Opponents Defensive Scheme

[upwgdrb]

On another board this was brought up:

It appears that most of our opponents have changed from an assignment based defense to an aggressive gap shooting or in the case of Tenuta blitzing that has disrupted our offensive line schemes.

I personally thought we started to really roll when we went to a more conventionally blocking strategy last year. We just ran over people at the end of the season with straight up man on man blocking for the most part.

I am curious to see what people think. We have always been able to put offensive numbers under CPJ until this year. So could we improve if we blocked in a more traditional manner than cut blocking and would our lineman not be "confused" on who to block?

 

[up state jacket]

I am for man on man blocking, knock your man down and keep trucking for someone else. Diving at ankles is no good.

 

[takethepoints]

This is a personnel opinion and not based on anything more then what I see on the field, but I think the real question is why the Ds have started blitzing.

I think there's a two part answer to that. First, we don't have BBs who can "enforce" the dive by running through tackles for 4 - 6 ypc. Last year, with Days and Laskey, the dive became more effective as the game wore on. This year, it is increasingly less effective in the late quarters. Part of this is probably the blocking, but, as I keep saying, MM also doesn't have the weight to push forward like the guys last year and Skov isn't enough of a RB. Give MM a hole and he's gone. Problem = fewer holes because nobody thinks he or Skov are going to consistently carry us to first downs. They're right.

The second problem is with the ABs. We don't have sufficient speed and experience out there to make the edge game work effectively or reliably. This doesn't mean our ABs aren't making progress; Lynch had another great game yesterday and I wouldn't be surprised to see him start next year. But the rest aren't as effective at either running or blocking; the reason why Lynch is doing so well is that he is the only back we have who can run through a tackle consistently, not because he's got the blocking down or has blazing speed.

These difficulties mean that the opposing Ds don't have to "read and react" due to the danger of 20+ yard runs. Instead they can lay their ears back and come on down. Personally, I don't think a different blocking scheme would make much difference and we do a fair amount of drive blocking anyway. What we need is to get the Ds back 0n their heels and the personnel to do that are sitting on the sidelines hurt until next year. When they come back on the field, I would love it if opposing DCs think they can blitz like they are doing now. They will be in for a rude awakening.

 

[DvilleJacket]

I hope guys like JJ and other who have been hurt see the field next year will change things. Pitiful season with the only hope of getting ugag two in a row. they maybe playing for a bowl at that point though.

 

[gtg936g]

There are man assignments on most option plays.

If the D shoots the A gap it is a pitch and should be a big gain for us. The person that has the MLB still takes him and the AB takes the safety.

A lot of teams did this last year, and we burned them. The problem that makes that defensive scheme appear successful is missing the MLB or safety. They rally to the edge because the ball is pitched early.

One of our biggest problems is not talent. It is that periodically members of our O line have no idea what play we are running. That was the case against UVA when we had the illegal man downfield.

 

[takethepoints]

One of our biggest problems is not talent. It is that periodically members of our O line have no idea what play we are running. That was the case against UVA when we had the illegal man downfield.

This is both right and wrong. I think you are right in saying that we don't lack talent; we're actually loaded. The problem is that it isn't on the field. We're more banged up then any Tech team I can remember and I can remember a lot of them.

That said, I also think you are right about the OL. If we get Snoddy back for the last three games, let's hope Coach goes back to an AB shuffle and we get everybody on the same page.

 

[Fatmike91]

It is that periodically members of our O line have no idea what play we are running. That was the case against UVA when we had the illegal man downfield.

The first statement may be true -- but the illegal man downfield was an A back who lined up as an ineligible receiver, then went five yards downfield to block. Not sure that was a penalty -- but either way not on the O line...

/

 

[gtg936g]

The first statement may be true -- but the illegal man downfield was an A back who lined up as an ineligible receiver, then went five yards downfield to block. Not sure that was a penalty -- but either way not on the O line...

/

The play I am referring to wasn't flagged, it was definitely not an AB. The play that got flagged was a ticky tack call. This was not a very well officiated game IMO.

 

[65Jacket]

We do not play well at all on the road. I was there yesterday and we lost to a bad team. If we played them at BDS, we would have won by acomfortable margin.

 

[gtg936g]

We do not play well at all on the road. I was there yesterday and we lost to a bad team. If we played them at BDS, we would have won by acomfortable margin.

That is a good point that I had not thought of yet. We are winless on the road this year.

 

[Boomergump]

I am unaware that we have changed our blocking scheme from last year. Where did that idea come from? We are doing the same things, in terms of scheme, even if not as effective. We scooped on the back side last year, just like we are now. We chip on our way to the second level, just like we do now. I am confused by those who say we have changed what we are doing. Please elaborate.

 

[4NatlChmps]

I am unaware that we have changed our blocking scheme from last year. Where did that idea come from? We are doing the same things, in terms of scheme, even if not as effective. We scooped on the back side last year, just like we are now. We chip on our way to the second level, just like we do now. I am confused by those who say we have changed what we are doing. Please elaborate.

I'm not kidding in saying I think on running plays its the same blocking as last year, but more our B-backs not being able to bust tiny gaps quick & hard; and no perimeter speed/weak WR blocking that hurts those plays. Pass blocking a whole other issue (quit rolling out every pass play and get the play call in quicker)

 

[iceeater1969]

I am unaware that we have changed our blocking scheme from last year. Where did that idea come from? We are doing the same things, in terms of scheme, even if not as effective. We scooped on the back side last year, just like we are now. We chip on our way to the second level, just like we do now. I am confused by those who say we have changed what we are doing. Please elaborate.

