The Maudfather
All-American
Very efficient against the pass in that who needs to pass the ball when you can run for 500 yards?
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The Maudfather
All-American
I don't think it can get much worse from what we had this year. I'm actually quite optimistic about next year's defense. We've got some young and talented guys who will get a chance to shine.
beanman
Banned
Touche. Good point. Either way, I don't think anyone is going to argue that probably the biggest issue is our front 4 and our LB play(ie speed). I think the DLine was the biggest issue and some may feel it was the LBs. Why we have no depth in either probably speaks to player development and missing on recruiting for multiple seasons, which falls on coaches.
beanman
Banned
But how much depth do we have if these young guys do end up shining but then we get hit with the injury bug?
Hammerhead
All-Conference
I agree.
I've heard nothing but good things about some of the LBs who will be out there next year. If nothing else, they have the athletic talent that we've been lacking... or so I'm hearing.
Hopefully these guys are as-advertised.
HuskerNationNick
All-Conference
With the exception of Ziare Anderson. He looked to be in position before his ACL injury, as well as playing very well, and I think he would have been stout this year. Just glad we will get him for another year with the Medical Hardship. I am concerned with the lack of experience (on field) of them as well, and this will tell us how good of a LB coach Els is, with preparing them for the game. Just glad we get at least one scrimmage game in before UCLA.
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junior4949
All-American
A week or so before the end of the regular season, there were either five or six B1G schools listed in the top 30 defensively for pass efficiency. I think our pass efficiency this year is skewed a bit mostly because the B1G is a run heavy league. I don't think it's because the B1G just has that many juggarnaut pass D's. We do have some pretty good players in the secondary. I still believe SJB will be one of the best when his career is over which is pretty good considering he started out as a receiver.
Our team is almost a mirror image of what Clownahan had achieved here. Most of our talent is all located on the offensive side of the ball. We've given an insane amount of schollies away to QB's who have either transferred or are clogging up the receiver slot. At one time, we had a huge amount of RB's on scholly. It appears over the years we've somewhat neglected some key areas in recruiting. Baker Steinkuhler was our best DL, and he wasn't even recruited to be a DL.
Now, we're out hitting the JuCo recruiting trail as hard as we can which almost seems like a move out of desperation. Personally, I think most of our defensive problems stem from the two gap system. Suh could do it. Crick looked rather pedestrian at it once Suh was gone. Baker looks rather pedestrian at it as well. It has become more reactionary than anything else which I guess follows along the lines of bend but don't break. Unfortunately, once a team starts racking up 5-8 yards a carry running the ball it becomes rather broken in a hurry. Plus, we don't have the LB's to come in and fill the holes which is what is supposed to make the two gap work effectively. I don't think our DL is as bad as the two gap makes them look. However, I do believe our LB's are ever bit as poor as it makes them look. Our weakest link on D is our LB's.
Hedley Lamarr
All-American
Conform to board opinion? Yeah I would rather get insulted over and over again and called a troll for stating my opinion
Hedley Lamarr
All-American
Thing is I'm not being one...I am providing my opinion. If that rubs you the wrong way etc I apologize. However I am doing nothing wrong. Instead I get called names etc because my opinion isn't as positive as others. Again my bad, you will come to learn that the truth is usually somewhere in the middle.
So if you have a problem with me PM me. I would prefer the thread stays on track instead of getting ruined.
