Question: Saban: We're not running away from Teo

TIDE-HSV

Senior Administrator
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Oct 13, 1999
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I hope Volger finally has it come together. I think he's got a little more ability to be a passing game threat than Michael Williams who really maxed out his potential two years ago it seems. No offense to the guy, but he looked like the tight end who was only on the field to seal the edge in 2010 and he hasn't really developed much more beyond that since. With that said, he's as good of a blocker you'll find at the position. I just had some hope his pure athleticism would manifest into more dynamic ability as receiver.

Volger may end up being the same type of player though. If he was really lighting it up as a receiver, I'd venture to bet he would have had some roles in the offense we haven't seen him do. It was definitely a positive to see him excel as a blocker in the SECCG and it bodes well in regards to at least getting a steady transition at Williams' former TE position in 2013.
Williams is one of those mysteries. He's had a couple of really neat receptions, at least one for a TD. However, he'll just flat drop an easy reception. It's not likely to reverse now. We really miss Smelley and what's interesting is that he wasn't counted on earlier because his blocking was not up to par. He managed to add adequate blocking and stayed a receiving threat...
 

rgw

Suspended
Sep 15, 2003
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I'm really hopeful that OJ Howard lives up to his grade on the recruiting services. We've gotten good production out of the position without getting an elite player there. I know a lot of the TE types these days are gravitating towards the spread passing attacks because they get an opportunity to be featured more...but Alabama has a very TE friendly offense if you don't mind actually in-line blocking a bit. I'm guessing most don't want to have to do the dirty work of the position.
 

TIDE-HSV

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I'm really hopeful that OJ Howard lives up to his grade on the recruiting services. We've gotten good production out of the position without getting an elite player there. I know a lot of the TE types these days are gravitating towards the spread passing attacks because they get an opportunity to be featured more...but Alabama has a very TE friendly offense if you don't mind actually in-line blocking a bit. I'm guessing most don't want to have to do the dirty work of the position.
I'm guessing you're exactly correct...
 

Rasputin

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Apr 15, 2008
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You can't really scheme around guys in the middle of the field like a NT or ILB...you have to cope with them.


HSV, I think they are talking about pinching their ends which they seemed to do a good bit. They like to have their ends fight into the B-gaps and use the OLBs to play outside contain. With their ends fighting between the tackle and guard, Nix controlling the A-gaps, and the OLBs setting the edge, it usually gives their ILBs a free run to catch the tailback who is stuck between the tackles or one of their DEs slips the blocks and hits the tailback at or behind the LOS.

The best adjustment to that is probably the two-TE look we used against UGA. The play action to the TE rollout should be open because their OLBs will get sucked inside off the play fake. Also, getting the motion TE (H-Back usually) to the same side as the other TE allows you to play the numbers on an outside handoff because their DL will be fighting inside and there will be more blockers off tackle than they can handle.
Good post. The extra TE's just gives the defense 2 more gaps to account for.
 

Rasputin

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Apr 15, 2008
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I'm really hopeful that OJ Howard lives up to his grade on the recruiting services. We've gotten good production out of the position without getting an elite player there. I know a lot of the TE types these days are gravitating towards the spread passing attacks because they get an opportunity to be featured more...but Alabama has a very TE friendly offense if you don't mind actually in-line blocking a bit. I'm guessing most don't want to have to do the dirty work of the position.
I'm hoping he turns out in the likes of Austin Sefarian-Jenkins or Jermaine Gresham :eek:
 
OJ will have to adjust. He dominated weak competition, but the fact remains he dominated. He has the size to really be special and I'm actually counting on that. I think Brent will grow into that HB roll. AJ has missed on a few throws this year. I feel if he gets his blocking down, the offense will be even more dangerous, and nearly unstoppable.

