Can the D be fixed?
- Thread starter COUGinNCW
- Start date
I'd say maybe they could improve to slightly below average, which would be fine with what the offense will do most games.
I think it only hurts if they were gonna have a good year otherwise. It looks like this D was primed to get exposed in league play.
All three fumbles gave them the ball on our 30 or closer. Secondary and linebacker play really worries me. Coach Shaver and Bellantoni need to step it up and get more out of their players. Lots of small players in the secondary.
Sometimes there isn't more to get. I hope that's not the case. If it's a matter of assignment/mental mistakes, sometimes you get to a point where you have to insert a less talented player just to make a point. Sometimes costing the team isn't enough of an incentive to correct mistakes for certain kids. Only riding the pine gets their attention. Without being there everyday it's impossible to know what the real problems are. If it's talent, there isn't a dam thing anyone can do about it at this point.
We are small, not particularly fast, but we have a ton of kids in that category. Our best hope is staying fresh and making big plays. Let's not forget that they were doing relatively well until the wheels came off, everywhere. The D didn't commit 6 OTs, or cause the special teams to give up two scores, nor were they good enough to stop the offense and specials teams from handing the game to UCLA at the end, but were nearly.
Nope. There’s nothing there to work with it seems. The last few years of the lack of recruiting on defense have finally caught up to us. Starting 3 JCs in the secondary is a huge indicator of that. Then we lost jalen and we are completely lost back there. Peyton was a player that hid a lot of the weaknesses of the defense. He made a crap ton of tackles. If look at the defense right now, there is no real depth there. I just don’t see the bodies on defense that we’ll all of a sudden slow teams down this year. The defense is in for a major rebuild.
We’ve had way too much turnover on defense recently to have a cohesive unit.
We lost Thompson, Pelleur, Hunter Dale etc. etc.
I honesty am not impressed by Shaver or the new LB coach at all.
So basically the defense has been gutted since Grinch left.
It’s been a revolving door of players and assistants, and yes it finally had caught up us.
But the inexperience and honestly way too soft play wasn’t what cost us the game.
It was special teams / offensive turnovers on our own end. And it wasn’t from young players (Cept Roderick).
Patmon and Winston had horrible fumbles.
And then on special teams to allow not 1 but 2 special teams TDS? Yeah that is inexcusable.
We lost Thompson, Pelleur, Hunter Dale etc. etc.
I honesty am not impressed by Shaver or the new LB coach at all.
So basically the defense has been gutted since Grinch left.
It’s been a revolving door of players and assistants, and yes it finally had caught up us.
But the inexperience and honestly way too soft play wasn’t what cost us the game.
It was special teams / offensive turnovers on our own end. And it wasn’t from young players (Cept Roderick).
Patmon and Winston had horrible fumbles.
And then on special teams to allow not 1 but 2 special teams TDS? Yeah that is inexcusable.
I’m the middle of the fourth quarter, I was trying to get a glimpse of Claeys to see if he was picking his nose because I was convinced that Wulff had to be back on our sideline.
Well if it is any consolation we can safely assume that Leach and the entire coaching staff will be back next year.The lack of recruiting bigger better defensive linemen was clearly seen in this debacle. Perhaps it may be time to think about whether or not this is a bowl team this year.?
Claeys has had 3 games of film to make adjustments. This is the 4th week we've been exposed that we have a (lack of good tackling) defensive issue. I think its talent.
We just don't have the right guys.
.
If we end up 8-4, I'll be shocked. I'm going 7-5.
We just don't have the right guys.
.
If we end up 8-4, I'll be shocked. I'm going 7-5.
Tackling doesnt get fixed in a week. If you want to have good tackling in week 5, it starts in week 1 of spring ball.
Bad tackling is 100% on the coach. It is a result of a lack of reps or poor drill work by the staff.
This is Claeys fault.
Bad tackling is 100% on the coach. It is a result of a lack of reps or poor drill work by the staff.
This is Claeys fault.
D was nonexistent after the TO’s, but you’re right our receivers stunk last night—watching UCLA punch at the ball and strip these clowns almost at will once they got behind was pathetic (Rodrick gets a pass on his—that ref that was right there watching and allowing a half dozen bruins to mug him and strip the ball after forward progress should get his ass tossed from officiating forever) but the special teams missed tackles debacle was another level of pathetic I don’t think I’ve ever seen. It is what it is though—another Leach headscratcher.
I was gonna say tackling starts in 7th grade, not spring ball. These kids have been playing football their whole lives in most cases—fundamentals should be, well, fundamental.