Polarhusker
Special Teams Player
JJ Husker
Assistant Coach
I don't feel it is contradictory. The "on field scheme" may be correct and players are just failing to make plays. But, I was referring to the "overall" scheme which would also include having the correct players on the field. By "correct players" I mean the ones who won't whiff on the play. So, I agree with what some of you are saying but when I use "scheme" I use it in a much broader sense. I've seen too many cases of players being in the right position (or at least in a position where you would expect them to make the play) and then they miss the tackle, don't wrap up, etc. I agree that is primarily a fundementals or talent issue but, it's also a case of not having the right player(s) on the field.HuskerShark said:
Seems to me that our defensive players are confused by our scheme (or perhaps the on-field communication of the scheme... or both). On almost 1/3rd of the plays the Huskers have defenders barking at each other, or looking to the sidelines, or frantically trying to get positioned as the ball is snapped. They look disorganized, confused and stressed. I remember this as a player and I assume it is a universal thing --- when I knew before hand with confidence what I was supposed to do (where I was to be and who it was I was to cover) then I could play aggressively, with focus and I was by far at my best --- when I was unsure of where to be or what to do, then all the aggression, all the focus was gone. When players are confused, they are not only out of position, unfocused and non-aggressive... they get, over time, a defeatedness about them... that is, their confidence crumbles. And if stressed sufficiently, they give up in the game. This is what we have been seeing.
We also see horrible technique. Pad level on the DL is too high. Way too many attempted tackles too high on the body. Too many times players do not even attempt to wrap up.
These are all coaching issues and there are doubtless many coaching problems on our defense (and in every unit on the team). While the argument here has been two camp (at least as I interpret the posts) one being horrible scheme/coaching and the other being limited talent of players in a reasonable scheme under decent coaching... I fall in neither camp (at least entirely)...
I tend to think the talent is there to be vastly superior a defense than we have seen... still the talent is itself modestly limiting. Even with good coaching (which is not the case) this defense would be only perhaps a top 15- 20 or so defense... no more. As it is, with the coaching we have, at least in scoring D, we are about #60 (or worse... can't remember exactly).
We also see horrible technique. Pad level on the DL is too high. Way too many attempted tackles too high on the body. Too many times players do not even attempt to wrap up.
These are all coaching issues and there are doubtless many coaching problems on our defense (and in every unit on the team). While the argument here has been two camp (at least as I interpret the posts) one being horrible scheme/coaching and the other being limited talent of players in a reasonable scheme under decent coaching... I fall in neither camp (at least entirely)...
I tend to think the talent is there to be vastly superior a defense than we have seen... still the talent is itself modestly limiting. Even with good coaching (which is not the case) this defense would be only perhaps a top 15- 20 or so defense... no more. As it is, with the coaching we have, at least in scoring D, we are about #60 (or worse... can't remember exactly).
Guy Chamberlin
Heisman Trophy Winner
Scheme, talent or fundamentals?
I'm guessing all three.
It became almost startling during the UCLA & Wisconsin games (maybe others, too) but when a running play went wide, especially on a pitch out, any fan watching could see the huge gap on the corner developing. You go "oh sh#t" then look to the Husker DBs and LBs and see them barely reacting, almost waiting for the ball carrier to cross the line of scrimmage before committing. Are they guarding against a halfback pass? Too slow to make up the gap that being out-of-position created? It was weird. And even weirder when they spent the rest of the game doing the same wrong thing over and over.
I'm guessing all three.
It became almost startling during the UCLA & Wisconsin games (maybe others, too) but when a running play went wide, especially on a pitch out, any fan watching could see the huge gap on the corner developing. You go "oh sh#t" then look to the Husker DBs and LBs and see them barely reacting, almost waiting for the ball carrier to cross the line of scrimmage before committing. Are they guarding against a halfback pass? Too slow to make up the gap that being out-of-position created? It was weird. And even weirder when they spent the rest of the game doing the same wrong thing over and over.
TGHusker
Heisman Trophy Winner
Many of the players you note are BC recruits. So is the real issue, the same issue we talked about in 2007 - can Bo recruit?? With Bo's reputation as a top DC before he became our HC, I thought defensive players would be standing in line to get to NU. We have yet to develop the ability to draw the top notch recruits away from the SEC. We desparetly need those JC defensive linemen to commit this month. If we don't beef up the DL, we will most likely go no deeper into the BCS bowl picture then we are now.lo country said: