Question: How do you defend modern offenses

bigjue24

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I have several subjects I want to discuss and vent a little about, and this is the first one. I consume alot of college football. I watch from coast to coast all day long. Sometimes I have two games going at once, one on the television and one on the ipad. The evolution of the college offense at all levels over the last 5 years is absolutely astounding. What we are watching today is closer to arena football than the sport Bear Bryant coached. QB's and WR's are coming in to college having run spread passing attacks since middle school. The best athletes overall on the field are the WR's and it isn't close. DB's and LB's are overmatched physically with only a few exceptions, and the rules are slanted in the favor of the offense almost exclusively. The three yard lineman rule being the most obvious example. So what is a defense to do?

I think Jess's article was spot on after the game. Bama's defensive linemen didn't impact this game at all. They aren't bad players, but they aren't the game changers Bama needs. He was also right that you can't include Lewis and Jennings in the equation from yesterday, and I do think that overall they both played well in the pass rush. Burrow is a tough guy to bring down. He is a good athlete, and hats off to him for it, but the issue is the guys that are putting their hands in the dirt weren't quite up to the task, and it's not because of a lack of effort. They give it their all, and I appreciate the hard work they put in, but to slow down these modern offenses, because you can't stop them, you have to have 5 difference makers in DL group. Big Q, Dareus, Allen, Payne level talent that can affect the QB and contain the run all on their own. Clemson had this last year, and the results speak for themselves. The problem is it is really hard to get that level of talent especially when you don't have a shot to keep them but 3 years. The NFL will pay top dollar for impact DL and you can't blame them for taking the money. I would take it too, but it has left defenses without an answer.

Another way to attack offenses could be a range of hybrid types. Jennings, Lewis, Christian Miller, and Tim Williams are examples that Bama has had. You can line them up all over the place. Guys like Xavier Williams, Mark Barron, Collins and HaHa are also hybrid type players. The first group are LB's that can play standing up and come from anywhere or play with their hands in the dirt. They can come from anywhere at any moment. The latter group could be Safety/LB hybrid type players that can come up close to the line or be back as a traditional DB. This could allow you more flexibility to attack the offense. Confusing the offense with no knowledge of who is coming from where and who is covering who.

The other thing to think about is does a defense have to have a defined scheme. Most offenses are multiple. They will change formations and personnel constantly. Couldn't the defense do the same thing on the same level? I know you have base, nickel, and dime, but could it go further? Could you run all different kinds of formations. Four down linemen one snap to a 3-3-5 the next to a 2-3-6 the next to a 1-4-6 the next. Substitutions could be problematic, but with the hybrid types their roles could change to accomplish this. I'm by no means an expert, but I can watch what some other teams are doing and find value in it. CNS has radically changed his offensive philosophy why can't he do the same with defense. He already did that to some extent with the way he has recruited so why can't the scheme change as well. The guy is an all time genius of a coach, and I'm interested to see what he takes from this loss. He has changed after previous losses, and I expect him to do the same here. Because this issue with the defense goes deeper than just injuries.
 

BamaFlum

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Since modern offenses have been compared to basketball on grass, couldn’t you have two defenses like basketball second grouping? Most basketball teams play their bench players significant minutes in the 2nd and sometimes toward the end of the 3rd. This gives them valuable playing time and keeps guys fresh for the 4th. Conversely you do see teams give up points when they start their substitutions so there is a trade off. It seems like you use your whole defense with the first grouping and a simplified version with the second.

Just a passing thought...


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Ldlane

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1. You need a QB level leader on Defense to read/audible and call plays on the fly.

2. You need 3 points of attack for a pass rush on D-Line (Not counting secondary blitzes). Both ends need be able to get pressure, as well as the middle.

3. Linebackers need to be very athletic and fast.

4. Secondary needs to be able to play man-to-man and understand timing and playing zones.

5. Defenders need to be able to tackle in space.
 

Saban4Ever

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This comes down to coaching and recruiting, something Bama has missed on the past few years with coaches leaving/being fired and Bama missing out on a few recruits.

It will be more difficult from here on out for Saban to get the very best recruits at each position with Clemson, UGA, Ohio State, and now LSU in the recruiting wars.

I think the University/Saban should pay 2 million for a great DC like LSU did. Bama has the $$... heck, I'd take back Pruitt. I know Saban is the GOAT and will hopefully figure it out, but I thought this year would be the year he did. Just because Golding impressed him so much in the interview does not necessarily mean that translates to the field. I bet he gives Golding another year, then after that who knows.
 

Ldlane

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The first thing you do is like with any offense - stop the run
I'm not saying they didn't "stop the run", but they were able to pressure Burrow all night long and get about 7 sacks I believe. Defensive Line play was their big key.
 

