Some numbers to chew on

Interesting.  I'm somewhat surprised to see that passing is worse but I'd wager that there's a fairly enormous difference in strength of schedule through the first half of 2016 compared to the first half of 2015.  

I am going on record right now by saying that the 3-4 is the right defense.  I think it's a misconception that the 3-4 will not work without a true two-gap NT. In the "original" 3-4 defense, the NG had to be a two-gap player and so did the ends, who typically lined up in a 5-tech. The responsibilities for the DL are "read and react" in that they must control their man, read the play and choose which gap to defend.  This requires all 3 guys to be physically powerful/strong enough to control their man and not get pushed back or sucked into the play but still be quick and athletic enough to rush the passer, so yes, you need to have a nose who can line up in 0 tech and whip the center's tail.

You can run a 3-4 with one-gap responsibility. Look at what Wade Philips is doing with the Broncos - it is an attacking 3-4 front where the DL has a gap they are supposed to penetrate and get upfield, and the linebackers also have gap responsibility so they don't drop into coverage as much - it's used almost like a zone blitz to surprise/confuse.  The nose can still line up in 0-tech but he is attacking either one a-gap or the other, and more typically he's lined up in the gap.  He's got to be good enough to command a double team, and if he can do that, the defense dictates the blocking scheme and can use that to get a numbers advantage.

Since the defense is not attempting to occupy blockers, you can get away with smaller, quicker players.  It actually looks a lot like a 4-3 under when the LB's walk down to the LOS.  The downside is that it's still weaker at generating a pass rush than a 4-3 base, but it's better than a 2-gap 34 front and it's easier to disguise blitzes with the 3-4 look.

Weighing in on any team deficit seems to always turn in the a MR vs GA debate... cupboard bare, players weak, etc. But, 3-4 vs 4-3 debate is basically one of philosophy just like running an offense. You run and teach what you believe in NOT what you think will be effective vs an opponent. Instead you make adjustments to your base D and make tweaks and add some special schemes.

In our case... whether we were in the 3-4 or the 4-3 I believe we'd have the same issues... we have poor technique in several areas, we are bad tacklers, and we have terrible communication at times. So, run whatever D you want, but if your players can't get aligned and communicate, then know their assignments, and execute it will not matter. I look on the field at times and we are often confused/misaligned and moving at the snap not prepared to play. We have too many late substitutions. We have too many receivers left wide open... deep coverages are not rolled or exchanged and coverages by LBs on under routes are almost none existent in some cases... we can not consistently set an edge and when we do there is no help coming from the inside.

I have come to the conclusion it's not as much poor coaching, but OVER coaching. Players and groupings seem to be confused. Players seem to be unprepared at the snap too often, we are misaligned often, players are trying to communicate way too late in the snap count. Without being on the inside it seems we are trying to be too sophisticated and players are overwhelmed/confused. We are mediocre and inconsistent in much we do.

So, for now whatever system it looks like simplifying, ingraining the key basics, getting players feeling confident in the alignments, assignments so they can truly execute at a high level, is what would help. It also does not help that the position changes are crazy... not just due to injuries... players already playing confused are now trying to learn multiple positions. Screw saving RS for the Frosh. This program was/is not at the level where that luxury is possible. They should have been prepared to play from game 1 and the depth/experience created right away instead of waiting til injuries hit. Now you burn RS and have inexperienced players in game 7.

I will not waste time to argue the pros and cons/x's and o's of a system when the lack of skill development and mental prep makes it a moot point.

The Denver Broncos are a pro team. the great thing about pro teams are that you can spend a lot of money to get exactly the type of player you need! 

OSU does not have Von Miller on the edge, and Demarcus Ware (when healthy...) at the other OLB spot!!! and Brandon Marshall and Danny Trevathan are among the best in the game at ILB. 

I suspect the Wade Phillips 3-4 is what GA and crew are going for. In fact, I know it, if you watch what we attempt to do, it is pretty clear. but that still presents problems for OSU. instead of needing a beefy guy up front that can hold ground on either side of the their guy, you need a beefy guy that can reliably defeat his block and get up field. We haven't had a DT that could reliably do that since Stephen Paea. and for Wade Phillips scheme to work, your 3 DL must reliably get penetration on most snaps. 

