Warning: another long post from me...but I just wanted to clarify a few things on some defensive topics that keep coming up
a) 4-2-5 Scheme: this is essentially a 4-3 out of nickel personnel. It gives you the flexibility to play man or zone without having to switch personnel groupings. Switching personnel groupings tips your hand to the offense because you're much less likely to put a sam or will linebacker in man-to-man coverage on a slot receiver. So stop blaming the 4-2-5, because it's not the issue.
However, we do need more linebackers (particularly sam linebackers that can hold the point of attack on the strong side, take on lead blockers, and effectively set the edge...but are also decent enough in coverage to matchup with a tight end release or quickly expand into coverage windows on the outside). That would give us the flexibility to be multiple in our fronts and play some base 4-3 against run-first prostyle offenses and spread / option teams like GT and Louisville that prefer to run the ball, whereas the 4-2-5 is theoretically better against spread teams like Ole Miss that favor the pass.
Marcus Lewis and Javeon Elliot aren't good enough run defenders to be down in the box setting the edge. This is why our short yardage and goal line defense has been so poor. Teams are absolutely gutting us off tackle and going right at those guys. And it's not their fault either -- they're not built to be taking on kick-out blocks from 300 lb. lineman with a full head of steam. Case in point when Marcus Lewis ran upfield and around that block on the goal line allowing Jackson to waltz right into the end zone. That defender needs to be able to attack the kick-out block head on and spill the ball to the outside so that the safety and corner can rally to make the play.
b) Scheme vs Execution: I see a ton of posts complaining about Kelly's scheme. Again, scheme is part of the problem but execution is a much bigger problem. For example, there was one play I remember when we brought Lewis on a blitz in man coverage, and the RB ran a flare to his side. Jackson dumped it to the RB for a huge gain. Well, one of the first things you should be taught as an edge blitzer in man coverage is that when a back releases on a route to your side, you have to abort the rush and peel off to cover that guy, otherwise he'll be left wide open. It's just basic football. That play wasn't a scheme issue, it was entirely an execution problem.
The main problem with scheme right now is a direct result of poor execution -- here's what I mean by that: it's clear to anyone watching these games that our defenders are repeatedly confused, tentative, not on the same page, etc. So since we're obviously not doing a good enough job coaching and executing our responsibilities, the defensive coaching staff needs to recognize this and dramatically simplify the play book. We need to run super basic, vanilla schemes until our defenders get comfortable with their understanding of pre-snap calls, formation / motion checks, alignments, run gap responsibilities, coverage responsibilities and post-snap reads. Once we have those fundamentals down, then we can start expanding the playbook with more creative pressures and coverages.
I mentioned this before the Louisville game and got mostly negative responses when I said Derwin getting injured could potentially be a good thing for this defense if it means Kelly simplifies what he's doing and just lets our guys play (Kelly didn't do that so missing Derwin was obviously a huge blow). But anyway, the reason why I said that is because moving Derwin all around the field means all the DBs need to know each others positions to fill in for Derwin when he moves around between Star, SS, FS, WDE, etc. And the result of all that cross training with young DBs has been a huge failure. Yes, it benefits Derwin because he's amazing, but everyone else suffers. It's the old "if you know a tiny bit about everything, then you don't REALLY know anything." We need to become experts at our primary positions and responsibilities before we start moving players all over the field and overloading guys with information. What we were doing with Derwin is something you should only do with a very experienced secondary.
c) Players vs Coaching: I also see a good amount of posts saying our players aren't being aggressive enough on defense and they need to step it up. Well, when you're unsure about the correct calls and your particular responsibilities, it's really difficult to play fast and aggressive. You're not confident in what you're supposed to be doing, so you don't trust your reads and end up being a step or two late to everything.
Additionally, in 2014 and 2015 I kept giving the defensive coaching staff the benefit of the doubt when players were out of position, didn't maintain gap integrity and blew assignments in coverage. Well after three years, it's no longer on the players. That's more than enough time to be able to get guys to understand their responsibilities. And if someone still doesn't get it after three years, you have no choice but to play someone else in front of them, no matter how talented they might be.
The "do your job" mantra is used so frequently for a reason -- its the single most important thing when it comes to defense. We look like a high school defense out there...with guys running all over the field trying to make tackles on plays they have no business trying to make. And it's not just a few guys here and there doing that, its a systematic issue across the board. Which means players aren't being held accountable for trying to make plays that aren't theirs to make. If you start benching guys for getting selfish and ignoring their gap responsibilities, in order to be the one who makes the tackle and gets that five second camera close up, then I'm pretty sure guys will stop doing that.
