0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
Agreed. The improvement in defense has been remarkable. Take away a couple of slips against the Aggies late and I have no problem with the way our D has played since Auburn. I no longer shit my pants when the D takes the field, hell I actually look forward to it now.If someone could teach the guys on defense to catch an interception that hits them in the hands then that would be great. Other than that, no complaints.
Per ESPN:Alabama had seven 3-and-out drives Saturday against Arkansas, its most under Nick Saban. The Crimson Tide had five total such drives in their first five games of the season.
They do NOT like 3rd and long. We kept getting in it over and over by hitting them for losses and no gains when they tried to run.They had a great plan to contain Cooper. 2 catches for 22 yds. He was doubled every time I saw him.
We probably gave the rest of the west the blue print.
If they could catch, they would be wr's, not db's.
So our WRs are really just DBs playing wideout?
He's definitely maximizing his talent. Outside of Philon who is probably out for the year, we've got no pure pass rusher. Flowers is more of a set the edge kind of guy. If Ellis is out a while and we shut down UGA I will definitely be a believer.
Not sure about setting the edge, but Flowers is on pace for an All-American type year.The biggest improvement I've seen in our defense is corners who can tackle. That's why Bama is always so good, and it's made a huge difference in the defense.And I hear a lot about "schemes", but Ellis said this week the main reason the defense is playing better is Smith took away almost all the schemes. Very simplified defense.
I know that dropping back 9 into coverage against Tech was genius and rattled the Starkville out of their QB.Our scheme to stop Bama tonight, to commit to the run and double Cooper, was likewise pretty brilliant.Maybe "scheme" isn't the right term and "gameplan" is more appropriate but we seem to have a plan on how to attack our opponents' strengths and it's working.
We need an OC. If you are gonna be a game manager type like CBB who doesn't specialize in anything, you need rock star coordinators. Our offensive staff outside of Pittman is god awful.
I can't say I was wowed by the Smith hire. I wasn't overly impressed but Bielema has been good at hiring assistants and figured he must be a schemer.The improvement in our defensive play has been nothing short of incredible. Our schemes and preparation against Tech, aTm, and Bama were really hard to find anything wrong with. Our defense gave up plays late against aTm but I don't think it was scheme, it was giving too many opportunities to a team with elite receivers.Clay Jennings has to be a big part of that. Our DBs have never played this aggressively, swatting balls, being in position, not blowing assignments, etc. This is the biggest turnaround in a position group I've seen in a year ever. We had no LBs when we got here and Spaight and Ellis are both very solid and I think Shannon has done a solid job with the unit, especially given lack of depth. Segrest was the hire I was most critical of. Our DL dominated Bama's OL tonight. They have been very hard to run on this season. I feel a lot better about that hire now.That said, I feel bad for the players and coaches. They did well enough to win every game we've played except for Auburn. The defense played more than well enough to win the last 2.
Smith is the only reason we haven't been blown out the past two games
Story?
Once upon a time, big fat titties, and they all lived happily ever after. The End