Defensive Scheme

[Count 'Bility]

I agree that last years senior class was below average. What I don't understand is why so many seniors started? On offense juniors, sophomores and even freshman played and NU had a really good offense despite the poor senior class. It doesn't make sense that one poor recruiting class had a huge impact on the defense and no impact on the offense. Either there is no talent on the defense this year, or the coaches were stupid for not putting the talent on the field last year.

Pelini knows the team better than any fan or journalist. This doesn't excuse him from making mistakes, but it does mean he evaluated his team and felt putting those players on the field put them in the best position to win.

I think it's more difficult to play defense than it is to play offense. Offenses know what they're doing, while defenses have to react. This naturally gives offenses an advantage. Throw on the fact that we recruited relatively average players, and we've put out relatively average performances beginning in 2011. At this point, I also think it's fair to suggest Pelini and Co. haven't developed players (across the board) as we would like. There are bright spots here and there, but as a whole, it hasn't been great.

But, long explanation short, I think we had players that were far too raw to play (but were more talented) going up against players that knew what they were doing (but lacked talent). It's a pick your poison, and the coaches tried their best. We can only hope that another year in the books has taught them lessons they can use in the future.

The class that just graduated was more Callahan's last class than Bo's first. Most of that class was committed before Bo got the job.

We lost several recruits when Callahan was fired. It was a poor class, regardless of who we attribute it to. Naturally, I don't blame Pelini at all for this, as he was left to pick up the scraps of a failed regime.

Also the fact that Tom Osborne appointed himself as interim heac coach for a few weeks between the hiring of Bo and the National Championship game Bo was preparing for. Tom went out and did some recruiting of his own, but was essentially reaching out to the Nebraska kids, trying to put a bandaid on a bleeding connection. A lot of kids in that 2008 class that signed on for scholarships were nothing more than walk-on caliber players. I hate discrediting walk-ons like that, but it's the brutal, honest truth. I dont know how else to say it.

 

[Enhance]

Also the fact that Tom Osborne appointed himself as interim heac coach for a few weeks between the hiring of Bo and the National Championship game Bo was preparing for. Tom went out and did some recruiting of his own, but was essentially reaching out to the Nebraska kids, trying to put a bandaid on a bleeding connection. A lot of kids in that 2008 class that signed on for scholarships were nothing more than walk-on caliber players. I hate discrediting walk-ons like that, but it's the brutal, honest truth. I dont know how else to say it.

I didn't pay close enough attention at the time to what TO was doing, but I'm looking through the commitment list right now and the best player we had out of the 2008 group was Alfonzo Dennard, and he was only a 3 star. Compton is probably the second best out of that group, but you look through the rest of the list and you see a lot of guys that took plenty of heat this last season - P.J. Smith, Meredith, Fisher and Whaley stand out. Then there's a spattering of guys who left the program in some capacity, and then the best recruit (Steinkuhler) never amounted to much on the defensive side of the ball.

Overall, the class evolved into a senior group that didn't have many playmakers. And I'm not trying to harp on them or be rude, but you're right - there's really no other way to say it. All that said, we've been better in recruiting the last couple of years. It's taking longer than fans wanted, but 2012 was a pretty good class and 2013 was a great class.

 

[HuskerShark]

Second year in the league in which our second best LB was a freshman. There will be improvement this year each week. A ton more athleticism on that side of the football.

Agreed. I am bracing myself a little bit for the growing pains that our defense is almost sure to go through this season, especially early on. But I do finally think that athletically, the potential is there for our defense to be a formidable group in the near future.

 

[Count 'Bility]

Also the fact that Tom Osborne appointed himself as interim heac coach for a few weeks between the hiring of Bo and the National Championship game Bo was preparing for. Tom went out and did some recruiting of his own, but was essentially reaching out to the Nebraska kids, trying to put a bandaid on a bleeding connection. A lot of kids in that 2008 class that signed on for scholarships were nothing more than walk-on caliber players. I hate discrediting walk-ons like that, but it's the brutal, honest truth. I dont know how else to say it.

I didn't pay close enough attention at the time to what TO was doing, but I'm looking through the commitment list right now and the best player we had out of the 2008 group was Alfonzo Dennard, and he was only a 3 star. Compton is probably the second best out of that group, but you look through the rest of the list and you see a lot of guys that took plenty of heat this last season - P.J. Smith, Meredith, Fisher and Whaley stand out. Then there's a spattering of guys who left the program in some capacity, and then the best recruit (Steinkuhler) never amounted to much on the defensive side of the ball.

