What did CPJ mean

[Techster]

Hate to pick on Brant Mitchell because he's doing the best he can and seems to want the leadership role for our defense, but the UNC game sets up really bad for his skillset. UNC's offense really stresses the back 7, and they like to stretch the middle areas vertically and horizontally with their backs, TEs, and slot WRs. We all know pass coverage is not his strongest point, and he's not comfortable playing in space, so I could see UNC picking on him a lot Saturday.

Hopefully he surprises UNC and makes the plays we need. If not, could be a long day for him...and our defense.

 

[Augusta_Jacket]

I don't buy the rational that our defenders don't have time because of classes etc. to be able to absorb a complex D. If you go back to Tenuta the D was pretty complex and while there was always ROCK it was multiple variants of ROCK and all gaps were generally accounted for. Those players got the scheme - whether by coaching or some other method they got it and i have trouble believing this group can't.

On the other side I don't see Guyton, Phillip Wheeler, etc. in this defensive group. So I don't have an expectation this group can do what that group could. And I understand why Roof would want to play differently to protect against a big play. I don't understand guys not knowing what they are supposed to do.

FWIW Tenuta played his corners probably softer than Roof did at the start of the year. So i am not as myopic about that as some. But not having a coherent and co-ordinated approach drives me nuts.

While I tend to agree with you that our players are smart enough to adapt to complex schemes, it is worth noting that Tenuta was coaching during the period when GT got hammered for using ineligible players who weren't making progress towards graduation. He's probably not the best rebuttal.

 

[takethepoints]

We gotta try something different on the DL, I'm not a coach but our speed rushers aren't fast enough to make up for their lack of size and strength. Gamble/Kallon/Glanton at DE are probably big enough and strong enough to close the pocket and Adams and Cerge could push the middle back into the QB.

Yes, I think the experiment with Gamble at SDE should be tried again. That would mean a slightly softer DT position, largely due to the lack of experience for Glanton. He'll never get it unless he gets it, however. Gamble didn't get any sacks last year when he moved, but he did collapse the pocket pretty effectively. Combine that with Simmons and Freeman on the other side and we might get a sack or two.

 

[Eli]

CPJ said we tried to install too much on Defense. He said we are out smarting ourselves.

Sometimes the harder you try, the worse you perform. Or trying to overthink a problem only makes it worse. I wonder about a more simple D, with a mix of aggressive / bend styles, shift/hide intentions, and above all...

Get Corey and AJ involved upfront! I would say go to two LB and add another safety for deep coverage (#44) and have AJ and/or Corey play 5 to 7 yards off the line outside, blitzing 1 every other play or so.

I don't understand how we've installed too much. Our defense looks about as basic as it gets. Do we have two prevent packages instead of one?

 

[Vespidae]

I really enjoy watching Alabama on defense. A few of those starters came from the offensive side, and it's just fun to see how much they want the ball.

Ours? When ours take the field, I want to go the garage and get another beer.

 

[iceeater1969]

I don't understand how we've installed too much. Our defense looks about as basic as it gets. Do we have two prevent packages instead of one?

On a side issue.
On the play where a Hail Mary pass was expected, the line of scrimmage was at about the 30 - 35. Our safeties were a good 70-75 yards away in the end zone. Coach McCollum noticed and started yelling for them to move up.

My son has coached in HS for 15 years. He now coaches at a 2a school. He says his defense is more complicated than ours . He did add that he rushes enough players to get some semblance of pressure because it gets to confusing in pass coverage if play goes too long.

 

[Foxyg]

In CPJ's interview on the AJC podcast a few weeks ago he elaborated on what he meant by simplifying things for the defensive players. Basically he said that our kids have to go to class and that's a real thing, so they can't stay up at the football offices all the time learning elaborate schemes on defense (when this guy goes here, it's a ___, but watch the ____ and if so and so does this then it's really a ____, so you need to check ___ and make sure ___). His belief is that sort of overly complicated **** on defense won't work at a place like Tech. The other thing he mentioned is that because our kids are so smart, they have a tendency to over think things rather than just going out there and playing. He wants a scheme that's strong on fundamentals and simplified so that kids can just concentrate on playing at 100 mph rather than being worried about getting schemed to death.

Personally, I'll be damned if I know what we're trying to accomplish on defense other than dropping coverage so we won't get beat on a bomb. Our run fits suck, our linebackers continue to miss reads in the run game and we seem perfectly content to give opposing pass catchers a free release and a 10 yard cushion even on third and mediums. Love the Austin twins, but it always seems that one or both of them are lined up on tightends or wide receivers they're giving up 6 inches on. I just wish we'd challenge the opposing offense and risk the big plays in most situations. At least then we'd get the ball back in our offense's hands quicker.

 

[Vespidae]

He says his defense is more complicated than ours .

This is a mystery to me. Some of these kids came from very good high school programs. You would think they would LOVE to play big time defense.

I don't know what the deal is. I wonder if Ted Roof has compromising pictures on anyone.

 

[bravejason]

I don't buy the rational that our defenders don't have time because of classes etc. to be able to absorb a complex D. If you go back to Tenuta the D was pretty complex and while there was always ROCK it was multiple variants of ROCK and all gaps were generally accounted for. Those players got the scheme - whether by coaching or some other method they got it and i have trouble believing this group can't.

