My snowflake thread on the DEFENSE

[AUcane]

They did fine last night before they got mentally and physically fatigued. It's ridiculous to think they were going to hold fsu to 24 pts or something. The only area where they needed to be a lot better was in the red zone. We're playing a style of defense set up to stop teams in the red zone. If we dont do that we are screwed.

I dont anticipate much changing if we're being realistic. If I could initiate one change it would be to start playing the pass rush line before third down. If a team runs on 1st and 10 and gets 0, they are throwing. If your best pass d features that undersized line, get them out there. Stop being so robotic about it. These are the little things we can actually change in a week.

What drove me crazy about the game - the 3rd quarter was the momentum changer. Prior to that, guys like McCord and AQM were doing a decent job moving the pocket around and forcing Winston to run around a bit. so, what did Donofrio do the 3rd quarter (the pivotal quarter)? He sat them for the ENTIRE quarter.

 

[The Franchise]

Great post. The D did about what any reasonable person would have expected giving the glaring holes in all three levels of the D (51, 59, 31, 30, and others who didn't even really play against fsu). They're better than we are at too many positions, and we left points on the field that could have helped us keep momentum. You could see us sag and pretty much give in at some point late in the 3rd quarter. That's football. In every game, one team will eventually give in.

 

[NateDogg]

for our defense to go from 'bend dont break' to elite will require the ability to pressure the QB with 4 rushers consistently. Saturday night is an example of what happens when you get pressure vs when you dont get pressure. It would be impossible to expect that you can ransack the o-line every single down but even if we had 5-6 more instances of pressure onobvious passing downs saturday night it could have been a totally different game. Dan's post basically sums it up, the room for error with our current roster is basically zero. Look at the OP above and clearly we didn't get any elite defensive talents from 2009-2011 (save for perryman). the fact that our defense has somehow been able to hold the fort is actually amazing to me. Especially gven the fact that our offense has underperformed AND put the defense in tough spots all year.

It makes me sick that some people on here actually think we got out coached on saturday. Really? In big time college football when two well coached teams go against eachother the difference will come down to execution but even more so TALENT. This isn't to make an excuse, it's just facts. FSU has more talent than we do right now and we will need to play near perfect to beat them as currently constructed. Nobody wants to hear that, including myself, but that's just the way it is.

We all want wins and dont really give a f*ck about much else, but take a minute to look at everything...Golden has basically had to go up against unprecedented hurdles to put together recruiting classes worthy of a hurricane program. If he was able to do what he did in '12 and '13, imagine what we will be looking at 2-3 years from now.

Enjoy the journey fellas, it will make it that much sweeter when we finally make it back to the top for good.

2015 will be our year and it will be poetic justice with duke's class leading us as seniors.

 

[WhatTheHell]

We're in year three now. People citing talent deficiency as a reason for the defenses display of f.aggotness have to be ready to start pointing the finger at Golden. It's not like he just got here.

 

[supacane]

You guys patting each other on the back....be like FSU is just better man, soon we'll be ok. Pssht....yeah they are better. But don't act like we don't get tore up by mediocre teams as well. Thats why we were 21 points underdogs. Our defense did nothing except get two picks. FSU marched up and down the field. No matter how goodthey are thats amazing. But hey keep telling yourself there was nothing we could do. With mindset on this board we were defeated before the game started.

 

[Coach Macho]

Perryman owned the Florida game and is by far our best tackler. We're already screwed next year at linebacker because of Paul, EJ, Terry being goons. Who the **** would replace Perryman? Jermaine Grace? Sorry, that's not comforting.

Other than the FF against Florida has he done anything that makes you say "man we're gonna miss that next year"?

 

[NateDogg]

Perryman owned the Florida game and is by far our best tackler. We're already screwed next year at linebacker because of Paul, EJ, Terry being goons. Who the **** would replace Perryman? Jermaine Grace? Sorry, that's not comforting.

paul, EJ, and terry def scewed us, no question. not sure if you've noticed grace in on ST but the other night I saw him jawing with an FSU player and he looks like he might have added 15 lbs. Seeing the growth mentally of guys like crawford, howard, and jenkins makes me think grace will be more than just a contributor next year.

 

[rok]

Perryman owned the Florida game and is by far our best tackler. We're already screwed next year at linebacker because of Paul, EJ, Terry being goons. Who the **** would replace Perryman? Jermaine Grace? Sorry, that's not comforting.

Other than the FF against Florida has he done anything that makes you say "man we're gonna miss that next year"?

Yes. He's our leading tackler and he stands out because he plays 10x faster than the guys next to him (Gaines). I think he could definitely get better, but we're not in a position to be able to absorb him leaving. We have zero depth at linebacker if he leaves.

Who am I missing?

