CULion17
09-20-2009, 02:13 PM
Reviewed defense to grade same as offense. This is not an exact science, especially on defense when I don't know the exact coverage responsibilities and don't have full camera view.
A lot of the grading is tough. A lot of it is based on technique, effort (no loafs!), and of course execution.
First I'll cover position groups and players then cover some points on scheme and personnel. I'll also cover how Michigan St. was able to be successful on offense.
Much longer post, because let's face it the defense required much much more analysis.
Secondary: K.McCarthy (94%- No surprise here. McCarthy is always around the ball and lead the team with 9 tackles. I only saw a few bad plays out of 60+. He is a sure tackler, and great in coverage. I was also pleased with how well he can blitz off the edge as he definitley penetrates. Obviously leading in tackles and icing the game with a INT he is the defensive MVP. Blanton (90%)- A good sign for a DB is when youd don't notice them. Watching live the only time you should have noticed Blanton was on his personal foul for the hit out of bounds. Obviously that is a - . It wasn't a blatant foul where he nailed the guy after he went out, he just has to know when your five yards out of bounds you don't have to finish the tackle. Corwin certainly wasn't pleased as RJ spent the rest of the half on the bench. Watching him on each play he is a solid cover corner who isn't afraid to come up to make a tackle. I think he'd be even better if he was allowed to play more press corner. H.Smith (84%- Harrison is outstanding in coverage whether it's playing the deep zone in cover 1, or playing robber, or having to man a slot receiver. He is also very quick in transition from back pedal, to attacking a ballcarrier. He finishes second in tackles for the second straight week with 7. Harrison unfortunately had a few bad plays that took away from an otherwise solid performance. Letting the WR get deep on the HB pass, when it looked like he was responsible for deep zone in cover 1. The late hit penalty, stupid mistake and there is never an ok time in a game for a personal foul. He missed a couple tackles, but also had a TD saving one. I also think the wide open receiver just before the game ending INT was his man as they seemed to be in cover 0. Walls (74%)- Darrin still has cover ability and good ball instincts. I think the problem for Walls, especially after the year off, is he is better at and used to being a press corner. He doesn't look comfortable playing man to man with a 6-10yd cushion. I also think much like early in his career he needs to be more aggressive in run support, and not try to do spin moves around blockers and take them on or out. McNeil (67%)- Very limited PT for McNeil saturday. McNeil is definitely like Walls where he is a great press corner, but looks uncomfortable giving the big cushion. I think he would be a good option in the nickel package to man a slot WR in certain pass situations over Brown. Gray (71%)- Limited action where he was playing very tight coverage on receivers, His PT ended after his pass interference penalty. GG definitely has great coverage skills. Herring (100%)- Herring comes in on the final drive in the 3-2-6 Dime coverage playing mostly man and was superb. He was great in coverage, had 4 tackles, and almost had an INT. Slaughter (75%)- Slaughter came in for a series early, played good coverage, had a tackle, and then let a WR get past him on the HB pass TD. Many a corner has fell for the HB pass, but whether he was in cover 3,1,9, or 0 he can't let his WR get behind him. That play ended his PT at corner for the day. Brown (72%)- A lot of PT in the nickel package for Sergio. He definitely creates pressure and penetrates when he is blitzing from the edge and is good in run support. He needs to use his arms when he tackles and not just give a flipper which cost him a missed tackle. He also sometimes was getting beat in coverage, but he is not a corner playing nickel, he is a safety playing nickel so that is the risk. His skill set would seem to be better if not blitzing off the edge to play zone and use his athleticism to react rather then playing man to man.
I understand in a blitzing scheme you want your corners off to limit exposure in getting beat, but in my opinion Walls, Blanton, McNeil, and Gray are press corners and the reward of them playing press behind a blitz far outweighs the risk. Let your athletes be athletes.
LB: Fleming (74%)- Fleming stood out to me after watching again way more then I noticed live. He had 2 solo tackles, both TFL's. He probably would have had more but he spent more then half his snaps with a hand on the ground as a de in nickel. As a SAM he does a fantastic job of keeping outside contain, nothing got outside of him. He also gets great penetration when he blitzes, looks good in coverage, and pursues probably better then anybody in the front seven. More then anything what stood out to me is his motor. He played all but I think three snaps on defense and gave 110% on every play. The INT at the end of the game was aided by his pressure on the QB. Whether he is standing up or has a hand in the ground he does a great job in pass rush. His only struggles are when he has a hand down in the run game. He just doesn't have the size to take on a Tackle coming downhill on him. B.Smith (52%) Brian had 5 tackles to place 3rd on the day with 3 being solo. I'm a Brian Smith fan, I like the way he plays the game, and love his attitude. I just think Brian is being put in a position that doesn't fit his skill set. Brian does great in coverage, and does well on the edge. Brian's struggles come when he has to take on blocks from interior lineman. When he blitzes off the edge he gets pressure and penetration, when he blitzes up the middle he has velcro on his jersey. An impact linebacker who is on the field for every defensive snap should not only have five tackles. I'd also like to see when he does blitz if he can't get to the QB at least blow up the RB. On other blitzes he kept chasing the QB after the ball was handed off. T.Smith (34%)- Starting MLB, 1 tackle assisted. Granted he came off the field for just under 1/3 of the plays, but when a LB is on the field for 40+ snaps the expectation should be more then 1 tackle. To his credit he did recover the fumble forced by KLM. However, he is a liability in pass coverage, and when blitzing up the middle vs. MSU or taking on blockers on the run he definitely had to much velcro on his jersey. I know there has been talk he may be hurt, and maybe that was the case. It just was painful to see the MLB get pancaked real bad on a play and getting swallowed by interior lineman. Teo (78%)- Somebody needs to get this kid versed in the Tenuta D asap! His snaps were limited, but the kids talent is obvious. When he blitzes he gets push/penetration, he doesn't get stood up. He has great closing speed in coverage and like Fleming is great in pursuit. He has also proven to be a good hitter/tackler. He made one big mistake towards the end of the game when he let the TE he had man coverage on go by, but I think those things are going to happen with a freshman, you just have to weigh his multiple benefits vs. his potential risk which I think is an easy debate. I'll be shocked if Teo isn't starting vs. Purdue.
If you look at defenses around the country you'll usually find a LB or two leading the team in tackles. For the third game now you don't have a LB coming near double digit tackles let alone leading the team. Galippo at USC, Curran at GA, Lee at PSU, and many other LB's on saturday hit double digits and lead their teams. It's not necessary to have a top 25 defense, but it sure would help to get more production out of the position. It's Teo time.
Defensive Line: KLM (52%)- KLM is going to be a great player for ND. He has a great motor and gives great effort in pursuit which lead to his forced fumble. He gets great penetration against the pass and run...... at defensive end. It was very obvious that when KLM was at DE he had great production. When they put him inside in the nickel package he was getting swallowed. I understand the logic of trying to put a speed guy inside ala Tuck in the Super Bowl, but it is not an easy transition. Facemask was him trying to do to much. Neal (65%)- Kerry Neal gets good penetration in pass rush more often then not. He does good keeping outside contain against the run, but struggles to penetrate. He got a lot more reps vs. MSU then previous weeks and may be equal with Ryan and possibly moving ahead. Even if Neal loses initial battle, he will pursue and can make plays from behind. Ryan (51%)- Ryan is definitely better against the run then pass, although he comes close to getting around on pass rushes. Unfortunately, Ryan doesn't have the speed to get a better pash rush or pursue against the run. He has stepped his game up tremendously over last year, and can still be a solid contributor. I.Williams (60%)- Ian is getting plenty of opportunity this season to contribute on pass downs, but is still mostly getting good production vs. the run. It may be a conditioning issue, but there just isn't enough down to down consistency in his effort/production. Developing into a interior guy who dictates some double teams would work wonders for the defense. Ethan Johnson (72%)- EJ is getting better each and every week. He is getting good push vs. the run and pass, and can pursue a play much better then the other interior guys. EJ's miscues are typically from technique, where he is reverting back to DE habits and sometimes playing too high. Cwynar (53%)- Got about 15 snaps. Got good push vs. the pass, but got swallowed or cut against the run. Great potential. H.Williams- Only had about 7 snaps but seemed to get good push and penetration each time. Missing some of camp means he's probably still a little bit behind the curve right now, but the potential is unmistakable.
The defensive line is improving. Like Weis mentioned prior to MSU, and I have mentioned being able to rotate 8-10 guys can sometimes be just as good as having 4 top line guys who play the whole game. The faster Cwynar and H.Williams improve the better for the unit as that will keep Ian and Ethan more fresh to get greater impact on their reps. It would also be a good idea to keep KLM at end and not bring him inside. As KLM develops at end and Neal imroves against the run, the defensive line will become a strength. I look forward to doing one of these reviews at the end of the year to see if the improvement I expect comes to fruition.
