First Half Of The Season Grades - Defense

nvlahos

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DL - A

- RJ, Norton, Chad, Demetrius, have all been dominant. Bethel and Moten have played great as well
- This is nitpicking but I'd like to see Joe Jack get a strip sack or two in the next few games, haven't seen him get clean to the QB like he did last year
- O yea, we get HELD ALL GAME, EVERY GAME and it's never called. Very Impressive what this DL is doing


LBs - B

- Pinckney is a stud, classic Cane, love watching him play
- Shaq, very solid
- Mccloud - very disappointing so far; needs to severely step it up. Made a few plays here and there, but has also missed a ton of tackles, and mis read plays that have cost us big
- This position has no depth right now and it kills us. Smith has gotten a lot better under this staff, but he should not be on the 2 deep at Miami.
- Owens injury has unfortunely totally changed his play, and its a bummer to see that he can't get back to his freshman year potential.
- Perry (alot like Mccloud) - seems to have the physical ability, but misses tackles and misreads plays constantly
- MISSED TACKLES (can't happen against ND/VT)


CBs - B+

- Mike Jack, Young, Delaney (after the first two games), have all looked great
- Bandy has star potential, he's due for a big play
- Dean starting to develop as he plays more as well
- Really impressed with Mike Rumph and how well he's coached up this group - considering how thin we are and how bad the recruiting classes were before this staff took over

S - B-

- Alot of communication mix ups that were the safeties fault
- Knowles: Should not see the field other than special teams
- Redwine: Solid, and its big to have him back, our depth is very bad here
- JJ - very solid, only complaint I have is I wish he came up with more big plays (gotta make that pick at FSU)
- Carter takes bad angles, and isn't totally ready in pass coverage, and Finley is average


Overall - B/B+

- Love watching this defense play. It's exciting to finally see a Miami team playing how they should be. Almost all of the negatives for this defense can be attributed to bad depth, which is stemming from Golden's awful recruiting classes. We can't withstand any major injuries at LB, CB, or S without seeing some really bad play from the 2nd unit.

Once we get the 2018 class on campus and build the depth we need, this defense is gunna be Scary Good!

The two players I'd love to see take the next step in the second half of the season -

1. Zach Mccloud (pretty obvious how bad he's played so far)
2. Jaquan Johnson (has played great, but I want that game changing Miami Safety out of him)
 
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DL - A

- RJ, Norton, Chad, Demetrius, have all been dominant. Bethel and Moten have played great as well
- This is nitpicking but I'd like to see Joe Jack get a strip sack or two in the next few games, haven't seen him get clean to the QB like he did last year
- O yea, we get HELD ALL GAME, EVERY GAME and it's never called. Very Impressive what this DL is doing


LBs - B

- Pinckney is a stud, classic Cane, love watching him play
- Shaq, very solid
- Mccloud - very disappointing so far; needs to severely step it up. Made a few plays here and there, but has also missed a ton of tackles, and mis read plays that have cost us big
- This position has no depth right now and it kills us. Smith has gotten a lot better under this staff, but he should not be on the 2 deep at Miami.
- Owens injury has unfortunely totally changed his play, and its a bummer to see that he can't get back to his freshman year potential.
- Perry (alot like Mccloud) - seems to have the physical ability, but misses tackles and misreads plays constantly
- MISSED TACKLES (can't happen against ND/VT)


CBs - B+

- Mike Jack, Young, Delaney (after the first two games), have all looked great
- Bandy has star potential, he's due for a big play
- Dean starting to develop as he plays more as well
- Really impressed with Mike Rumph and how well he's coached up this group - considering how thin we are and how bad the recruiting classes were before this staff took over

S - B-

- Alot of communication mix ups that were the safeties fault
- Knowles: Should not see the field other than special teams
- Redwine: Solid, and its big to have him back, our depth is very bad here
- JJ - very solid, only complaint I have is I wish he came up with more big plays (gotta make that pick at FSU)
- Carter takes bad angles, and isn't totally ready in pass coverage, and Finley is average


Overall - B/B+

- Love watching this defense play. It's exciting to finally see a Miami team playing how they should be. Almost all of the negatives for this defense can be attributed to bad depth, which is stemming from Golden's awful recruiting classes. We can't withstand any major injuries at LB, CB, or S without seeing some really bad play from the 2nd unit.