Figueroa
Kirby
Armbrister
Grace
Blue
Young
McCray

 

[NateDogg]

We're in year three now. People citing talent deficiency as a reason for the defenses display of f.aggotness have to be ready to start pointing the finger at Golden. It's not like he just got here.

hes had 2 classes, and only one in which he could cite 2 self imposed bowl bans as a reason for recruits to look away fom the ncaa mess...not really sure how you can knock him for not bringing in enough talent in 2011, and it wouldnt be ralistic to expect much more of a contribution than we've gotten from the '13 class...that leaves him with one class of guys which are all in their second year, not to mention self imposed scholly reductions which causes depth problems as well.

 

[AUcane]

Athletically, I really like the Kirby/Figs/Thurston trio. All 3 guys can run and they are all over 230. Kirby and Figs both are your physical types that can be close to 234-240 by next fall and Thurston is your classic lanky Will backer who can run. After those guys, gotta hope someone like Grace or Blue steps up to be a solid reserve.

 

[LuCane]

The jump from 116 to 40-50 or so (where I think we'll end up) was expected by a decent group here. We talked about it offline quite a bit. The big thing will be the jump from our current range to a top 10 defense. That means opposing offenses adjust to us. What will it take for that to happen?

IMO, it will need:

Someone like Chickillo who can hold the edge, but also rush the passer.
Same for Shayon Green.
Someone like Renfro or Porter who can play NT, but absolutely demand a double team that he actually stalemates. I watched Renfro lose some 1 on 1 battles on Saturday.
Someone like Mccord/AQM, but with the ability to play multiple downs.
Someone at Safety who can make the play Highsmith missed against Benjamin. Which means a natural Safety who understands an angle and cuts that ball off, since it was filtered to that Safety zone anyway.

Looking at our roster, next year might be too soon.

Chad Thomas is that guy we're hoping is the more dynamic version of Chickillo. But, can Chickillo give us something closer in his senior year?
Mccord or AQM absolutely have to grow into guys who can set the edge + make plays.
Demetrius Jackson, Mike Smith and one of the other incoming Frosh have to grow into specialists QUICKLY.
Deon Bush and Jamal Carter have to develop immediately. We also need to recruit a true Safety or someone who can be molded into one. It's South Florida. IMO, I think you can grab any of 12 athletes down here and lock them into a film room to teach them what they need to do in our coverages.

Sure, depth is going to help. What we really need are more dynamic starters, though.

 

[Canesfan1899]

The jump from 116 to 40-50 or so (where I think we'll end up) was expected by a decent group here. We talked about it offline quite a bit. The big thing will be the jump from our current range to a top 10 defense. That means opposing offenses adjust to us. What will it take for that to happen?

IMO, it will need:

Someone like Chickillo who can hold the edge, but also rush the passer.
Same for Shayon Green.
Someone like Renfro or Porter who can play NT, but absolutely demand a double team that he actually stalemates. I watched Renfro lose some 1 on 1 battles on Saturday.
Someone like Mccord/AQM, but with the ability to play multiple downs.
Someone at Safety who can make the play Highsmith missed against Benjamin. Which means a natural Safety who understands an angle and cuts that ball off, since it was filtered to that Safety zone anyway.

Looking at our roster, next year might be too soon.

Chad Thomas is that guy we're hoping is the more dynamic version of Chickillo. But, can Chickillo give us something closer in his senior year?
Mccord or AQM absolutely have to grow into guys who can set the edge + make plays.
Demetrius Jackson, Mike Smith and one of the other incoming Frosh have to grow into specialists QUICKLY.
Deon Bush and Jamal Carter have to develop immediately. We also need to recruit a true Safety or someone who can be molded into one. It's South Florida. IMO, I think you can grab any of 12 athletes down here and lock them into a film room to teach them what they need to do in our coverages.

Sure, depth is going to help. What we really need are more dynamic starters, though.

We need to scour the earth for a S that can contribute right away next year, would be nice if that guy were on the roster and I believe Carter can develop and Bush can make the jumpo when healthy, but would love to see a JUCO come in and push these guys.

 

[NateDogg]

The jump from 116 to 40-50 or so (where I think we'll end up) was expected by a decent group here. We talked about it offline quite a bit. The big thing will be the jump from our current range to a top 10 defense. That means opposing offenses adjust to us. What will it take for that to happen?

IMO, it will need:

Someone like Chickillo who can hold the edge, but also rush the passer.
Same for Shayon Green.
Someone like Renfro or Porter who can play NT, but absolutely demand a double team that he actually stalemates. I watched Renfro lose some 1 on 1 battles on Saturday.
Someone like Mccord/AQM, but with the ability to play multiple downs.
Someone at Safety who can make the play Highsmith missed against Benjamin. Which means a natural Safety who understands an angle and cuts that ball off, since it was filtered to that Safety zone anyway.

Looking at our roster, next year might be too soon.

Chad Thomas is that guy we're hoping is the more dynamic version of Chickillo. But, can Chickillo give us something closer in his senior year?
Mccord or AQM absolutely have to grow into guys who can set the edge + make plays.
Demetrius Jackson, Mike Smith and one of the other incoming Frosh have to grow into specialists QUICKLY.
Deon Bush and Jamal Carter have to develop immediately. We also need to recruit a true Safety or someone who can be molded into one. It's South Florida. IMO, I think you can grab any of 12 athletes down here and lock them into a film room to teach them what they need to do in our coverages.

