Our defense is awful...

[33jacket]

Giving up 10 points and 300 yards to Mercer is not normally the definition of "awful"

I am concerned that we didn't have any sacks and allowed too many passing yards. Things to work on for sure but if we had scored on the 2 drives that fumbled in the red zone no one really mentions this.

I am very worried that we haven't been able to recruit real difference makers on D. Lot of good players but no real stars. Especially on the line. Gotsis was an lucky development project. But that concern was well established before today.

Hard to get yards when there was one possession in the 3rd quarter. What was their yards per play (i seriously dont know was it good or bad?)

We didnt force one 3 and out.

Alot to point to that was not good on d.

As for perspective...how is 4 years of a similar track record for this d...first it was he will get great recruits. Now its we dont have em. And all the mean while there are more d players in the nfl than O the past 4 years. Cant have it both ways folks. Talent is not the sole problem on this D. There are repetitive issues year over year.

How many times has paul said cant get off the field
Not aggressive enough
Cant get pressure
Eyes in the wrong place

Its a broken record.

 

[awbuzz]

Bottom line on the D issues
- am concerned that we didn't have any sacks
- allowed too many passing yards
- way too many first downs
- not wrapping up when tackling
- their first drive (long TD pass) was big time disappointing
- their first drive of 2nd have was a GT death march... ate up half of the quarter.
- no, zero, zip , nil 3 and out possessions.

With that, there were some good things for the D
- did apply some pressure causing some passing errors due to the pressure
- lots of teachable issues still on the table
- FK was named on a good play (hey I'm grasping for straws here...)

 

[Boomergump]

Why do we use hyped up language like "moved the ball at will" and "awful"? On the day, we lost the turnover battle 2-0 and still gave up total of 10 points. If they moved the ball at will, what are you telling me, they just didn't feel like scoring?

There were some frustrating moments for sure, but this was far from awful. We need to play better on third down is what I came away with. We played vanilla and made up our minds to make them earn it all the way down the field without taking chances. IMHO, it was not a bad strategy for a game like this where we were likely to score a bunch. I like aggressive D too, but I understand, or think I do, the motivation for today's defensive tactics.

 

[ATL1]

I generally agree with you @Boomergump with that said Mercer's program is what 4 years old?

They shouldn't be moving anything. This should have been a comfortable skunk rules apply victory.

 

[JKMSJ]

Why do we use hyped up language like "moved the ball at will" and "awful"? On the day, we lost the turnover battle 2-0 and still gave up total of 10 points. If they moved the ball at will, what are you telling me, they just didn't feel like scoring?

There were some frustrating moments for sure, but this was far from awful. We need to play better on third down is what I came away with. We played vanilla and made up our minds to make them earn it all the way down the field without taking chances. IMHO, it was not a bad strategy for a game like this where we were likely to score a bunch. I like aggressive D too, but I understand, or think I do, the motivation for today's defensive tactics.

Do you think we will come out next week and play aggressive defense since we are playing a little stiffer competition? I don't think we will Ted Roof is just a very conservative coordinator.

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

Here is what I saw. Outside plays, like rocket toss or pitch to the outside on option, were pretty much money plays all day. We could have run up the score running wide but we didn't. CPJ was working on specific things with the offense. He clearly wanted the line to work on things inside and he also seemed to want to give the WRs a chance to work on deep routes. He also apparently stuck by a decision to give lots of backups a chance to play. My concern for the offense would be twofold: Our WRs still seem to have trouble getting open and we do not seem to be quite settled yet with our B-back position. Perhaps Mills will continue to grow into that role when he returns next week.

Defense looked to me like we are still not used to tackling to the ground. Reps from game experience should help that. The defensive line pretty much dominated Mercer however. As for giving up so many first downs, I would chalk that up for now to Mercer being extremely disciplined and well coached.

Last but not least, I would bet that Tech chose not to show a lot of its arsenal on both offense and defense in this game, saving something for the tougher opponents. I base that off watching CPJ in past years.

Defense looked to me like we are still not used to tackling to the ground

When have we ever been good at tackling to the ground. People brag about Tenuta, but that was a problem then too at times. We look like we don't know how to tackle much of the time.

 

[GTonTop88]

As like most years under PJ, our best defense is our offense. Offense looked fine today minus the fumbles. Defense continues to be very vanilla and lack aggression and physicality.