Once we get the 2018 class on campus and build the depth we need, this defense is gunna be Scary Good!

The two players I'd love to see take the next step in the second half of the season -

1. Zach Mccloud (pretty obvious how bad he's played so far)
2. Jaquan Johnson (has played great, but I want that game changing Miami Safety out of him)

Good post. Couldn't agree more regarding the LBs in terms of quality depth. Bringing everyone on the 3 deep back next year is huge in terms of experience but we desperately need to add Miami caliber LBs to succeed the current starters. Agree on Pinckney. He is our best playmaker at the position. Shaq started a little slow but has really come on recently. Shaq will be a much better player at the end of the year and should blossom into the player we all know he can be next year. Sometimes people forget these 3 are only Sophomores. Finally Zach McCloud was struggling mightily to start the season and it wasn't pretty. Again I chalk this up to the learning curve and maturation process. The past 2 games McCloud has begun to flash. I have every confidence that Zack will eventually develop into a very good LB. Patience. C+/B

The improvement in this secondary from the beginning of the year to now has been incredible to say the least. MJ, Bandy, Young and Dean(Delaney too) have really gelled together and come into their own. Their play against Syracuse was suffocating and straight up dominant. Credit Rumph here big time. B+/A

Safety play has also improved a good amount since game 1 although not as much as the CBS. I think the staff has figured out the best way to play these kids in order to get the most out of them. We are not as talented at safety and the 2018 class will transform this position immediately. For right now however, Redwine and JJ have really solidified their play within Diaz's system. It was great to see Carter and Smith get plenty of snaps against the Orangemen. Those to are much more physically suited to playing safety here and I look forward to seeing them develop over the last half of the season. Just keep #20 on the bench please. C+/B-

Saved the best for last. Our DL has been dominant and that is an understatement. This is IMO the best DL in the nation top to bottom. We are so deep here that Scott Patchan is helping out at TE and the 2 true freshman monsters Garvin and Johnson are watching from the sidelines. Chad Thomas is having a career year as is McIntosh and D Jack. Toolbox is doing his thing and JJ is bringing it every week. Moten and Bethel have been excellent and this DL just comes at you in waves and never let's up. A+/A+
 
DL - A

- RJ, Norton, Chad, Demetrius, have all been dominant. Bethel and Moten have played great as well
- This is nitpicking but I'd like to see Joe Jack get a strip sack or two in the next few games, haven't seen him get clean to the QB like he did last year
- O yea, we get HELD ALL GAME, EVERY GAME and it's never called. Very Impressive what this DL is doing


LBs - B

- Pinckney is a stud, classic Cane, love watching him play
- Shaq, very solid
- Mccloud - very disappointing so far; needs to severely step it up. Made a few plays here and there, but has also missed a ton of tackles, and mis read plays that have cost us big
- This position has no depth right now and it kills us. Smith has gotten a lot better under this staff, but he should not be on the 2 deep at Miami.
- Owens injury has unfortunely totally changed his play, and its a bummer to see that he can't get back to his freshman year potential.
- Perry (alot like Mccloud) - seems to have the physical ability, but misses tackles and misreads plays constantly
- MISSED TACKLES (can't happen against ND/VT)


CBs - B+

- Mike Jack, Young, Delaney (after the first two games), have all looked great
- Bandy has star potential, he's due for a big play
- Dean starting to develop as he plays more as well
- Really impressed with Mike Rumph and how well he's coached up this group - considering how thin we are and how bad the recruiting classes were before this staff took over

S - B-

- Alot of communication mix ups that were the safeties fault
- Knowles: Should not see the field other than special teams
- Redwine: Solid, and its big to have him back, our depth is very bad here
- JJ - very solid, only complaint I have is I wish he came up with more big plays (gotta make that pick at FSU)
- Carter takes bad angles, and isn't totally ready in pass coverage, and Finley is average


Overall - B/B+

- Love watching this defense play. It's exciting to finally see a Miami team playing how they should be. Almost all of the negatives for this defense can be attributed to bad depth, which is stemming from Golden's awful recruiting classes. We can't withstand any major injuries at LB, CB, or S without seeing some really bad play from the 2nd unit.

