|
|
Post by nexus73 on Nov 24, 2018 18:24:47 GMT -8
After watching tOSU ring up 62 on Michigan, the #1 defense, plus ending the game inside the Wolverine 10 by taking a knee instead of punching it in, the actual difference between being the best and the 2nd worst (us) appears to be minimal as strange as this looks. When O-units are potent and do not choke away their chances to score, it appears D in football is as much an afterthought in today's game as D was in the NBA back in the Seventies, when everyone scored 100 most of the time. All you needed to do was interrupt the flow of the opponent just enough to have a shot at collecting the W.
Oregon had 21 at the half. We should have had 20 but for some reason, the team could not make it work when their chances came. Had they done so, the 2018 CW heads into the 4th quarter with both teams having a chance to win. The same could have been said of several of our games this season. Just make the other O-unit run more plays to create more chances of them making a miscue. We did that in the 1st half.
Next year's goal is not to have a shutdown D. A fat lot of good that did for Michigan! Instead we need to gamble equally on D by jumping routes and doing blitzes just as we gamble on O. Cal's blitz packages were among the best ones in the Pac-12 and deserve study. Every now and then this approach will bite us in the butt but doing nothing means increasing the odds of losing. Conservative playcalling on either side of the ball will not work except in certain situations. There is just too much talent out there to contain! Heck, Stanford had to struggle with a so-so UCLA team to win in a shootout today. Once we get competitive, it will be our turn to white-knuckle it most weeks and while we are undergoing nervous fits, so will the other side!
Here's to understanding the metagame. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 25, 2018 9:47:45 GMT -8
After watching tOSU ring up 62 on Michigan, the #1 defense, plus ending the game inside the Wolverine 10 by taking a knee instead of punching it in, the actual difference between being the best and the 2nd worst (us) appears to be minimal as strange as this looks. When O-units are potent and do not choke away their chances to score, it appears D in football is as much an afterthought in today's game as D was in the NBA back in the Seventies, when everyone scored 100 most of the time. All you needed to do was interrupt the flow of the opponent just enough to have a shot at collecting the W.
Oregon had 21 at the half. We should have had 20 but for some reason, the team could not make it work when their chances came. Had they done so, the 2018 CW heads into the 4th quarter with both teams having a chance to win. The same could have been said of several of our games this season. Just make the other O-unit run more plays to create more chances of them making a miscue. We did that in the 1st half.
Next year's goal is not to have a shutdown D. A fat lot of good that did for Michigan! Instead we need to gamble equally on D by jumping routes and doing blitzes just as we gamble on O. Cal's blitz packages were among the best ones in the Pac-12 and deserve study. Every now and then this approach will bite us in the butt but doing nothing means increasing the odds of losing. Conservative playcalling on either side of the ball will not work except in certain situations. There is just too much talent out there to contain! Heck, Stanford had to struggle with a so-so UCLA team to win in a shootout today. Once we get competitive, it will be our turn to white-knuckle it most weeks and while we are undergoing nervous fits, so will the other side!
Here's to understanding the metagame. I hope touch football defense is the new thing in football. Ahead of the curve with that technique. Seriously, getting some defenders on the field with better feet for tackling and pursuit of the quarterback will make the defense improve. Just that alone. Hopefully the recruiting deciders are looking at the footwork and getting legit 40 times before they offer schollies. And then coach the basics better, please. You mention Michigan- i find it interesting how much faster Ohio State was despite Michigan's top ten recruiting. Speed to Mass index is everything and somebody at ohio state does a better job of not recruiting slow twitch guys than Michigan is doing. Oregon State needs to do a better job of evaluation in their own choices. Sure, its a different pool of recruits than for Michigan and Ohio State but having an eye for talent isnt just checking how many stars a kid has. Jim Gilstrap where are you know? |
|
|
|
Post by nexus73 on Nov 25, 2018 16:04:37 GMT -8
One major change to the game was the targeting penalty being ramped up to the max. That seems to have affected how defenders play. Pretty soon all the final scores will resemble the Big XII, the WAC in their glory days and 8-man football. There will be no more Steel Curtains.
The key factor will be execution. Compare Michigan to OSU in all categories and we are the grounded PT boat to their being the Yamato but all those supposed advantages availed them naught since the Wolverines did not execute. If we had executed well this season in every single game, 6-6 with a trainwreck of a team would have been possible in the current environment.
Once the Beavermobile is rebuilt and running well, then it will be time to race with it looking like we can race with anyone as well as vice versa. It will all depend on avoiding the mistakes while cashing in on the ones the opponent commits as opposed to simply overpowering the other team with sheer talent.
|
|
|
|
Post by nexus73 on Nov 27, 2018 18:41:56 GMT -8
Here is an excerpt from a Yahoo article. It shows that you can suck rutabagas on D and still be in prime position to make the Playoffs.
For the season, Oklahoma ranks 111th nationally in total defense and is only slightly better at No. 101 in yards allowed per play. Ohio State’s defense is one of the worst in school history and ranks 67th nationally, and 78th in yards allowed per play.
Offensively, the Sooners are No. 1 in the nation. Beyond that, they still are the better playoff choice than the Buckeyes largely because the one blemish on the schedule is far less objectionable than Ohio State’s.
<end of cut and paste>
Does anyone here think we can come in at #111 or better on D next year? If so, can our O be a top notch producer of points and yards? That seems to be the winning ticket!
|
|
|
|
Post by jimbeav on Nov 28, 2018 12:37:05 GMT -8
It's been really hard to console myself about our horrible defense this year, because even though I know we have gaping holes in our roster, I keep thinking that we have had seriously outmanned teams before back in the dark days, but those guys weren't consistently giving up 60 or 70 points a game, and 500-600 yards.
