UND92,96 Posted October 14, 2012 Posted October 14, 2012 His recruiting and special teams have been very good if not great those are 2/3rds of his jobs. The linebackers are young and injured but also need to tackle better. But as Ray Lewis will tell you, a linebacker can't do his job in a 3-4 defense with lineman blocking him. It starts up front. This is perhaps the most baffling part of the defensive ineptitude, given the fact that at least prior to the injuries to Brenneman and Benjamin, the defensive line of this season is essentially the same one that ended last season (after Bellmore was injured). I just can't comprehend why things have gone so terribly wrong this season. Quote
tnt Posted October 14, 2012 Posted October 14, 2012 Maybe the chest bumping is contagious, as that appears to be how the defense attempts to bring down runners that are far more talented than they are used to seeing. What is scary is that this was what kind of effort and scheme they came up with in trying to restore a little respect for a much maligned defense. Quote
gfhockey Posted October 14, 2012 Posted October 14, 2012 yeah i bet the lbs are encouragedto chest point the other teams rb/wr lol... ican just see them in practice at memoriapracticing chest bumping. i hope faison reads this message board. i have sent him nemerous issues about stuff and have never gotten a response back. Dean Blais for AD Quote
UND92,96 Posted October 14, 2012 Posted October 14, 2012 In the second year of the transition, with relatively little defensive talent, UND held current Pittsburgh Steeler running back Baron Batch to 32 yards on 9 carries in the Texas Tech game. And there are other examples of UND performing admirably against talented backs during the transition. Something just isn't adding up here. You don't recruit for four years with considerably more scholarships, and somehow end up less talented than when you were at 36 scholarships. That's why I'm not convinced that the problem is primarily that there simply isn't enough talent. Quote
gfhockey Posted October 14, 2012 Posted October 14, 2012 maybe we need kelling back or whatever his name was Quote
The Sicatoka Posted October 14, 2012 Posted October 14, 2012 In the second year of the transition, with relatively little defensive talent, UND held current Pittsburgh Steeler running back Baron Batch to 32 yards on 9 carries in the Texas Tech game. And there are other examples of UND performing admirably against talented backs during the transition. Something just isn't adding up here. You don't recruit for four years with considerably more scholarships, and somehow end up less talented than when you were at 36 scholarships. That's why I'm not convinced that the problem is primarily that there simply isn't enough talent. I believe the focus has been too much on putting together a "Big Sky" offense, at the expense of recruiting for defense. Quote
UND92,96 Posted October 14, 2012 Posted October 14, 2012 I believe the focus has been too much on putting together a "Big Sky" offense, at the expense of recruiting for defense. I think it's a possible combination of that, and perhaps too much focus on athletic ability rather than attitude, temperament and productivity at the high school level when recruiting defensive players. If you were to run today's defense through an NFL combine-type battery of tests, it would almost certainly grade out much higher than 10 years ago. But in terms of hitting, attitude and toughness, things appear to have regressed. Just my possibly ill-informed theory. Quote
The Sicatoka Posted October 14, 2012 Posted October 14, 2012 But in terms of hitting, attitude and toughness, things appear to have regressed. Just my possibly ill-informed theory. I'm with you. A defense needs base athletic ability, but it also needs to have some attitude. Quote
choyt3 Posted October 14, 2012 Posted October 14, 2012 yeah i bet the lbs are encouragedto chest point the other teams rb/wr lol... ican just see them in practice at memoriapracticing chest bumping. i hope faison reads this message board. i have sent him nemerous issues about stuff and have never gotten a response back. Dean Blais for AD I'm shocked as well that Brian Faison doesn't respond to your correspondence. You're a taxpayer (presumably). That makes you his boss. Quote
fightingsioux4life Posted October 14, 2012 Posted October 14, 2012 maybe we need kelling back or whatever his name was Kelling was a disaster as Co-Defensive Coordinator. I don't even know how he got the job in the first place. He was the worst assistant coach we have had since Jeff Menage left as offensive coordinator following the 2000 season. Mussman took his place in 2001 and we all know what happened that year. Quote
homer Posted October 14, 2012 Posted October 14, 2012 I'm shocked as well that Brian Faison doesn't respond to your correspondence. You're a taxpayer (presumably). That makes you his boss. Really?? 1 Quote
homer Posted October 14, 2012 Posted October 14, 2012 kotelnicki should be worrying about the current status instead of chest bumping.... he may not have ajob after this year. Recruiting doesn't stop in season. Also as a recruiting coordinator, it is part of his job. Quote