Once we get the 2018 class on campus and build the depth we need, this defense is gunna be Scary Good!

The two players I'd love to see take the next step in the second half of the season -

1. Zach Mccloud (pretty obvious how bad he's played so far)
2. Jaquan Johnson (has played great, but I want that game changing Miami Safety out of him)

Good post. Couldn't agree more regarding the LBs in terms of quality depth. Bringing everyone on the 3 deep back next year is huge in terms of experience but we desperately need to add Miami caliber LBs to succeed the current starters. Agree on Pinckney. He is our best playmaker at the position. Shaq started a little slow but has really come on recently. Shaq will be a much better player at the end of the year and should blossom into the player we all know he can be next year. Sometimes people forget these 3 are only Sophomores. Finally Zach McCloud was struggling mightily to start the season and it wasn't pretty. Again I chalk this up to the learning curve and maturation process. The past 2 games McCloud has begun to flash. I have every confidence that Zack will eventually develop into a very good LB. Patience. C+/B

The improvement in this secondary from the beginning of the year to now has been incredible to say the least. MJ, Bandy, Young and Dean(Delaney too) have really gelled together and come into their own. Their play against Syracuse was suffocating and straight up dominant. Credit Rumph here big time. B+/A

Safety play has also improved a good amount since game 1 although not as much as the CBS. I think the staff has figured out the best way to play these kids in order to get the most out of them. We are not as talented at safety and the 2018 class will transform this position immediately. For right now however, Redwine and JJ have really solidified their play within Diaz's system. It was great to see Carter and Smith get plenty of snaps against the Orangemen. Those to are much more physically suited to playing safety here and I look forward to seeing them develop over the last half of the season. Just keep #20 on the bench please. C+/B-

Saved the best for last. Our DL has been dominant and that is an understatement. This is IMO the best DL in the nation top to bottom. We are so deep here that Scott Patchan is helping out at TE and the 2 true freshman monsters Garvin and Johnson are watching from the sidelines. Chad Thomas is having a career year as is McIntosh and D Jack. Toolbox is doing his thing and JJ is bringing it every week. Moten and Bethel have been excellent and this DL just comes at you in waves and never let's up. A+/A+
 
Can't believe I'm saying this but I re-watched the Syracuse game and McCloud needs to be bench and we need to recruit his replacement. He is reading plays extremely slow, he is playing slow, and he does NOTHING but miss tackles. on one 3rd down he had the play stuffed and got a face-mask because dude can't tackle and on the 3rd and 10 with Syracuse on their own 4 yard line he missed a tackle and the RB got the first down. Owens or Smith needs to take his place. Perry is terrible because dude does not contain the outside on read options or outside runs. The development of our LB is extremely concerning. I stay get a LB coach and let Manny coach the ST.
 
LB play has been subpar all season. But over the past 2 weeks, our backups have looked better IMO.


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Perry and M. Smith have given us solid backup play. I'm optimistic that Coaches can see what we as fans plainly see.
 
That secondary clearly has some issues and we're missing out on some tackles which are allowing big plays (see FSU). We're sometimes having issues on 3rd and long too.

With that said, I don't understand how the defense gets a "B". I don't understand why that is in consideration. Here is how they preformed against ACC play (only ACC play):

Duke

Points Allowed: 6
Yards Allowed: 349
Turnovers Forced: 2
Sacks: 6
Tackles For Loss: 11

FSU

Points Allowed: 20
Yards Allowed: 406
Turnovers Forced: 2
Sacks: 4
Tackles For Loss: 9

Georgia Tech

Points Allowed: 17 (that onside kick is not on the D)
Yards Allowed: 289
Turnovers Forced: 0
Sacks: 2
Tackles For Loss: 7

Cuse

Points Allowed: 19
Yards Allowed: 399
Turnovers Forced: 4
Sacks: 4
Tackles For Loss: 9

So in ACC Play (so far) [Per Game Average]

Points Allowed: 15.5
Yards Allowed: 359.75
Turnovers Forced: 2.25
Sacks: 4
Tackles For Loss: 9


If holding the opponent to less than 16 PPG and forcing 2.25 TOs/PG is a "B", then I want to know what gets you to an "A-". The defense has been consistent and has carried this team to where we are today.
 