And assuming you do get 3 Stephan Paea's types on your DL where the real pressure shifts to is the LB core. you now need a pair of Obum Gwachems on the edge and then you need a pair of Richard Seiglars in the middle. your OLB body type has now become rare. big enough to pass rush and defeat the blocks of tackles, fast enough to cover RBs and TEs. Your MLB has become highly desirable. back to the old school big nasty that can come up and blow up the center or guard that sneaks out, get off that block and get the ball carrier. We now need MLBs that can... if you will indulge me... come in like a wrecking ball.

And as I have seen you mention in other posts, we need REAL ILBs right now. no offense to Saulo, but he is light in the tail for this job right now. We are most vulnerable in the middle. teams run an inside zone on us, run away from Elu and right up the gut. Saulo isn't making contact until 3-5 yards past LOS. rinse and repeat. way too many times Saulo goes for a ride for a couple yards when he does make contact. 

a 4-3 routinely does the #1 thing a Banker defense tries to accomplish. Push the running play to the sideline. inside out defense. block the middle, force the ball to the edge, flow to the ball. without a two gap NT OR a pair of great ILBs, the center of the field is vulnerable. with a 4-3 a pair of average DTs can complete fill the center of the field and take it out of play on a majority of snaps, and the MLB is kept a whole lot more clean to come in and hit the ball carrier, often in whatever gap is there. 

Something to note, as well. Denver currently has the #2 passing defense in the NFL. 
But they have the #23 rushing defense... sound familiar?

So, I think ultimately it still becomes a question of the ability to get talent. Are we able to get the guys with the talent the scheme demands?

Maybe. 

So far though, I have not seen GA going after the ILB types we need to make the Wade Phillips 3-4 go. 

We are still seeing defenders put their head down and dive at the ball carrier with their arms at their side. 

First quarter at UW, we go for it on 4th down. like 4th and 2 or something. the play is a fake hand off to Cook and a quick pitch to Lucas that he takes to the outside. the UW safety comes up right past the LOS, no further, squares his feet up, sits on his angle and lets Lucas come to him. He knows his LBs are filling in from the backside so Lucas has to keep coming at him. 

and then here is the key. He keeps square. he stays upright, he makes contact with Lucas with his head up, with a strong base, he wraps his arms completely around Lucas, DRIVES through him and runs him to the sideline. makes the stop. picture perfect open field tackle that did not allow Lucas to get over him and stretch for the 1st. 

the safety played it smart and with perfect technique. It shows to me that UW coaches drill basic tackling skills over and over and over again. It showed me the safety was completely aware of his place on the field, the situation and what needed to be done. 

This is not something I have seen from an OSU defender in nearly 2 years. period. I have not seen smart applications of angles across the defense, I have not seen a single defender settle in, square up and TACKLE. 

maybe second quarter... It think this was Arnold, but Pettis catches a deep ball on a blown coverage. Arnold is in perfect position to make the tackle at about the 10. He starts alright... he squares up, he gets a good base... then he proceeds to stare directly at his feet and dive straight forward into nothingness... as Pettis needed to hardly shimmy a foot to his right to dodge him and bounce off his flailing arm tackle. 

baseba1111 makes a valid argument. talk all the scheme you want... our players rarely make good tackles when they are in position. 

Funny that we always used to criticize Banker for refusing to install blitz packages beyond the base defense until 3 or 4 games into the season, because he was adamant that the players get the basics down first.

Now both last year and this year, we have the opposite problem where the players seem to be getting too much thrown at them, requiring them to over-think.

Heads they win, tails we lose.

I just want a defensive coaching staff that can teach an effective defensive scheme, complications and all, in a way that players can pick up quickly. That's the mark of a great defensive coach, and so far I haven't seen much sign that we've had one on our staff the last couple years...

GO BEAVS!