AL Golden explains UM's Defensive Philosophy

[CyberCane]

Can we just wait and see what happens this year? This has got be the year of no more excuses. Nobody expects a top 20 defense, but we **** well better be in the top 50. When our ability to execute our defense (3/4) comes down to kids who have not played a down, I get wary. Lets drink the coolaid and say Wyche is the real deal, and Hertelou and Jenkins are legit. Then we start to have a defense that can push you around. Love the idea of Perryman and Kirby inside In the 3/4. Think Pierre and chick are really 3/4 DEs. All comes down to the NT. Do we have one or two now?

Actually many of us are expecting a top 20-25 defense and it's NOT HARD at all for us to get there even with this scheme. It starts with the offense making a commitment to bring a ball control time of possession team so that the defense doesn't start ok and then get worn out over the course of the game cause the offense went 3 and out repeatedly. An emphasis on running the ball and throwing short, high percentage Dropback routes with playaction being the way big plays are generated. There will be a lot of run on first down. Instead of holding the ball 25 mins a game, you get that average up to 32.

That extra six minutes of time the D is not on the field is probably worth 50 yards of defense and maybe 5 points. Then you add some better talent in the front then we are used to and a good secondary, which should shave another 30-40 yards off the totals. So it's not still all hard to shed an extra 80 yards of yards yielded a game from out totals. If we are giving up 360 instead of 430 a game, that's a good defense. FIU and geo posted about this already.

The defense's ability to attack and play fresh is in part dependent on our offenses ability not to hang them out to dry.

Bowl game proved this. D actually was doing its job in the first half. You add Morris going three and out all the time and a bunch more offensive possessions for UL and they got worn down having to defend so much until the dam broke.

Actually a very good point that is seldom brought up.

 

[DJWilliams55]

This is why it is critical Williams make a miraculous recovery. He is tailor made for the type of offense that needs to be run to allow the Defense to play at its full potential. He's a noodle armed game manager which is what is needed in this offense. You make good decisions and throw a lot of short simple passes when they are crowding the box. Take what the defense gives, don't force it, a lot of throws to the flat to the backs. Focus on the run, when it gets going throw the PA and hit the deeper balls. But very little shotgun 4 WR throw intermediate and deep passes as a constant like Morris. That is not how you win the TOP battle.

 

[CyberCane]

This is why it is critical Williams make a miraculous recovery. He is tailor made for the type of offense that needs to be run to allow the Defense to play at its full potential. He's a noodle armed game manager which is what is needed in this offense. You make good decisions and throw a lot of short simple passes when they are crowding the box. Focus on the run, when it gets going throw the PA and hit the deeper balls. But very little shotgun 4 WR throw intermediate and deep passes as a constant like Morris. That is not how you win the TOP battle.

Man I'm hoping Heaps can be that guy if Ryan isn't healthy in time.

 

[FullyERicht]

I talked to D'Onofrio 1-on-1 when he came by one of our practices in the Spring.

They like the 3-4 cause it's flexible and symmetrical. Nothing wrong with that. I like it for the same reasons.

He has plenty of good concepts. He certainly "gets it" and has all the answers for how a defense can defend an offense which only leads me to believe one of a few things...

A) He runs too much stuff. Too much complexity. They run combo coverages, they run C2, C4, C3, man, they 1-gap, they 2-gap, over front, under front, odd front, etc etc etc.
B) He's a poor teacher. Doubtful.
C) He runs the wrong defense at the wrong times. Not good at picking up tendencies, calling plays at opportune times, etc.
D) Or maybe it's just talent. *shrug* I find it hard to believe that our talent is 115th in the nation though.


You can have all the **** concepts in the world but the fact is that they don't all work against every offensive set.

I'll learn more after the University of Miami coaching social on Wednesday.

I'm glad you've finally seen the light.

Been saying for three years they run too much stuff, aren't able to get the kids to understand it. And if I recall you were convinced that they didn't know what pattern matching is, that all we do is spot drop. We had many arguments in which I specifically stated the issue is they do too much; glad you finally agree.

I watched the coaches tape on the NFC champ game this year. Seattle plays cover 3 or cover 1 for every single possession outside of occasional Zone blitzes. That's it. And in Pete Carroll's mind that was even too much college kids, so he mostly ran cover 1 and blitzed from that at USC. Yet Miami is using four coverages plus a fire zone package? It's ASSININE.

Now if we can only get you to admit Swasey is a clown......