Sure, depth is going to help. What we really need are more dynamic starters, though.

2015, our year

 

[drifters1234]

We had guys in position in the first half, but just did not finish the plays. There is absolutely no excuse for Highsmith giving up that pass in cover 2. That is as bad as Kacy Rodgers's brain lapse last year.

But, FSU made some spectacular plays. Winston killed us on a few third downs escaping out of the pocket. Those were daggers. And Benjamin made a fantastic catch. Their guys stepped up.

Eventually, our defense was too fatigued, and it was over.

 

[skyman]

One thing that is scary is we are thin at Safety next year and a injury like Deon this year could have us playing someone worse than Highsmith in a game like this. It shouldnt be hard to recruit a true safety to miami. With all the guys we have committed I dont see a true cant miss safety on the list. We need a couple guys to come in ready.


Could you imagine us trotting out Fentress against FSU. I know you guys love him and all but against the big boys that would not be pretty

 

[AUcane]

The jump from 116 to 40-50 or so (where I think we'll end up) was expected by a decent group here. We talked about it offline quite a bit. The big thing will be the jump from our current range to a top 10 defense. That means opposing offenses adjust to us. What will it take for that to happen?

IMO, it will need:

Someone like Chickillo who can hold the edge, but also rush the passer.
Same for Shayon Green.
Someone like Renfro or Porter who can play NT, but absolutely demand a double team that he actually stalemates. I watched Renfro lose some 1 on 1 battles on Saturday.
Someone like Mccord/AQM, but with the ability to play multiple downs.
Someone at Safety who can make the play Highsmith missed against Benjamin. Which means a natural Safety who understands an angle and cuts that ball off, since it was filtered to that Safety zone anyway.

Looking at our roster, next year might be too soon.

Chad Thomas is that guy we're hoping is the more dynamic version of Chickillo. But, can Chickillo give us something closer in his senior year?
Mccord or AQM absolutely have to grow into guys who can set the edge + make plays.
Demetrius Jackson, Mike Smith and one of the other incoming Frosh have to grow into specialists QUICKLY.
Deon Bush and Jamal Carter have to develop immediately. We also need to recruit a true Safety or someone who can be molded into one. It's South Florida. IMO, I think you can grab any of 12 athletes down here and lock them into a film room to teach them what they need to do in our coverages.

Sure, depth is going to help. What we really need are more dynamic starters, though.

Need AQM and McCord at 250 next August. I think that's realistic. I think Thomas can play some spot duty as well next year. He's already 240, IIRC. Would be terrific if he can be at 250+ by august as well.

 

[Canesfan1899]

One thing that is scary is we are thin at Safety next year and a injury like Deon this year could have us playing someone worse than Highsmith in a game like this. It shouldnt be hard to recruit a true safety to miami. With all the guys we have committed I dont see a true cant miss safety on the list. We need a couple guys to come in ready.


Could you imagine us trotting out Fentress against FSU. I know you guys love him and all but against the big boys that would not be pretty

At least Fentress would have tried to hit Benjamin on that play, but agree with your point.

 

[sebastian91]

We're in year three now. People citing talent deficiency as a reason for the defenses display of f.aggotness have to be ready to start pointing the finger at Golden. It's not like he just got here.

One CB on the roster. No depth at LB, S, or DL. One committed recruit. Two months to scrape together a class before signing day. NCAA hammer drops within days of being hired. Yeah, point the finger at Golden.

 

[sebastian91]

You guys patting each other on the back....be like FSU is just better man, soon we'll be ok. Pssht....yeah they are better. But don't act like we don't get tore up by mediocre teams as well. Thats why we were 21 points underdogs. Our defense did nothing except get two picks. FSU marched up and down the field. No matter how goodthey are thats amazing. But hey keep telling yourself there was nothing we could do. With mindset on this board we were defeated before the game started.

Ever consider that, based on the current roster, we are also a mediocre team???

 

[supacane]

You guys patting each other on the back....be like FSU is just better man, soon we'll be ok. Pssht....yeah they are better. But don't act like we don't get tore up by mediocre teams as well. Thats why we were 21 points underdogs. Our defense did nothing except get two picks. FSU marched up and down the field. No matter how goodthey are thats amazing. But hey keep telling yourself there was nothing we could do. With mindset on this board we were defeated before the game started.

Ever consider that, based on the current roster, we are also a mediocre team???

Absolutely not. Not as good as FSU but we are better than how we played against them the first half suggest that, and better than every team on our schedule other than them. You can be the nail or the hammer. We chose to be the nail. Why play the game if we are gonna say its ok to lose because they are better than us? Execution beats talent sometimes. And we are not that bare of talent where we couldn't make it a decent game by executing a decent game plan. I know the concept is hard to grasp because only the team with the best players win all the time apparently.