kind of scary

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i just read an article about Coz on huskerfootball.com about changing his 'modus operandi' and they had interviewed a former linebacker of his from Wisc.

he said he was a very 'player friendly' coach who taught great gap discipline and always had his players in great positions to make plays. THEN, he says, but when things started going bad or there were times the opponent was dictating the flow, it seemed their defense had a hard time adjusting and seemed to be on their heels reacting instead of taking the fight to the other team. Sound Familiar????

Now, i'm sure if you interviewed another former player, he could say the exact opposite. i bet some thought Coz was great all the time.

the gist of the article was that it seems not a lot has changed about Coz's D's either here or a Wisc over the last 8-10 years, even suggesting that with all the spread offenses and fast-break teams out there, the game might have passed him by some time ago. meaning he learned his style of coaching and defensive schemes during the "3 yds and cloud of dust" BIG10 days.

anyway, for what's it's worth, it was a pretty good read. sorry, but i don't know how to post links.

here's to the Blackshirts getting some fire back this week!! like my linebacker coach in college would say, "Start playing with some Fire!! I'm gonna get a red-hot poker and stick it right up your a$$!!" that would get us goin. :bonez

 
you mean this on from LJS

Steven M. Sipple: Cosgrove may need to alter modus operandi

Saturday, Sep 29, 2007 - 12:19:19 am CDT

Can Kevin Cosgrove get his groove back?

It’s been some time since the 51-year-old Chicago native presided over a consistently reliable defense.

Cosgrove, Nebraska’s fourth-year defensive coordinator, had it rolling at Wisconsin in 1998 and 1999, when the Badgers won back-to-back Rose Bowls. His 1999 defense held Stanford to minus 5 yards rushing in the “Granddaddy of Them All.” His 1998 defense ranked No. 5 in yards allowed and led the nation in points allowed (11.9 per game).

However, Cosgrove’s last seven defenses, in terms of yards allowed, have finished 79th, 58th, 63rd, 43rd, 56th, 26th and 56th. The Husker defense, ranked 75th nationally entering today’s game, has looked alarmingly lethargic and overmatched at times in the last two games.

Look for Cosgrove to simplify the plan to help his defenders attack with more abandon. It makes sense.

Nebraska coach Bill Callahan said this week he fully supports Cosgrove. But you wonder at what point Callahan would fully lose patience.

Cosgrove has endured slow starts in the past and rebounded well. He’s a patient and upbeat man who by most accounts gets along well with players. To be sure, “Coz” is known as a player’s coach, a quintessential good guy. But can he once again help build and direct a great defense?

“He’s able to relate well with players and get them to be gap-sound and fundamentally correct,” said former Wisconsin linebacker Jeff Mack, who started for Cosgrove from 2000-2003. “But I think sometimes we were too reactionary. Something would happen in a game, and we’d react after the fact. I sometimes felt we were on our heels. I thought we should’ve been dictating what should happen.”

In 2003 — Cosgrove’s final season at Wisconsin — the Badgers finished 7-6 overall and 4-4 in the Big Ten. They lost five of their last six games and were 50th nationally in scoring defense. According to people who follow Badger football closely, there was talk that the game had passed by Cosgrove. For instance, some say he was clearly more comfortable defending conventional offenses than the spread attacks that were starting to become prevalent.

Coz didn’t like spread attacks, Mack said.

“I don’t think any of us did,” Mack said. “It’s kind of like a video-game offense.”

Trouble is, two-back sets have become almost obsolete. Offenses are much more multiple nowadays. Cosgrove may need to re-invent himself to a certain degree.

Something evidently needs to change with Nebraska’s current defense, and simplifying would be a good start. The Blackshirts might get a reprieve today; Iowa State ranks last in the Big 12 in total offense. Missouri, of course, is a different story.

The Tigers have been in attack mode with their spread attack. On 24 scoring drives this season, their average time of possession is 2:08. They have so many weapons, you lose track. Cosgrove came up with a good scheme in slowing them last year — he used a 3-3-5 alignment at times — but last year is last year.

Nebraska misses four departed defensive linemen more than I anticipated. The lack of overall strength up front is affecting linebacker play; offensive linemen are steamrolling into the defense’s second level. NU’s secondary has improved but obviously still has issues. Ball State torched the cornerbacks.

So, Cosgrove’s system is only partly to blame. In year four of the Callahan era, Nebraska’s talent level on defense isn’t any better than it was in 2003. The 2003 Blackshirts featured future NFL players in Barrett Ruud, Demorrio Williams, Ryon Bingham, LeKevin Smith, Trevor Johnson, Fabian Washington and the Bullocks twins. That group led the nation in turnover margin and pass-efficiency defense.

This week, linebackers Corey McKeon and Steve Octavien offered clues to Nebraska’s struggle. McKeon said enthusiasm and energy are lacking. Octavien said he believes “it’s just guys not trusting what they’re doing.”

Octavien’s comments speak volumes. A defender’s confidence stems in large part from a complete understanding of his assignment. A coaching adage applies: There’s little to no difference between a slow player and a confused player. Nebraska defenders looked especially slow and confused last Saturday.

So, rough times continue for Cosgrove. He desperately needs a strong game today to decrease the heat on him and his players. At some point, pervasive negativity becomes debilitating. Nebraska badly needs a jolt of positive energy. The Huskers need early success today, lest the boo-birds begin to sing.

Cosgrove also needed a turnaround in 1999 after Wisconsin stumbled to a 2-2 start. The Badgers, by all accounts, were lifeless. They went on to win eight straight games, capped by that epic defensive showing in the Rose Bowl. That was the last time Coz was really riding high.

We’ll see if he can buck a seven-year trend and ride high once again.

 
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