Was our defense hamstrung in the past?

slugboy

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1. Air Force scored 14 pts on 170 yds rushing. We just couldn’t score. This game proves his argument.
2. Defending our rushing attack probably doesn’t translate to other ground games.

Let’s leave it at “I don’t agree”


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bobongo

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I might agree, but when did we do a good job defending the option? You'd think we'd be ready for it, but I remember losing to Air Force in the 2010 Independence Bowl for one example. Last year, we were 81st in yards per rushing attempts on defense. Wouldn't practicing against a great run offense make us good and making reads and run defense?

Not saying you don't have a point, but we didn't seem to master any craft, defensively.

Or, it might be evidence that a good option offense is hard to stop even if you're ready for it (unless you have vastly superior talent). I loved our offense. Too bad we couldn't find a way to mitigate the negative baggage that came with it.
 

Joeb21

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Man, when I heard that, I had to rewind and listen to it again. I thought maybe he was talking about matching the defense to the opposing team's offense, but I really think he meant they had to base the defense around CPJ's offense!
@Ibeeballin was right! It makes so much sense now. Our defense struggled every year, regardless of the DC because they really were "hamstrung"!
 

Techster

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The title of this thread is funny...

"Are GT fans hamstrung to the past?!" is apt! (Guilty of it myself.)
 

UgaBlows

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32759487-F075-4A7B-9951-CC5EF1F3508D.jpeg
The title of this thread is funny...

"Are GT fans hamstrung to the past?!" is apt! (Guilty of it myself.)

Yes we are.
 

jgtengineer

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Assuming he’s talking about you really could not do much defensive install bc certain defenses just don’t work vs the option.

This is probably it, It's certainly what I saw over the years.

Now the difference between both Navy and Southern and Tech is that at Southern they actually had a "scout team" that never was going to play on offense they ran what everyoen else was running and that was done even in spring. Navy and Army can do this too because they have the bodies.
 

RickStromFan

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i think the fact that all of spring ball and 2-a-days, when its 1's vs 1's, 2's vs 2's etc., and our defense was practicing against the option & all that entails from a shift in defensive schemes/techniques, had a more dramatic effect and was the main reason we had 4 DC's under Johnson...

those are time periods where you get to master your craft so to speak. Playing against cut blocks as a def linemen with little to no passing and poor pass blockers with wide line splits does not prepare you for what you face during the season both from a protections scheme standpoint as well as the techniques they used for both run and pass blocking.

if you practice against poor pass blockers, it is hard to get better at rushing the passer....

practicing against a scout offense comprised of reject option personnel trying to run a pro style offense during the season doesnt make you better either

It was always fascinating to see the facts in your post so vociferously denied by some fans the past decade.
 

RickStromFan

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I’m trying to remember what we were good at. Perhaps clean uniforms, limiting the number of plays opponents ran/dominating time of possession by letting them score quickly?
Missing open-field tackles. We were awesome at that. Allowing 3rd-and-long conversions of 1st downs. Again, awesome there.
 

tech_wreck47

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Assuming he’s talking about you really could not do much defensive install bc certain defenses just don’t work vs the option.
Man, when I heard that, I had to rewind and listen to it again. I thought maybe he was talking about matching the defense to the opposing team's offense, but I really think he meant they had to base the defense around CPJ's offense!
@Ibeeballin was right! It makes so much sense now. Our defense struggled every year, regardless of the DC because they really were "hamstrung"!
I do think he was talking about CPJ’s offense. Imo he’s talking about playing to the players strengths no matter the offensive system. Thacker spoke on this aswell when asked about Campbell’s comment. I’ve been saying this for a while. Don’t put a guy in a position he’s not good at, for instance don’t put a LB who can’t cpver well on the field on 3rd and long if you are going to have him in coverage, instead if he’s good at blitzing, let him blitz.
 

LibertyTurns

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Missing open-field tackles. We were awesome at that. Allowing 3rd-and-long conversions of 1st downs. Again, awesome there.
Yeah it seems we were better at 3rd and 2 than 3rd and 22. Missed tackles with poor technique always pissed me off.

Who do we think owns the missed tackle dilemma because it has gone on now for decades? Is it the players not being coachable or do the coaches just stand there and let the players practice like a bunch of idiots?

I know the HCs weren’t in any meetings demanding poor tackling technique.
 

bobongo

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Yeah it seems we were better at 3rd and 2 than 3rd and 22. Missed tackles with poor technique always pissed me off.

Who do we think owns the missed tackle dilemma because it has gone on now for decades? Is it the players not being coachable or do the coaches just stand there and let the players practice like a bunch of idiots?

I know the HCs weren’t in any meetings demanding poor tackling technique.

Often, what is attributed to poor technique is really more a matter of strength and speed. Broken tackles = a lack of strength. Bad angles = a lack of speed.

You can't coach speed, but I'm hoping the new S&C coordinator can get our strength up resulting in fewer broken tackles.
 
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