On the other side I don't see Guyton, Phillip Wheeler, etc. in this defensive group. So I don't have an expectation this group can do what that group could. And I understand why Roof would want to play differently to protect against a big play. I don't understand guys not knowing what they are supposed to do.

FWIW Tenuta played his corners probably softer than Roof did at the start of the year. So i am not as myopic about that as some. But not having a coherent and co-ordinated approach drives me nuts.

I've been thinking similarly. I wonder if Roof has never developed a comprehensive framework for defense. In other words, he doesn't have a Rock, or anything. What he does instead is try to fit various defensive concepts together to create a defense for whatever the opposing offense of the week is. The danger is that without a coherent, overarching philosophy to defense, there is the potential that in trying to create that week's Rock, Paper, Scissors defense, you end up instead with a Rocscipap and whole thing blows up in your face. From the radio show, it sounds like that what happened against Duke.

 

[18in32]

[CPJ's] tone was very different than it was during and after the Duke game. Gone was the fury about the mistakes and sorry defense. I was wondering if there would be any talk about doing something different on defense, but I didn't hear anything. Just that we need to mix it up, about what he said before Duke. He reiterated that our biggest problem is that we cannot pressure a quarterback and need to find a way.

I was thinking about this, too. In the Duke post-game presser, he specifically said that he didn't know what had gone wrong with the defense, but that he intended to find out on Sunday. I took this to mean that he would meet with Roof and the defensive staff to find out why there was so much 'extra' confusion on Saturday.

Then at the radio show last night (as noted by Yaller Jacket) he seemed much less animated about the situation... not that he was going to accept mediocrity, but as if he had talked it over with Roof and said his peace to try to improve things.

So – inquiring minds want to know – what did he learn and what did he say? No doubt a lot of that is critique of individual players that we don't need to know about... but I wouldn't mind more critique of Roof's scheme or methods or what have you.

 

[elwoodgt]

I've been thinking similarly. I wonder if Roof has never developed a comprehensive framework for defense. In other words, he doesn't have a Rock, or anything. What he does instead is try to fit various defensive concepts together to create a defense for whatever the opposing offense of the week is. The danger is that without a coherent, overarching philosophy to defense, there is the potential that in trying to create that week's Rock, Paper, Scissors defense, you end up instead with a Rocscipap and whole thing blows up in your face. From the radio show, it sounds like that what happened against Duke.

This. You gotta have a plan, an identity, a thing that you do well. As with a lot of things, it doesn't matter nearly so much what you do, as it does that you do it, and do it well. This is CPJs philosophy in a nutshell. He's said over and over that, while he personally likes the spread option, there's nothing magical about it. It still comes down to execution. His gamble is that we're better running it than they other team is at defending it.

Defense has to be the same way. It's not scheme in the sense that any one scheme is magical and correct, and we have to run that to succeed. But it most certainly is scheme in that we have to have one, and everybody has to know what it is, and know how to execute it at a high level, and be fully committed to it. What made Tenuta successful was not that his Rock was the perfect scheme, but that he believed in it, he taught it well, and our kids executed it at a high level.

 

[alagold]

Man...for a position that Roof played himself (and VERY well at that), it crushes my soul to see how bad we are at LB. I wrote it in another thread, but it seemed like the LBs were occupying the same areas a lot of times, and at other times they looked assignment confused.

Lewis is probably our most physically gifted LB, but you can see why he's not playing more. Looks a bit confused at times, which makes him play slower than he is. When he's blitzing though...wow, exactly what we need. Covers a lot of ground quickly. Needs to be coached up so he can be on the field more to help our defense.

scary that the DEF is confused after having an EXTRA wk on practice

 

[Jay Alexander]

scary that the DEF is confused after having an EXTRA wk on practice

Installed too much.

I think Duke was guilty of the same thing.

 

[00Burdell]

This is truly painful.

I went to Tech same years as Ted and our DC back then (Don Lindsay) was a mastermind of defensive complexity. In the heralded fog game, we gave UGa a different defensive alignment for every play they ran (minus two). And Roof was the anchor of the LB Corp.

Seems we can't even play checkers now. I guess we could drop down to Tic Tac Toe - we'll probably get killed but at least everybody will understand which square they are supposed to stand in.

I really don't like being this critical but how much obvious under-performance are we supposed to just overlook?

 

[4shotB]

I really enjoy watching Alabama on defense. A few of those starters came from the offensive side, and it's just fun to see how much they want the ball.

Ours? When ours take the field, I want to go the garage and get another beer.

As far as schemes for fans are concerned, yours is way too complex. Move your beer closer to the TV my good man!! And keep it in a straight line from where you watch the game.Simplify. If the team needs you to be cheering or cursing at the ref on the TV screen, do you really want to waste a precious split second going around the coffee table to get your next beer? If you have a complex setup to access your beer, the only way to compensate is to have your wife get it for you. And this doesn't happen if you didn't recruit well. Do you make your wife take calculus?? Your neighbors don't. think about that for a second.

I don't know squat about X's and O's on the gridiron but I like to think of myself as the Bill Belichik of watching FB games on TV strategy. PM if you need more consulting. in my next discussion I will cover the classical "chicken wings" or "pizza" or "nachos" for a half-time snack. I think you will be surprised at the verdict. Stay tuned and be sure to click on my blog. Nevermind, I haven't written it yet.