Our defense doesn't give up many big plays so it takes a long time for teams to score on us, and as you said our offense chews up clock as well. So I believe we'll be in a lot of close games this year kinda like last year.

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

One player I don't believe I have seen mentioned on here....Kallon. I don't know what kind of game he had overall, but he had one MONSTER hit in the 3rd quarter. I could hear it from the upper east deck.

 

[TheGridironGeek]

Why do we use hyped up language like "moved the ball at will" and "awful"? On the day, we lost the turnover battle 2-0 and still gave up total of 10 points. If they moved the ball at will, what are you telling me, they just didn't feel like scoring?

There were some frustrating moments for sure, but this was far from awful. We need to play better on third down is what I came away with. We played vanilla and made up our minds to make them earn it all the way down the field without taking chances. IMHO, it was not a bad strategy for a game like this where we were likely to score a bunch. I like aggressive D too, but I understand, or think I do, the motivation for today's defensive tactics.

Yep.

Man, being away from the board for a while due to various personal & professional reasons, I have been shy to post this season since GT is 2-0 and I don't want to be a fair-weather guy who only pops up when they win. That said, the board is SO dark right now that I feel like nobody can accuse me of that - I'm jumping head-first into some serious doom and gloom!

The only thing I have to add to some of the excellent anti-panic posts is that the FCS deserves more respect than they're getting. I don't care how new Mercer's program is, they impressed me. Their offense is a multiple zone-spread option like Georgia Southern or Appalachian State, far more effective than a by-the-numbers generic shotgun-spread if you can teach it. The Bears had some quick 240-lb linebackers running around out there, they're a legit team.

There are far more fine players coming out of high school now than ever before. The FBS teams couldn't stockpile them all unless they had 500 scholarships each to give out.

If you want to put all FCS schools outside of North Dakota St. and Eastern Washington in some anonymous ledger of suck, then you have to say that all kinds of FBS teams totally suck, too, because the games between the 2 divisions are more competitive than ever before. It's not an accident, and it doesn't mean that the top-division schools all forgot how to play. A poor FBS defense would have given up more than 3 points to Mercer after the 1st quarter.

Nothing personal but the "low level Division 2" comment in this thread has to be the nadir of pessimism for a GT team that has already won 2/3 as many games as they did all last season. A low-level Division 2 team would lose to Boston College by 100 points.

Oh, and I can't possibly read "Our defense is AWFUL!" without thinking of Gene Hackman's voice cracking in Hoosiers.

 

[danny daniel]

Saw the game in person from the N stands and the D did look "awful" from there, especially on possession downs. However, I just watched it again on ESPN replay and it was not as bad. We have some D reserves who made some plays. I liked what I saw with Curry, Simmons (DE) again, and L Simmons (CB) with honorable mention to Kawaga, Adams, Alford, and Alexander.

Some playmakers are emerging on O with consistency such as (JT of course), Searcy, and Jeune. I am projecting stardom of sorts from Mills and Cottrell. Lynch and M Marshall are very solid. I thought A Marshall did a good job at T today and hope Klock is OK. Jordan ran tough, held on to the ball, ate clock, and punished the D (Byerly #2). OL looked improved.

We certainly have a lot of room for improvement on O and especially on D, but with more hard work and time to get the right players in place I can see us becoming much better than "awful". Some D scheme adjustments near the end of the game were productive (more aggressive) and IMO needed to be made earlier. As usual got to work on tackling.

 

[alentrekin]

Let's take a moment to have some perspective.

Game A: Team 1 beat Team 2 by 25. Team 1 gave up 8 yards per passing attempt, 4.1 yards per rush, 18 first downs and 305 yards total offense with 233 yards on the ground.

Game B: Team 3 beat Team 4 by 25. Team 3 gave up 5.9 yards per passing attempt, 3.0 yards per rush, 19 first downs and 320 yards total offense with 85 yards on the ground.

Who played the better defense: Team 1 or Team 3? I would say it's pretty similar but Team 3 had better yards per attempt, better yards per rush and made the offense throw the ball, so I'll give them the edge.

Team 1 is #19 Ole Miss who beat Wofford (5-6 in the Southern Conf last year), and Team 3 is GT beating Mercer (also 5-6 in the Southern Conf). If I remember correctly, Ole Miss played a respectable game against a pretty good FSU team last week. I'm ok being counted at the same level of defense as Ole Miss.