ND scheme vs. MSU: Most of the game ND seemed to play cover 1 or cover 3 with a cover 1 look. It appeared the scheme design was to limit potential big play vs. the blitz to play the corners off despite man to man responsibility. As mentioned earlier Walls, Blanton, McNeil, and Gray seem much better and more comfortable playing press/bump n run. Although there is perceived risk doing that, as a QB I don't mind a blitz when I see 6-10 yd cushions. I'll throw the hitch or slant all day long. Press my receivers and your going to make me wait a second longer to read, and potentially sack me.
There is also a continued strategy of in nickel personnel putting Fleming as a DE and KLM inside. KLM seems to be struggling inside, and Fleming does well when pass rushing, but struggles at END against the run. I'd like to see not just one nickel strategy in general for the front four, but one more based on situation and down and distance. Keep Fleming as a DE in nickel if it is 3rd and long definite pass, but maybe not 3rd and 5-6 in case of run for example.
LB: More Teo, and start getting him work as the Mike so Brian Smith can play his more natural Will. I also would love to see Filer get some reps. He stands out on special teams with his athleticism, and I feel the kid just needs a shot. With that in mind it should be a goal to get Poz and McDonald some meaningful reps vs. Purdue and see if there is a "gamer" in the bunch.
How MSU was successful: There success in the run game came against ND in their nickel personnel. With Fleming at DE and KLM inside and Sergio Brown in for a LB, MSU picked up their biggest gains against this look. ND should look to have a more run personnel nickel group as well as a pass personnel nickel group because other teams will try this as well.
Their success in the pass game was largely a result of max protect, taking advantage of cushions, and hoping a guy misses a tackle and getting a big gain after (which they did twice). There was also the HB pass which factored into the pass stats. What you did not see was five step drops and long developing routes. Their pass game was designed to get the ball out quick and max protect. They also did well on play action a few times where the LB's bit hard.
Lastly, their offensive line used very tight splits. That makes it even more difficult to get a blitz through inside. Very good gameplan by MSU.
Limit penalties, adjust some personnel packages and coverages and this defense CAN reach it's potential.
GO IRISH!
A lot of the grading is tough. A lot of it is based on technique, effort (no loafs!), and of course execution.
First I'll cover position groups and players then cover some points on scheme and personnel. I'll also cover how Michigan St. was able to be successful on offense.
Much longer post, because let's face it the defense required much much more analysis.
Secondary: K.McCarthy (94%- No surprise here. McCarthy is always around the ball and lead the team with 9 tackles. I only saw a few bad plays out of 60+. He is a sure tackler, and great in coverage. I was also pleased with how well he can blitz off the edge as he definitley penetrates. Obviously leading in tackles and icing the game with a INT he is the defensive MVP. Blanton (90%)- A good sign for a DB is when youd don't notice them. Watching live the only time you should have noticed Blanton was on his personal foul for the hit out of bounds. Obviously that is a - . It wasn't a blatant foul where he nailed the guy after he went out, he just has to know when your five yards out of bounds you don't have to finish the tackle. Corwin certainly wasn't pleased as RJ spent the rest of the half on the bench. Watching him on each play he is a solid cover corner who isn't afraid to come up to make a tackle. I think he'd be even better if he was allowed to play more press corner. H.Smith (84%- Harrison is outstanding in coverage whether it's playing the deep zone in cover 1, or playing robber, or having to man a slot receiver. He is also very quick in transition from back pedal, to attacking a ballcarrier. He finishes second in tackles for the second straight week with 7. Harrison unfortunately had a few bad plays that took away from an otherwise solid performance. Letting the WR get deep on the HB pass, when it looked like he was responsible for deep zone in cover 1. The late hit penalty, stupid mistake and there is never an ok time in a game for a personal foul. He missed a couple tackles, but also had a TD saving one. I also think the wide open receiver just before the game ending INT was his man as they seemed to be in cover 0. Walls (74%)- Darrin still has cover ability and good ball instincts. I think the problem for Walls, especially after the year off, is he is better at and used to being a press corner. He doesn't look comfortable playing man to man with a 6-10yd cushion. I also think much like early in his career he needs to be more aggressive in run support, and not try to do spin moves around blockers and take them on or out. McNeil (67%)- Very limited PT for McNeil saturday. McNeil is definitely like Walls where he is a great press corner, but looks uncomfortable giving the big cushion. I think he would be a good option in the nickel package to man a slot WR in certain pass situations over Brown. Gray (71%)- Limited action where he was playing very tight coverage on receivers, His PT ended after his pass interference penalty. GG definitely has great coverage skills. Herring (100%)- Herring comes in on the final drive in the 3-2-6 Dime coverage playing mostly man and was superb. He was great in coverage, had 4 tackles, and almost had an INT. Slaughter (75%)- Slaughter came in for a series early, played good coverage, had a tackle, and then let a WR get past him on the HB pass TD. Many a corner has fell for the HB pass, but whether he was in cover 3,1,9, or 0 he can't let his WR get behind him. That play ended his PT at corner for the day. Brown (72%)- A lot of PT in the nickel package for Sergio. He definitely creates pressure and penetrates when he is blitzing from the edge and is good in run support. He needs to use his arms when he tackles and not just give a flipper which cost him a missed tackle. He also sometimes was getting beat in coverage, but he is not a corner playing nickel, he is a safety playing nickel so that is the risk. His skill set would seem to be better if not blitzing off the edge to play zone and use his athleticism to react rather then playing man to man.