NationalTitles18

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Get the hell out of their way so your offense can get back on the field and score.

Why is that even in blue font?


Schemes have evolved and the rules do favor offenses now. Nothing you can do about the rules other than wait for a shift. Schemes include personnel. The obvious example yesterday was #22 out there. He's a bowling ball in a "spread" scheme. The more successful team have that guy that can knock people over to counter the lighter defenses that are needed to counter the speed of offenses today. Not much you can do about that other than teach how to tackle.

Alabama's defense still needs to get lighter/faster at ILB and across the DL. The recruiting has missed on a few evaluations in recent years and maybe there was some bad luck with a few players having problems other than talent that kept them off the field. You might count that as a whiff in evaluation as well.

I do chuckle a little, though, when folks say things like "You'll never see a run first team again". These things are cyclical. They are right in a sense as offenses have changed and there is no going back completely, but notice the most successful team can still run the ball well and use the short passing game effectively.

Offenses have also found the soft spots in a defense like Saban runs and the number of QB's who can expose them is growing because the number of proficient passers is growing due to changes at the high school level. I'm nowhere near smart enough to be a coach but to me that indicates a need to either modify the scheme or get players who can execute it better, perhaps both.
 

NationalTitles18

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I will add that you have to have your offense help your defense out by keeping the other team off the field. You do this by utilizing the run and short passes. Let that clock run, too. You may hurry up to the line but you stay there for a while before snapping the ball.
 

TexasBama

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Get the hell out of their way so your offense can get back on the field and score.

Why is that even in blue font?


Schemes have evolved and the rules do favor offenses now. Nothing you can do about the rules other than wait for a shift. Schemes include personnel. The obvious example yesterday was #22 out there. He's a bowling ball in a "spread" scheme. The more successful team have that guy that can knock people over to counter the lighter defenses that are needed to counter the speed of offenses today. Not much you can do about that other than teach how to tackle.

Alabama's defense still needs to get lighter/faster at ILB and across the DL. The recruiting has missed on a few evaluations in recent years and maybe there was some bad luck with a few players having problems other than talent that kept them off the field. You might count that as a whiff in evaluation as well.

I do chuckle a little, though, when folks say things like "You'll never see a run first team again". These things are cyclical. They are right in a sense as offenses have changed and there is no going back completely, but notice the most successful team can still run the ball well and use the short passing game effectively.

Offenses have also found the soft spots in a defense like Saban runs and the number of QB's who can expose them is growing because the number of proficient passers is growing due to changes at the high school level. I'm nowhere near smart enough to be a coach but to me that indicates a need to either modify the scheme or get players who can execute it better, perhaps both.
The 4 tenets of winning football, past, present, and future

Stop the run
Run the ball
Win the kicking game
Be positive in turnover margin
 

CajunCrimson

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With the current officiating situation. There is no way.

Everytime there are two elite teams playing the score is going to be in the 30s

With that said. The best way is with a ball control offense. Slow the game down in the first half. Wear their defense out. Then crush them in the second half

That would have worked last night if not for the freebie TD and lost fumble. If Tua scores there, we win. That flipped the entire game
 

Ledsteplin

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With the current officiating situation. There is no way.

Everytime there are two elite teams playing the score is going to be in the 30s

With that said. The best way is with a ball control offense. Slow the game down in the first half. Wear their defense out. Then crush them in the second half

That would have worked last night if not for the freebie TD and lost fumble. If Tua scores there, we win. That flipped the entire game
Tua's fumble and the substitution penalty. Both cost us points.
 

bamaslammer

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I don't know if the Saban 3-4 scheme has run it's course and needs adjustment or overhaul. To answer that question I'd need better knowledge of what other teams are running. Defense is not impossible, Nobody is scoring much on Auburn and they are going to miss the playoffs because of Gus's offense that only works with certain types of quarterbacks and a nearly indestructible RB.

The big difference that I do see between now and not only the past, but Auburn is tackling. We are pathetic at it. We penetrate the backfield and don't get the guy down, we caught LSU players short of the first down all night long only to watch their guy drag through 1, 2, or even more of our players to get the first down. In championship seasons we were not always perfect but when our guy got to you, you went to the ground. You don't need to be a five star guy to tackle. Levi Wallace could tackle better than ANY player on this Defense and he was a zero star walk on.

Tackling is mostly desire and just being a violent nasty player. So our coaches suck, or they have recruited the wrong type of players.
 

AlexanderFan

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Scheme pressure that comes unblocked due to film study.

I would take Daron Payne all day though, and be creative with the other pressure.


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Relayer

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I haven't watched enough games on tv to know the answer to the OP"s question.
 

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