Steele's defense and some...

[MDOcane]

Flagg is somehow the worst player, but also the one that leads the unit PFF score.

he did NOT lead the unit, Wesley Bissainthe did 88.0

 

[PIPO]

Even the DE knows where the ball is and is headed in that direction.

And maybe this is just me being critical but I'd think after that he would want to make up for it.. but no. The very next play its like he doesn't want any contact. Just slapping at the ball.

His next 3 plays after the one in the picture:

1) Avoids contact and slaps at the ball.
2) Good thing it was a run because he was slipping and tripping
3)Through shear talent and determination misses this tackle.
View attachment 206997


Also requesting that the mods replace this with this View attachment 206998

Dude got an extra 20-23 yards after that missed tackle.

 

[NicKane]

Who do we play at LB then? I don’t think steed looked that great either. Both are too slow, Smith #4 is just clueless and always out of position. I mean we are already running just two LB out we are so bad. Can we trust chase smith or Caleb Johnson? I think by mid season we see Wesley a lot more. Flagg isn’t really the issue if he is getting guys lined up and in correct spots for now.

Flagg is the issue at middle when he clearly doesn’t Have the speed or size to get to the correct spots to make plays. He made litterly no plays against basically a good highschool team on Saturday, didn’t flash at all. It’s inexcusable, put Caleb in there and let the Flagg nonsense go. he’s a group of five player at best!

 

[BeastMode]

Flagg is the issue at middle when he clearly doesn’t Have the speed or size to get to the correct spots to make plays. He made litterly no plays against basically a good highschool team on Saturday, didn’t flash at all. It’s inexcusable, put Caleb in there and let the Flagg nonsense go. he’s a group of five player at best!

Maybe Caleb doesn’t know the defense or calls just yet? Maybe Flagg plays cause he mows the entire playbook and gets everyone lined up correctly and handles checks. There is more to MLB than just being more athletic then someone

 

[LuCane]

Mario commented on him balling on special teams and said that earned him more PT on defense, hopefully he gets more snaps ASAP..

you’ve seen me mention a few times how I found it odd he was SO buried. They have a **** of a logjam at his position. Steed and Smith ahead. And, it looks like they want to use James Williams as a hybrid LB in subpackages. I hope Chase Smith gets an opportunity.

 

[blackvern]

This is all I needed to see from Ivey. Dude had already been running with the ball for a bit and he just now realized it and is trying to change direction because, of course, he is headed in the opposite direction he should be

View attachment 206992

This play enraged me.... Ivey has 0 awareness

 

[skyman]

you’ve seen me mention a few times how I found it odd he was SO buried. They have a **** of a logjam at his position. Steed and Smith ahead. And, it looks like they want to use James Williams as a hybrid LB in subpackages. I hope Chase Smith gets an opportunity.

Yea Im not sure he is a "natural" at the position but he has all the raw skills, just need reps.. The older guys probably make it look good in practice but with game reps if he get a chance I think he would shine..

 

[Baba Yaga]

This is all I needed to see from Ivey. Dude had already been running with the ball for a bit and he just now realized it and is trying to change direction because, of course, he is headed in the opposite direction he should be

View attachment 206992

Best I can do with that pic. If there's a higher resolution I can probably make it a bit more clear

 

[PBJFanatic]

Game one of a new regime. Very pleased. Upwards from here. Go Canes.

 

[supersaiyanshel]

We are still taking some bad angles on the pass rush. Guys are still trying to win on speed alone and over leveraging. Need JT to teach these guys a move or two.

 

[Bunker Mentality]

Staff gets paid wayyy too much money for the defense to come out looking like that. Execution and finishing plays against southern miss is gonna have to go up dramatically to have a shot at TAMU

Agreed. They seemed underprepared for the BCC offense, and Steele acknowledged having little film on the QB.

We need to see a more disciplined unit this Saturday.