Not me. We re doing same thing _ just slower


But do our ol legally hold while blocking like every other team? Usually illegally = as 42
It seems like we forfeit that advantage.

 

[GTech63]

I am unaware that we have changed our blocking scheme from last year. Where did that idea come from? We are doing the same things, in terms of scheme, even if not as effective. We scooped on the back side last year, just like we are now. We chip on our way to the second level, just like we do now. I am confused by those who say we have changed what we are doing. Please elaborate.

Against Georgia and Miss state, even Clemson it looked our OLine was pushing the their Dline back 3 to 5 yard. Steam rolling. I made a comment on here last year about it looked different from first part of year and a comment that we were drive blocking was made.

 

[danny daniel]

I am unaware that we have changed our blocking scheme from last year. Where did that idea come from? We are doing the same things, in terms of scheme, even if not as effective. We scooped on the back side last year, just like we are now. We chip on our way to the second level, just like we do now. I am confused by those who say we have changed what we are doing. Please elaborate.

I see these big O changes from 2014: No real or consistent BB threat, WRs and ABs not getting open and not winning contested balls, pass protection breaking down horribly, and perimeter blocking not there yet (but getting better). Throw in the injuries and ragged desperation play at QB and CPJs (lack of confidence) departure in the run game play calling (third and 4 and we pass in the most crucial part of the game). On D the lack of getting turnovers and still no 4 man pass rush. Unfortunately in week 9 we still have not fixed those shortcomings.

 

[Skeptic]

On another board this was brought up:

It appears that most of our opponents have changed from an assignment based defense to an aggressive gap shooting or in the case of Tenuta blitzing that has disrupted our offensive line schemes.

I personally thought we started to really roll when we went to a more conventionally blocking strategy last year. We just ran over people at the end of the season with straight up man on man blocking for the most part.

I am curious to see what people think. We have always been able to put offensive numbers under CPJ until this year. So could we improve if we blocked in a more traditional manner than cut blocking and would our lineman not be "confused" on who to block?

I think you are taking a couple of games where the D lines cooperated and set up like ten pins -- some of Georgia, second half in OB -- and extrapolating to a season. A coach, Johnson or otherwise, is going to use the blocking schemes that work in a situation. They would be fools not to. Frankly we have seen this O line trying to block several ways and succeeding in none. At some point one has to conclude it ain't the scheme; it's the talent. It is just a bit of the overall problem, but very real, and at this point in the season they're not freshmen anymore.

 

[Yaller Jacket]

We do not play well at all on the road. I was there yesterday and we lost to a bad team. If we played them at BDS, we would have won by acomfortable margin.

Yes! with emphasis. We do not look like the same team on the road. Both sides of the ball. I sure don't know the answer, but that has got to change next year if we want to be a factor again.

 

[takethepoints]

Yes! with emphasis. We do not look like the same team on the road. Both sides of the ball. I sure don't know the answer, but that has got to change next year if we want to be a factor again.

I bet you do know the answer: inexperience. Inexperienced teams always look better at home.

At the first of the year, I would have said this about the O, but not the D. Now the epidemic of playing freshmen and redshirts with little game experience has spread to that side of the field as well. One of the fonts here said that for every freshman you play you give up 3 points a game. Looks about right.

 

[Skeptic]

The cold reality is that this is a bad football team. There, I said it. I kept wanting to believe we were one play, or one player, away from being a really good one. Looking at it now that was against all odds. Sometimes it is hard to look at a team and admit it is not a matter of being coached up. They were coached up, that's the pity.

I had started a much longer post and realized how negative it had become, but we have all seen the problems, some glaring some not so, and nothing is to be gained by repeating them. It seems to me Johnson will continue to dumb down the offense to help with blocking assignments and take pressure off Thomas, and we will try to win out one game at a time against three teams that will be galvanized to play us for different reasons. It's a good thing they're getting a week off. Then I think they were I Johnson going into the off seasons, I would reevaluate not just the coordinators, who we all talk about, but specifically every position coach, particularly on the defense, because it is at that level that the game is taught. I wonder if in the game of subtraction (to other coaching jobs) and addition has been mostly subtraction. When the defense is eight years of futility with four different DCs, then in civil engineering terms, the infrastructure is shattered, and hiring a new captain won't keep the boat afloat.

I don't want anybody fired because that is a kneejerk reaction that hardly ever fixes a problem, and one must be very wary of what he wishes for. I love the offense, which means bad with the good, and think Johnson is a good fit at GT. At the same time I have to admit it is getting harder and harder to mount an enthusiastic defense when the coyotes come out at night, and we play like we did at Virginia. So somebody talk me into putting the razor blade down.

 

[Boomergump]

We have a bad record, granted. I am not sure we are a bad team. I have seen those. They are typically not competitive. We have 6 losses, 4 of which legitimately could have gone the other way, and 5 of which came against teams with superb W-L records. Look, there is no way to argue we are a good team either. Good teams find a way to win those type of games. We are not doing that.

If healthy, I think we had the potential to be pretty good, maybe not as good as I had hoped for. I am not going to talk you into to putting the razor down, but rather, question why you picked it up in the first place.

I will gladly say that if we find a way to win the remaining games, I will be exceedingly proud of this team AND will have had some awesome memories in the process. I don't expect it all to be easy. As always, every season, every week, you have to take where you actually are and try and build on it. There is no going back, only going forward. This season's record is no more permanent than last season's was.