****Fall Camp Twitter Thread**** aka the RG44 love fest

[HuskerShark]

I don't think that's any different than other defenses. I just think Bo probably puts a little too much emphasis on the guys who know the defense inside and out, when the more athletic guys who maybe don't know the defense as well could be more effective.

 

[EZ-E]

To add to the Cody Glenn comment, that was Bo's very first year. There weren't other guys that had been playing in the system for multiple years that he needed to beat out.

 

[Count 'Bility]

To add to the Cody Glenn comment, that was Bo's very first year. There weren't other guys that had been playing in the system for multiple years that he needed to beat out.

Not to mention with Helu, Castille, and Lucky, Glenn was probably not going to play much if at all at RB. It was getting an athlete on the field, of course, until he took himself off.

 

[RedDenver]

With all due respect to you posters, Ruud probably knows way more about Pelini's defense than both of you put together.

To use the cooking analogy, there's a lot of edible meals you can cook without knowing the details. But the difference between edible and a culinary delight is all about the details. I think there's a lot of degrees or shadings to how complicated the defense is. There's been players who got on the field quickly (Glenn, Gomes, David, etc.), so it's not as black and white and easily digested of a topic as we perhaps try to make it.

Cody Glenn started out of sheer necessity. We literally had nobody else to fill his role.

Gomes didn't start until the Texas Tech game in 2009, the sixth game of the season. The Missouri game the week before - during which he had a key interception - was where it "clicked" for him.

LaVonte David is a freak of nature, but even still the only reason he started as early as he did was due to Fisher's broken leg. The plan was to bring him along slowly, a la Dejon Gomes. David would succeed in any defense, though - the guy just has a nose for the ball. Despite that, Bo himself will tell you that David often did things wrong in the early going. It was just his crazy ability that made it all work out.

Both Gomes and David were JUCO transfers, guys you don't recruit unless they can make an immediate impact. It's rare to see a Mo Seisay who gets recruited but who doesn't see the field much coming from JUCO. But those situations happen, and you can't look at Gomes/David without looking at Seisay as well.

There are far more examples of guys taking the slower path under Pelini than guys getting on the field right away. It's not a coincidence - it's because the intricacies of Bo's defense take even football-smart guys time to fully grasp.

So you agree that there's been both players who have gotten on the field early and players that have not. I don't subscribe to the simple narrative that Bo's system is hard to learn. I think it varies from player to player and year to year.

EDIT: (sorry, cut off the end of my post somehow)

Instead of Bo's defense being too complicated or hard to learn or whatever, let me propose a different hypothesis: Bo strongly prefers playing upperclassmen. It explains why guys can come in as JUCO's and quickly learn the system and get on the field. Why guys like Glenn could switch to defense so quickly.

That's just one alternative. I'm suggesting that it's probably some combination of factors and there's no simple answer.

 

[RedDenver]

Again comparing Ruud's ONE season under Bo, when he was a first time DC (at any level I might add) and taking over a defense with a new mentality and new scheme is not nearly the same amount of complication as what's being implemented now, or even in the past season or two-in Bo's 4th-6th years as a HC and having now a decade of college coordinator experience coming in 3 different conferences. With all due respect, common sense says it's they're even in the same realm when it comes to complication. I do respect Barret's opinion of course.

So you think Bo has changed his defense since 2003 and that it's more complicated to learn now than it was in 2003. Your argument is that Bo is older and more experienced so his defense is more complicated because that's just common sense. Do you have anything to back that up? By extension then, shouldn't every defensive scheme get more complicated as the coordinators get older?

 

[Landlord]

To add to the Cody Glenn comment, that was Bo's very first year. There weren't other guys that had been playing in the system for multiple years that he needed to beat out.

Not to mention with Helu, Castille, and Lucky, Glenn was probably not going to play much if at all at RB. It was getting an athlete on the field, of course, until he took himself off.

Doesn't really matter. It doesn't make a difference if he started out of necessity, or if there wasn't competition and he only moved because he wouldn't get any carries as a runningback. He did start and he played at a really high level - high enough to get drafted and play meaningful snaps in the league.

 

[HuskerNationNick]

I don't think that's any different than other defenses. I just think Bo probably puts a little too much emphasis on the guys who know the defense inside and out, when the more athletic guys who maybe don't know the defense as well could be more effective.