As for Vogler, he's really stepped up. Him and Williams are devastating blockers and if you combine that with the offensive line, what do or can you do. The guy on ESPNU says that Georgia did not adjust early enough in the game and just took it. I really don't see how they could have. All we did is just line up and run. I didn't see anything too extravagant other than a lineman pulling every now and then. Everyone who was watching including those on the field knew it was coming and they still couldn't stop it. Then when they thought they had stopped it, it was only because the line was pass blocking for AJ over the top to Coop. I don't see in the replays of the game that gives ND too much of a clue to thwart the O-line. All we do is get hat on a hat and grind you in to powder. They'll have to jump out on a big lead and hope we don't com back with a vengeance, like the A&M game.
 

bamanix

1st Team
Mar 24, 2010
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i find it interesting how many at espn, talk about all the schemes thats going to happen. it is still going to boil down to who is tougher, and better at executing. i remember the old days when vince lombardi of green bay lore, had basically six offensive rush plays, and they dominated other teams. he stated reduce the number and pefect what is best, and use over and over till it is stopped. i laugh at how many times we have heard that some of the nose tackles were going to be so strong, big for mr. jones handle. well mr. jones has handled every one at guard, tackle and now center.
 

ND_Justin

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Dec 2, 2012
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He's not as good as Jarvis Jones and we did the same thing to him.

Sent from my SCH-I405 using Tapatalk 2
Te'o is about 20 pounds bigger than Jarvis Jones... they are completely different players. Jarvis Jones is a much better pass rusher, and is asked to do that on a regular basis... The Notre Dame scheme is much different, as it asks Te'o to run stuff and cover in space. Notre Dame's defense is much more like an SEC defense than Georgia is. All of Notre Dame's LB's are over 250 lbs and every defensive line starter is over 300 lbs. The Notre Dame plan will be to stuff the run and to limit the big pass plays. Will they be able to do this? I'm not sure, but that is the design of the defense, and it has been pretty successful all year.
 

FriendlyIrish

3rd Team
Nov 22, 2012
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That's been everyone's game-plan against Alabama for the last five years.
Right, but no one has really played bend don't break. That's what we are willing to do. I easily see them bringing in another player for run D. And we will play soft on the outsides and give up flat passes to your WR's. As long as our DB's have tackled as well as they have all year (watch first half of OU), the gameplan can work. Our D-line is not aggro. Watch the first half against BC - we were trying several different types of blitzes and movement and getting over-aggressive, but getting caught on screens and misdirections. In the second half, we got back to what we do best and got a little less aggro from our LB's.

We never give up big pass plays. We didn't give up any to D-Rob, Landry Jones, or to the two best WR's in the country. I'm not worried about big pass plays in this game. It's all if we stop the run. It will by far be the toughest game plan to execute all year. The closest is Stanford, but again, Bama is the toughest.

The one thing I noticed about A&M is Bama seemed to have given up on the run. When they did run, they were getting some good yardage, but in the 2nd half it was almost non-existent. Again, I'm not worried about big pass plays or our DB's getting caught behind the ball. I'm worried about Lacy and Yeldon busting some big ones early.
 

TIDE-HSV

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Right, but no one has really played bend don't break. That's what we are willing to do. I easily see them bringing in another player for run D. And we will play soft on the outsides and give up flat passes to your WR's. As long as our DB's have tackled as well as they have all year (watch first half of OU), the gameplan can work. Our D-line is not aggro. Watch the first half against BC - we were trying several different types of blitzes and movement and getting over-aggressive, but getting caught on screens and misdirections. In the second half, we got back to what we do best and got a little less aggro from our LB's.

We never give up big pass plays. We didn't give up any to D-Rob, Landry Jones, or to the two best WR's in the country. I'm not worried about big pass plays in this game. It's all if we stop the run. It will by far be the toughest game plan to execute all year. The closest is Stanford, but again, Bama is the toughest.

The one thing I noticed about A&M is Bama seemed to have given up on the run. When they did run, they were getting some good yardage, but in the 2nd half it was almost non-existent. Again, I'm not worried about big pass plays or our DB's getting caught behind the ball. I'm worried about Lacy and Yeldon busting some big ones early.
That's exactly what we did. In the 2nd half of the UGA game, we went back to our bread and butter. Part of our B&B, though, is the deep ball. It'll be interesting to see if you're correct that that will be totally impossible for us. Being a lawyer, I tend to stay away from absolutes - just a professional failing...
 

buzzincuzzin

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Jan 8, 2006
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ND's bend-before-you-break-D is more closely akin to the Bears D than anything else. They funnel tackles to their ILB which is fine with us because we want to play between the hash-marks anyway. We run a lot of drag/crossing routes for the "take-what-they-give" early game stuff but the big pass plays come after the safeties are forced up into run support.
 
