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540ffense, i like it
A back-and-forth between downtown and mooching off of people's tailgates. RAILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLS.
And with JGW on the edge, he had to be. When Fuller took over whip, it seemed like that balance flipped, with the Whip finishing on more blitzes and the Mike not filling up the pass-rush stat column as much.
Engleberger wasn't a bust. He started 79 games over an 8 year career.
And, you are also correct about Taylor. They do not run blitz as much with him in the lineup, however he is used just as much on mike dog pass blitzes (at points he was their most dangerous pass rusher as a blitzer last year.)
The attack from the DL is the next step, but they have to achieve their gap fit first. Bare minimum is the stalemate. If one DL gets blown out of the hole, it creates problems for every other defender.
Next week will take film from the Clemson game and demonstrate exactly how the Hokies have to maintain a delicate balance between aggressive pursuit and gap responsibility in order to be effective.
Everything I've read has Antoine starting next to his brother this fall. He was on a roll at the start of last season and his recovery is going really well. I'd have to double check but I'm fairly certain Wiles even said he is the starter going into August camp because his players don't lose their starting jobs due to injury. Maddy is going to have to really step it up to be the starter.
Either way we'll have 3 starting quality DT.
It seems to me that when Bruce Taylor is in the game there's quite a bit more of a mix. Jack Tyler can't cover a rock, so CBF adjusts his schemes and defensive calls to account for that. Last year's defense was an incredible patchwork of adjustments, alignments, schemes and calls designed to hide our defense's weaknesses and it worked in 11/13 games. If healthy, this year's defense is going to be quite different.
Also I totally disagree with your wording about the DL simply 'stalemating their blocker in the gap' and 'not being expected to be play makers'. This is absolutely an attacking defense where every player is expected to #1 maintain leverage/control their gap responsibility and #2 attack attack attack the ball carrier. Our DL has way more play making responsibility in the run game than a traditional 4-3 where at least 2 of the linemen are expected to eat double blocks and free up the linebackers.
Hell Charley Wiles even stated that one thing he was challenging Antoine Hopkins on last August was making plays out of his alignment, i.e. getting after it down the LOS once it was clear the RB was not going for his gap.
Because we obviously have a ball control offense, and there's no way in hell watching Logan come at you full speed on defense isn't scary as hell.
For the Offense:
-The Stinespring Conspiracy
-Run, Run, Deep Incompletion, Punt
-LOGAN SMASH!
-The 540ffense
For the Defense:
-50 Shades of Torrian Gray
Can't overstate how much I'm pulling for Coles' recovery...awareness, feet, and hands on this play are sick.
Seriously...great freaking video. As a fan-base we've been tethering our expectations considerably this offseason, it's gonna feel good to loosen that leash a bit come September!
im in. im in for all of the above. im awful at planning just about anything outside of the most basic functions of life, but if somebody else plans a meet-up, im there. TOTOTOTOTOTOTOOTOTOTSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
How about "38 more points than you"
I got nothing
Spread 'em out, QB draw
put a rail in my hand and I'm not against asking anybody to tackle my friends
BAM! LOGANS HEROES!!
Use it, but I'm copywriting it
They won't go anywhere if Outland Trophy Watchlist guy Andrew Miller can't recognize a blitz. He looked like me trying to block Joe (kngjb3).
http://youtu.be/jIRy-C53wIE?t=1h18m38s starting at 1:18:38. Ugh Ugh Ugh.
It doesn't help that Wilson is supposed to read Miller, and instead Wilson and Miller both go to the guy that Via is blocking (and still fail to block him while tripping up Via.)
I hope they can return to dominance. I still worry about the whip (watching film of the Stanford game will do that to a guy) and Maddy and Marshall have to take the next step. I have no expectations that Antoine will start this year coming off that injury coupled with his history of not being as hard a worker.
The singular thing that can derail their run defense is getting chewed up physically against Georgia Tech. Even if they win, guys like Hopkins and Collins were just not the same after the GT game last year. They have to get Maddy, Marshall, and McCray in there to dominate rather than having read and react play from Wilson and Collins (at tackle.)
Thanks. I don't know recall the plays that Taylor and JWG got hurt, so I am not really sure. Hopkins was hurt slanting if I remember correctly. It defintely helps to have depth regardless of the scheme, but depth and ability in the scheme only make it better. Young guy like Ekanem and Farley, based on film, are perfect fits. Alas, so was Jonathan Allen, and it looks like he will be playing out of position in Alabama. Damn shame if you ask me.
As for tight ends, teams that play tight ends usually end up with the rover or free safety covering them. I think the weakness that was exposed by Clemson is that if a team can set up play action by running the ball effectively, the whip and the safeties have to cover their gap fill responsibility before reacting to a pass route. Most teams go play side or bootleg with play action, but Clemson (in old 1930's single-wing style) would have the Tajh fake, then continue to waggle a step playside. Meanwhile, Dwayne Allen would come BEHIND the line against the grain of the play and pop out the weak side. If you can stop the run with six, the whip or backside safety doesn't have to commit so quickly. This column was more about the run defense, so I can work on drawing up some plays and video that shows how Clemson neutralized the Hokies in a future piece.
For #3, I think this defense actually makes the corners look better than they really are. How many Hokies have become elite corners in the NFL? Flowers, Hall, and Green have been starters. Williams and Harris pretty much flamed out. I think they are well coached. The amount of zone and safe coverages they play really is determined by the ability of the line, mike, and backer to stop the run. If those guys don't need much safety help, then the corners can take chances, bait QB's and mix in robber coverages to get turnovers. If the safeties have to make a bunch of tackles (see Stanford, Miami, Boise, Clemson), then the corners are on an island and at some point, even the best corners will get beat in man coverage.
Great write up French! I have a few questions:
1) With all the extra movement in the "radical stunts", do you see this as wearing down the front 7 more and possibly being the cause for some of the injuries, esp last year, (ex. Hop, Bruce, and JGW) and as possibly causing fatigue later in the year if the guys aren't in shape?
2) This defense also seems to point out a weakness for a athletic, good hands tight end (ex. Ellington) to take advantage of because all of our LB's are trained to be in gap control and aren't prepared to be in coverage. Is this true and if so, how do we strengthen this weakness with out losing run control?
3) Finally, as stated in #2 above, this seems to be a heavy run control D and if we don't have super talented CB's who can cover their man without help we could get burned in the passing game real quick. I think we have had these super talented CB's the past few years but what happens when somebody gets hurt and we have to go to the bench like when Hosley got hurt last year?
this video made me break a little bit of a sweat as if i were watching cops. my biggest takeaway? DJ COLES!!! can't wait to see him this fall!
That's probably the reason we lost Korren Kirven. I'm sure Nick Saban said the very same thing to him hence his "I don't believe I could achieve my goals at VT" comment. Since we have such a deep and talented DL do you foresee more base defense this year?
The Loganmotive