Week 1 Depth Chart

[Cribby]

I'll agree that a lot of the calls are based off what the defense shows in regards to RPO. Teams still run it a ton because most defenses counter spread offenses by putting more DBs on the field. If you break the huddle with 3 or more corners I'm going to run the ball at you over and over. If you break the huddle with three or more Linebackers, I'm going to throw it over and over. The only real counter is hybrid, position-less players who can still play the run without being exposed vs a receiver one on one. I think the future of defensive football is going more an more that direction. I don't just mean having one multi-purpose "striker" or whatever you want to call it. I think we'll be seeing more and more of those types playing at the same time. Call them linebackers, call them safeties, strikers, rovers, whatever but that's the real answer to slowing down no huddle, spread offenses.

You’re right , and that’s where we’re headed for sure. Most teams today pass to win , the run is now just keeping you honest or like I said taking the numbers. The qb is now the running game with the rpo , draws , scrambles and zone reads. Or if you’re trying to melt clock. As for using three cb’s , that’s why you recruit big boys and why they get the big bags. You have to play three cb’s or you‘re juat screwed trying to cover all the space. Even a striker on a slot is an advantage for a wr. I can always bring a safety down to make the numbers better , and still have a deep safety.

Btw I’m not saying we’ll have three cb’s on the field at all times, I’m just saying they’ll be out there a good amount.

 

[Shogungts]

Nobody in Canes history ever got trucked harder than Brandon Merriweather vs West Virginia. He ended up become one of our all time big hitters and was a feared man in the NFL.

I don't know, Greg Jones trucked Sean Taylor pretty hard in 2003. Of course, you could use him to prove your point as well.

Edit: after refreshing I realized that I was certainly not the only person to remember and post this.

 

[TruCane81]

Just kills me everybody is so excited to see our exotic sub packages (I am as well) butttttt i do know against bama we may never see them. Getting Bama behind the sticks so many can try to confuse a young QB i just dont see it. Theyre going to take 4yard runs all game to stay ahead of the sticks.

We have a big, experienced dt unit that is getting better with an NFL quality coach who specializes in run defense leading them. I don’t think they will push us around in the middle.

I am more concerned with our discipline and ability to fill lanes on the edge. We should play 8 in the box and attack the run lanes with SS help.

I think people will be satisfied with the defensive line in run defense. It’s the second level that has to show and prove. I think Amari will have a big game and physically intimidate Bama’s running backs.

My guess is Simpson has his guys ready. I like Amiri attacking the line and trust Keontra. Flagg should be fine between the tackles.

The more I think about it, the more confident I am we will play the run respectably. We will look a lot more like the UF game defense than the UNC game defense.

 

[Maskoff407]

Williams and Kinchens on the two deep

This LITERALLY made me LOL. I’m with you.

 

[cway313]

I don't know, Greg Jones trucked Sean Taylor pretty hard in 2003. Of course, you could use him to prove your point as well.

Merriweather and ST also made enough plays for that not to be their legacy. Carter on the other hand has few if any shining moments thus far.

 

[TUSKtimes]

Fine by me. They have the most talented quarterback they've ever had, IMO. Maybe not (hopefully not) in Week 1, but if you want to take the ball out of his hands and run student body left, student body right all night and not challenge me vertically with Metchie, Jameson Williams, and JoJo, be my guest. I'll take my chances with being able to penetrate and get you in the backfield and put you behind the sticks before I will with letting your elite athletes run all through my secondary.

Bama isn't breaking out Derrick Henry Saturday. That game plan is long gone and that's not how we used Najee Harris last season. A balanced offense at Alabama isn't necessarily about being equal in yardage. It's about being able to run when you want/need to run the ball. Being physical at the LOS. Bama wants to establish the running game to set up their play-action and getting certain looks in the passing game as far as coverage schemes go. Getting the defense to put more men in the box is the whole point.

 

[PIPO]

McCloud to everyone:

 

[Bubbacane10]

I think Restrepo is getting over hyped on here and he’s only shown it in scrimmages and half the time going against 2nd and 3rd defense. He’s got better hands then pope and Wiggins and a lot of the other receivers but I’m still not sold.

 

[88]

@roks lost a step

 

[cway313]

I think Restrepo is getting over hyped on here and he’s only shown it in scrimmages and half the time going against 2nd and 3rd defense. He’s got better hands then pope and Wiggins and a lot of the other receivers but I’m still not sold.

Any chance him being a true freshmen have anything to do with it?

 

[grover]

You’re right , and that’s where we’re headed for sure. Most teams today pass to win , the run is now just keeping you honest or like I said taking the numbers. The qb is now the running game with the rpo , draws , scrambles and zone reads. Or if you’re trying to melt clock. As for using three cb’s , that’s why you recruit big boys and why they get the big bags. You have to play three cb’s or you‘re juat screwed trying to cover all the space. Even a striker on a slot is an advantage for a wr. I can always bring a safety down to make the numbers better , and still have a deep safety.

