What are your measures for success with the new defense?

[CuseJacket]

How will you know whether the new D is successful year 1? Specific metrics, eye test, whole year stats, game-by-game stats, etc. Let's hear your position before the season starts.

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

I think the way they execute even in the opening game will be an indication of what is to come. That doesn't mean that great execution in that game will produce fantastic results the rest of the season, but I think it will indicate a complete change in approach to the game. And, as experience is gained, improved results, sometimes hopefully significant ones, will follow. If they look excited and fast in the opener, then watch out. If they look sluggish, then watch out in the other direction.

 

[OldJacketFan]

1. 3rd down conversion %
2. Sacks/hurries
3. TO margin
4. Completion %

Do well in those 4 and most other metrics will take care of themselves!

 

[RonJohn]

If I am not cringing on every opponent third down late in the year, I will consider it a success.

 

[nod]

Overall, when I see fear in the opponents, can't pin point it with stats but it how other teams react:
1. Can we stop the power run game
2. Pass rush

 

[JacketFromUGA]

For this year? No stats. This year will be tackle form, hustle, and swagger.

 

[stech81]

I don't care about stats , I want to see 8 plus wins, don't care if it's because of the defense or offense that we win. Give 8 plus wins and beat uga and I'll stay drunk for a week. ( I am retired so its not a problem)

 

[MidtownJacket]

I’m looking for a few things:

I want some swagger and confidence from the guys as they line up and get set for plays.

I want to see the offense relax and not seem to play like we HAVE to win shootouts and score every play.

I want to see guys hit their man and bring the ball carrier to the ground. Finish the tackle and use good form to ride the guy down.

I want to see some big stand ups on goal line situations, when we know a heavy set running some power O is coming in.

Stats wise, I want some more takeaways. Turnovers or 3 and outs I couldn’t care less.


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[takethepoints]

I want to see guys hit their man and bring the ball carrier to the ground. Finish the tackle and use good form to ride the guy down.

Yessss. For many years, I've been disappointed with our tackling. Too many hits stuffed off, largely because the idea isn't to hit someb0dy. The idea is to hit somebody and wrap up. For reasons known only to Tech DCs and God, the second part seemed to suffer in execution. If we can hit and simply slow down the opposition players by trying to wrap up, then we will automatically be a better defensive team.

Btw, talent differences don't dictate this; it's a matter of training and sticking to form. We had that in the Black Watch days. No reason to not have it again.

 

[slugboy]

1. Points per game (yes, know it’s a biased stat, but it tells me if we’re winning). I’d really like to see this at or below 20 points per game. It’s been mid to high 20’s for a long time
2. Yards per play
3. Number of negative plays (sacks, tackles for loss)
4. Turnovers


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[albanyjacket]

Last two minutes of each half!

 

[ilovetheoption]

Dfei. I have grown to distrust the eyeball test.

 

[UpperNorth]

1. 3rd down conversion %
2. Sacks/hurries
3. TO margin
4. Completion %

Do well in those 4 and most other metrics will take care of themselves!

These are basically the results I’m looking for as well.

I’d like to have a defense that can do more with less because we’ll always need that, but also a defense that appeals a little more to a level of Dline recruits that we’ve been close with in recent years. We landed Derrick Morgan and Michael Johnson once upon a time. TK was a nice pull but we need more. We were close on Tuitt and Dalvin Tomlinson and Kony Ealy and Trey Flowers and I’m hoping we can land a few more of those type guys because at the end of the day the elite guys can take your D to another level. So can Woody be successful enough to push us to another tier of recruiting?

Getting ahead of myself but that’s my long term hope. For the time being I’m just hoping they help us win more games.

 

[4shotB]

points yielded per possession. yards given up per possession. Good technique and the "eyeball" test - can you dictate the game and force the other team out of its comfort zone? I don't expect a quantum leap in year 1 but I would expect noticeable and visible improvement that would be apparent to the 95% of the fan base that is rational and objective in thought.

 

[Oakland]

When the Georgia Tech Marching Band plays that F tuning thingy on 3rd down, that it really means something. Scoring a touchdown, making a long run, scoring a field goal does not get a crowd more fired up than sacking the opposing quarterback during a critical moment in a game. We haven't gotten many of these (nobody's stadium was as loud as ours on this day):

 

[smokey_wasp]

Mostly eye test and W-L record. I will dig into the stats probably after the season is over, but I just want to feel like we can make a stop on key situations. We may get burned from time to time, but death by a thousand screens and short routes is something I never want to see again.

 

[UpperNorth]

When the Georgia Tech Marching Band plays that F tuning thingy on 3rd down, that it really means something. Scoring a touchdown, making a long run, scoring a field goal does not get a crowd more fired up than sacking the opposing quarterback during a critical moment in a game. We haven't gotten many of these (nobody's stadium was as loud as ours on this day):

Really enjoyed watching Tenuta’s teams get after the quarterback. Now he was of course feast or famine but gave us some exciting times.

 

[Coloradojacket]

Last two minutes of each half!

I would say last two minutes of the first half. We score and then give up a quick touchdown is how it has been. And the real test, the first drive of the other team in the third quarter. When you stop that first drive you are in a good shot to win.

 

[AE 87]

Primarily, I want to be entertained. I want to enjoy watching our guys getting after it and getting stops and enjoying themselves.

Which means that I'm looking forward to not cringing. I don't want to watch an opposing QB sitting in his pocket looking like he knows our defense better than our players do. I don't want to see us looking more like speed bumps to a score than a Def getting stops.

With respect to stats, I don't think the first game will tell us much. In 2015, we had a 41-0 lead early in the 2nd qtr before Alcorn St ran more than 3 plays in a possession.

So, since I don't expect much real challenge from them, I could see Woody trying different things to see how well we do them rather than trying to maximize our success on D.

That being said, I think yards/play is pretty good indicator in addition to my favorite, pts/possession. A ypp average of under 5 for the season is typically top 20 and seems to correlate with DefFEI.

With 1 FCS, 1 Gp5 (good O last year), and 1 Pwr5 (ave O last year) in our 1st 3 games, I'd like to see us come out of those three games allowing less than 5 yds/play on average.

 

[gtg936g]

1. Number of scores allowed in the last 2 minutes of a half.

2. 3rd down conversion %