I understand in a blitzing scheme you want your corners off to limit exposure in getting beat, but in my opinion Walls, Blanton, McNeil, and Gray are press corners and the reward of them playing press behind a blitz far outweighs the risk. Let your athletes be athletes.
LB: Fleming (74%)- Fleming stood out to me after watching again way more then I noticed live. He had 2 solo tackles, both TFL's. He probably would have had more but he spent more then half his snaps with a hand on the ground as a de in nickel. As a SAM he does a fantastic job of keeping outside contain, nothing got outside of him. He also gets great penetration when he blitzes, looks good in coverage, and pursues probably better then anybody in the front seven. More then anything what stood out to me is his motor. He played all but I think three snaps on defense and gave 110% on every play. The INT at the end of the game was aided by his pressure on the QB. Whether he is standing up or has a hand in the ground he does a great job in pass rush. His only struggles are when he has a hand down in the run game. He just doesn't have the size to take on a Tackle coming downhill on him. B.Smith (52%) Brian had 5 tackles to place 3rd on the day with 3 being solo. I'm a Brian Smith fan, I like the way he plays the game, and love his attitude. I just think Brian is being put in a position that doesn't fit his skill set. Brian does great in coverage, and does well on the edge. Brian's struggles come when he has to take on blocks from interior lineman. When he blitzes off the edge he gets pressure and penetration, when he blitzes up the middle he has velcro on his jersey. An impact linebacker who is on the field for every defensive snap should not only have five tackles. I'd also like to see when he does blitz if he can't get to the QB at least blow up the RB. On other blitzes he kept chasing the QB after the ball was handed off. T.Smith (34%)- Starting MLB, 1 tackle assisted. Granted he came off the field for just under 1/3 of the plays, but when a LB is on the field for 40+ snaps the expectation should be more then 1 tackle. To his credit he did recover the fumble forced by KLM. However, he is a liability in pass coverage, and when blitzing up the middle vs. MSU or taking on blockers on the run he definitely had to much velcro on his jersey. I know there has been talk he may be hurt, and maybe that was the case. It just was painful to see the MLB get pancaked real bad on a play and getting swallowed by interior lineman. Teo (78%)- Somebody needs to get this kid versed in the Tenuta D asap! His snaps were limited, but the kids talent is obvious. When he blitzes he gets push/penetration, he doesn't get stood up. He has great closing speed in coverage and like Fleming is great in pursuit. He has also proven to be a good hitter/tackler. He made one big mistake towards the end of the game when he let the TE he had man coverage on go by, but I think those things are going to happen with a freshman, you just have to weigh his multiple benefits vs. his potential risk which I think is an easy debate. I'll be shocked if Teo isn't starting vs. Purdue.
If you look at defenses around the country you'll usually find a LB or two leading the team in tackles. For the third game now you don't have a LB coming near double digit tackles let alone leading the team. Galippo at USC, Curran at GA, Lee at PSU, and many other LB's on saturday hit double digits and lead their teams. It's not necessary to have a top 25 defense, but it sure would help to get more production out of the position. It's Teo time.
