Corey Heatherman revisited..

There has to be a "Tell" or something he is giving away on his play calls because it feels like teams no exactly when to call a screen.
Its so obvious I see it. We over align when we think a play is going one way and under align the opposite side of the field.

The blitzes, for the most part, are telegraphed 5-10 yards out and creates huge voids in the zone. Only works if pressure is there. When the blitz doesn't get home, QBs have time to dissect the defense.


There's just no way that UNC's QB should have had a higher QBR than literally the heisman qb frontrunner...
 
Film don’t lie.

Neither does the best edge duo we’ve ever had here. It’s the reason I was “down” on the defense all summer. Although I didn’t think it’d be this bad. But a lot of people don’t understand, if you can create constant pressure with 4, calling defense is literally easy. It just is. The secondary is awful but all of this is predicated on not being able to get pressure with 4. 5 and 99 are insanely strong and never get moved off their spots in the run game, but they don’t get a ton of pressure on the middle. And Lightfoot has been good, but the edge group is MILES worse than last year. How could they not be, the two we had last year were literally the best we’ve ever had.

The DL can’t generate enough pressure. He’s not really able to generate it in other ways. We can’t cover anyone with our nickels and backers. And we are poor tacklers. All that adds up to a mediocre defense. Teams know how to attack us and they have the time to do it.

I’m almost inclined to say let’s start playing some odd fronts and get more DBs on the field. If nothing other than getting different looks out there. Sacrifice something in the run game to help these kids cover. Again, yet another team who did **** in the run game, their backs had 21 carries for 68 yards. But it doesn’t matter much if you’re gonna let Billy Edwards get 10 yards every time he throws it.

28/34 for 341 yards is flat embarrassing. Thank god for our offense, I’d bet a QB with those numbers wins about 98% of their games. Give up something in the run game if you have to and just get on the edges. 10 yards a throw to that group is gross. Tight end and backs ate our lunch.
This!!!
 
Not to mention OJ, Lucas, Bryce, Scott, Thomas, and Poyser were pretty good.

This year:
Poyser: missed a half vs FSU and some drives here and there for small injuries
OJ: been out 99% of the season
Lucas: has played 2 1/2 games
Bryce: has been in and out of the tent
Scott is in the NFL
Jakobe is in the NFL

It’s not that Bain and Mesidor were so much better through 8 games….but no Scott or Thomas and injuries
 
1. The injuries are a bigger reason than you think losing OJ and Antoine is massive. Now we have to play 27, 0, 2, and 24 WAY more than we should. A defensive backfield of Poyser, Dunnigan, Bryce, Lucas, OJ, and Antoine beats the **** out of 0, 27, 2, and 24.

2. 9 and 1 in coverage is a BIG problem. OC’s are targeting them in the passing game even on “running downs” because it’s easy

3. The missed tackles. 2nd and 8’s are 2nd and 3’s because the first guy on the perimeter isn’t making the play.

^^^^ those are the main issues with the defense
This is becoming a huge problem. For all our flaws, it would be MUCH more manageable having a bunch of 2nd and 8s all game versus and shorts. Keeps drives moving. Felt like we were playing Paul Johnson’s triple option, just moving the sticks nonstop.
 
Film don’t lie.

Neither does the best edge duo we’ve ever had here. It’s the reason I was “down” on the defense all summer. Although I didn’t think it’d be this bad. But a lot of people don’t understand, if you can create constant pressure with 4, calling defense is literally easy. It just is. The secondary is awful but all of this is predicated on not being able to get pressure with 4. 5 and 99 are insanely strong and never get moved off their spots in the run game, but they don’t get a ton of pressure on the middle. And Lightfoot has been good, but the edge group is MILES worse than last year. How could they not be, the two we had last year were literally the best we’ve ever had.

The DL can’t generate enough pressure. He’s not really able to generate it in other ways. We can’t cover anyone with our nickels and backers. And we are poor tacklers. All that adds up to a mediocre defense. Teams know how to attack us and they have the time to do it.

I’m almost inclined to say let’s start playing some odd fronts and get more DBs on the field. If nothing other than getting different looks out there. Sacrifice something in the run game to help these kids cover. Again, yet another team who did **** in the run game, their backs had 21 carries for 68 yards. But it doesn’t matter much if you’re gonna let Billy Edwards get 10 yards every time he throws it.