 

[CyberCane]

I talked to D'Onofrio 1-on-1 when he came by one of our practices in the Spring.

They like the 3-4 cause it's flexible and symmetrical. Nothing wrong with that. I like it for the same reasons.

He has plenty of good concepts. He certainly "gets it" and has all the answers for how a defense can defend an offense which only leads me to believe one of a few things...

A) He runs too much stuff. Too much complexity. They run combo coverages, they run C2, C4, C3, man, they 1-gap, they 2-gap, over front, under front, odd front, etc etc etc.
B) He's a poor teacher. Doubtful.
C) He runs the wrong defense at the wrong times. Not good at picking up tendencies, calling plays at opportune times, etc.
D) Or maybe it's just talent. *shrug* I find it hard to believe that our talent is 115th in the nation though.


You can have all the **** concepts in the world but the fact is that they don't all work against every offensive set.

I'll learn more after the University of Miami coaching social on Wednesday.

I'm glad you've finally seen the light.

Been saying for three years they run too much stuff, aren't able to get the kids to understand it. And if I recall you were convinced that they didn't know what pattern matching is, that all we do is spot drop. We had many arguments in which I specifically stated the issue is they do too much; glad you finally agree.

I watched the coaches tape on the NFC champ game this year. Seattle plays cover 3 or cover 1 for every single possession outside of occasional Zone blitzes. That's it. And in Pete Carroll's mind that was even too much college kids, so he mostly ran cover 1 and blitzed from that at USC. Yet Miami is using four coverages plus a fire zone package? It's ASSININE.

Now if we can only get you to admit Swasey is a clown......

It's pretty clear the kids aren't getting it. Paralysis by analysis…they are all thinking too much.

 

[The Franchise]

Can we just wait and see what happens this year? This has got be the year of no more excuses. Nobody expects a top 20 defense, but we **** well better be in the top 50. When our ability to execute our defense (3/4) comes down to kids who have not played a down, I get wary. Lets drink the coolaid and say Wyche is the real deal, and Hertelou and Jenkins are legit. Then we start to have a defense that can push you around. Love the idea of Perryman and Kirby inside In the 3/4. Think Pierre and chick are really 3/4 DEs. All comes down to the NT. Do we have one or two now?

The pieces are finally in place. I see a top 50 defense almost for certain this year with our talent. The only thing that might hold us back is the severity of our schedule. If we're at least knocking on the door of top 50 we should be pretty excited.

Al's like an old school blacksmith. He doesn't build stuff fast, but what he builds will last a lifetime. We should be Team USA because we're built to last.

 

[DJWilliams55]

Four coverages is nothing. Every team in the country runs some Cov 1, some Cov 2, some Cov 3, some Cov 4, some 2-man, some quarter quarter half. These are basic coverages. Teams that run like 1 or 2 coverages only happens just in HS. In college you can't be that predictable or else you will get destroyed.

It's not like split field stuff at TCU or bracket stuff or hybrid stuff.

There are times where you have to mix things up. There is nothing wrong with that.

If I know you only run cover 4, I will be calling nothing but post and digs. If I know you are a Cov 1 team, there will be crossing routes and picks all game, cover 2, three verticals and smash all game and some y cross. Cover 3, lots of quick game, floods, curl and flat and maybe 4 verts unless they match.

The criticism for the 3-4 is totally different than running multiple coverages, you HAVE to run multiple coverages and multiple blitzes

 

[weownfsu]

lol @ this new notion that somehow our offense is causing our defense to suck. Comical.

 

[CyberCane]

lol @ this new notion that somehow our offense is causing our defense to suck. Comical.

Yep. Ball control, three-and-outs, and starting field position have no effect on a defense at all. Dumb

 

[ProjectMKUltra5]

lol @ this new notion that somehow our offense is causing our defense to suck. Comical.

If the defense isnt on the field, they cant give up yards or points. Football 101

 

[DJWilliams55]

lol @ this new notion that somehow our offense is causing our defense to suck. Comical.

It isn't the sole cause but it's a contributing factor.

If the D is constantly on the field, 4 yard runs will become 10 yard runs in the second half. It was a MIRACLE they didn't break against UF. They were out there the whole ******* game.

In theory the average team has 30 mins TOP, your offense has it half, their offense has it half. Well we had it for 26, which means on average our D was out there 4 minutes more than the average team every game. Give any given offense another couple possessions than the norm and naturally they will probably amass more yards and points than they otherwise would have especially if the D is tired.

