Problem with our defense

What's the problem with our Defense?

  • Coaching/Scheme

    Votes: 28 28.9%
  • Talent

    Votes: 69 71.1%

  • Total voters
    97

InsideLB

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,869
Anthony Williams quit, Whitehead was ruled ineligible.
I think Ted deserves some heat for not getting after it on the last drive last night, and he would never say it publicly, but we are thin on talent on D, and the talent we do have is inexperienced and could use some time in the weight room. He is in a catch 22.

Add Kevin Robbins to the list of lost DL
 

Js-showman

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
340
How good or bad would our defense be if we ran a 3-4 this season with our current players?
How much worse would it have been yesterday if we blitzed like hell and played more aggressively? As it was, they scored every time they touched the ball. This system of playing back on our heels and giving 10 yard cushions to every receiver is demented.
 

DCSS

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
687
Location
Tennessee
How much worse would it have been yesterday if we blitzed like hell and played more aggressively? As it was, they scored every time they touched the ball. This system of playing back on our heels and giving 10 yard cushions to every receiver is demented.
We still rarely reached the QB when we blitzed and left our DBs in man coverage.
 

Madison Grant

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,276
There are some folks who just don't like Roof because of his time when he was thrown in the fire as a novice 15 years ago who swear the problem is scheme. I'm not saying it isn't coaching, but watching the replay I don't think the issue is necessarily scheme. Major myth #1: Roof never blitzes. We brought 5 and 6 guys quite a bit in the first half. Was the blitz easy to read? Yeah, but we were going up against the hurry up offense every time. It's not like you have time to line up and shuffle around when you don't know when UNC is going to snap the ball at any half-second. And what happened when we blitzed? We got no rush because no one on our front 4 can occupy multiple blockers to open a lane for anyone else. Right after we blitzed on 3rd down and failed, Switzer beat us for the 68 yard TD. Major myth #2: We line up 15 yards back at corner. DJ White was in press coverage multiple times on 3rd down during the game. Watch the replay. Folks gripe because our corners line up way off in the red zone. Maybe we are trying to bait the offense into keeping the ball in front so we can force them to run in 4 down and goal situations, where we feel more comfortable trying to get a stop and force a FG. Remember, we were talking about giving major PT to or starting true freshmen at CB this year. Maybe we know what we've got there.
 

Techster

Helluva Engineer
Messages
17,855
It's amazing how talent makes a coach a defensive genius.

No arguments here. People want to say Roof is clueless all of a sudden, but don't forget he won an National Championship at Auburn holding one of the most prolific offenses in history (Oregon under Chip Kelly) way under their season average in the NC Game. He was also responsible for the shot in the arm last year in our defense.

Yes, talent helps, but talent alone doesn't do everything. Al Groh had the same talent in 2012 that Rood did in 2013 and he was summarily dismissed half way through the season. Talent still needs direction.
 

takethepoints

Helluva Engineer
Messages
5,909
I said this in another thread, but it fits here.

Take a look at the box score for the UNC - Notre Dame game. ND, a team with a much better D then ours, held UNC to - wait for it - 510 yards total offense and 43 points. It was that game that had me worried about last night; UNC is the most talented offense we'll face until we get to Ugag. Don't believe me? Check the stats; they're hot as pistols.

They got 579 yards total offense and 48 points against us. Iow, we did about as well against them - up there - as ND did on their home field two weeks ago. And, like ND, we were down and came back to get ahead. Unfortunately, we didn't take enough time scoring on our last drive and our D, worn out by then, couldn't stop them. That's often how it is in a shoot-out.

Luckily, our next three opponents are either not as hot on O (Pitt, UVA) or are as bad as UNC or worse on D (NCSt). It won't be easy, but we can win all three of these games if we play a bit better on D (and get a few breaks) then we did last night.
 

Madison Grant

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,276
3rd quarter on 3rd and 6- we had been playing off and had stopped a couple of outs. On 3rd down, we brought 5 and Gotsis twisted and almost got the QB. Milton was lined up 8 yards off, and DJ White was in press. The pass was completed underneath to Switzer on White's side. There's a vocal minority with an anti-Roof agenda. I'm not a big Roof fan, but I think he's done a little bit better with what he's had to work with than Groh or Wommack. We just are really, REALLY short on talent defensively this year.
 