geaux_sioux Posted October 14, 2012 Posted October 14, 2012 We need more speed and length and nasty on defense. Lets recruit some thugs out of SEC country and get back to the good old days with multiple scary linebackers like Digger and Stroup and Hendrickson and Schmidt among others. Also a safety or two that hit like Ankenbauer did only not 5'2" Quote
UND92,96 Posted October 14, 2012 Posted October 14, 2012 We need more speed and length and nasty on defense. Lets recruit some thugs out of SEC country and get back to the good old days with multiple scary linebackers like Digger and Stroup and Hendrickson and Schmidt among others. Also a safety or two that hit like Ankenbauer did only not 5'2" I would submit that our best chance of recruiting hard-nosed, tough linebackers is in ND, MN and WI, not SEC country. Quote
geaux_sioux Posted October 14, 2012 Posted October 14, 2012 I would submit that our best chance of recruiting hard-nosed, tough linebackers is in ND, MN and WI, not SEC country. Tough to find speed in this part of the country. Just don't miss bad on guys like Hall and Mackey. Get some big fast LB/DE tweeners that aren't developed enough yet to go FBS and develop them. I agree that most of the team should be midwestern kids because you can't find grit like that anywhere else but it's tough to find speed like we need around this part of the country. There are more of those types of guys in SEC country which means more that will fall through the cracks that we can pick up, they need to have the right attitude though. Quote
UND92,96 Posted October 14, 2012 Posted October 14, 2012 Tough to find speed in this part of the country. Just don't miss bad on guys like Hall and Mackey. Get some big fast LB/DE tweeners that aren't developed enough yet to go FBS and develop them. I agree that most of the team should be midwestern kids because you can't find grit like that anywhere else but it's tough to find speed like we need around this part of the country. There are more of those types of guys in SEC country which means more that will fall through the cracks that we can pick up, they need to have the right attitude though. Is speed, or the lack thereof really the main problem right now for UND's defense, or is it physicality, or the lack thereof? Both NDSU and SDSU have good defenses, and to the best of my knowledge virtually all of their players are from the upper midwest. Quote
geaux_sioux Posted October 14, 2012 Posted October 14, 2012 Is speed, or the lack thereof really the main problem right now for UND's defense, or is it physicality, or the lack thereof? Both NDSU and SDSU have good defenses, and to the best of my knowledge virtually all of their players are from the upper midwest. They are technically sound enough and rally well enough to the ball to account for lack of speed. I know that NDSU has pretty quick LBs and DBs though. I'm just saying we need a few bad dudes, the likes of which you can't find up here consistently. Quote
gfhockey Posted October 14, 2012 Posted October 14, 2012 we just need players that know how to hit! Quote
FSSD Posted October 15, 2012 Posted October 15, 2012 we just need players that know how to tackle I fixed that for you.. I think part of the problem is that they are trying to hit vs. tackle. 2 Quote
PhillySioux Posted October 15, 2012 Posted October 15, 2012 Do we need to start a new 2013 recruiting update thread? This has shifted a bit. Quote
siouxjoy Posted October 15, 2012 Posted October 15, 2012 Get some big fast LB/DE tweeners that aren't developed enough yet to go FBS and develop them. Unfortunately, I am not so certain that this current coaching staff has the capability to develop players. I have worked with many of the coaches over the years and think that they are all great people, and it pains me to say this, but I agree that there needs to be some changes. IMHO it is on the coaches when fundamentals are lacking. Quote
geaux_sioux Posted October 16, 2012 Posted October 16, 2012 It'd be nice to see a few JUCO guys to bridge the gap and fill holes in the d. A DB or two a MLB and a DE would be nice. And not the Joey Bradley type of JUCO, more like that one LB and the DB Gatlin that NDSU got a few years ago. Quote
sioux24/7 Posted October 16, 2012 Posted October 16, 2012 What do you guys think of that Bothun kid from Red River? I haven't watched him play but have heard he is a stud and may be the fastest kid in the state for football. Just wondering if he is on our radar or if he isn't quite the FCS talent for football. Quote
UND Fan Posted October 16, 2012 Posted October 16, 2012 What do you guys think of that Bothun kid from Red River? I haven't watched him play but have heard he is a stud and may be the fastest kid in the state for football. Just wondering if he is on our radar or if he isn't quite the FCS talent for football. The last I heard, he would likely accept a track scholarship from a big time school! Quote
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