Overall, the class evolved into a senior group that didn't have many playmakers. And I'm not trying to harp on them or be rude, but you're right - there's really no other way to say it. All that said, we've been better in recruiting the last couple of years. It's taking longer than fans wanted, but 2012 was a pretty good class and 2013 was a great class.

TO basically went on a tour througout the state. Was he actually "recruiting" as we know it. Probably not. He says he was. I listen to the sports nightlys and such and pay real close attention to these kinds of things. He basically on damage control, trying to repair a very meaningful connection with kids and families of the state. This was the period when TO got hold of Micah Kreikemeir-and a story that was later featured in SI's cover story "Nebraska lost. Nebraska found". I am a firm believer in these kinds of prideful attributes of our program and how important they are to make the machine run. TO knew that. Devaney knew that. Solich maybe knew that a little much. He tended to rely on it a little much. Bo understands it. Issue is, Bo is left trying to rebuild it, and it's taking time. We generate intangible things within the program that give kids something to play for. Something that means more than wins and losses or trophies and championships. Something that when you arrive on compus you immediately take total pride in whether youre from Lincoln or LA. It gives the kids something to strive for to push them to the absolute limit. And it's something most other programs dont have. It's how Nebraska's always hung around the top with less to work with. That lifeline was severed ten years ago, and it's still not fully repaired.

 

[Blackshirt96]

We have a bizarre blocking scheme where we release one or more D Linemen on many plays.

Isn't this just called "the zone read"?

Whatever that strategy is, it puts too much pressure on ball handling in the backfield, too early in the play. That's pressure we're putting on ourselves, by scheme, and it's stupid.

And isn't this the exact principle of the zone read, one of our deadliest plays on offense? Read the free defender at the mesh point and make the right call to get a good gain.

We weren't running the same defense in 2009. Have people forgotten so quickly that Suh was allowed to penetrate and wreak havoc back there?

I don't think we're that different. Losing capable 5th and 6th defensive backs has probably forced some changes, but scheme wise the line back then was asked to do the same kind of things; it's what Bo does.

I'm not sure if we adjusted over the course of last year to be more attacking. But I'm with Landlord, Suh was just a special case. It was a huge boon for our defense to be able to wreak havoc like it did while employing that kind of scheme, I think.

No, that is not called "the zone read." The zone read is a specific play where the QB puts the ball in the belly of the RB and "reads" the defensive lineman - whether that's the DE or a DT, depending on the play - and either handing the ball off or keeping it depending on what that player does.

What I'm talking about is a blocking scheme, not a running play. We release D Linemen on pass plays, on diamond formation plays, on... all different kinds of plays. Has nothing to do with the zone read. It has everything to do with deciding that the ball carrier will account for the released lineman, or the scheme of the play will simply flow away from him so he's irrelevant, or the player will make a bad read. It depends entirely on the O Line making the correct blocking read and the D Lineman either being too slow, making the wrong read or not being in position. Unfortunately all teams, from Idaho State to Georgia, have been able to take advantage of this.

I guess I'm not sure what games you guys were watching the past four years. There is a noticeable difference in how the D Line behaves today compared to Suh's era. If you want great example of the Suh-era D Line doing what our line does today, watch them "contain" Tyrod Taylor in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter in 2009. We were so concerned that Taylor would use his legs we made that crazy pocket where we kept him in front of the D Linemen, only to give him all day to throw the ball and make that ill-fated pass. That flew in the face of allowing Suh and Allen to create pressure all day, and we entered that play with several sacks. Matty O'Hanlon even had a sack in that game, as I recall. But then we contain, and it burns us. Prior to that Suh was chasing Taylor up and down the field, and we had him bottled up.

We allowed Suh to attack - to push forward, not to help make the containing pocket - against Todd Reesing as well that year. Reesing was under fire all game and we trounced Kansas because of it. He never got in a rhythm and he was never, ever comfortable in that game.

Fast-forward to 2011 against Washington and "Teeth" Price and we're transitioning into the pocket mode full time, and he doesn't run for hardly anything against us - but he threw passes up and down the field and kept Washington in that game far longer than they deserved to be. We even had Crick that game - who absolutely de-cleated Price, if you recall - and yet we were back to the "make the pocket" defense.

Once Crick was gone, we were left with Baker Steinkuhler... and not much else. And the Containment Era was fully upon us, and we've been torched ever since. Even with LaVonte David to track down mobile QBs behind that slower line we were still gashed for big yards, either on the ground or through the air.

It's just a very different mode of defense than it was when we had Suh. It may be the same general framework, but the way it's implemented is much different.

