3-3-5 against Florida?

[MLD117]

How much of the game should we use the 3-3-5 defense against Florida to try and keep their wide receivers in check?

 

[RedDiamondTider]

I forget where I read it, so I dont know the link, but I remember Meyer saying that the 3-3-5 was the one that gave them the most difficulties out west in the Spread offense. Not real sure what the problem was, perhaps because the 3-3-5 might put a little more speed on the field for the defense....thoughts?

 

[TIDE-HSV]

The additional speed...

is indeed the reason for going to that formation. Also, we stunt out of it, if you'll observe...

 

[teamplayer]

I don't mind the 3-3-5 when we bring one of the linebackers or corners to add additional pressure; however, when we only rush 3 down linemen, we always seem to give up long plays for first downs. I understand the theory of dropping eight and covering everyone, but if there is no pressure on the quarterback, he just sits back there until someone is open. I prefer to rush at least four guys. If Coach Kines calls me and asks me, I will tell him the same thing. However, he has yet to call, and I doubt he ever will. I doubt any of us want me making decisions for the team. Roll Tide.

 

[uafan4life]

SO I don't have to retype it:

I think we'll play a lot of zone on defense and probably play a lot of nickel. Pretty much the same gameplan as against South Carolina. The difference is you want the extra DB to protect against the precision short-passing of the Spurrier offense, while with the Meyer Spread-Option you want the extra DB to be able to come up out of pass coverage to protect against the run.

The Urban Meyer offense works by execution, keeping the defense on it's heels. A lot of formations, and they can run several pass or run plays out of every formation. The key is, as always, taking away a facet of the game and forcing them to do what you want them to do to beat you. I think what we will want to do is take away the edges. What I mean is, keep containment on both sides of the field, and keep Leak and the Spread Option in the pocket, in the middle of the field. If we can contain the inside running game and get some pressure on Leak with three down linemen consistently, our D will have some fun.

We've got the speed to pretty much shut down Meyer's offense, if our linemen can perform like they did against SC. By using a three man rush, we can play assignment football. DE's always have outside containment, and must stay home. This will take away the edges of the offense and protect against the reverses Meyer loves, if the DE's stay at home. On inside running plays the LBs collapse to the holes. On outside running plays and options, the DE get the QB, forces the pitch to the RB deep, and the OLB cleans up. If they pull a blocker, which they often do, this is where the three man rush comes in handy. We'll have an extra DB to come up in run support to seal off the outside, and hopefully contain any big plays on the outside. Plus, running primarily a Nickel package means we pretty much always have safety help deep, to protect against the deep balls Leak likes to throw, and is pretty good at. We would be able to play mostly zone, switching into man to allow a DB blitz on occaision. Of course, just like in the SC game, all of this is predicated on being able to use three down linemen and contain the inside running game and get pressure on the QB. If we can do that like we did against SC, we'll have another SC-like game.

On offense, Shula's gameplan is a lot like Meyer's. First, execute properly. Second, be balanced in the play-calling. Third, keep the defense on their heels with both. When Shula's offense is clicking, we can run or pass on any play. This drives defenders and DC's crazy. After all, what you want to do on defense is force the offense to do what you want them to do. When Shula's offense is clicking, the defense can only try to react, and can't cheat either to support the run or the pass. The question is which Alabama offense shows up. Is it the slow-starting offense of the MTSU and Arkansas game? Is it the up and down offense of the Southern Miss game? Or is it the firing on all cylinders offense of the SC game. The SC game was a good example of what our offense should look like. The key to us having success Saturday, on offense, I think, is Brodie and the WR's getting into a rhythm early. Several short passes, a couple screens, and two or three intermediate to long routes in the first couple drives. Last week Brodie was sharp, but the dropped passes were a killer. They especially will be against Florida because dropped passes put us in second and third and long, where Florida, unlike Arkansas, has the defense to make us pay for it.

In short, this game depends on three things:
1. Our D-Line performing well, especially in three-man fronts.
2. Our O-Line giving Brodie time to throw, which will help open up the run game.
3. Our WR's cannot drop balls and need to make at least two or three big plays.


We do those three things, we win going away.

 

[Air Bama]

My 2 cents..

I think we will butter our bread Sat. w/ the 3-3-5. I think this, as we all know, allows us to put our best ath. on the field. I think the one player who needs to have a big game and will is Simeon! I love his ability to play the run and I think his covering skills are only getting better. I also think we will see Pep and Harper bring the heat w/ a lot of blitz.. The key to it all will be our DL....they need to control their gaps and allow Simpson, Ryans and Roach to work their magic (AKA Head hunt)


Roll Tide......See ya Sat!

 

[Dedicated1965]

I like that phrase - Cerainly want to see ALOT of head huntin goin on this weekend!

Man, will Saturday ever get here?

 

[Air Bama]

I like that phrase - Cerainly want to see ALOT of head huntin goin on this weekend!

Man, will Saturday ever get here?

Oh yeah!!! I think our D really brings it all when they lay into an opponent. One of the hardest hitting teams I have seen this year.

I have watched alot of football this year, and when I say alot, I mean ALOT! I sit down w/ my son and explain to him every bit that I can and share with him every bit that I know. We even purchased game plan for the year and Saturday nights are the only nights he can stay up till 11. One thing I have learned after watching Bama in the early games then surfing and watching the remainder of the games...Bama is a very well coached team! We really do not make many mistakes...and when we do they are by the younger players and those are really even few and far between.

We will be up for this game, I just hope we are not so up that come Sat we are flat.....ya know. One can psyche themselves up a little to much sometimes. Regardless....looking forward to seeing all you there SAt.

