Link: Wisconsin DC Jim Leonhard is leaving the Badgers program after the bowl 👀👀👀

twofbyc

Hall of Fame
Oct 14, 2009
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Tough choice, but I would have to say Pete, so we can break the spell he has cast on Coach Saban.
Begone!
I don’t think I’ve ever seen an assistant capture Saban’s love like this before; he must be a genius along the lines of an idiot savant who completely understands defense but can’t teach his charges what he knows.
This particular coach-crush has been disconcerting from the start.
 

tusks_n_raider

Hall of Fame
May 13, 2009
12,226
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Mobile, AL
For those not familiar with Leonhard here is a FANTASTIC article from Eleven Warriors that shows his Defense in practice with Gifs that help show how he attacks different Offensive looks...

https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...t-from-jim-leonhards-nfl-inspired-3-4-defense

For those who don't want to read:

Basically he runs a base 3-4 NFL Defense like CNS and others so he would be able to transition to CNS's D easily.

Leonhard is also an Aranda disciple so if you are impressed with his aggressive style at Baylor then you have an idea of what Leonhard does.

Also since Wisconsin has promoted him to DC the Badger defenses have been among the nation's best from 2017 to 2021 ranking:

1st in total yards allowed (284.8 yards per game),
1st in pass efficiency defense (110.5),
1st in opponents' third down conversions (30.5%),
3rd in rushing defense (103.4 ypg), and
3rd in scoring defense (17.3 points per game)

Some Detailed Highlights:

"The Badgers like to bring a safety down into the box for run support on the wide side of the field, giving them 8 defenders near the line of scrimmage. With three big-bodied defensive linemen eating up interior blockers and a safety plugging one of the holes, an inside linebacker is often left free to run and make tackles.

Against the pass, the system can often look like straight, man-coverage with a free safety in the middle of the field (known as Cover 1). But in reality, it's a Cover 3 zone with pattern-matching principles, meaning the defenders play the receivers tight once in their zone.

With the back of the defense employing traditional coverages with seven defenders dropping back, that means one of the linebackers can join the three down linemen in their pass rush. On nearly every single snap, one of the four 'backers will be sent on a blitz, but the the offense is forced to guess which one.

When Leonhard began studying the college game with Aranda in 2015, however, it quickly became apparent that this exact approach didn't translate directly to stopping the spread offenses that had become so prevalent at that level. As such, Leonhard incorporated the simulated pressure packages for which Aranda has become known."

Check out the article for more detailed breakdowns with Video Gifs

He would be a massive and I mean MASSIVE upgrade over Golding who honestly should drop down to another level of competition because he is NOT a P5 level DC...maybe not even D1.

Leonhard is one of the BEST in CFB and he has fielded LEGIT Top 3-5 Defenses at Wisconsin with MUCH LESS talent than Golding has had at Alabama.

Please CNS:

Emp.png
 
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Con

Hall of Fame
Dec 19, 2006
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Northern Hemisphere
For those not familiar with Leonhard here is a FANTASTIC article from Eleven Warriors that shows his Defense in practice with Gifs that help show how he attacks different Offensive looks...

https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...t-from-jim-leonhards-nfl-inspired-3-4-defense

For those who don't want to read:

Basically he runs a base 3-4 NFL Defense like CNS and others so he would be able to transition to CNS's D easily.

Leonhard is also an Aranda disciple so if you are impressed with his aggressive style at Baylor then you have an idea of what Leonhard does.

Also since Wisconsin has promoted him to DC the Badger defenses have been among the nation's best from 2017 to 2021 ranking:

1st in total yards allowed (284.8 yards per game),
1st in pass efficiency defense (110.5),
1st in opponents' third down conversions (30.5%),
3rd in rushing defense (103.4 ypg), and
3rd in scoring defense (17.3 points per game)

Some Detailed Highlights:

The Badgers like to bring a safety down into the box for run support on the wide side of the field, giving them 8 defenders near the line of scrimmage. With three big-bodied defensive linemen eating up interior blockers and a safety plugging one of the holes, an inside linebacker is often left free to run and make tackles.

Against the pass, the system can often look like straight, man-coverage with a free safety in the middle of the field (known as Cover 1). But in reality, it's a Cover 3 zone with pattern-matching principles, meaning the defenders play the receivers tight once in their zone.

With the back of the defense employing traditional coverages with seven defenders dropping back, that means one of the linebackers can join the three down linemen in their pass rush. On nearly every single snap, one of the four 'backers will be sent on a blitz, but the the offense is forced to guess which one.

When Leonhard began studying the college game with Aranda in 2015, however, it quickly became apparent that this exact approach didn't translate directly to stopping the spread offenses that had become so prevalent at that level. As such, Leonhard incorporated the simulated pressure packages for which Aranda has become known.

Check out the article for more detailed breakdowns with Video Gifs

He would be a massive and I mean MASSIVE upgrade over Golding who honestly should drop down to another level of competition because he is NOT a P5 level DC...maybe not even D1.

Leonhard is one of the BEST in CFB and he has fielded LEGIT Top 3-5 Defenses at Wisconsin with MUCH LESS talent than Golding has had at Alabama.

Please CNS:

View attachment 30661
Man this is a cruel post @tusks_n_raider. This makes me hope it is a Christmas present getting him. The Aranda disciple is a nice little add on too.
 

Foleybammer

Scout Team
Dec 3, 2019
117
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Looking at those stats six times over a 4 year period
we gave up 40+ points. If you give up 40 or more your defense
isn't good. If Georgia ever gave up 40 once heads would roll!
Saban is fooling himself if he thinks we've had a good defense
under Pete Golding.
 
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crimsonaudio

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Ah. Numbers aren’t real. Got it.
I get that Gol*ing's numbers aren't awful - the defensive numbers are obviously not what they were prior to his role as DC, but Bama's still fielding a top-10 D.

But if you cannot watch this defense and see a rather radical difference in how they play - especially when you look at what UGA continues to field - then I guess we just perceive the games differently.

There's zero question that the defense has taken a step back since Gol*ing took over. Even the numbers show this. So you can argue stats all day, but the eye test is all I need. Gol*ing needs to go field his 'top10 defenses' somewhere else and let Bama get back to dominating, as they should be with the amount of talent on the field.
 

crimsonaudio

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So, Alabama needs to score 35+ to win. Bet the over.
Several times this year Gol*ing's "top10 defense" has allowed more points than the opposing offense averages - UTK scored almost a TD more than they averaged against the other 11 teams on their schedule.

I'd guess that unless Bama shows up motivated to play they'll need to score in the 40's. The offense has done this all year.

Here's hoping the D miraculously comes together.
 

BamaMoon

Hall of Fame
Apr 1, 2004
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@crimsonaudio and couple that with the offensive struggle this year (scoring down significantly per game) and no wonder it's a two loss season with 3 other games we were fortunate to win.

Just imagine we had dropped 1 or 2 more games. In a way, it might have been worth it now as we view it in hindsight, especially if it would/could make the need for change even more apparent.
 

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