I disagree with most of what you have said. The defense has not changed a whole lot. There has been tweeks, but the D-lineman have still had chances to make sacks on the QB's & get pressure. There has been many time that they have just got left standing with jocks their on the ground. Suh would have been amazing in any defense he lined up in. He was able to take on double teams & still throw both off to make the play. He was fast enough to chase down a QB & had probably the strongest grip I have ever seen in a defensive lineman. If he got even the smallest amount of jersey or uniform that player was going for a ride.

Here is a highlight clip. If you watch the D most is the same, except the player who were much better athletes.

 

[Count 'Bility]

That's the thing about Suh making the entire unit better. When you have a guy that's going to require a double-team on every single play, setting up one-on-one matchups for your other 3 DL's, and you know for a fact this is going to be the case on every single play, it just opens up a whole realm of possibilities for your defensive playcalling. Then you throw in the fact that the double-team for that one particular player was usually not enough anyway, and you get what we had in '09.

 

[StPaulHusker]

Regardless of the overall scheme Pelini decides to run, I have to believe that with the size of DT's on the roster now and the perceived speed of the LB's it will be more difficult to run on them next season as opposed to last season. And as long as there is improvement in these areas, I will be happy.

 

[MichiganDad3]

Regardless of the overall scheme Pelini decides to run, I have to believe that with the size of DT's on the roster now and the perceived speed of the LB's it will be more difficult to run on them next season as opposed to last season. And as long as there is improvement in these areas, I will be happy.

I hope so. Many on this board were complaining about the number of rushing yards the defense allowed the year after Suh graduated. I blew it off because the defense was still top 10 in scoring. Now I am worried that Pelini's scheme is just not very good against the run.

 

[TGHusker]

If I'm not mistaken we stunted with Suh a lot more. Sorry guys! Wanna say more but I'm on my phone!!!

very true - it seems that last we hardly gambled at all. Think back to Bo term as DC - 2003. We had lock down CB and DBs and we took a lot more shots at the QB - esp wt Williams blitzing off of the edge. A dominant line or dominant DBs allow you to do a lot more wt the blitz package and frees the LB to be radicals - causing a lot of havoc. Plus it helps to have speed at that position - last year it was sorely missing.

 

[huskerjack23]

Nebraska was honestly blitzing a lot more last year as well because, like someone posted above, they had the best pass defense in the nation. The wheels fell off because Baker got hurt and Cam went inside causing more single high safety play to help on the run, which was exacerbated by Stafford and Smith taking bad angles and tackling poorly.

Honestly, if the back end can hold up their end of the deal again, the increased athleticism of the front seven will bring similar results of last year with better results against the better teams.

 

[Mavric]

That's the thing about Suh making the entire unit better. When you have a guy that's going to require a double-team on every single play, setting up one-on-one matchups for your other 3 DL's, and you know for a fact this is going to be the case on every single play, it just opens up a whole realm of possibilities for your defensive playcalling. Then you throw in the fact that the double-team for that one particular player was usually not enough anyway, and you get what we had in '09.

I remember thinking we were enjoying the luxury of being able to slow play our ends because we had Suh to be a one-man wrecking crew on the pass rush. Then he left and we're still slow playing our ends and getting no pass rush so that has obviously been the philosophy all along. I don't see any variation.

Many bemoan their perception that Bo's defense can't work without elite talent. I'm not so sure this has been proven yet as I think we've actually had below-average talent on the defensive side the last couple years. (Generally speaking, of course. Lavonte David and probably a few others being the exceptions.) I'd like to think we are getting back to where we have very good - elite is probably hoping for too much for now - talent on that side but I'd even settle for slightly-above-average for a little bit yet and see if that doesn't make a big difference.

 

[MichiganDad3]

That's the thing about Suh making the entire unit better. When you have a guy that's going to require a double-team on every single play, setting up one-on-one matchups for your other 3 DL's, and you know for a fact this is going to be the case on every single play, it just opens up a whole realm of possibilities for your defensive playcalling. Then you throw in the fact that the double-team for that one particular player was usually not enough anyway, and you get what we had in '09.

I remember thinking we were enjoying the luxury of being able to slow play our ends because we had Suh to be a one-man wrecking crew on the pass rush. Then he left and we're still slow playing our ends and getting no pass rush so that has obviously been the philosophy all along. I don't see any variation.

Many bemoan their perception that Bo's defense can't work without elite talent. I'm not so sure this has been proven yet as I think we've actually had below-average talent on the defensive side the last couple years. (Generally speaking, of course. Lavonte David and probably a few others being the exceptions.) I'd like to think we are getting back to where we have very good - elite is probably hoping for too much for now - talent on that side but I'd even settle for slightly-above-average for a little bit yet and see if that doesn't make a big difference.

