Any of you football heads want to explain 2 gap scheme?

[Enhance]

The scheme isn't that much of a problem, more so the missed assignments are. We've seen this defense work but that's when the players were upholding their responsibilities. But, as Pelini commented today, we had eight guys in the box on one play and gave up a big run. Guys just flat out aren't doing what they're supposed to.

Some of the more unfortunate statistics I've heard today - Nebraska is giving up 8 yards per play on first down and allowing opponents to get a first down, on 1st and 10, 35% of the time.

And every time a subject like this comes up I wonder if we're trying to teach trigonometry to remedial math students? I'm sure Bo wasn't born yesterday and they do a little of everything depending on the situation and opponent, also that there are a heck of a lot of freshmen playing at the same time, but they don't seem to get what they're doing most of the time and you wonder if some players are even capable of understanding all the different variables?

This defense has been bad for 3 years. It is Bo's fault. A leader cannot let bad trends continue.

Both of you are hitting on the same thing. Most speculation is that we don't have the players capable of making the plays from an athletic standpoint. While I definitely agree with that to an extent, I really struggle with our defenses being as bad as they've been. Everybody expected growing pains this year, for example, but the defensive performances we've seen so far should not have happened - period. We have the talent, even if it's inexperienced, to play better than we have been. Not significantly better, but we definitely have the skill to be average, at the least.

From my own perceptions, I think a lot of people agree that this all falls on the coaches. I don't know where the disconnect started from a year like 2009 to today, but like I said, I definitely think we have the players (even right now) to be playing better football. So, it either means the scheme needs to be dumbed down until these guys can effectively execute it, or the coaches need to find ways to get these guys taking what they do in practice in putting it on the field.

When you hear coaches say they're telling players what to do and preparing for specific situations in practice, and then those situations consistently backfire on them in a game setting, there's obviously some disconnect.

 

[In the Deed the Glory]

EDIT - CG beat me to it.

I agree with CG but would word it differently. Any scheme is going to have a learning curve. Most teams can make up for having to play youth by recruiting players that played in similar schemes in high school. The high school coaches are teaching whatever scheme they think will work at their school. If that doesn't align to what the player will be asked to do in college than it just put the kids further behind when they make it to campus.

The consensus seems to be that it took BP about three years to figure out a recruiting style that fit what he was trying to do and brought in some higher rated classes. It will be a rough transition as the team will rely on more youth than you would like to see for a few years. The transition would always have been bumpy, just less bumpy if high school coaches were teaching things that aligned more directly to what NU was trying to ask of its players.

High school coaches, especially in Omaha, would maybe align more to what NU was doing if Pelini and his staff would recognize they exist and visit their schools once in awhile. At the school I teach/coach at we have seen Bo once since he has been here. Jeff Jamrog comes once a year because they want local kids to walk on, but that is another story. Bo and our head coach are both from Youngstown, you would think he would come visit once in awhile in a school our size to get us to "teach things that aligned directly".

 

[zoogs]

I was reading today that the New England Patriots run a 2-gap system.

That wouldn't have surprised me except in recent years I am pretty sure the Patriots have more or less gone 4-3.

Anybody know if they are back in a 3-4 now, or if they are running a 2-gap 4-3 and if so, if there are any other similarities to what we are doing.

 

[jmfb]

Wouldn't it be better to play 1 gap and get our linemen into the backfield to disrupt the play, block passes, etc? 2 gap sounds like too much guessing to me and relies on linebackers too much. It also doesn't sound like a good way to generate a pass rush. Do most teams use 2 gap or what?

You could, yes, but if the backs get by those DL's, and the OL's have gotten to the LB's (which is what some of them are trying to do), then you get gashed.

We ran this in high school out of a 44. We didnt really call it 2gap, but that's what it was. The 4down's job was to gobble up all the blockers and let the LB's run free. We'd even have our DT's on a consistent basis just submarine the guard and center on trap plays. Read a pull, and just dive for legs. Create a pile. Guard cant get around, center cant block down. Total mayhem. If you got caught shooting a gap, you were on the bench. That program has one of if not the best defense in c-1 year after year after year. They consistently have multiple linebackers in the top 10 in the state in tackles. I played 12 years ago. Last year they only allowed 2 touchdowns the entire regular season. It's just the deal that it has to be executed right. Bo and Pap are at a loss for words right now because they dont understand why they cant get the guys to execute it in games. Something tells me they perform it well in practice.

When I last coached we ran a one gap 3-5-3 defense. Got it from Jenks, Ok. It was a very high risk/ reward defense. Everyman has a gap he is responsible for and that responsibility was not the same every play and could change before the snap. Our linemen's job was to get to the backfield and disrupt the play. The most important thing was to teach them to not just come straight up the field and get too much penetration, a yard and a half at the most.

We fully expected to give up at least 1-3 big plays every game, but we would also triple that in negative plays.

