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Personnel for a two-gap 3-4 next year

DMoney

DMoney

D-Moni
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Many people (including Wildcat and gogeta) have been saying for a while that Miami would struggle to recruit the big, physical front seven players necessary to run this scheme. We saw that with this year's team. Looking at next year's personnel, the fit will be even worse.

NT- The most important position in this scheme will be the weakest spot on next year's roster. Curtis Porter and Justin Renfrow are gone, and Earl Moore and Corey King are below-average players. Michael Wyche has size but is raw. The other JUCO DTs on the radar (Claude Pelon and Corey Johnson) are explosive, one-gap players. Who starts here?

DE- Olsen Pierre theoretically has the length and size to hold up as a two-gap DE, but he struggled in that role this year. Anthony Chickillo is fine. Jelani Hamilton never developed. Ufomba Kamalu has the body for it but not the technique or leverage. He gets pushed back and makes his plays on athleticism. Anthony Moten played this spot in high school, but the more I watch him the more I see a quick-off-the-ball three technique.

ILB- How effective can you be in a 3-4 when you don't have linebackers? I expect Denzel Perryman to go pro. Raphael Kirby has struggled and has not shown great ability to fight through traffic or get off blockers. Thurston Armbrister may move inside and is Coach D's personal project, but he has played poorly since the UF game. Alex Figueroa could fit inside but is unproven and didn't play there this year. Jermaine Grace is a 205-pound kid that projects best as a 4-3 WILL.

OLB- Shayon Green is no star, but he will be sorely missed as a run-defender. Armbrister played outside this year without distinction. Tyriq McCord is theoretically the guy here, but he looked best when rushing as a down lineman. His lateral movement is lacking and he quite frankly looks subpar as a linebacker. Muhammad also looks better rushing as a down lineman.

I expect Coach D to stay, but I'd be shocked if there aren't major adjustments next year based on personnel alone.
 
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How would FSUs defense play under this scheme? Honest question. Not an X and O guy myself...but they obviously have 5 stars all over that D.
 
We're not going to switch out to a complete 4-3, I think. But, that doesn't mean we can't implement elements. The common misconception throughout our fan base is that we have to play 4-3 or 3-4 and it's one style or another. There are literally dozens of aspects to consider.

Even if we go to a 3-4 scheme or 4-3 under scheme with more one gapping, what will we do behind it? I think a few of us have hammered home that we'd like to see guys like Chick, Pierre, Luther Robinson (gone next year, obviously), etc., in a DL scheme that slants more. But, that can't be done in a vacuum.

Our coaches may be one thing or another, but they're choosing to play this style for a reason. The reason is likely to lessen the big plays. If we just automatically go to an attacking front, we have to adjust behind it as well. And, we have to disguise better. We have to get set quicker. We have to keep our LBs from thinking so much.

We may not have LBs, but I think we have enough talent there in guys like Grace, Figs and Kirby. We're making conclusions on guys like Kirby (or Jelani Hamilton) despite the fact they're out there either thinking or being asked to do things that don't maximize them.

If we see improvement next year, I think it's because we're going to have to adjust what the guys do. Maybe part of it is because they got "better," but I think a lot of it will be because they simply "look" better doing things that fit their skill sets.
 
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We'd have more speed on the field if we switched to the 4-3 IMO.

And Porter is one of our strongest players and still couldn't be a standout in this system. Can't wait to see who we put at that spot next year.

Can't wait to see us sign all these stud D-linemen but not have them contribute until they're Juniors. *sigh*
 
WildcatDefense said:
We'd have more speed on the field if we switched to the 4-3 IMO.

And Porter is one of our strongest players and still couldn't be a standout in this system. Can't wait to see who we put at that spot next year.

Can't wait to see us sign all these stud D-linemen but not have them contribute until they're Juniors. *sigh*
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I laugh when people want to point to our incoming class, as if they are going to help us win games next year.
 
This is what will determine if Al can be the guy here long term or not: will he put us in the best position to win, or will he dogmatically stick to his guns and this scheme? This defense needs to be more attacking and put more pressure on quarterbacks. To do so we need to rely on our strength...our corners...and put them on an island. Need to get our speed rushers up the field and start drawing up blitzes in droves, like Michigan State does. We will get burned at times but it will make life harder for offenses and we will cover up a lot of weaknesses if we are hitting the QB. Otherwise, if we try to run the 3-4 with the personnel D$ just laid out, we will be 8-4 or 7-5.

