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Ditch the 3-4

They're delayed blitzes coming behind an undersized line. We would automatically get more pressure by just putting Wilber on the edge and rushing him non-stop.
 
Ball State Deac said:
Guys, we could run 9-2 or a 2-9 but bottom line, we lack elite speed at a lot of spots right now.
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Speed is probably the one thing we do have sufficiently on defense (offense, too). We're far more lacking in size and overall skill.
 
We do not have good speed through the front 7. We are faster when Jackson and Olsen are in the game, but neither of them have elite speed. Whitlock and maybe Wilbur are the only other guys with much speed. That having been said, I would be surprised if Wilbur breaks 4.8 at the combine.

People think we are fast because we are small, but that isn't the case.
 
PhDeac said:
Go back to the 2nd half of the FSU game. We basically ran a 4-3 that game. Whitlock and Wilbur pinned their ears back and went all out at the QB and it worked well. I don't know why we went away from that.
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That was probably Wilber's best game of the season. He is a (damn good) pass rusher, not an OLB.
 
You have to think about Wilbur in the context of the entire defense though. He might be a great pass rusher, but he is also a good cover guy. If we let him simply rush the passer, we are exposed in other areas where our talent may not be able to compensate.

And no DE, no matter how good, is going to get to the QB every time.
 
DeaconSig said:
We do not have good speed through the front 7. We are faster when Jackson and Olsen are in the game, but neither of them have elite speed. Whitlock and maybe Wilbur are the only other guys with much speed. That having been said, I would be surprised if Wilbur breaks 4.8 at the combine.

People think we are fast because we are small, but that isn't the case.
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I usually agree with most everything you say but the speed comments are off imo.

Jackson and Mike don't have elite speed? I just reviewed the season and was most impressed with how fast Mike got to the ball and with bad intent. He takes crappy angles at times (less and less as he improved thru the year)but he's a damn fast inside linebacker. I'd say he's a 4.75 guy with a 37" vertical and a great frame - He will be a 6'3-245 Ohio State styled LB by the time he graduates.

Justin is a 4.5 kid with more speed in those wheels. He's built like a younger Nate Irving and I look forward to another off-season of iron for that guy.

Ziggy Allen is 6'2 and 235 and is clearly a faster athlete than Aaron Curry -- just look at his camp highlights from Nike Oregon where he matched Nukeese Richardson touchdown for touchdown as a WR. Zachary is a little more raw than I expected and has some serious S&C work ahead of him but that guy is an elite prospect (with this staff coaching him).

Duran Lowe is the modern Deac equivalent of Caron Bracy (better build) and a former star RB who can swing to OLB in a pinch if we go "Auburn style". 5'11 and 215 he made multiple recovery plays where he matched opposition WR's.

Josh Hunt and Andre Wiggins enter the mix as young LB's both around 6'2 and 225 who can run in the 4.55-4.65 range.
 
Lectro said:
Disagree on the run stop comments. He can get swallowed up or moved but he also makes some great stops in the backfield which is why he ranks around 25th in the nation in TFL's. Those tfl's are of running backs.
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Nakita can get in the backfield and make tackles for losses but he cannot hold the line of scrimmage on short yardage plays at all due to giving up 50-70 lbs. He gets thrown backwards almost every time. I recall a short yardage play this year where he literally got pancaked by a center. You don't see that every day. A 4-3 with a big DT would be so much better. It would allow Nakita to use his strength and rush more..and we wouldn't have a huge hole up the middle on short yardage. The one big question is do we have a big DT that can plug the hole up the middle...A small NT in a 3-4 makes about as much sense as Wake running short yardage plays on offense out of the shotgun.
 
ralphkitleyrules said:
Nakita can get in the backfield and make tackles for losses but he cannot hold the line of scrimmage on short yardage plays at all due to giving up 50-70 lbs. He gets thrown backwards almost every time. I recall a short yardage play this year where he literally got pancaked by a center. You don't see that every day. A 4-3 with a big DT would be so much better. It would allow Nakita to use his strength and rush more..and we wouldn't have a huge hole up the middle on short yardage. The one big question is do we have a big DT that can plug the hole up the middle...A small NT in a 3-4 makes about as much sense as Wake running short yardage plays on offense out of the shotgun.
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I dont disagree... I would, however, like to give Nikita the benefit of the doubt and allow him another year of S&C. He may be able to hit 270 on his 5'9.5 frame. He'll still need help in short yardage but lets see what areas he's able to improve. He is an exceptionally strong guy (440 Bench/575 squat) and supreme competitor so I see him getting better in all phases of his game as he gets even thicker and stronger.
 
