After watching us all season, I wanted to post some thoughts about our defense.
Lots of people are asking the same question: What is wrong with our defense? It's unlike anything we've seen in the Smart Era.
Are we missing stud players?
Is our scheme too complicated?
Are our players too focused on NIL/NFL?
Have we just been unlucky?
In my opinion, we have abandoned the aggressive mentality that was characteristic of past teams. And I think that comes from the coaches.
Take the first play Tech ran Friday. How many players were flying to the ball? #6 just stood there, as #13 tried to strip the ball. Nobody tried to get the guy on the ground.
We are a reactive, passive defense, that doesn't seem to like contact. It looks like some players HOPE someone else makes the play.
We look content to concede catches, yards, and first downs....and pray we stop them before the endzone.
As I said earlier, I think this is a coaching issue. Why you ask? Because of what I saw in overtime vs Tech.
At the very end, we were aggressive, and our defense suddenly made plays. In the 8th overtime, #3 looked like he was shot out of a cannon, and forced a bad throw. The aggression was the difference imo.
Certainly I'm not in meetings etc. I'm just a fat preacher, who likes football. But I think we have changed our philosophy. We are aren't hunting, we are hoping, and that's the problem.
Lots of people are asking the same question: What is wrong with our defense? It's unlike anything we've seen in the Smart Era.
Are we missing stud players?
Is our scheme too complicated?
Are our players too focused on NIL/NFL?
Have we just been unlucky?
In my opinion, we have abandoned the aggressive mentality that was characteristic of past teams. And I think that comes from the coaches.
Take the first play Tech ran Friday. How many players were flying to the ball? #6 just stood there, as #13 tried to strip the ball. Nobody tried to get the guy on the ground.
We are a reactive, passive defense, that doesn't seem to like contact. It looks like some players HOPE someone else makes the play.
We look content to concede catches, yards, and first downs....and pray we stop them before the endzone.
As I said earlier, I think this is a coaching issue. Why you ask? Because of what I saw in overtime vs Tech.
At the very end, we were aggressive, and our defense suddenly made plays. In the 8th overtime, #3 looked like he was shot out of a cannon, and forced a bad throw. The aggression was the difference imo.
Certainly I'm not in meetings etc. I'm just a fat preacher, who likes football. But I think we have changed our philosophy. We are aren't hunting, we are hoping, and that's the problem.