Agree. Ironically, the higher you go in football, the less contact you get during practice. I understand where the logic comes from. You can't have your starters getting banged up on a Tuesday and not ready on game day. It becomes a problem when you can't get guys down, miss big play tackles, YAC add up, etc.
The only way to get better at tackling is tackling. Or have so much speed on defense you have multiple guys in pursuit and it becomes gang tackling. Right now WSU doesn't have the speed to do that nor the reps to solo tackle.
It doesn't matter how well you think you repped it in practice. It's clearly not enough. Leach made a comment about ball security in his presser last night. They work it every day. Guess what??? Better double up the reps.
Our defensive assistants are all turds. No name guys, some of which just promoted internally.
I also wonder how much energy and detail an out-of-shape, 400 lb person can put into coaching. Is he running around out there showing them how it’s done?
I also wonder how much energy and detail an out-of-shape, 400 lb person can put into coaching. Is he running around out there showing them how it’s done?
ok to start the game-ucla had a man uncovered in the endzone and their qb made a terrible throw-then 1 play later ucla walks into the endzone untouched with no defense around-I knew right there that the defense was not gameplanned or ready.
why is tavion brown not on the field all the time-he is the hardest hitter we have ? the only d back that I see doing any good is Beekman. Mcdougal needs to play more. kwete is a true freshman and should play more maybe go with the young guys if the d is this bad.
why is tavion brown not on the field all the time-he is the hardest hitter we have ? the only d back that I see doing any good is Beekman. Mcdougal needs to play more. kwete is a true freshman and should play more maybe go with the young guys if the d is this bad.
Brown is just as guilty of poor tackling as the rest, and he doesn't see the field because he's almost always out of position.
He's lightning fast though.
Mr. Logan Tago as well. Let's just call everyone lost on defense last year Mr. ....because they deserved more respect than we knew before this game.
if brown is never on the field how do you know his tackling is bad ? I saw him blow up a return guy on ucla last night, hardest hit of the night-weve got some dead weight on the field-to be fair id have to study film to really nail the correct culprits-but id consider playing brown, kwete, mcdougal if these older guys are going to poop their pants. Secondary wise -the only keeper I see is Beekman.
This entire week of practice Spurrier better have the receivers running through a gauntlet of guys punching them in their arms as hard as they can, cuz other teams saw how easy it is to take the ball from them and you can count on them doing it when they play us.
Maybe Beekman to SS and move Thomas back to FS.
Problems are nickel, interior DL and Mike. Don’t really have any solutions there.
And let me add that the football IQ of our back 7 is as bad as any WSU defense I’ve seen, including the disastrous Paul Wulff teams.
Lining up wrong, over pursuing, taking bad angles, poor tackling...almost a complete absence of football instinct. Our LBs can’t fill gaps, and are laughably bad at finding blitzing lanes.
We have no identity on defense. Quick, tell me who the leader is out there. You can’t, because there isn’t.
Lining up wrong, over pursuing, taking bad angles, poor tackling...almost a complete absence of football instinct. Our LBs can’t fill gaps, and are laughably bad at finding blitzing lanes.
We have no identity on defense. Quick, tell me who the leader is out there. You can’t, because there isn’t.
we were generating zero pass rush- I never hear willie taylors name called anymore I thought hed be a good player this year-what happened to him
Now that it's on film and the volume at which they fumbled, they'll see a heavy dose of it all season. Just like when BYU dropped 8 into coverage against Jeff Tuel all those years ago and made him throw through the bodies... once it's on film that's what you're gonna see. You still see teams do that against WSU.
You left off getting off blocks—these guys seem like they are glued to their blockers.
And can’t contain. And can’t stop the run.
The safeties were getting torched by a guy that can literally barely throw the ball.
What about clock management with this offense? It's a track meet and a boat race by halftime. What are you going to do the second half, hang another 50 points, and make it to 100 on the scoreboard?
Shouldn't Leach make some adjustments with "Air Gordon", and recognize that we need to eat up the clock and go home?
Shouldn't Leach make some adjustments with "Air Gordon", and recognize that we need to eat up the clock and go home?
Turnovers make it difficult to run clock when you’re handing them the damn ball.
A few hours removed from witnessing that debacle and still have a twist of nausea.
A solid Coug win, recruits in town, and Minshew’s coronation as King of the Palouse came crashing down in 1.5 quarters. Still unbelievable.
Yes on moving Thomas to FS and give Pat Nunn the reps at Nickle. Take the interior starting d line out to the local landfill and leave them there.
Oh, it’s believable. It’s just been a while since we’ve experienced it. I’ve walked out of Martin Stadium feeling that way many, many times.
