player this season.
At LB I don't see a huge change either. Lewis #52 plays with energy. I like that. He is coming along. Mitchell ended up starting and playing more than Alford after all. Go figure. There some things to like about his game. I think he does a good job of getting his drops and anticipating throws. His instincts are good in this area. Still, though, he fits in the wrong place (apparently) in run support a little too much. I will ask 'Ballin to chime in, but that is the way it looks to me. Both he and PJ took themselves out of plays at times. To be fair, playing behind our DL is not the easiest. Run fits are not as obvious when your DLs are getting pushed around.
It is hard to judge the backfield, so I will just comment on what it looks like when they actually come into the picture. Corey sometimes has the wrong angle during the chase. Gray always seems to take the right one. The Austin's aren't quite fast enough or big enough, but they tackle so well. I really like when Gray comes up to support the run. He has a LB feel to him.
So in summation: it is early, but the returns from this film are not wildly optimistic. I think we have a defense that can slow some teams down possibly, but to expect that we can win games like this one consistently may be a bit too hopeful. Once again, we will need to move and possess the football on offense to have a solid year.
Let's see how the season develops.