This game will be pick your poison more than anything. ND fan base seems to think all we have is Coop. It's more than just him. They are will to give dink and dunk passes? AJ is very good at take what the defense gives you. Commit men to the box, we have WRs to take advantage. Commit me to stop pass, we have a line and RBs to take advantage. ND has not faced a complete team this year. Don't give me Stanford. Bama would wipe the field with them. Oklahoma? One trick pony with no defense. When you are lucky to beat Michigan even after they turn the ball over six times it shows a lot. I'm not saying ND isn't good, all I'm saying is better is better. Teams have run away from Teo all season. We've run right at teams best all season. He will see a change, but we won't change at all.
 

Rasputin

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Apr 15, 2008
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Right, but no one has really played bend don't break. That's what we are willing to do. I easily see them bringing in another player for run D. And we will play soft on the outsides and give up flat passes to your WR's. As long as our DB's have tackled as well as they have all year (watch first half of OU), the gameplan can work. Our D-line is not aggro. Watch the first half against BC - we were trying several different types of blitzes and movement and getting over-aggressive, but getting caught on screens and misdirections. In the second half, we got back to what we do best and got a little less aggro from our LB's.

We never give up big pass plays. We didn't give up any to D-Rob, Landry Jones, or to the two best WR's in the country. I'm not worried about big pass plays in this game. It's all if we stop the run. It will by far be the toughest game plan to execute all year. The closest is Stanford, but again, Bama is the toughest.

The one thing I noticed about A&M is Bama seemed to have given up on the run. When they did run, they were getting some good yardage, but in the 2nd half it was almost non-existent. Again, I'm not worried about big pass plays or our DB's getting caught behind the ball. I'm worried about Lacy and Yeldon busting some big ones early.
IMO "bend don't break" is an excuse used by defenses who can not consistently make stops. Statistically it is much harder to score once an offense gets into the red zone. It isn't anything special to force a team into a field goal try scenario.

Great defenses pin the offense back and get 3 and outs. Good defenses force field goal attempts.
 

BigBama76

Suspended
Oct 26, 2011
1,002
0
0
Atlanta, GA
Right, but no one has really played bend don't break. That's what we are willing to do. I easily see them bringing in another player for run D. And we will play soft on the outsides and give up flat passes to your WR's. As long as our DB's have tackled as well as they have all year (watch first half of OU), the gameplan can work. Our D-line is not aggro. Watch the first half against BC - we were trying several different types of blitzes and movement and getting over-aggressive, but getting caught on screens and misdirections. In the second half, we got back to what we do best and got a little less aggro from our LB's.

We never give up big pass plays. We didn't give up any to D-Rob, Landry Jones, or to the two best WR's in the country. I'm not worried about big pass plays in this game. It's all if we stop the run. It will by far be the toughest game plan to execute all year. The closest is Stanford, but again, Bama is the toughest.

The one thing I noticed about A&M is Bama seemed to have given up on the run. When they did run, they were getting some good yardage, but in the 2nd half it was almost non-existent. Again, I'm not worried about big pass plays or our DB's getting caught behind the ball. I'm worried about Lacy and Yeldon busting some big ones early.
First of all it's good to see a friendly opposing view, so thanks for posting.

I don't know about bend-don't-break as a good strategy since Bama's offense is patient and methodical. If we can get 2-3 yards per run and be in 3rd 4-5 we can move the chains on anybody. However, don't ever think we aren't content with field goals and relying on our defense if TD's are hard to come by, just look at our games with LSU.

On the other hand I think ND's secondary is just as weak, if not weaker, than everyone, including ND fans thought they would be pre-season. If Bama doesn't exploit that weakness early and often I'll be much surprised.

ND's run defense will be as good as advertised but we were able to run the ball effectively against LSU, who's defense I'd put ahead of ND's overall because of their secondary and depth. LSU also had a top tier LB corp and Minter of that group would be pretty close to Manti Te'o, just less media coverage.
 

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