Look at our last two games. Our D was fine against Pitt in the first half and fine against UL for most of the first half. But you can't have a minute or two of rest between every time you gotta go out there.

 

[x_y_no]

lol @ this new notion that somehow our offense is causing our defense to suck. Comical.

What's comical is anyone not grasping that the offense can help the defense a lot by keeping the ball for more than three downs per series. Yes the defense sucked. But it was also exposed way more than it should have been by the offense's failure to make first downs.

 

[CyberCane]

Miami was 96th in the country on 3rd down conversions on offense. Says a ton.

Total Defense in 2013:
1 Louisville 13 1049 2220 779 3269 4.20 251.5
2 Michigan State 14 1212 2319 873 3531 4.04 252.2
3 Florida State 14 1747 2193 963 3940 4.09 281.4
4 Virginia Tech 13 1442 2240 812 3682 4.53 283.2
5 Alabama 13 1381 2344 771 3725 4.83 286.5
6 Iowa 13 1669 2271 861 3940 4.58 303.1
7 Wisconsin 13 1333 2633 839 3966 4.73 305.1
8 Florida 12 1709 2062 712 3771 5.30 314.3
9 Cincinnati 13 1358 2745 861 4103 4.77 315.6
10 Bowling Green 14 2108 2392 890 4500 5.06 321.4
11 Florida Atlantic 12 2012 1933 800 3945 4.93 328.8
12 Utah State 14 1495 3138 1019 4633 4.55 330.9
13 USC 14 1684 3005 942 4689 4.98 334.9
14 Western Kentucky 12 1935 2135 763 4070 5.33 339.2
15 LSU 13 1862 2567 872 4429 5.08 340.7
16 Stanford 14 1256 3553 989 4809 4.86 343.5
17 North Texas 13 1567 2961 881 4528 5.14 348.3
18 Mississippi State 13 1874 2667 833 4541 5.45 349.3
19 South Carolina 13 2000 2550 833 4550 5.46 350.0
20 Oklahoma 13 1789 2763 846 4552 5.38 350.2
21 South Florida 12 1677 2532 777 4209 5.42 350.8
22 Tulane 13 1604 2958 932 4562 4.89 350.9
23 Vanderbilt 13 1922 2690 909 4612 5.07 354.8
24 Clemson 13 2024 2608 920 4632 5.03 356.3
25 TCU 12 1570 2707 886 4277 4.83 356.4
26 Kansas State 13 1808 2857 919 4665 5.08 358.8
27 Baylor 13 1886 2794 985 4680 4.75 360.0
28 Georgia Tech 13 1505 3178 849 4683 5.52 360.2
29 UCF 13 1592 3114 879 4706 5.35 362.0
30 Rice 14 2259 2838 957 5097 5.33 364.1

3rd Down Conversion %:
1 LSU 13 161 92 57.14
2 Louisville 13 175 98 56.00
3 Florida State 14 157 82 52.23
4 Marshall 14 210 108 51.43
4 Georgia Tech 13 175 90 51.43
6 Navy 13 174 89 51.15
7 East Carolina 13 196 100 51.02
8 Texas A&M 13 161 81 50.31
9 Louisiana-Lafayette 13 174 87 50.00
10 Stanford 14 197 98 49.75
11 UCLA 13 193 95 49.22
12 Washington 13 202 99 49.01
13 Kansas State 13 162 79 48.77
14 UCF 13 158 77 48.73
15 Cincinnati 13 190 92 48.42
16 Illinois 12 170 81 47.65
17 Alabama 13 147 70 47.62
18 Boise State 13 201 95 47.26
19 Arizona 13 212 100 47.17
20 North Texas 13 202 95 47.03
21 Baylor 13 203 95 46.80
22 Ohio State 14 169 79 46.75
23 Indiana 12 184 86 46.74
24 Auburn 14 187 87 46.52
25 Middle Tennessee 13 192 89 46.35
26 Western Kentucky 12 158 73 46.20
27 Mississippi 13 197 90 45.69
28 Bowling Green 14 178 81 45.51
29 Wyoming 12 188 85 45.21
30 Northern Illinois 14 197 89 45.18

 

[weownfsu]

lol @ this new notion that somehow our offense is causing our defense to suck. Comical.

It isn't the sole cause but it's a contributing factor.

If the D is constantly on the field, 4 yard runs will become 10 yard runs in the second half. It was a MIRACLE they didn't break against UF. They were out there the whole ****ing game.

