Defensive Discussions

Okay that's old stuff and I can't remember what I ate earlier let alone defensive calls from 2022. What's the scheme issue with our current defense?

 

same thing that plagued us then scheme wise, as i explained above, is the same now

so what’s your thesis on it since i shared mine

 

Almost every scheme can work if it fits the players and the coaches call the right plays at the right time.

We play 2 high safety when they may as well not exist in the run game and stink in the pass game.

We stick with 2 high on short yardage (4th down included) and are willing to go 6v9 in the box.

 

I agree relative to short yardage, we seemingly just give up in those situations sometimes. The safeties sucking is not a scheme problem. They're not being asked to do anything exotic, something wrong with the coaching there because they just don't do what they're supposed to do. There's no scheme you can run that doesn't require a modicum of decent safety play.

 

Also, stop trying to do too much on the safety blitz and blitzing in general. Stop trying to be exotic and crowd the LOS and send the damn house. I’d rather be beaten on a quick pass beating the blitz then sending a safety from 10+ yards out, who’s not even being aggressive when he does blitz, and we’re beaten for a LONG pass play.

 

They are not effective because they are running a 5k before breaking the line of scrimmage.

 

Our defense has been “offensive” for 5 seasons running now. I believe it’s all about effort, we have the talent but these guys haven’t been trying hard enough or they just don’t care.

 

only blitz’s should be coming from a short path -such as the nickel back blitzing if slot is lined up tight to the formation.

safety blitz from 20 yards is dumb.

 

Playing 2 high safeties when your safeties are a huge weakness is a scheme problem. Part of scheme is doing something that suits your players

 

Culpepper came in as a freshman at 250, but he was 275 as a senior DT. I know as I was interning in the strength complex that summer. He was also the strongest player on the team in leg press and squats and one of the strongest in the bench press at right at 500 pounds. We had a true freshman LB/FB from Jax area I believe that came in benching 510 pounds. I forget his name but I remember Erict Rhett’s reaction when he benched that amount, but I can’t repeat it here. Lol.

 

Don’t want to link other Gator sites but this portion of an article is telling

332 safeties played at least 400 snaps in 2023. Who made the conscious choice to grab one who had the 30th most missed tackles in the country among safeties in 2023, has made a choice to make him the Gator with the 4th most snaps on defense in 2024, then has a Pikachu-shocked face when he has the second most missed tackles in the country in 2024?

 

G…absolutely agree with Brad’s strength. He benched 400 in high school at 245. Excellent.His ability to hold his ground was spectacular. You may know better, but I never saw one roster, in any publication that had him higher than 255. Whatever he weighed, he was one fine dt.
Small point. We concur on our admiration of Brad.
His expedition with his dad and one other on a boat in the Gulf of Mexico, which sank, is another amazing story.
Go Gators.

kudos on the correction. First hand knowledge appreciated. Share anything you can recall. Thx
Stevo

 

Yeah, that was an incredible story of his and saving his dad. Agreed, whatever his weight, he was a beast at DT, strong, quick, powerful, smart and had a motor. I’m certain he was 275 or slightly above his senior year weigh in as I was there and recording the weights and was pleasantly surprised that he was that big. He looked every bit of it too as he was only 6’2 to 6’3 and thick in the upper body. Ellis Johnson was our best DT in program history to me, Big Money Gerard Warren and Brad Culpepper, McCoy, along with a couple from the Meyer years were right up there too imo. Been a while it seems since we’ve had a dominant one.
Cheers Stevo!

 

BTW, Tom Kelso was our strength coach that year. Most probably don’t remember him.

 

Hard to believe McCoy and culpepper played together. I remember Tony being suspended in 1990. It was a huge deal when he came back. Ellis Johnson was a wrecking machine.

 

Ok..right there you proved you have excellent recollection and understand. Beyond so many.
You named the cream of the crop..Ellis Johnson.
Story goes, back in the day, a pro scout was on campus looking at the young defenders. He was asked who thought was our very best defender, suggesting he was here to look at Carter. The scout said Carter was very very good but Ellis was even better. Something like that.
My daughter graduated in 2002 and worked as a bartender downtown part time while attending. She mentioned Big Money several times as being a pleasant person as well. His talent was beyond question also.
Excellent thoughts. Very very knowledgeable you are.
Kudos.

 

In my era of watching gator football as just a spectator at DT it’s Ellis, culpepper, ed Chester, big money, McDonald, Marcus Thomas, sharif, Easley, Bullard, and to me it stops at him as far as disrupters. Not in any particular order and across different techniques. You could throw in McGrew. Not sure if that 08 team had a dominant dt just solid.

 

Who remembers Tony McCoy doing the huge gator chomps after making a sack or a big stop in the backfield? It used to get the crowd so jacked. I was on low on the 35 or so when we beat Alabama 35-0. What a night!

 

Our safeties are quite simply afraid of contact. Losing Asa Turner was a big blow. Douglas and Castell are just lost out there, slow to react, afraid of contact and can't tackle a lick. If you can't tackle at least hit someone.

I've never seen such poor safety play. We need to go get Louis Oliver in here and explain to them how to play safety.