DE- Chick-Kamalu/ Jelani (CT on passing downs)
DT- Wyche/Moore (Kamalu on passing downs)
DT- Pierre/One of the jucos if we get them (chick on passing downs)
De- McCord/AQM (rotate, and situationally get on the field at the same time)

Slb-Grace/owens
MLB- Kirby/j young
Wlb- figs/armrbister

Cb- Howard
Cb- Gunter/Burns (one slides up to safety in the nickel)
Nb- Crawford
S-Jenkins
S-bush/Carter

Dime- JC Jackson if we get him

We would be really young at linebacker and really thin at safety, but it would be better than sitting back in our zone and getting picked apart when all our young guys get confused.
 
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cowboycane said:
This is what will determine if Al can be the guy here long term or not: will he put us in the best position to win, or will he dogmatically stick to his guns and this scheme? This defense needs to be more attacking and put more pressure on quarterbacks. To do so we need to rely on our strength...our corners...and put them on an island. Need to get our speed rushers up the field and start drawing up blitzes in droves, like Michigan State does. We will get burned at times but it will make life harder for offenses and we will cover up a lot of weaknesses if we are hitting the QB. Otherwise, if we try to run the 3-4 with the personnel D$ just laid out, we will be 8-4 or 7-5.

DE- Chick-Kamalu/ Jelani (CT on passing downs)
DT- Wyche/Moore (Kamalu on passing downs)
DT- Pierre/One of the jucos if we get them (chick on passing downs)
De- McCord/AQM (rotate, and situationally get on the field at the same time)

Slb-Grace/owens
MLB- Kirby/j young
Wlb- figs/armrbister

Cb- Howard
Cb- Gunter/Burns (one slides up to safety in the nickel)
Nb- Crawford
S-Jenkins
S-bush/Carter

Dime- JC Jackson if we get him

We would be really young at linebacker and really thin at safety, but it would be better than sitting back in our zone and getting picked apart when all our young guys get confused.
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Grace is a WLB in a 4-3 and probably an excellent one.
 
Well if he's not fired, and I tend to reluctantly agree that he won't be, we're going to see just how much this guys knows about teaching defense. As you said, the personnel fits get worse next year and with a green QB, we're going to need the defense to be better.

If Al truly wants to be successful more than anything, the change needs to happen this year. It sucks but that's the way it is sometimes
 
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LuCane said:
cowboycane said:
This is what will determine if Al can be the guy here long term or not: will he put us in the best position to win, or will he dogmatically stick to his guns and this scheme? This defense needs to be more attacking and put more pressure on quarterbacks. To do so we need to rely on our strength...our corners...and put them on an island. Need to get our speed rushers up the field and start drawing up blitzes in droves, like Michigan State does. We will get burned at times but it will make life harder for offenses and we will cover up a lot of weaknesses if we are hitting the QB. Otherwise, if we try to run the 3-4 with the personnel D$ just laid out, we will be 8-4 or 7-5.

DE- Chick-Kamalu/ Jelani (CT on passing downs)
DT- Wyche/Moore (Kamalu on passing downs)
DT- Pierre/One of the jucos if we get them (chick on passing downs)
De- McCord/AQM (rotate, and situationally get on the field at the same time)

Slb-Grace/owens
MLB- Kirby/j young
Wlb- figs/armrbister

Cb- Howard
Cb- Gunter/Burns (one slides up to safety in the nickel)
Nb- Crawford
S-Jenkins
S-bush/Carter

Dime- JC Jackson if we get him

We would be really young at linebacker and really thin at safety, but it would be better than sitting back in our zone and getting picked apart when all our young guys get confused.
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Grace is a WLB in a 4-3 and probably an excellent one.
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Messes up, meant to switch the linebacker groupings.
 
I don't think the defense has enough talent to be very good next year (or even much better than it was this year) based on talent alone. We are at least two years away from having a very good defense. Hope I'm wrong.
 
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A 2 Gap 3-4 is very difficult to run in college IMO. You need grown *** men on the DL and LB and those are hard to come by.
 
DiegoCane said:
A 2 Gap 3-4 is very difficult to run in college IMO. You need grown *** men on the DL and LB and those are hard to come by.
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It is even more difficult when your recruiting base is filled with front seven players taught to attack since Optimist ball. Square peg, round hole and it will always be that way.
 
Is it really talent if these guys can play a different scheme better than the current one? At that point doesn't it go on coaching and philosophy? I hate hearing we don't have talent because i think we do have talent. It may be young, but it's still there. We're going to have a veteran secondary next year. Our Lbs will be green, sure. Our D-line won't really be that young with Chick, Pierre, and guys like Quan and McCord have experience. I just think they're being square peg round hole -ed because our DC (and maybe HC, as some have stated) won't adapt.
 
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