Are we not going to talk about the Defense?

streetja

UM HC: Miami Natives Only 😎
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Dec 28, 2012
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Everyone has been rightly focusing on the offense but no one is talking about the defense.

Our starting DL cannot generate pressure to save their lives. I'm confident when I say Patchan, Ford, and Bethel should be seeing the LEAST amount of playing time out of anyone on the DL and yet they're seeing the most. As far as Garvin, blame it on scheme if you'd like but when he's finally allowed to pin his ears back and get after the QB against the mighty likes of Bethune and CMU he is unable to generate any sort of a pass rush. Through 4 games this season Rosseou has 1 more sack than our entire starting DL put together. And Hill in much fewer snaps has already matched Garvin and Patchan's sack total.

The secondary looks a disaster. Ranking 80th in pass defense against FBS opponents and it should be much worse considering the amount of passes dropped by CMU. Our CBs have proven to be hugely overrated and yet Blake continues to play man coverage more than at any point than when Diaz was DC. Trajan is hit or miss as a boundary CB and Ivey and Blades can't decide who sucks least and so we see them alternating the second CB position.

And lastly, Blake Baker is completely out of his depth here. The staple of a Blake Baker defense so far has been playing cover 1 on first and second down, 3 down lineman with 3 safeties on third and fourth down while still allowing the offense to convert, infatuation with dropping Garvin to defend the flats and rushing 3, rarely blitzing, when blitzing sending a terrible blitz, and not understanding who his best defensive lineman are. If the defense continues as is as we enter ACC play I'm confident we will get smoked to a degree unseen since the Fat Al days.
 
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Defense has allowed 18 points in the last 11 quarters.

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Hard to get on the defense for not dominating in all facets when the offense is sputtering in all facets.

The defense, despite it's shortcomings has held up their end of the deal. They've kept opponents out of the endzone for the most part and have generated turnovers that the offense has done nothing with. There's certainly things to gripe about but there's far more pressing concerns.
 
Defense has allowed 18 points in the last 11 quarters.
Are you going to completely dismiss guys from central Michigan running wide open on our defense? If we were playing any other ACC opponent they wouldn’t have dropped all of those passes and the score would have looked a lot different. Blake baker is not good imo and does not have same philosophy or approach that manny had. No methods to his madness other than playing conservative as **** and not applying enough pressure when you have a young db group which they surely need.

don’t get me started on the 4th down conversions this year either
 
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Yeap, but they also gave up two late 4th quarter leads that turned big wins into defeats. That is unacceptable.
Yeah seems like more situational football needs to be worked on ie.. 4th and long 3rd and long. Offensively 3rd and long and red zone to name a few.
 
Hard to get on the defense for not dominating in all facets when the offense is sputtering in all facets.

The defense, despite it's shortcomings has held up their end of the deal. They've kept opponents out of the endzone for the most part and have generated turnovers that the offense has done nothing with. There's certainly things to gripe about but there's far more pressing concerns.
If not for two terrible self inflicted TOs inside our 35 yard line by UF they score at least another 6 points. If not for a hugely fortunate stumble by the UNC receiver who burned Romeo Finley with no help up top he walks into the endzone for another 4 points. If not for CMU being CMU they don't have nearly as many drops as they had, all of which were not difficult catches and with plenty of room to run.

A halfway competent offense is going to tear this defense apart.
 
I really believe if jarren forces the issue with his ability to run when the pocket collapse or any designed QB runs know one on our schedule will stop us offensively. Again revisit his highlights and look at his ability to run. This is what’s missing and it will off set/ mask some our our issues ie... bad offensive line play and Enos play calling.
 
I really believe if jarren forces the issue with his ability to run when the pocket collapse or any designed QB runs know one on our schedule will stop us offensively. Again revisit his highlights and look at his ability to run. This is what’s missing and it will off set/ mask some our our issues ie... bad offensive line play and Enos play calling.
Jarren is fast af. Where is the zone read in this offense?!?
 
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Yeah seems like more situational football needs to be worked on ie.. 4th and long 3rd and long. Offensively 3rd and long and red zone to name a few.

Yeah, probably. I'm not expert type or X & O type but that seems more a coaching issue. For me it comes down to players who are just NOT letting that crap happen -- the Ed Reeds of the world. O is played a lot in the head down. D is played from the gut out(I know film, study and practice mean so much but "gut" has lot to do with that also). We have some good players and a lot of nice ones, but we are still missing the Play Maker, Kosar, Ed Reed, Bennie Blades type who just do not accept losing while still breathing. You need a couple of those guys to raise the rest up and backstop them. We were once blessed with many at the same time, now it would be nice for two or three.
 
We have less pass rush because over the last few years against good teams we have been getting gashed by the run game. Have you noticed this year we are doing a much better job against the run, the reason is we have changed our strategy on defense. Seems like this team cant do both, either we have a good pass rush or a solid run defense. BUT the defense is not the cause of our losses or close games. Enos maybe a very good QB coach and a very smart person but his poor play calling and failure to adapt to our weakness along the o-line will be the death of this team. Spread the field and go to the shotgun and this will be a better offense both passing and running. We were sold on this idea when he was hired and also by Manny, but so far it looks like Richt calling plays except the first 5 minutes when we do have some motion, then all the motion stops for the rest of the game.
 
We have less pass rush because over the last few years against good teams we have been getting gashed by the run game. Have you noticed this year we are doing a much better job against the run, the reason is we have changed our strategy on defense. Seems like this team cant do both, either we have a good pass rush or a solid run defense. BUT the defense is not the cause of our losses or close games. Enos maybe a very good QB coach and a very smart person but his poor play calling and failure to adapt to our weakness along the o-line will be the death of this team. Spread the field and go to the shotgun and this will be a better offense both passing and running. We were sold on this idea when he was hired and also by Manny, but so far it looks like Richt calling plays except the first 5 minutes when we do have some motion, then all the motion stops for the rest of the game.
Defense is absolutely the cause of at least 1 loss(unc game 4th and 17, going down 17-3 to start the game). And you can make a case for the uf game too but I wont, plenty of blame to go around on both sides of the ball that game.
 
Defense is absolutely the cause of at least 1 loss(unc game 4th and 17, going down 17-3 to start the game). And you can make a case for the uf game too but I wont, plenty of blame to go around on both sides of the ball that game.
You are 100% correct. That 4th and 17 was critical, but when your victory over a terrible UNC team hinges on one play, everybody gets the blame from the HC down to waterboy.
 
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