I definitely see us playing 5 DBs as often or more often than 4 DBs plus a striker. Heck, with empty sets, we may want to go 4-1-1-5, where we pull the MLB and mirror the striker and OLB.

What really puts pressure on defenses isn't even the RPO and spread, it's the combination of that with tempo. Can't change personnel in between plays, so the offense can exploit any mismatch they see out there again and again. I hope that's how Lashlee has schemed up our offense against Bama. Multiple play series that don't allow Bama's defense to substitute. Mallory has to be an MVP this Saturday.

We're definitely going to get burned by options and tempo if we have Jennings and another slower LB out there at the same time, especially if we also have Carter at striker. Or if we have Couch, they'll slot up a big against him. Just hard to adjust these days against innovative OCs (not saying Bama's new OC is innovative, I don't know either way).

 

[DTP]

Fine by me. They have the most talented quarterback they've ever had, IMO. Maybe not (hopefully not) in Week 1, but if you want to take the ball out of his hands and run student body left, student body right all night and not challenge me vertically with Metchie, Jameson Williams, and JoJo, be my guest. I'll take my chances with being able to penetrate and get you in the backfield and put you behind the sticks before I will with letting your elite athletes run all through my secondary.

It's obviously pick your poison. Not saying they can't win running the majority of the time, I'm just saying that overall teams playing offense have much more of an advantage throwing the ball than they do running it. And I expect the move to more and more college teams throwing the ball a higher percentage of the time to continue. That's why I expect us to be in much more nickel and dime defenses than base.

I think you see more college teams prefer running the ball simply because there's fewer variables you need to control vs when you pass. Not to mention the number of good college quarterbacks who aren't fantastic passers. I love D'Eriq King but if you want him throwing the ball 50 times a game, you're being counter productive to what he does best.

The NFL has become a very pass happy league because it's near impossible to score enough to win with a ground heavy offense. You NEED to be able to throw the ball in order to move the chains consistently. In college football, it's not uncommon for teams to run for 6,7,8 yards a carry and most coaches would prefer not to risk throwing the ball if they can consistently get big chunks on the ground. I hate to use the example but UNC had one of the best passing games in college last year but ran it 2:1 against us because we just could not stop the run. Why pass if you can just run it down your opponent's throat?

 

[Shogungts]

Merriweather and ST also made enough plays for that not to be their legacy. Carter on the other hand has few if any shining moments thus far.

Fair - I wasn't really agreeing or disagreeing with the statement in regards to Carter as pointing out that ST was probably bigger hit and was an even more feared hitter.

 

[PIPO]

Carter over Gil…color me surprised even though I think we’ll see a healthy dose of both all season long. DE and MLB give me concern especially against Bama…

Biggest thing for me - why took the previous coaching staff (Manny included) so long to see that Carter is better at Striker (in theory since he hasn’t played a game there) than at Safety where he just wasn’t very good?

 

[Shogungts]

Biggest thing for me - why took the previous coaching staff (Manny included) so long to see that Carter is better at Striker (in theory since he hasn’t played a game there) than at Safety where he just wasn’t very good?

Maybe they didn't think they had the depth at Safety previously if they moved him?

 

[Ericsoncane]

I'm not saying that Carter is as good as Merriweather. I'm saying don't just call for a player to never see the field just because he got run over once.

I still remember Sean Taylor getting trucked by that Florida rb on the long TD run in 2003. Guys get trucked from time to time

 

[htownkidd]

“But Carter can hit and we need that physicality vs Bama”

So tired of seeing this lol. All he does is hit defenseless players illegally. Seriously, when has he lined up the ball carrier and popped them the right way? I can only remember him getting bulldozed against UNC when he tried to do it.

I’ve accepted the fact that he will play, but posters commenting as if he is going to be Polomalu near the box need to freshen up their memory. Hopefully he knocks someone out this game. If he is going to get ejected, make it worth it and take out one of theirs too

 

[Ericsoncane]

Everyone gets their number drawn , St26 got obliterated by Greg Jones .

And the dude from Florida in 2003. I think it was deshaun wynn

 

[TruCane81]

Scaife over Williams has me concerned that we will be without Nelson for this game. Hopefully someone can update us on Nelson's progress.

Isn't Scaife the better run blocker though?

We will need to be balanced. I don’t think this is necessarily an ominous sign to Zion playing.

 

[JustAFanHTX]

Yep, I literally posted in one of my “ crap threads” I could se their pt increasing as the year went on.

What would you set your o/u for LT’s snap game 1? 15?