Defensive Line: KLM (52%)- KLM is going to be a great player for ND. He has a great motor and gives great effort in pursuit which lead to his forced fumble. He gets great penetration against the pass and run...... at defensive end. It was very obvious that when KLM was at DE he had great production. When they put him inside in the nickel package he was getting swallowed. I understand the logic of trying to put a speed guy inside ala Tuck in the Super Bowl, but it is not an easy transition. Facemask was him trying to do to much. Neal (65%)- Kerry Neal gets good penetration in pass rush more often then not. He does good keeping outside contain against the run, but struggles to penetrate. He got a lot more reps vs. MSU then previous weeks and may be equal with Ryan and possibly moving ahead. Even if Neal loses initial battle, he will pursue and can make plays from behind. Ryan (51%)- Ryan is definitely better against the run then pass, although he comes close to getting around on pass rushes. Unfortunately, Ryan doesn't have the speed to get a better pash rush or pursue against the run. He has stepped his game up tremendously over last year, and can still be a solid contributor. I.Williams (60%)- Ian is getting plenty of opportunity this season to contribute on pass downs, but is still mostly getting good production vs. the run. It may be a conditioning issue, but there just isn't enough down to down consistency in his effort/production. Developing into a interior guy who dictates some double teams would work wonders for the defense. Ethan Johnson (72%)- EJ is getting better each and every week. He is getting good push vs. the run and pass, and can pursue a play much better then the other interior guys. EJ's miscues are typically from technique, where he is reverting back to DE habits and sometimes playing too high. Cwynar (53%)- Got about 15 snaps. Got good push vs. the pass, but got swallowed or cut against the run. Great potential. H.Williams- Only had about 7 snaps but seemed to get good push and penetration each time. Missing some of camp means he's probably still a little bit behind the curve right now, but the potential is unmistakable.
The defensive line is improving. Like Weis mentioned prior to MSU, and I have mentioned being able to rotate 8-10 guys can sometimes be just as good as having 4 top line guys who play the whole game. The faster Cwynar and H.Williams improve the better for the unit as that will keep Ian and Ethan more fresh to get greater impact on their reps. It would also be a good idea to keep KLM at end and not bring him inside. As KLM develops at end and Neal imroves against the run, the defensive line will become a strength. I look forward to doing one of these reviews at the end of the year to see if the improvement I expect comes to fruition.
ND scheme vs. MSU: Most of the game ND seemed to play cover 1 or cover 3 with a cover 1 look. It appeared the scheme design was to limit potential big play vs. the blitz to play the corners off despite man to man responsibility. As mentioned earlier Walls, Blanton, McNeil, and Gray seem much better and more comfortable playing press/bump n run. Although there is perceived risk doing that, as a QB I don't mind a blitz when I see 6-10 yd cushions. I'll throw the hitch or slant all day long. Press my receivers and your going to make me wait a second longer to read, and potentially sack me.
There is also a continued strategy of in nickel personnel putting Fleming as a DE and KLM inside. KLM seems to be struggling inside, and Fleming does well when pass rushing, but struggles at END against the run. I'd like to see not just one nickel strategy in general for the front four, but one more based on situation and down and distance. Keep Fleming as a DE in nickel if it is 3rd and long definite pass, but maybe not 3rd and 5-6 in case of run for example.
LB: More Teo, and start getting him work as the Mike so Brian Smith can play his more natural Will. I also would love to see Filer get some reps. He stands out on special teams with his athleticism, and I feel the kid just needs a shot. With that in mind it should be a goal to get Poz and McDonald some meaningful reps vs. Purdue and see if there is a "gamer" in the bunch.
How MSU was successful: There success in the run game came against ND in their nickel personnel. With Fleming at DE and KLM inside and Sergio Brown in for a LB, MSU picked up their biggest gains against this look. ND should look to have a more run personnel nickel group as well as a pass personnel nickel group because other teams will try this as well.
Their success in the pass game was largely a result of max protect, taking advantage of cushions, and hoping a guy misses a tackle and getting a big gain after (which they did twice). There was also the HB pass which factored into the pass stats. What you did not see was five step drops and long developing routes. Their pass game was designed to get the ball out quick and max protect. They also did well on play action a few times where the LB's bit hard.
Lastly, their offensive line used very tight splits. That makes it even more difficult to get a blitz through inside. Very good gameplan by MSU.
Limit penalties, adjust some personnel packages and coverages and this defense CAN reach it's potential.
GO IRISH!