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Garvin is in the rotation which is quite impressive considering what is in front of him. M. Smith played very well against Georgia Tech. He also made plays against Syracuse. He is stepping up his game.
 
That secondary clearly has some issues and we're missing out on some tackles which are allowing big plays (see FSU). We're sometimes having issues on 3rd and long too.

With that said, I don't understand how the defense gets a "B". I don't understand why that is in consideration. Here is how they preformed against ACC play (only ACC play):

Duke

Points Allowed: 6
Yards Allowed: 349
Turnovers Forced: 2
Sacks: 6
Tackles For Loss: 11

FSU

Points Allowed: 20
Yards Allowed: 406
Turnovers Forced: 2
Sacks: 4
Tackles For Loss: 9

Georgia Tech

Points Allowed: 17 (that onside kick is not on the D)
Yards Allowed: 289
Turnovers Forced: 0
Sacks: 2
Tackles For Loss: 7

Cuse

Points Allowed: 19
Yards Allowed: 399
Turnovers Forced: 4
Sacks: 4
Tackles For Loss: 9

So in ACC Play (so far) [Per Game Average]

Points Allowed: 15.5
Yards Allowed: 359.75
Turnovers Forced: 2.25
Sacks: 4
Tackles For Loss: 9


If holding the opponent to less than 16 PPG and forcing 2.25 TOs/PG is a "B", then I want to know what gets you to an "A-". The defense has been consistent and has carried this team to where we are today.

Plus, Miami had 1 week to prepare for the Flexbone. Half of Georgia Tech's yards came in the first quarter. This with 2 out of 4 starting defensive backs out. Then you go immediately the following week against a team that averages 85 to 90 snaps a game and moved the ball every well against a terrific Clemson defense.

I like our defense against Virginia Tech. They are not running the ball nearly as effectively as in years past. Notre Dame is one dimensional. Need to get them into 3rd and mediums and long. They do not throw the ball well.
 
That secondary clearly has some issues and we're missing out on some tackles which are allowing big plays (see FSU). We're sometimes having issues on 3rd and long too.

With that said, I don't understand how the defense gets a "B". I don't understand why that is in consideration. Here is how they preformed against ACC play (only ACC play):

Duke

Points Allowed: 6
Yards Allowed: 349
Turnovers Forced: 2
Sacks: 6
Tackles For Loss: 11

FSU

Points Allowed: 20
Yards Allowed: 406
Turnovers Forced: 2
Sacks: 4
Tackles For Loss: 9

Georgia Tech

Points Allowed: 17 (that onside kick is not on the D)
Yards Allowed: 289
Turnovers Forced: 0
Sacks: 2
Tackles For Loss: 7

Cuse

Points Allowed: 19
Yards Allowed: 399
Turnovers Forced: 4
Sacks: 4
Tackles For Loss: 9

So in ACC Play (so far) [Per Game Average]

Points Allowed: 15.5
Yards Allowed: 359.75
Turnovers Forced: 2.25
Sacks: 4
Tackles For Loss: 9


If holding the opponent to less than 16 PPG and forcing 2.25 TOs/PG is a "B", then I want to know what gets you to an "A-". The defense has been consistent and has carried this team to where we are today.

Plus, Miami had 1 week to prepare for the Flexbone. Half of Georgia Tech's yards came in the first quarter. This with 2 out of 4 starting defensive backs out. Then you go immediately the following week against a team that averages 85 to 90 snaps a game and moved the ball every well against a terrific Clemson defense.

I like our defense against Virginia Tech. They are not running the ball nearly as effectively as in years past. Notre Dame is one dimensional. Need to get them into 3rd and mediums and long. They do not throw the ball well.

Agreed.
 
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