 

[Jedi Master Cane]

I don't know. He took some bad angles on Saturday. Moving him closer magnifies those issues. He's also not a contact-seeking thumper. I always worried that JW was like Ray Ray Armstrong in that finding the perfect role for him would be difficult. Personally, I would use him in the spy role with secondary zone responsibilities vs. dual threats like the BCU QB.

You're talking to the wrong guy in reference to that comparison...I was the guy yelling and screaming on these boards that Ray Ray was a linebacker all the way. My man gets to the pros and they INSTANTLY convert him to a linebacker but I digress.

Granted, JW is MUCH better in space than Ray Ray ever was. JW isn't as stiff and he definitely has more dexterity. Like I said in my first post in a perfect world with a stacked linebacking depth chart we don't even need to consider this move and can leave him in center field. However....the linebacker depth chart is BADDDDD. We've already got people in here pinning their hopes to a true freshman and in all fairness to that kid, I doubt he's ready.

JW, if nothing else, could cover tight ends and act as a weakside backer/Striker type closer to the line of scrimmage. The lack of speed we currently have on defense is a problem, which is why finding a way to have all 3 of those safeties on the field together helps to alleviate the problem and gets our best 11 on the field at once.

 

[canes732]

Lack of pass rush by our front 4 is concerning. We didn’t blitz and that’s fine no reason to show the playbook but I didn’t see anyone but Mesidor and Jackson beat their guys 1 on 1. Maybe they are being taught to hold the point of attack more verse shoot gaps. It will be interesting to see how that line develops.

The good thing is a team like A&M Haynes king doesn’t move well. He looked really bad on Saturday

 

[jsy]

Mesidor is no slouch

Yea he’s good
But he’s more hybrid inside/outside
He’s not a pure edge like verse or agude
It’s great we got mesidor
But it looks like we portalled in the wrong edge guy again this year
Verse dominated the lsu oline
Shocking agude can’t even do that to Bethune

 

[jsy]

You're talking to the wrong guy in reference to that comparison...I was the guy yelling and screaming on these boards that Ray Ray was a linebacker all the way. My man gets to the pros and they INSTANTLY convert him to a linebacker but I digress.

Granted, JW is MUCH better in space than Ray Ray ever was. JW isn't as stiff and he definitely has more dexterity. Like I said in my first post in a perfect world with a stacked linebacking depth chart we don't even need to consider this move and can leave him in center field. However....the linebacker depth chart is BADDDDD. We've already got people in here pinning their hopes to a true freshman and in all fairness to that kid, I doubt he's ready.

JW, if nothing else, could cover tight ends and act as a weakside backer/Striker type closer to the line of scrimmage. The lack of speed we currently have on defense is a problem, which is why finding a way to have all 3 of those safeties on the field together helps to alleviate the problem and gets our best 11 on the field at once.

Amen brother
I would rather see just one lb With Gil and Williams playing safety/will hybrids
I understand we need 2 lbs most of the time
But what’s the point of having Flagg when he’s to limited athletically to make An impact against good teams
Just wait until we get into acc play and you start seeing slow footed qbs just blow by Flagg

 

[Gables Cane]

Flagg clearly lacks the physical and athletic attributes to play on a high-caliber Miami defense; however, after watching the game live and again on tape, he absolutely gets others lined up and is relied upon by the staff to get us aligned pre-snap. Multiple times he can be seen moving tackles and yelling at others who are out of place.

The question is whether his knowledge of the defense and other intangibles are sufficient to make him a starter ahead of those who are stronger, quicker and can create more havoc.

I will defer to the coaches as Steele and Strong know what they are doing.

But those who question his ability based on his performance are not without merit.

 

[AtlAtty]

Flagg won't make plays that the casual fan will notice (at least not consistently), but he was solid throughout the game with his run fits. His value on the field and probably why Steele will keep Flagg on the field more than most fans care for is because Flagg seems to have a solid grasp of what the **** is going on out there.

