Defense 2017

[geaux_sioux]

Obviously, there are the injuries. But currently, we are on pace to have our worst defensive performance as a team since joining the Big Sky. Worse than those last two Mussman teams that people look to as the standard for defensive ineptitude.  33.7 - 2013 34.5 - 2012 36.5 - 2017. The guys need to step it up or they may turn in the worst defensive season in program history. Doesn't matter who's out there. We have two of the best teams on our schedule to end the year. It's not going to be easy but they need to figure it out. We're playing for pride at this point.

[gundy1124]

22 minutes ago, geaux_sioux said:

Obviously, there are the injuries. But currently, we are on pace to have our worst defensive performance as a team since joining the Big Sky. Worse than those last two Mussman teams that people look to as the standard for defensive ineptitude.  33.7 - 2013 34.5 - 2012 36.5 - 2017. The guys need to step it up or they may turn in the worst defensive season in program history. Doesn't matter who's out there. We have two of the best teams on our schedule to end the year. It's not going to be easy but they need to figure it out. We're playing for pride at this point.

Every game it becomes obvious that the opposing team is going to get the ball to their best players in space, and we seldom stop it.  It was #1 in space and #17 for 1-on-1 situations for Sac St.  12 out of 13 teams in the league do this on offense.  I bet the worst defense in any league is usually hurt by 3 and outs and a crappy 3rd down conversion rate by their own offense.  Check and check for the UND offense.

What can the defense do better this year?  Bracket and double the best player on the opposing team on 3rd downs.

[geaux_sioux]

2 minutes ago, gundy1124 said:

Every game it becomes obvious that the opposing team is going to get the ball to their best players in space, and we seldom stop it.  It was #1 in space and #17 for 1-on-1 situations for Sac St.  12 out of 13 teams in the league do this on offense.  I bet the worst defense in any league is usually hurt by 3 and outs and a crappy 3rd down conversion rate by their own offense.  Check and check for the UND offense.

What can the defense do better this year?  Bracket and double the best player on the opposing team on 3rd downs.

And yet we leave a true fr on an island against some of the best wrs in the country. How is supposed to succeed? He plays hard but there's no way he's ready to be left all alone. If we aren't bringing huge pressure we need to protect him over the top.

[gundy1124]

4 minutes ago, geaux_sioux said:

And yet we leave a true fr on an island against some of the best wrs in the country. How is supposed to succeed? He plays hard but there's no way he's ready to be left all alone. If we aren't bringing huge pressure we need to protect him over the top.

I pre-snap cringe sometimes on the match-ups we get caught in.

[geaux_sioux]

We should change the name of our defense from the 3-4 to the 36........ we're giving up an average of 36 pts/gm. 36.

[geaux_sioux]

Makes me wonder, are we capable of running our style of 3-4 at his level? In D2 we had the horses compared to other teams. Right now we don't. Even last year we had to rely on 22 turnovers forced to be a good defense, not even a great one. I like the 3-4 but maybe we should think about a Tampa 2 variation? I just don't think leaving CBs on an island for the entire game is sustainable. 

[fightingsioux4life]

4 minutes ago, geaux_sioux said:

Makes me wonder, are we capable of running our style of 3-4 at his level? In D2 we had the horses compared to other teams. Right now we don't. Even last year we had to rely on 22 turnovers forced to be a good defense, not even a great one. I like the 3-4 but maybe we should think about a Tampa 2 variation? I just don't think leaving CBs on an island for the entire game is sustainable. 

Maybe. I am reluctant to call for major changes in scheme after one bad year. But I suppose there are some wrinkles Schmidt could put in there to make it more lethal.

[geaux_sioux]

5 minutes ago, fightingsioux4life said:

Maybe. I am reluctant to call for major changes in scheme after one bad year. But I suppose there are some wrinkles Schmidt could put in there to make it more lethal.

It hasn't been one bad year. Even last season we were exposed through the air. The ints can't be counted on in that number. Just look at the Richmond game. We had an NFL WR 1v1 with our CBs. That's not advantageous for us.

[shep]

I hope our opinion will change by this time next year.

I'm looking at the following as starters (Pure speculation)

Cieslak, Tank and Ott on the line

Rodgers, Larson, Cam Hunt and Palmborg as LB's

Harris, Turner (Safety-you saw the speed on KR yesterday) Canady and Holm/Hunt

Morrison for Tank on the Nose. Bennett, Haas, Sequin, Honerlaw and Greer in reserve

Rastas, Geier (though I really don't know what he does well) and Murray in reserve. Could move Turner to LB too.

Blubaugh, Shannon and Stewart in reserve

Didn't even mention Steiger, Richman, Carter Wilson and Nevermann

In light of the injuries, a Juco at LB with size wouldn't hurt nor would a Frosh or two.

Better?

[geaux_sioux]

3 minutes ago, shep said:

I hope our opinion will change by this time next year.

I'm looking at the following as starters (Pure speculation)

Cieslak, Tank and Ott on the line

Rodgers, Larson, Cam Hunt and Palmborg as LB's

Harris, Turner (Safety-you saw the speed on KR yesterday) Canady and Holm/Hunt

Morrison for Tank on the Nose. Bennett, Haas, Sequin, Honerlaw and Greer in reserve

Rastas, Geier (though I really don't know what he does well) and Murray in reserve. Could move Turner to LB too.

Blubaugh, Shannon and Stewart in reserve

Didn't even mention Steiger, Richman, Carter Wilson and Nevermann

In light of the injuries, a Juco at LB with size wouldn't hurt nor would a Frosh or two.

Better?

