dont fumble
FinHeaven VIP
Hi everyone, hope you enjoyed the game vs. the Panthers. I would like to express some bad feelings I have about our defense (yes, defense). We all know the third preseason game is the most important one, so I take this game more serious than any other preseason game. I know the stats are great and I also know that we will have a very good defense, but there are some things that bother me and I think we could do better (and it’s all about process, isn’t it?:wink:):
Secondary:
They played great despite missing Daniels. On the other hand the Panthers missed Smith, an even bigger loss. Delhomme also made them look better because he was of target yesterday. But that were maybe 40 yards and a couple of first downs, so that is no area of concern. The secondary also played outstanding vs. the run, stopping Foster and Williams on potential long runs on the outside. Which brings me to the
Linebackers:
Where the hell are these guys??? Thomas (2 Tackles, 0 Assists), Crowder (0,1) Spragan (0,0), Newman (1,0), Pope (1,1), Labinjo (2,0). That’s it. Linebackers total tackles: (6,2). OK, there is nothing they can do vs. runs over the middle since most of the time our line stops them for no gain. But I just don’t feel comfortable when our defensive backs have to make 2 to 4 open field tackles a game. Here is a breakdown of the runs by the Panthers, the yardage and the Player who made the stop (DL,LB,DB):
Left End: 5/Goodman; -3/Roth; 4/Allen, -4/Newman
Left Tackle: 1/Zgonina; 15/Hill
Left Guard: 0/Traylor; 4/Zgonina; 3/Shaw; 14/Hunt
Middle: 4/Traylor; 0/JT,BigD; 2/Wilkinson; 9/Thomas; 0/Evans
Right Guard: 0/Allen,Hill; 7/Carter; 1/Crowder,Pope; -1/Roth, -1/Labinjo; -1/Labinjo,Shaw
Right Tackle: 4/Roth
Right End: 9/Thomas, 0/Allen; 3/Mitchell
The DL had 12,5 stops for 20 yards
The LB had 5,5 stops for 13 yards
The DB had 7 stops for 41 yards (very good for DB!)
In fact, the DB had more stops than the LB!
(There should also be noted, that Thomas had two tackles which were not counted because of penaltys.)
So, what exactly are the Linebackers doing? They may have above average coverage responsibilities in a Saban defense but that’s no reason to be ineffective vs. the run.
I know one thing our Linebackers do and I don’t like it at all: They blitz a lot. Nothing against blitzing, but our blitzing is bad. We almost never get through the line, absolutely no pressure, together with the
Defensive Line:
They don’t get a lot of pressure, too. Many sacks this preseason were coverage sacks. Very often, opposing Quarterbacks have 3 to 5 seconds before their pocket collapses, whether we blitz or not. I know, we were second in sacks last season and we will get our sacks this year, but not enough relative (:wink:) to the people we send to the Quarterback. And this is not only about sacks, it’s also about hurries and forced incomplete passes.
Against the run there is no question about our defensive line.
Maybe some of you can explain the scheme to me. I really would like to know what you guys think about the Linebacker play and the blitzing. To make it clear: I’m not criticizing any players, I just have some problems with the system despite its statistical success.
Secondary:
They played great despite missing Daniels. On the other hand the Panthers missed Smith, an even bigger loss. Delhomme also made them look better because he was of target yesterday. But that were maybe 40 yards and a couple of first downs, so that is no area of concern. The secondary also played outstanding vs. the run, stopping Foster and Williams on potential long runs on the outside. Which brings me to the
Linebackers:
Where the hell are these guys??? Thomas (2 Tackles, 0 Assists), Crowder (0,1) Spragan (0,0), Newman (1,0), Pope (1,1), Labinjo (2,0). That’s it. Linebackers total tackles: (6,2). OK, there is nothing they can do vs. runs over the middle since most of the time our line stops them for no gain. But I just don’t feel comfortable when our defensive backs have to make 2 to 4 open field tackles a game. Here is a breakdown of the runs by the Panthers, the yardage and the Player who made the stop (DL,LB,DB):
Left End: 5/Goodman; -3/Roth; 4/Allen, -4/Newman
Left Tackle: 1/Zgonina; 15/Hill
Left Guard: 0/Traylor; 4/Zgonina; 3/Shaw; 14/Hunt
Middle: 4/Traylor; 0/JT,BigD; 2/Wilkinson; 9/Thomas; 0/Evans
Right Guard: 0/Allen,Hill; 7/Carter; 1/Crowder,Pope; -1/Roth, -1/Labinjo; -1/Labinjo,Shaw
Right Tackle: 4/Roth
Right End: 9/Thomas, 0/Allen; 3/Mitchell
The DL had 12,5 stops for 20 yards
The LB had 5,5 stops for 13 yards
The DB had 7 stops for 41 yards (very good for DB!)
In fact, the DB had more stops than the LB!
(There should also be noted, that Thomas had two tackles which were not counted because of penaltys.)
So, what exactly are the Linebackers doing? They may have above average coverage responsibilities in a Saban defense but that’s no reason to be ineffective vs. the run.
I know one thing our Linebackers do and I don’t like it at all: They blitz a lot. Nothing against blitzing, but our blitzing is bad. We almost never get through the line, absolutely no pressure, together with the
Defensive Line:
They don’t get a lot of pressure, too. Many sacks this preseason were coverage sacks. Very often, opposing Quarterbacks have 3 to 5 seconds before their pocket collapses, whether we blitz or not. I know, we were second in sacks last season and we will get our sacks this year, but not enough relative (:wink:) to the people we send to the Quarterback. And this is not only about sacks, it’s also about hurries and forced incomplete passes.
Against the run there is no question about our defensive line.
Maybe some of you can explain the scheme to me. I really would like to know what you guys think about the Linebacker play and the blitzing. To make it clear: I’m not criticizing any players, I just have some problems with the system despite its statistical success.