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There were a few more things I wanted to tackle but I'm running out of steam. I don't know if I'm just rehashing old points or helping to clarify at this point, but I just needed to vent. Very frustrated watching this defense over the last few years. And also very expensive when I keep taking unders because we're a talented group and guys keep saying things like, "this could be the best FSU defense ever."
a) 4-2-5 Scheme: this is essentially a 4-3 out of nickel personnel. It gives you the flexibility to play man or zone without having to switch personnel groupings. Switching personnel groupings tips your hand to the offense because you're much less likely to put a sam or will linebacker in man-to-man coverage on a slot receiver. So stop blaming the 4-2-5, because it's not the issue.
However, we do need more linebackers (particularly sam linebackers that can hold the point of attack on the strong side, take on lead blockers, and effectively set the edge...but are also decent enough in coverage to matchup with a tight end release or quickly expand into coverage windows on the outside). That would give us the flexibility to be multiple in our fronts and play some base 4-3 against run-first prostyle offenses and spread / option teams like GT and Louisville that prefer to run the ball, whereas the 4-2-5 is theoretically better against spread teams like Ole Miss that favor the pass.
Marcus Lewis and Javeon Elliot aren't good enough run defenders to be down in the box setting the edge. This is why our short yardage and goal line defense has been so poor. Teams are absolutely gutting us off tackle and going right at those guys. And it's not their fault either -- they're not built to be taking on kick-out blocks from 300 lb. lineman with a full head of steam. Case in point when Marcus Lewis ran upfield and around that block on the goal line allowing Jackson to waltz right into the end zone. That defender needs to be able to attack the kick-out block head on and spill the ball to the outside so that the safety and corner can rally to make the play.
b) Scheme vs Execution: I see a ton of posts complaining about Kelly's scheme. Again, scheme is part of the problem but execution is a much bigger problem. For example, there was one play I remember when we brought Lewis on a blitz in man coverage, and the RB ran a flare to his side. Jackson dumped it to the RB for a huge gain. Well, one of the first things you should be taught as an edge blitzer in man coverage is that when a back releases on a route to your side, you have to abort the rush and peel off to cover that guy, otherwise he'll be left wide open. It's just basic football. That play wasn't a scheme issue, it was entirely an execution problem.
The main problem with scheme right now is a direct result of poor execution -- here's what I mean by that: it's clear to anyone watching these games that our defenders are repeatedly confused, tentative, not on the same page, etc. So since we're obviously not doing a good enough job coaching and executing our responsibilities, the defensive coaching staff needs to recognize this and dramatically simplify the play book. We need to run super basic, vanilla schemes until our defenders get comfortable with their understanding of pre-snap calls, formation / motion checks, alignments, run gap responsibilities, coverage responsibilities and post-snap reads. Once we have those fundamentals down, then we can start expanding the playbook with more creative pressures and coverages.
I mentioned this before the Louisville game and got mostly negative responses when I said Derwin getting injured could potentially be a good thing for this defense if it means Kelly simplifies what he's doing and just lets our guys play (Kelly didn't do that so missing Derwin was obviously a huge blow). But anyway, the reason why I said that is because moving Derwin all around the field means all the DBs need to know each others positions to fill in for Derwin when he moves around between Star, SS, FS, WDE, etc. And the result of all that cross training with young DBs has been a huge failure. Yes, it benefits Derwin because he's amazing, but everyone else suffers. It's the old "if you know a tiny bit about everything, then you don't REALLY know anything." We need to become experts at our primary positions and responsibilities before we start moving players all over the field and overloading guys with information. What we were doing with Derwin is something you should only do with a very experienced secondary.
c) Players vs Coaching: I also see a good amount of posts saying our players aren't being aggressive enough on defense and they need to step it up. Well, when you're unsure about the correct calls and your particular responsibilities, it's really difficult to play fast and aggressive. You're not confident in what you're supposed to be doing, so you don't trust your reads and end up being a step or two late to everything.
Additionally, in 2014 and 2015 I kept giving the defensive coaching staff the benefit of the doubt when players were out of position, didn't maintain gap integrity and blew assignments in coverage. Well after three years, it's no longer on the players. That's more than enough time to be able to get guys to understand their responsibilities. And if someone still doesn't get it after three years, you have no choice but to play someone else in front of them, no matter how talented they might be.
The "do your job" mantra is used so frequently for a reason -- its the single most important thing when it comes to defense. We look like a high school defense out there...with guys running all over the field trying to make tackles on plays they have no business trying to make. And it's not just a few guys here and there doing that, its a systematic issue across the board. Which means players aren't being held accountable for trying to make plays that aren't theirs to make. If you start benching guys for getting selfish and ignoring their gap responsibilities, in order to be the one who makes the tackle and gets that five second camera close up, then I'm pretty sure guys will stop doing that.
-----
There were a few more things I wanted to tackle but I'm running out of steam. I don't know if I'm just rehashing old points or helping to clarify at this point, but I just needed to vent. Very frustrated watching this defense over the last few years. And also very expensive when I keep taking unders because we're a talented group and guys keep saying things like, "this could be the best FSU defense ever."
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