Aren't Murray and Murray seniors? You have Rodgers at OLB? Haas at DE?

[shep]

I would put Rodgers on the OLB and let him rush the passer and he can cover too. Haas is weak v the run so I'm hoping at the end he rushes the QB better next year. But they are interchangeable.

You're right Murray is a Sr. I forgot Bungum too.

[geaux_sioux]

3 minutes ago, shep said:

I would put Rodgers on the OLB and let him rush the passer and he can cover too. Haas is weak v the run so I'm hoping at the end he rushes the QB better next year. But they are interchangeable.

You're right Murray is a Sr. I forgot Bungum too.

I would bet Haas will improve against the run with more experience and another 20lbs. 220 at 6'5" is still pretty skinny.

[shep]

1 minute ago, geaux_sioux said:

I would bet Haas will improve against the run with more experience and another 20lbs. 220 at 6'5" is still pretty skinny.

Really skinny but he just seems to be too upright (I know his height enhances that perception) but he plays so high that it's easy for a OL to get his helmet into his chest. Yes, a 6'5" guy at 240 is harder to block, but if he doesn't fill out, use his speed on the edge. In my view.

[UND-FB-FAN]

3 hours ago, geaux_sioux said:

We should change the name of our defense from the 3-4 to the 36........ we're giving up an average of 36 pts/gm. 36.

Yeah, that points to a player, scheme, AND leadership deficit in my opinion. Multifactorial - a single excuse (like let's say ... injuries) won't cut it. 

[geaux_sioux]

13 minutes ago, UND-FB-FAN said:

Yeah, that points to a player, scheme, AND leadership deficit in my opinion. Multifactorial - a single excuse (like let's say ... injuries) won't cut it. 

It's a failure from every angle this year. Things need to change. 

[Midwestern Hawk]

24 minutes ago, UND-FB-FAN said:

Yeah, that points to a player, scheme, AND leadership deficit in my opinion. Multifactorial - a single excuse (like let's say ... injuries) won't cut it. 

Overall there is definitely a leadership deficit with the team.  Guys not focused on football and the peer pressure is not there to deal with it. 

With the injuries we just flat ass are not very good at some very important positions when you are running this style defense.  

IMO tank needs to put the weight back on and we need to come up with another dl that can make big plays once in awhile.

the ilb position is probably the biggest and deepest whole on the team, especially again when they are the core of this style defense.  Losing Donnel was huge and really exposed disterhaupts lack of size when he was playing.  Rastas while giving it all is just not big enough and really does not have much speed for his size.  We desperately need Rodgers back healthy, Hunt to become the player I think he may be able to become and larson to be as good as advertised.

in the secondary, I think the potential exists to really excel next season getting Harris back and everyone else healthy.  They would all look way better this season if we were ever getting dl to qb or if any of our ilb blitzing ever got home.

pPotential is there to have a riches to rags to riches story on defense.

[gundy1124]

6 hours ago, geaux_sioux said:

Makes me wonder, are we capable of running our style of 3-4 at his level? In D2 we had the horses compared to other teams. Right now we don't. Even last year we had to rely on 22 turnovers forced to be a good defense, not even a great one. I like the 3-4 but maybe we should think about a Tampa 2 variation? I just don't think leaving CBs on an island for the entire game is sustainable. 

3 years ago, we stuffed the run.  Stubborn teams that stuck to the run made us look good.  But any team that opened it up and spread us out torched us.

I spoke with a former corner that you guys would know, he asked what our philosophy as corners was.  I said "cover like hell cause we were left with zero help".  Even cover 2 meant you could never trust the safety to be in a deep half and cover 3, don't plan on a safety in a deep middle 3rd.  The only time a safety helped in 4 years, and only in certain situations, was against Martay Jenkins.  He was in the league after college but we handled him in Omaha that year.  Thanks K. Howe.  Today, we face NFL caliber guys quite often, and we often leave our guys on an island.

So the question is intriguing.  Do we currently have the cover corners to run 'our' 3-4 system?  Do those players even exist outside a few FBS guys.  Harris was projected as an NFL guy and as mentioned he took his fair share of lumps.  

Is our pass defense as a team flawed?  No pressure, poor coverage, bad combo this week.  You gotta have one or the other to have a chance.

[geaux_sioux]

3 minutes ago, gundy1124 said:

3 years ago, we stuffed the run.  Stubborn teams that stuck to the run made us look good.  But any team that opened it up and spread us out torched us.

I spoke with a former corner that you guys would know, he asked what our philosophy as corners was.  I said "cover like hell cause we were left with zero help".  Even cover 2 meant you could never trust the safety to be in a deep half and cover 3, don't plan on a safety in a deep middle 3rd.  The only time a safety helped in 4 years, and only in certain situations, was against Martay Jenkins.  He was in the league after college but we handled him in Omaha that year.  Thanks K. Howe.  Today, we face NFL caliber guys quite often, and we often leave our guys on an island.

So the question is intriguing.  Do we currently have the cover corners to run 'our' 3-4 system?  Do those players even exist outside a few FBS guys.  Harris was projected as an NFL guy and as mentioned he took his fair share of lumps.  

Is our pass defense as a team flawed?  No pressure, poor coverage, bad combo this week.  You gotta have one or the other to have a chance.

It’s been 10 years, maybe more since I’ve felt confident against the pass with our d. Even last year I’d hold my breath.

[gundy1124]

1 minute ago, geaux_sioux said:

It’s been 10 years, maybe more since I’ve felt confident against the pass with our d. Even last year I’d hold my breath.

Agreed-  And that spans 3 coordinators entrenched in the Dale Lennon 3-4 system.