In theory the average team has 30 mins TOP, your offense has it half, their offense has it half. Well we had it for 26, which means on average our D was out there 4 minutes more than the average team every game. Give any given offense another couple possessions than the norm and naturally they will probably amass more yards and points than they otherwise would have especially if the D is tired.

Look at our last two games. Our D was fine against Pitt in the first half and fine against UL for most of the first half. But you can't have a minute or two of rest between every time you gotta go out there.

The D is "constantly" on the field because they can't stop anyone. And even when we win TOP against a team with a pulse, we still suck on D. We won TOP against Duke and had one of the worst defensive performances in Miami history. We had 2 less minutes of possession than UNC, and still gave up 500 yards. What will make our defense better is our defense actually playing better, not our offense covering for them because they suck so bad.

 

[CaneAlmighty]

lol @ this new notion that somehow our offense is causing our defense to suck. Comical.

It causes the defense to be on the field longer than it needs to be which means they will give up more yards which will mean their defensive rankings will decline.. Really simple to grasp this concept. Don't understand why so many people struggle with it.

Football is controlled by the offense.. They can dictate the pace of the game because THEY HAVE THE BALL.
Sure a stout defense can do its part by stopping opponents and giving the ball back to the offense but if the offense fails to control the ball the defense will be on the field more than it needs to be. And when they are on the field longer performance declines. and when the depth on defense is thin and you have to rely on players that should have been playing at a D2 school you have the recipe for disaster.

 

[FullyERicht]

Four coverages is nothing. Every team in the country runs some Cov 1, some Cov 2, some Cov 3, some Cov 4, some 2-man, some quarter quarter half. These are basic coverages. Teams that run like 1 or 2 coverages only happens just in HS. In college you can't be that predictable or else you will get destroyed.

It's not like split field stuff at TCU or bracket stuff or hybrid stuff.

There are times where you have to mix things up. There is nothing wrong with that.

If I know you only run cover 4, I will be calling nothing but post and digs. If I know you are a Cov 1 team, there will be crossing routes and picks all game, cover 2, three verticals and smash all game and some y cross. Cover 3, lots of quick game, floods, curl and flat and maybe 4 verts unless they match.

The criticism for the 3-4 is totally different than running multiple coverages, you HAVE to run multiple coverages and multiple blitzes

The Seattle Seahawks, a professional team, just won a championship off the back of a defense that essentially played one or two coverages exclusively. Against NFL coaches, and against the smartest QB to ever live.

There is nothing wrong with having a million coverages, IF YOUR KIDS ARE EXECUTING THEM ALL FLAWLESSLY. Ours, for a multitude of reasons, aren't.

 

[CaneAlmighty]

This is why it is critical Williams make a miraculous recovery. He is tailor made for the type of offense that needs to be run to allow the Defense to play at its full potential. He's a noodle armed game manager which is what is needed in this offense. You make good decisions and throw a lot of short simple passes when they are crowding the box. Take what the defense gives, don't force it, a lot of throws to the flat to the backs. Focus on the run, when it gets going throw the PA and hit the deeper balls. But very little shotgun 4 WR throw intermediate and deep passes as a constant like Morris. That is not how you win the TOP battle.

The problem with this is that we have dynamic skilled players at RB and WR that can strike quickly.
So there is fine line between wanting to control the ball and not handcuffing your skill players.
That's why I always cringed when we ran the hurry up offense. Combine that with our quick strike ability and it hurt our TOP exponentially which ultimately hurt the defense.
Hopefully this season they go away from that.. We have to many skilled offensive players to need to employ a hurry up offense.

 

[The Franchise]

How about when the defense gives up long scoring drives on the first few possessions of the game? Is that the offense's fault too?

 

[x_y_no]

How about when the defense gives up long scoring drives on the first few possessions of the game? Is that the offense's fault too?

No.

But if you have a choice between your sucky defense going back on the field after the offense went three and out in under a minute, or going back on the field after your offense ran ten minutes off the clock, is it really that hard to understand which one is preferable?

(And yes, I know, really preferable would be a less sucky defense. But that isn't one of the choices in this hypothetical.)

 

[CyberCane]

How about when the defense gives up long scoring drives on the first few possessions of the game? Is that the offense's fault too?

No.

But if you have a choice between your sucky defense going back on the field after the offense went three and out in under a minute, or going back on the field after your offense ran ten minutes off the clock, is it really that hard to understand which one is preferable?

(And yes, I know, really preferable would be a less sucky defense. But that isn't one of the choices in this hypothetical.)

This.