AE 87

Helluva Engineer
Messages
13,016
No arguments here. People want to say Roof is clueless all of a sudden, but don't forget he won an National Championship at Auburn holding one of the most prolific offenses in history (Oregon under Chip Kelly) way under their season average in the NC Game. He was also responsible for the shot in the arm last year in our defense.

Yes, talent helps, but talent alone doesn't do everything. Al Groh had the same talent in 2012 that Rood did in 2013 and he was summarily dismissed half way through the season. Talent still needs direction.

FWIW, while our D improved marginally from 2012 to 2013, it was still pretty average, ranked #57 by football outsiders. We were #58 in 2012, #68 in 2011, and #53 in 2009. When you consider that 6 guys off our 2013 Defense made it into NFL camps, I'm not sure what to make of Roof's contribution.

I was a fan of bringing Roof in, but I'm struggling to see it now.
 

AE 87

Helluva Engineer
Messages
13,016
I said this in another thread, but it fits here.

Take a look at the box score for the UNC - Notre Dame game. ND, a team with a much better D then ours, held UNC to - wait for it - 510 yards total offense and 43 points. It was that game that had me worried about last night; UNC is the most talented offense we'll face until we get to Ugag. Don't believe me? Check the stats; they're hot as pistols.

They got 579 yards total offense and 48 points against us. Iow, we did about as well against them - up there - as ND did on their home field two weeks ago. And, like ND, we were down and came back to get ahead. Unfortunately, we didn't take enough time scoring on our last drive and our D, worn out by then, couldn't stop them. That's often how it is in a shoot-out.

Luckily, our next three opponents are either not as hot on O (Pitt, UVA) or are as bad as UNC or worse on D (NCSt). It won't be easy, but we can win all three of these games if we play a bit better on D (and get a few breaks) then we did last night.

While the comparison is somewhat encouraging (I made a similar comparison in my thread on points per drive), it's not really as encouraging as this post suggests. UNC actually ran more plays in 3 fewer drives against us than against ND, and 7 of their 43 points came from a pick-6. ND held their offense to about 2.7 points/drive while UNC scored 4.5 ppd against us. In a ten-drive game, that's a difference of three scores.
 

alaguy

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,117
I agree. Personally I am tired of seeing former quarterbacks attempting to play defense. The secondary cannot cover and cannot tackle. There is no pressure on the quarterback and the linebackers are too slow. Major overhaul needed but it will take years.
Worthco,
Don't you know you can just recruit an"athlete" and he can magically turn into a QB,running back,a DB or a WR?.That's the crap that's been out there for yrs.
 

jason

Georgia Tech Fan
Messages
74
I think its a little of both but I think the talent level is causing the schemes. But I really think if we are going to get good players to want to come to Tech we need to get more aggressive. Who wants to play defense by just trying to keep everything in front of you then make the tackle. The good players want to be able to make plays and it seems like we dont let them. We seem to be coaching scared to give up big plays but that also dont allow or kids to make big plays which is what we need.
 

jayparr

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,441
Location
newnan
The talent we have are too young, the dl/de are way too small, poor fundamentals(my guess from hi school), not instinctive, and maybe low FB IQ.
 

GTJake

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,956
Location
Fernandina Beach, Florida
It's all about the players.

I disagree with this, there is no way this is a 100% talent-only issue ... we are wayyyyy too bad on defense for this to be true.
IMO, a combination of coaching, youth with a percentage of lack of talent issue's.
By coaching, I mean the whole deal from initial talent evaluation in recruiting to strength and conditioning to scheme and play calling.
I like CTR, but hopefully he didn't come home just to collect a paycheck ... he needs to majorly get after it.
 

Ash

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
766
Who wants to play defense by just trying to keep everything in front of you then make the tackle.

Whoa. Is that what what we are trying to do? Keep everything in front of us and make a tackle? Cause I ain't seeing much of either.
 

danny daniel

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,499
We have a long list of identifed D shortcomings from coaching to talent to scheme, but the one correctable shortcoming that can be, and should be, fixed is tackling. This is a coaching issue, either in teaching, or playing or selecting players that can learn. We have not shown much improvement in this area and it is the one shortcoming in our D that can be greatly improved, and should be. Our coaches should make this a higher priority in practice and demand better from themselves and our players.
 
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