I think the below average talent has been confounded with injuries. Crick and Baker get hurt, and I can't keep up with all the injuries from young guys that get hurt before they even play. Now VV has a concussion. It is time for the NU DL to get on a lucky streak regarding injuries.

 

[clyde40]

Believe it or not there were actually a lot of defensive highlights last year. Sadly for every good play there was also at least one bad one. The real big problem was when it came to a 1 on 1 situation where one guy needed to make a play. A lot of the guys on defense just weren't athletic enough. There were a lot of plays, especially against Mich, where the line would bottle up an inside run and when the RB would bounce it to the outside Fisher was right there to make a tackle. But if they were to run a quick pitch to Fisher's side and he was the only guy out there 9 times out of 10 it's going for at least a 10 yards. Compton had a lot of sacks and great tackles in run support but he couldn't stretch out a play to the sideline or make an open field tackle if he was put on an island. How many times was there a defensive back all over a reciever but they still caught it? Granted the defense got a fair amount of int's and batted the ball away quite a few times but, there were still missed opportunities. It does matter what scheme you run, if guys can't make a play when in position or don't have to speed to stretch the field you're going to give up big plays.

 

[Count 'Bility]

That's the thing about Suh making the entire unit better. When you have a guy that's going to require a double-team on every single play, setting up one-on-one matchups for your other 3 DL's, and you know for a fact this is going to be the case on every single play, it just opens up a whole realm of possibilities for your defensive playcalling. Then you throw in the fact that the double-team for that one particular player was usually not enough anyway, and you get what we had in '09.

I remember thinking we were enjoying the luxury of being able to slow play our ends because we had Suh to be a one-man wrecking crew on the pass rush. Then he left and we're still slow playing our ends and getting no pass rush so that has obviously been the philosophy all along. I don't see any variation.

Many bemoan their perception that Bo's defense can't work without elite talent. I'm not so sure this has been proven yet as I think we've actually had below-average talent on the defensive side the last couple years. (Generally speaking, of course. Lavonte David and probably a few others being the exceptions.) I'd like to think we are getting back to where we have very good - elite is probably hoping for too much for now - talent on that side but I'd even settle for slightly-above-average for a little bit yet and see if that doesn't make a big difference.

I think the below average talent has been confounded with injuries. Crick and Baker get hurt, and I can't keep up with all the injuries from young guys that get hurt before they even play. Now VV has a concussion. It is time for the NU DL to get on a lucky streak regarding injuries.

Dont forget expectations either. We had it in our heads the Crick was gonna be another Suh. And then that Baker was gonna be another Crick. And neither one turned out to be even close to as good as expected. Sometimes, expectations can be more damaging than anything, becuase when you dont meet them, the sky falls.

Not saying our high expectations are a bad thing, but, you know. We probably thought the '09 defense was gonna be here every year but if any wouldve looked at our recruiting and depth chart down the road at the time and the switching conferences, it would've been honest to say we were probably going to struggle a bit.

 

[Mavric]

That's the thing about Suh making the entire unit better. When you have a guy that's going to require a double-team on every single play, setting up one-on-one matchups for your other 3 DL's, and you know for a fact this is going to be the case on every single play, it just opens up a whole realm of possibilities for your defensive playcalling. Then you throw in the fact that the double-team for that one particular player was usually not enough anyway, and you get what we had in '09.

I remember thinking we were enjoying the luxury of being able to slow play our ends because we had Suh to be a one-man wrecking crew on the pass rush. Then he left and we're still slow playing our ends and getting no pass rush so that has obviously been the philosophy all along. I don't see any variation.

Many bemoan their perception that Bo's defense can't work without elite talent. I'm not so sure this has been proven yet as I think we've actually had below-average talent on the defensive side the last couple years. (Generally speaking, of course. Lavonte David and probably a few others being the exceptions.) I'd like to think we are getting back to where we have very good - elite is probably hoping for too much for now - talent on that side but I'd even settle for slightly-above-average for a little bit yet and see if that doesn't make a big difference.

I think the below average talent has been confounded with injuries. Crick and Baker get hurt, and I can't keep up with all the injuries from young guys that get hurt before they even play. Now VV has a concussion. It is time for the NU DL to get on a lucky streak regarding injuries.

True. We haven't had a lot of margin for error and injuries haven't helped. Although injuries did get Lavonte David on the field faster.

Hopefully the pendulum will swing back in our favor on that front.