Lectro said:
I dont disagree... I would, however, like to give Nikita the benefit of the doubt and allow him another year of S&C. He may be able to hit 270 on his 5'9.5 frame. He'll still need help in short yardage but lets see what areas he's able to improve. He is an exceptionally strong guy (440 Bench/575 squat) and supreme competitor so I see him getting better in all phases of his game as he gets even thicker and stronger.
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Lec, what's your opinion on what defense we should be in, 4-3 or 3-4?
 
liveanddiedeac said:
Lec, what's your opinion on what defense we should be in, 4-3 or 3-4?
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Well, it is a tough one because we have lots of numbers at LB.

The problem, in my eyes, is how do you keep Sheldon Lewinson off the field?

In a 4-3 you would have:

DE Zach Thompson 6'5-270 RS JR

DT Sheldon Lewinson 6'2.5 - 270 Rookie
DT Nikita Whitlock 5'9.5 - 270 RS JR

DE Kris Redding 6'4-270 RS JR

OLB Zachary Allen 6'2-242 RS Soph
MLB Mike Olson 6'3.5-240 RS JR
OLB Justin Jackson 6'1-230 RS JR
 
How about we run both. 4 DL in obvious running situations, 3 DL in obvious passing situations. You know, like teams with competent coaching staffs do. The whole "base defense" thing is overrated in college when you have 85 kids on scholarships.
 
BillBrasky said:
How about we run both. 4 DL in obvious running situations, 3 DL in obvious passing situations. You know, like teams with competent coaching staffs do. The whole "base defense" thing is overrated in college when you have 85 kids on scholarships.
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I agree with this. We can have a special package with either base we run. We have smart kids...they can handle it.
 
Lectro said:
I agree with this. We can have a special package with either base we run. We have smart kids...they can handle it.
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That's what I like as well. We've got several guys that can probably play OLB/D-end. Seems to me we could play some 3-4 looks and 4-3 looks without having to sub in and out personel in a lot of cases. Has Souza and Booi pretty been written off as far as ever having much of an impact at DT for us?
 
Lectro said:
Well, it is a tough one because we have lots of numbers at LB.

The problem, in my eyes, is how do you keep Sheldon Lewinson off the field?

In a 4-3 you would have:

DE Zach Thompson 6'5-270 RS JR

DT Sheldon Lewinson 6'2.5 - 270 Rookie
DT Nikita Whitlock 5'9.5 - 270 RS JR

DE Kris Redding 6'4-270 RS JR

OLB Zachary Allen 6'2-242 RS Soph
MLB Mike Olson 6'3.5-240 RS JR
OLB Justin Jackson 6'1-230 RS JR
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I really like that trio in the 4-3.
 
Lectro said:
Well, it is a tough one because we have lots of numbers at LB.

The problem, in my eyes, is how do you keep Sheldon Lewinson off the field?

In a 4-3 you would have:

DE Zach Thompson 6'5-270 RS JR

DT Sheldon Lewinson 6'2.5 - 270 Rookie
DT Nikita Whitlock 5'9.5 - 270 RS JR

DE Kris Redding 6'4-270 RS JR

OLB Zachary Allen 6'2-242 RS Soph
MLB Mike Olson 6'3.5-240 RS JR
OLB Justin Jackson 6'1-230 RS JR
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No way Ehrmann doesn't start next year.
 
The 3-4 has not been kind to us. Nikita could be outstanding at several positions as well as nose guard, but we apparently don't have the defensive tackles we need to go to the 3-4. I suspect our coaches wish we could.
 
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