Flagg at several points of the game was directing his fellow LBs as well as DL. In a few cases, it seemed Flagg moved his teammates into a position to make a play.

Until the other LBs are making game-changing plays, I don't know how Steele will be convinced to remove Flagg from playing meaningful minutes.

Flagg just isn't a great athlete so he needs everyone to do their jobs correctly.
For example, on the play that Flagg blitzed up the middle, the QB gets around the right end. Knee jerk reaction is to complain that Flagg didn't get to the QB when he was a free blitzer, but if the d-end just contains (can't remember who), then Flagg gets the sack. Flagg did his job well on that play but isn't so good that he can make plays based on athleticism when others mess up their assignments.

So on that play do we moan about Flagg's lack of athleticism, or do we recognize that the d-end gave the QB an easy out?

 

[armandose23]

Other observations.

So my brother n law played for Steele at Clemson. His defensive playbook was thicker than a New York City phonebook.

His defense was complex, and required a lot of the players in college. It's one of the reasons Steele got canned by Dabo. Players were thinking too much, allowing big pays.

My Bro n Law loved him, thought he was a defensive genius, problem was getting players to understand what he knew, so they could execute the defense.

After Clemson, he goes to Sabans fired coaches rehabilitation program. There I think he learned how to simplify his defense.

He made a comment at media day this year that if the player hasn't learned the teacher hasn't taught. That is self growth as an older experienced coach.

After Alabama he goes to Auburn, and he shows his growth by fielding 4 straight advanced metrics top 10 defenses.

So I say all this to say, this defense requires little more thought than Manny's. These kids will get better throughout the season IMO. It's not too much thought where they can't execute is as they get more comfortable though.

We did have 3 INTs.

Little more pass rush integrity will help too.

As far as personnel, Mesidor is our best DL now. Jackson got nice push in the middle. Ugude IMO is little too stiff off the edge. Probably limits his sack numbers, but can see how he gets upfield with pressures.


Off all the DE's, it was Thomas Davis that showed best burst and bend off the edge.

Overall the team looks prepared, the different units look organized and well coached, team looks in good shape. This is a big time operation now. You can just look at the sidelines and tell.


-The QB play was outstanding. TVD and Garcia laser sharp. That throw to X was NFL throw, and the laser to Redding. Garcia was 8-8 passing. Hard to go 100% completion against air.

-Feel like so much more in tank for this offense too. Zion out, Knighton out. Pretty vanilla but was so
-WR, TEs, RBs caught the ball well looked efficient.

-Man, McCoy and Anez make me feel much better about OL in 2023. Just their size and movement skills. A full year of S&C, and development. Watch out

Family Friend was a FB at Nebraska in the early 90's under Tom Osbourne. Steele was a young LB coach at that time on staff and my friend cant say enough good things about him. He's also friends with Ponce through the Miami High football family. After seeing the defense, I felt like the woes we have can be adjusted and like you say I feel, and hope, the defense gets better as the season rolls on. Tackling isn't great especially when compared to a Defense like Clemson's but I do think the guys are knocking people back better than last year.

 

[AtlAtty]

Rique will always be susceptible to the double move because he plays so aggressively.
But we have to accept something from our corners. We don't want them to play off/soft even though that generally prevents the long throw.
We don't want them to ever be beat deep but that will happen a couple times per game if the corner plays aggressive all game.
Something has to give.
I can handle being beaten on the double move considering that I believe that was the only time that Rique was thrown at.

 

[Hurracanes]

I thought the defense stunk yesterday. anyone sugar coating it is living in fantasyland. 6.1yds/play and give up nearly 400yds as well as 2 roughly 6min drives against you, yikes. It was a very poor showing. against Bethune Cookman

Good post. I was far more concerned about the Defense than the offense going into the summer but the reports were the complete opposite. Not sure what to think at this point but am hoping the conservative play calling played a big role in the performance. I just do not know if we have the horses, yet.