28/34 for 341 yards is flat embarrassing. Thank god for our offense, I’d bet a QB with those numbers wins about 98% of their games. Give up something in the run game if you have to and just get on the edges. 10 yards a throw to that group is gross. Tight end and backs ate our lunch.
Crazy idea - what if we didn't start the worst Pass Defending linebacking tandem in the country for 90% of snaps..... lol

Wiley is already done here. They refused to play/develop any other LBs. The DB rotation is idk what is going on. Saw Damari Brown and Ryan Mack outside together so ******* often it was disgusting, but that wasn't all that relevant to this specific game since it was mostly LBs and Poyser+Dunnigan getting picked apart....
 
Atleast we know he ain’t leaving for a HC gig after this season.

The fact that we have no adjustments to the screens, the quick passing game and the missed tackles is embarrassing.

Also, where tf is Damon Wilson? Is he hurt?
 
Film don’t lie.

Neither does the best edge duo we’ve ever had here. It’s the reason I was “down” on the defense all summer. Although I didn’t think it’d be this bad. But a lot of people don’t understand, if you can create constant pressure with 4, calling defense is literally easy. It just is. The secondary is awful but all of this is predicated on not being able to get pressure with 4. 5 and 99 are insanely strong and never get moved off their spots in the run game, but they don’t get a ton of pressure on the middle. And Lightfoot has been good, but the edge group is MILES worse than last year. How could they not be, the two we had last year were literally the best we’ve ever had.

The DL can’t generate enough pressure. He’s not really able to generate it in other ways. We can’t cover anyone with our nickels and backers. And we are poor tacklers. All that adds up to a mediocre defense. Teams know how to attack us and they have the time to do it.

I’m almost inclined to say let’s start playing some odd fronts and get more DBs on the field. If nothing other than getting different looks out there. Sacrifice something in the run game to help these kids cover. Again, yet another team who did **** in the run game, their backs had 21 carries for 68 yards. But it doesn’t matter much if you’re gonna let Billy Edwards get 10 yards every time he throws it.

28/34 for 341 yards is flat embarrassing. Thank god for our offense, I’d bet a QB with those numbers wins about 98% of their games. Give up something in the run game if you have to and just get on the edges. 10 yards a throw to that group is gross. Tight end and backs ate our lunch.
Standard AI can make mistakes but I have a data project I **** around with and From 2019 thru last week teams are 138-1 When their QB(s) completes 80% or more passes, 300+ yards, 3 TDs and 0 interceptions.

Sam Howell’s UNC against Virginia in 2020: 23/28, 443 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs, losing 44–41.
 
Not a fan of the soft zone with no pass rush

To be fair to the DL, QBs are getting the ball out quickly so they don’t have as much chance at getting to the QB. DBs are completely confused in a scheme that gives huge cushions, the DBs are poor tacklers as well, and it is all made exponentially worse by ill timed blitzes that make it easy for opposing QBs.

Any half decent qb can easily pick the defense apart.
 
I feel like I’m watching manny with the late blitzes by db’s. Sometimes we time them up perfectly and others it’s late as **** and useless.
Blitzing the safety from 10-15 yards.......... might as well just play with 10 players
 
Wait until next week when ND’s TEs go for 12 catches 144 yards vs us when coming into the game the entire TE room has 20 catches and 144 yards for the season.
 
I feel like I’m watching manny with the late blitzes by db’s. Sometimes we time them up perfectly and others it’s late as **** and useless.
The DB blitzes on the edge have been awful - unlike Manny, Hetherman never brings pressure up the middle, nor stunts/twists/slants defensive ends into the middle to come free and collapse the pocket on the QB. I hate his defensive scheme - it is truly abysmal. With Manny at DC, we likely boat race FSU and UNC.

The only time this defense works and makes sense is in heavyweight bouts - we should fare okay next week IMO.
 
Not the reason we are struggling in the secondary but maybe the loss of Etheridge is being felt a little.
We are cursed...we never seemed to be able to get the offense and the defense to be good at the same time lol.
We didnt need this year's defense to be as good as last year's...we just couldn't have the secondary be almost 2024 bad.
Hope they can figure it out but I don't see it at this time.
 
The DB blitzes on the edge have been awful - unlike Manny, Hetherman never brings pressure up the middle, nor stunts/twists/slants defensive ends into the middle to come free and collapse the pocket on the QB. I hate his defensive scheme - it is truly abysmal. With Manny at DC, we likely boat race FSU and UNC.

The only time this defense works and makes sense is in heavyweight bouts - we should fare okay next week IMO.

With manny we would get absolutely gashed on the ground. Don't understand this longing for a guy who got boat raced every single time we played a team with a good OL.
 
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