We have lots of work to do, and I sure didn't like those 19 first downs by Mercer. That said, we didn't give up big plays and, when we did make mistakes, there was a guy there to make the tackle and limit the damage.

Let's have some perspective.

I think some of the handwringing is due to Mercer scoring on the first drive, and making it look relatively easy. It reminded me of our struggles with UNC and Duke's offenses. Also, note that Ole Miss held Wofford to a three and out on their first possession and was up 31-3 going into the 4th quarter, when Wofford scored garbage points.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Listening to CPJ after the game I am beginning to wonder if Roof is going to get the chance to coach his own son. It definitely seems he needs to make wholesale changes to his schematic style, and fast.

He has a great reputation for recruiting so maybe it was truly a complete overhaul needed after Groh? How long has Roof been DC at Tech now? This is the 4th season right?

 

[strong90]

Take the name "Mercer" and "FCS" out of the equation.

Regardless of who the opponent was (it could even be against a top 10 FBS team), if you told me our D.... Failed to get a 3 & out the entire game, allowed 11/20 3rd & 4th down conversions, gave up a 17-play, 8 minute drive to start the 3rd quarter, the opponent consistently fell forward for extra yards, and we didn't create a single turnover.... then regardless of opponent, I would describe our D as weak and be surprised that we only gave up 10.

If you then told me it was Mercer, I would be worried.

I wish we were more aggressive on D. Having said that, we're 2-0 and we've been bent but not broken...

 

[PBR549]

Or we can continue to look at the one who coaches that side of the ball.

Like Groh?

 

[lv20gt]

Not true, you should keep an eye on both sides, but you have to much on your plate as a head coach to actually coach both sides of the ball.

So fire Roof, hire someone else, and do this same song and dance again in 3 years because the problem isn't the DC.

 

[PBR549]

Yep, there are to many coaches out there that are having their guys over achieve, and imo we under achieve, we have to much talent on D not to be doing better.

Like the last three DCs we've had. It's time to look at other factors besides the coach. How about calculus!

 

[PBR549]

I watch the Alabama defense be aggressive. They attack the opposing offense, our guys sit back and wait for the game to come to them. Mercer was allowed too many 3rd down conversions. It was frustrating to watch.

We don't get Alabama players!

 

[PBR549]

Let's take a moment to have some perspective.

Game A: Team 1 beat Team 2 by 25. Team 1 gave up 8 yards per passing attempt, 4.1 yards per rush, 18 first downs and 305 yards total offense with 233 yards on the ground.

Game B: Team 3 beat Team 4 by 25. Team 3 gave up 5.9 yards per passing attempt, 3.0 yards per rush, 19 first downs and 320 yards total offense with 85 yards on the ground.

Who played the better defense: Team 1 or Team 3? I would say it's pretty similar but Team 3 had better yards per attempt, better yards per rush and made the offense throw the ball, so I'll give them the edge.

Team 1 is #19 Ole Miss who beat Wofford (5-6 in the Southern Conf last year), and Team 3 is GT beating Mercer (also 5-6 in the Southern Conf). If I remember correctly, Ole Miss played a respectable game against a pretty good FSU team last week. I'm ok being counted at the same level of defense as Ole Miss.

We have lots of work to do, and I sure didn't like those 19 first downs by Mercer. That said, we didn't give up big plays and, when we did make mistakes, there was a guy there to make the tackle and limit the damage.

Let's have some perspective.

They scored one TD off a turnover.

 

[PBR549]

Umm no I didn't.... We have not just played like this for one game it is basically the same vanilla ,conservative, non aggressive defense every week. It is Roofs scheme and it needs to change.

Yes he did. Ole Miss is much better athletically. We can't recruit those type athletes so we play the type of scheme we do to get similar results. It is what it is. Either we lower our our academic standards and get animals or change DCs every 3 or 4 years.

 

[PBR549]

Hard to get yards when there was one possession in the 3rd quarter. What was their yards per play (i seriously dont know was it good or bad?)

We didnt force one 3 and out.

Alot to point to that was not good on d.

As for perspective...how is 4 years of a similar track record for this d...first it was he will get great recruits. Now its we dont have em. And all the mean while there are more d players in the nfl than O the past 4 years. Cant have it both ways folks. Talent is not the sole problem on this D. There are repetitive issues year over year.

How many times has paul said cant get off the field
Not aggressive enough
Cant get pressure
Eyes in the wrong place

Its a broken record.

He's said the same for 9 years.