 

[kwftide]

Didn't MTSU run the spread? We used 3-3-5 against them and it was a thing to behold. Stunting, blitzing...that QB was running for his life!

 

[Bama323]

I think we went to a 3-3-5 primarily to utilize our linebackers and db's who are the most veteran groups on the team. Next year, I bet we will be back to a more familiar formation like a 4-3 or a 4-2-5. Anyway, I think we can give them alot of problems with the 3-3-5 because of our talent at linebacker.

 

[jthomas666]

On JOX this morning they brought up two intriguiing stats:

• Bama leads the league in sacks.
• Leak has been sacked more than any other SEC QB.

I can't help but think that this bodes well for us.

Of course, the other thing to remember is that Leak hasn't thrown an INT in nigh unto forever.

 

[runtheoption22]

All I will say is this:

Q: Who picks up our outside blitzers when we run the 3-3-5?
A: FBs and RBs

Q: What does UF like to do?
A: Move RBs out of backfield and in motion

Q: Why did UT hit Leak so much?
A: Because there were no RBs to pick up the blitz and UF's OL is far from perfect.

Now, if they get outside our blitz, a la the option, they'll gain a few yards.

 

[Crimson Hawk]

There was some pretty extensive discussion about this after spring training, by one, or more, of the mods, don't remember exactly which (Jess or Terry?) Seems like the gist of it was that this formation is THE best suited for an offense like UFs.

 

[USCBAMA]

USC ran a version of the 3-3-5 under Holtz with Charlie Strong (now at Florida) as defensive coordinator (1999-2002). Overll the defense was fairly successful, but its one big weakness was the 3rd and longs. USC D was very hard to figure out much of game, but when teams were faced with a sure passing down and knew what D they'd be facing, the 3-3-5 for some reason was less effective. I'm not football savy enough to know the X's & O's of why this is.

USC's version of the 3-3-5 included a lot of blitzing LBs or DBs while dropping linemen back into pass coverage. It tricked Quincy Carter into something like 5 turnovers in one game. Has Bama been doing this with its DL in 3-3-5?

 

[deliveryman35]

as the game has evolved, it's obvious DC's put more importance on speed than size. Thus, the reason you've seen so many short, less -than-six - foot tall, 180lb. DB's playing the college game today. My only problem w/ this is that, over the years, it has been apparent to me that we in particular have a HISTORY of db's getting burned on a consistent basis with long balls that have cost us games, ALOT of games in recent years. I'm not sure why this is--the only thing I can think of is that if you get a recruit that's 6'0+ and can catch, the head coach will want him to be a WR and not a DB. Am I a lone wolf on this, or do any of you feel the same way?

 

[TIDE-HSV]

There are...

a number of threads showing that, not only are our DBs not smaller than anyone else's, they are around the average for the NFL. We just tend to notice it more when Bama has a tall WR take-away. You really can't get a better set of DBs than we have right now. Our CBs are taught to tackle first, pick second, and it's shown. Simeon is the poorest at maintaining position, but the best at hawking the ball, and he probably has the most native ability. On the safety issue, CP is solid. It's been suggested that perhaps RH needs to get to bed a bit earlier, but I won't go further on that...

 

[deliveryman35]

Earle,

First, you're a great moderator--keep up the good work! And thanks for putting up with me for the past couple of years :biggrin2:
Your intelligent, well thought out comments are well taken, but I respectfully hold to my earlier assertions on our recent history of db's, and I really don't think it's arguable.. I know w/ you I dont need to list a game by game history of failures, from both games against OU all the way to games against in conference games with--take your pick--UT, UGA, etc...a lapse in performance in this area of the game has at the very least contributed to some losses against some big opponents. Yes, I agree, we have some very talented players currently playing in the secondary, and they have alot of potential. Hopefully, our coaches can continue to work w/them and they will only get better. But, going up against a team of the calibre of Florida, I dont think it's too unreasonable to expect that some of us have alot of concern about our play in this part of the game.....

 

[markenk]

All I will say is this:

Q: Who picks up our outside blitzers when we run the 3-3-5?
A: FBs and RBs

Q: What does UF like to do?
A: Move RBs out of backfield and in motion

Q: Why did UT hit Leak so much?
A: Because there were no RBs to pick up the blitz and UF's OL is far from perfect.

Now, if they get outside our blitz, a la the option, they'll gain a few yards.

you bring up a good question with UF moving RBs out of backfield in motion. This will be a crucial part of the game because in 3rd and long situations, we will blitz. UF will motion their RB trying to match him up with our safties. It's a must that our safties do not misstackle when they dump the ball to the RB or it's going to be a long day for our defense.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

D-Man...

I return your respect and appreciate your participation. (I somehow feel like we're trapped in a potlatch vicious circle - .) On the DBs, we really only notice our own DB's failures (other fans notice their own - read their boards). Over the last 15 games or so, it's hard to quarrel with our DB's numbers. Can they do Better? Sure! However, I think that it gives perspective to look around the conference and choose just which set of DBs you'd like to swap with as a unit. Which unit did you choose?

 

[Bama-94-00]

CBs vs WRs

as the game has evolved, it's obvious DC's put more importance on speed than size. Thus, the reason you've seen so many short, less -than-six - foot tall, 180lb. DB's playing the college game today. .. I'm not sure why this is--the only thing I can think of is that if you get a recruit that's 6'0+ and can catch, the head coach will want him to be a WR and not a DB.

Under 6 ft CBs is nothing new. There's been few play for Bama over the years and few in the pros. It takes far more quickness, footwork, etc to react to the WR's moves and make a play on the ball than it does for the WR to run the cuts.