EWU GNFP Defense

Cliff's Notes coming.

Lots of good news this week!

• 81 total players (not just on D, that would be like a record or something)
• Hill back but appears to be doubtful about his knee still. Makes some compensatory steps to avoid hard plants that he'll need to be elite, but was still in generally good places.
• Cover 3 has been a year-long struggle. Too many times the edge guys just bail, which is not the idea unless there is indeed a last 1/3 threat. More examples this week of a single receiver getting 8-10 yards and hard backpedals despite being the only guy even close. Cover 3 needs to be played a lot tighter.
• BCox continues to put good stuff on film, including making plays that were clearly designed to catch him over-pursuing and DTM (doing too much) but he sees them and blows them up on the reg.
• Kamari had some struggles, mainly from just the amped up speed of the college game. But he also flashes understanding and it simply takes time to leave HS behind.
• Good example of Cox, Dexter, and Hill executing an edge hold perfectly.
• Burney shows why he gets to play by making some top-level athletic plays this week.
• Scooby getting better on each film.
• McClellan and Mitchell work out a nice FF and recovery.
• Early 4th down shows all 11 guys DOING THEIR JOBS.
• Princely and Sapp combine for a FF, but then screw up a scoop and score when Princely basically slaps the ball away from Sapp. But good example of "city and country" as Princely likely felt it was city since he was engaged with an OL also reaching out while Sapp had the big puppy dog eyes thinking he was all alone in the country and gonna be on SportsCenter.
• D Moore sums up FLA young guys (my paraphrase.) On a 3rd and 14 in Cover 3 (see above), he does NOT just bail hard, he stays home and watches the short route, the proper idea. However, he also doesn't play the situation (14 yards) and takes the cheese on a hesitation move. He pays the price with a TD over his head. But he also slams the ground. Perhaps he knew on the spot that it was silly to play so hard on the 6 yard route in that situation. But at least he didn't just give the 14 with a hard bail, as we seem to do far too often.
• Wilcoxson had a mixed day, one example of pretty much perfect coverage, one getting twisted up and got lucky with a TD drop behind him. But he's also playing lots of tight slot, while he's really a S. So it's a tough ask for him right now.
• Another negative trend all year: all back-end coverage abandons the middle (that part is OK, that's where the coverage is), but DL also abandons the middle and QB's savage up the gut for chunks (a TD in this case.) DL has to sacrifice all the fancy edge stuff when the coverage is predictably leaving the middle of the field.

It was EWU, so can't get too excited. However, offense is their strength and at their level it's legit. Their QB can sling it. LOTS of guys playing. Diwun getting some good reps on film. Young guys seem to be improving technique and concept. Scooby, Kamari, Hill, McClellan, Moore, and others getting big reps, learning lessons, but also making progress. The mistakes they make are understandable as they get schooled at the big boy level. Obviously still plenty of mistakes, but this week's won't make you want to give up on life.