There is a huge difference between Bo's defense and other defenses. Just to name one example, the tiers. You have your front 7 and your secondary. In a normal defense, the LB is calling the shots and making adjustments for the whole D. In Bo's defense, the LB calls for only for the front 7, while the Safety is making adjustments in the secondary. The safety has to make adjustments according to the front 7 coverage, while adjusting the the coverage needed for the offense to make sure gaps are filled and whatnot. This is why the Safety position is so vital and not just anyone can play it. Stafford had a gist of it, but couldn't get himself into position, but Stafford also had more duties than previous Safeties. He also had to make sure his DB/CB's were in position to stop the run, something we have never had to do in previous years. This is just a small portion of what I understand, but I am sure it goes into MUCH more depth than what I know.

Bo's system, hands down, is a difficult system, and this is why HE even said he had to make it more simple.

 

[HuskerShark]

I don't think that's any different than other defenses. I just think Bo probably puts a little too much emphasis on the guys who know the defense inside and out, when the more athletic guys who maybe don't know the defense as well could be more effective.

There is a huge difference between Bo's defense and other defenses. Just to name one example, the tiers. You have your front 7 and your secondary. In a normal defense, the LB is calling the shots and making adjustments for the whole D. In Bo's defense, the LB calls for only for the front 7, while the Safety is making adjustments in the secondary. The safety has to make adjustments according to the front 7 coverage, while adjusting the the coverage needed for the offense to make sure gaps are filled and whatnot. This is why the Safety position is so vital and not just anyone can play it. Stafford had a gist of it, but couldn't get himself into position, but Stafford also had more duties than previous Safeties. He also had to make sure his DB/CB's were in position to stop the run, something we have never had to do in previous years. This is just a small portion of what I understand, but I am sure it goes into MUCH more depth than what I know.

Bo's system, hands down, is a difficult system, and this is why HE even said he had to make it more simple.

All I'm saying is that it is a little nit-picky to say that since a JUCO didn't start until game 6, the system is too complicated. Sometimes it just takes time. I understand that Bo's defense isn't the easiest, but it works, and that showed in 2009 and 2010.

 

[The King]

Bo's system isn't at complicated as you guys make it and it's not as simple as others. That's why it works when we have the personnel. Bo used to be a little hard headed and would only play the guys who knew all the finer points because it makes a breakdown less likely. However, when UCLA and Wisconsin exploited the fact that we sacrificed speed for knowledge it appears it opened Bo's eyes to the fact that he might have to just put the best players on the field even if it makes a breakdown more likely. You'd rather give up a big play due to breakdown once vs. Get ran all over all game because your knowledgeable players don't belong the field really.

 

[EZ-E]

Bo's system isn't at complicated as you guys make it and it's not as simple as others. That's why it works when we have the personnel. Bo used to be a little hard headed and would only play the guys who knew all the finer points because it makes a breakdown less likely. However, when UCLA and Wisconsin exploited the fact that we sacrificed speed for knowledge it appears it opened Bo's eyes to the fact that he might have to just put the best players on the field even if it makes a breakdown more likely. You'd rather give up a big play due to breakdown once vs. Get ran all over all game because your knowledgeable players don't belong the field really.

^This.

Was reading a really good blog about how with Bo's scheme it is really easy to make the offensive play calls against us predictable, almost baiting the offense to call something we were ready for.

The key to Bo's scheme is knowing where every player is suppose to be on each play and why. Also, trusting each other to do their job.

 

[C N Red]

I'll make it easy for everyone. Every defense is hard when everyone on the field is having to make up for each others lack of athleticism.

 

[RedDenver]

Bo's system isn't at complicated as you guys make it and it's not as simple as others.

Thank you. That's what I'm trying to say.

 

[Atbone95]

Can we just get back to the kool-aid..?

 

[WAHusker]

the last few weeks feels like this...

 

[Count 'Bility]

Again comparing Ruud's ONE season under Bo, when he was a first time DC (at any level I might add) and taking over a defense with a new mentality and new scheme is not nearly the same amount of complication as what's being implemented now, or even in the past season or two-in Bo's 4th-6th years as a HC and having now a decade of college coordinator experience coming in 3 different conferences. With all due respect, common sense says it's they're even in the same realm when it comes to complication. I do respect Barret's opinion of course.

So you think Bo has changed his defense since 2003 and that it's more complicated to learn now than it was in 2003. Your argument is that Bo is older and more experienced so his defense is more complicated because that's just common sense. Do you have anything to back that up? By extension then, shouldn't every defensive scheme get more complicated as the coordinators get older?

Well. His defenses in 2010 were much more complicated than in 2009. That is fact. What do I have to back that up? Bo's word. He said as much on the radio after a 2010 game.

How would it not be more complicated as time goes by? The more you coach, the more you learn in develop. That's the common sense part. So was Nick Saban's 1996 Michigan St defense more complicated than Alabama's 2012 version?

All I'm saying is that if you compared the two subjectively, Bo's currents schemes would be more complicated than those of 2003, as a first time DC at new job.