But the difference, of course, is the insane offensive production that is part of the modern game now. It really is off the charts, what modern offenses are able to do. Chip Kelly kinda opened everybody's minds to what's possible when you have a QB do more than just pass or hand-off, and instead teach him to make split-second decisions based on what the defense is doing, and make him a focus of misdirection and deception. Now we have read-options, run-pass-options, multiple hand-off fakes, etc, and it's at the point where a defense just can't really afford to full-on attack any more as soon as the ball is snapped. The defense has to wait to react, which gives the offense an edge. Now add in the up-tempo trend, and the yards and points can really start piling up.
It really does seem like the idea of a consistent lock-down defense is no longer a viable goal these days, unless you can fill a roster with across-the-board 4 and 5-star talent...
|
|
|
|
Post by atownbeaver on Nov 28, 2018 13:22:23 GMT -8
It's been really hard to console myself about our horrible defense this year, because even though I know we have gaping holes in our roster, I keep thinking that we have had seriously outmanned teams before back in the dark days, but those guys weren't consistently giving up 60 or 70 points a game, and 500-600 yards. But the difference, of course, is the insane offensive production that is part of the modern game now. It really is off the charts, what modern offenses are able to do. Chip Kelly kinda opened everybody's minds to what's possible when you have a QB do more than just pass or hand-off, and instead teach him to make split-second decisions based on what the defense is doing, and make him a focus of misdirection and deception. Now we have read-options, run-pass-options, multiple hand-off fakes, etc, and it's at the point where a defense just can't really afford to full-on attack any more as soon as the ball is snapped. The defense has to wait to react, which gives the offense an edge. Now add in the up-tempo trend, and the yards and points can really start piling up. It really does seem like the idea of a consistent lock-down defense is no longer a viable goal these days, unless you can fill a roster with across-the-board 4 and 5-star talent... The top 25 scoring defenses in 2018 held opponents to 20.9 ppg or fewer (top defense 12.0 ppg this year). 10 years ago, the 25th ranked defense held opponents to 20.4 ppg. (top defense in 2009 was 10.4 ppg) The median ppg in 2018 (65th ranked defense) was 27.1 ppg median ppg in 2009 (60th ranked defense, only 120 D-1 teams then) was 25.5 ppg. Points per game are up... but I wouldn't call it dramatically. So I would say a lock down defense is a viable goal. For us, what it would take to move from 45.7 ppg and second worse in the nation to 27 ppg and average is probably swapping out 4 players from this defense with an upgrade. all of which among the front 7. Also. maybe, ya know. NOT playing Ohio State on the road in the first game. We could do things like too. |
|
|
|
Post by orangeattack on Nov 28, 2018 14:34:21 GMT -8
Here's hoping that one of the things that Smitty took from one of his mentors in St. Dennis: The understanding that we need a tougher schedule like we need a hole in the head.
I want to go into conference play healthy and 3-0 from now on, please.
|
|
|
|
Post by Judge Smails on Nov 28, 2018 14:54:39 GMT -8
Here's hoping that one of the things that Smitty took from one of his mentors in St. Dennis: The understanding that we need a tougher schedule like we need a hole in the head. I want to go into conference play healthy and 3-0 from now on, please. Won't be an easy task next year with Okie St. (at home) & Hawaii (on the road). We will also have Okie St. on the road the following year. |
|
|
|
Post by atownbeaver on Nov 28, 2018 14:56:00 GMT -8
Here's hoping that one of the things that Smitty took from one of his mentors in St. Dennis: The understanding that we need a tougher schedule like we need a hole in the head. I want to go into conference play healthy and 3-0 from now on, please. One of the two best Erickson-isms. The second of course being "You can't coach speed" |
|
|
|
Post by baseba1111 on Nov 28, 2018 15:27:03 GMT -8
Here's hoping that one of the things that Smitty took from one of his mentors in St. Dennis: The understanding that we need a tougher schedule like we need a hole in the head. I want to go into conference play healthy and 3-0 from now on, please. One of the two best Erickson-isms. The second of course being "You can't coach speed" Those being football related of course. #1... "Another scotch... neat" |
|
|
|
Post by Judge Smails on Nov 28, 2018 15:30:40 GMT -8
One of the two best Erickson-isms. The second of course being "You can't coach speed" Football related of course. #1... "Another scotch... neat" The one that I've noticed that JS has definitely picked up from Erickson is "no question about it" or "no question" that consistently came from DE. |
|
|
|
Post by baseba1111 on Nov 28, 2018 15:32:24 GMT -8
Football related of course. #1... "Another scotch... neat" The one that I've noticed that JS has definitely picked up from Erickson is "no question about it" or "no question" that consistently came from DE. Wait... damn it... it your agreeing once per month mean I can't agree with you or are they mutually exclusive events? |
|
|
|
Post by beavs6 on Nov 28, 2018 15:33:45 GMT -8
The second of course being "You can't coach speed"---
And more of it...please. More SPEED. Especially on D!
|
|
|
|
Post by orangeattack on Nov 28, 2018 15:39:00 GMT -8
One of the two best Erickson-isms. The second of course being "You can't coach speed" Those being football related of course. #1... "Another scotch... neat" Nothing was funnier than Erickson telling the media that Cesca went to hang himself after a game but when he went to kick the chair out from underneath himself... he missed. |
|
|
|
Post by atownbeaver on Nov 28, 2018 16:13:20 GMT -8
Those being football related of course. #1... "Another scotch... neat" Nothing was funnier than Erickson telling the media that Cesca went to hang himself after a game but when he went to kick the chair out from underneath himself... he missed. Makes you wonder how Erickson would of done here in the era of twitter. message boards were barely even around. |
|