At its core it was a very simple defense that gave a lot of freedom to our LBs to read and make a decision. Our DC didn't like the lack of control and started putting in more called plays from the sideline. He was a control freak but it actually took more decision making out of the equation and allowed them to react more.

Nothing like this would work in college the passing attacks are too sophisticated, but a one gap or control gap would be preferable IMO. The Defense would give up some on the back end but that is the tradeoff

You were also probably running a lot of tap and goes

The down player goes one way and the LB the other- so both gaps are covered, infnite number of ways to bring pressure off of that. lots of negative yardage plays, but yep give up some big plays as well

You cant argue with Jenks Oklahoma- perennial USA Today Top 20 their HS coaches are legendary

 

[Abdullah the Butcher]

http://dataomaha.com/documents/trying-to-bridge-the-gap



Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio, who had listened to Pelini on the teleconference, doesn't use a two-gap scheme or philosophy, but he further explained how NU's defense works.

"These two-gap schemes, it's just a nice way of saying 'which gap do you have on which occasion?'" Dantonio said. "You don't have them both at the same time. You have a front-side gap or a back-side gap, depending on the blocking scheme."

 

[jmfb]

http://dataomaha.com...-bridge-the-gap

Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio, who had listened to Pelini on the teleconference, doesn't use a two-gap scheme or philosophy, but he further explained how NU's defense works.

"These two-gap schemes, it's just a nice way of saying 'which gap do you have on which occasion?'" Dantonio said. "You don't have them both at the same time. You have a front-side gap or a back-side gap, depending on the blocking scheme."

From this article- PELINI IS TIGHT LIPPED ABOUT HIS DEFENSE

His defense isnt some basic 4-3 under that you can go buy books and DVDs about in the internet and start running it

Pelini unlike many college football coaches, doesnt do clinics on his defense

You can go to about any Nike Clinic and see guys like Shawn Watson talk about his WCO and how he runs zone, smash, stick, stretch etc

You can listen to Paul Johnson map out his option offense

Will Muschamp will talk defensive scheme

Pelini- doesnt clinic much

When I did see him at a big public clinic, you know what he talked about for 1 solid hour?

The base Linebacker side shuffle footwork

He doesnt do big clinics and map out his xs and os

That's why I had to laugh so hard I had tears coming out of my eyes when someone said all we have to do is get a bunch of HS kids who run Bos defense, because no one knows about it, all cloak and dagger secret handshake stuff, no HS is running it, guaranteed

 

[Hayseed]

Bo Pelini at the teleconference comically(at least to me) dispelled the notion/perception that Nebraska runs a two-gap. He says it's not a two gap. We're not assigning guys to two gaps. That's it's a term that just gets thrown around alot (as I've said before). They just play real heavy in their gap control in some situations. They also play a lot of single gap/attack sets depending on the situation.

He also said that this year they've used more straight-up one gap scheme than any other year he's ever been a DC.

Not trying to "stick up for him" or anything, but it's just shows that no matter how much we sit here and speculate two gap/single gap, we really have no clue what theyre doing. I just found his comments kind of interesting.

If they don't penetrate the line and the qb has all day to throw to the receiver of his choice then you can call it whatever gap you want but it sucks. The idea that the DL would be asked to take up space so the linebackers are free to tackle just sounds to me like a strange way to play....like you're asking for no rush and tackles 5 yards up field. I doubt that is what they're asked to do.

 

[jmfb]

Bo talks about them being able to "get off blocks" all the time, once they have the penetration he is looking for.

LBs also arent stationary, once they have the correct read and proper run fit, they are playing downhill, not waiting for the ballcarrier.

Deep immediate penetration on the run game is what hurts you IF the other team runs a lot of zone

 

[Hayseed]

Bo talks about them being able to "get off blocks" all the time, once they have the penetration he is looking for.

LBs also arent stationary, once they have the correct read and proper run fit, they are playing downhill, not waiting for the ballcarrier.

Deep immediate penetration on the run game is what hurts you IF the other team runs a lot of zone

Immediate penetration from the d-line helps you immensely....the lack of it gives you zero pass rush and allows the o-line to hold you under the current blocking rules. Back in the olden days we used to complain about all the holding, clipping, and illegal procedure calls slowing down and interfering with the game. In that regard I like the new rules that virtually assures the refs will never call holding unless you beat the blocker and he's reaching back with a handful of jersey. I'm sure Bo's defense is more complicated than just calling it a one-gap or two-gap and any coach worth his job has a mixture of things they do according to the play they anticipate. I just get to really wondering what they're being asked to do when I see zero pass rush from the four linemen, wide open runs with no lb's in sight, and pass after completed pass against soft coverage;.....that's some serious problems. Whatever happened to that defense with Thorell, Hagg, Gomes, et al playing combo lb/db? Do we still run that and are the current players just not getting it? Another thing that really bugs me is that I can't seem to make separate paragraphs on this board.