Stanford's defense against Oregon

[Canefam]

Thanks for the insight...

 

[LuCane]

Why is this anything like our defense or how it's supposed to look? (cause it's a 3-4?)

Because it's a 3-4, yes.

I'm not making any inferences beyond that.

Why not?

I guess because I don't really have a ton of information about what they try to do, and I'm not 100% sure what we're trying to do, either.

I watched exactly 66 seconds of that video and saw them do things that I haven't or have rarely seen us do. They may play a 3-4, but it sure looks like a different style of defense overall.

 

[Pennmed Canefan]

They're in their third season here, I'm confident in thinking what we see is what we will be getting defensively. It doesn't take three seasons to get your install your defense.

I disagree with that. You set up your defense with an understanding of your personnel and its limitations. We still don't have great personnel and we were woeful last year. So it's not implausible that they've set up this defense with the philosophy of "points not yards." When they get more talent they might be more aggressive.

This is NOT a defense of donofrio or an excuse. We've been terrible most of the year and we certainly could be better especially against the mediocre teams. It's just to say that what we see isn't necessarily what they want to do because they still have glaring weakness at many positions including safety and DL. You can blame them for that as well, but it doesn't change the fact.

 

[rok]

This would be my lineup next year

DE Chickillo
NT Wyche
DE Pierre

LB McCord
LB Kirby
LB Denzel
LB AQM

Run whatever the **** 3-4 defense you'd like, just use these players in those positions.

 

[Coach Macho]

This would be my lineup next year

DE Chickillo
NT Wyche
DE Pierre

LB McCord
LB Kirby
LB Denzel
LB AQM

Run whatever the **** 3-4 defense you'd like, just use these players in those positions.

Take off AQM and put Figs in that spot.

And is Wyche a JUCO player or is he gonna be a freshman? (haven't followed his recruitment) We ain't stickin' no freshmens at NT.

 

[Consigliere]

This would be my lineup next year

DE Chickillo
NT Wyche
DE Pierre

LB McCord
LB Kirby
LB Denzel
LB AQM

Run whatever the **** 3-4 defense you'd like, just use these players in those positions.

Take off AQM and put Figs in that spot.

And is Wyche a JUCO player or is he gonna be a freshman? (haven't followed his recruitment) We ain't stickin' no freshmens at NT.

Wyche is a JUCO

 

[NVA CANE]

So CAA, was this more of a wishful thread in the sense that, this is what you hope we do with the 3-4?

 

[rok]

I could see us following FSU's blueprint of three massive DL and four athletic LBers. At least that's the vibe I'm getting from the 2014 class.

FSU has Mario Williams, Goldman, Jernigan, McAllister, McDaniel, Stample...all very big guys who were recruited as DTs. We can do the same thing.

DE Chick - Kamalu - C. Thomas
NT Wyche - Stuckey - Moore - King - Jenkins
DE Pierre - Hamilton - Moten - Valentine

OLB McCord - Thurston - M. Smith - D. Jackson
ILB Kirby - Blue - Young
ILB Perryman - Grace - Owens - McCray
OLB AQM - Figs - Hoilett - T. Harris

CB Gunter - Crawford - Dortch - Mays - Turner
SS Bush - Carter - Fentress
FS Jenkins - Burns - Hope
CB Howard - Elder - Lewis - Bethel

 

[Coach Macho]

I know you guys wanna see AQM and McCord on the field at the same time but one of them would have to be the Sam (strong side OLB) and neither one of them fits that mold IMO. I don't think you'll find a 3-4 Sam backer in the nation that looks or plays like either one of them.

Chad Thomas is the prototype for that position. If he ends up at the DE spot in our 3-4 I'm officially throwing in the towel. It would be a total waste of his talent.

 

[AUcane]

I just tracked the first video. On defense, Stanford blitzed virtually every down. I counted TWO times in the entire first half that they rushed only 3 and I counted only THREE times that they rushed 4 (not a blitzer, but rather lined up in a 4-3). The rest of the defensive snaps they were blitzing (either via LB stunt/twist, CB blitz, etcl.). The blitzes varied from location, down/distance, personnel used, number of people, etc.

Didn't bother to track the 2nd half.

 

[CanesAreAble]

I know you guys wanna see AQM and McCord on the field at the same time but one of them would have to be the Sam (strong side OLB) and neither one of them fits that mold IMO. I don't think you'll find a 3-4 Sam backer in the nation that looks or plays like either one of them.

Chad Thomas is the prototype for that position. If he ends up at the DE spot in our 3-4 I'm officially throwing in the towel. It would be a total waste of his talent.

Agree. That would be coaching malpractice.

That said, I think Chad said the coaches told him he'd be playing the AQM/McCord role.

 

[rok]

I think Thomas will outgrow the OLB role. He's a big dude.

 

[LuCane]

I just tracked the first video. On defense, Stanford blitzed virtually every down. I counted TWO times in the entire first half that they rushed only 3 and I counted only THREE times that they rushed 4 (not a blitzer, but rather lined up in a 4-3). The rest of the defensive snaps they were blitzing (either via LB stunt/twist, CB blitz, etcl.). The blitzes varied from location, down/distance, personnel used, number of people, etc.

Didn't bother to track the 2nd half.

They were forcing Oregon's hand with Gap Exchange. In other words, they were anticipating offensive plays and dictating the flow. The fact they decided to do it from a 3-4 doesn't really make them like us or make me wonder if we will be like them. That defense, at least from the video I watched, looked nothing like the our current style.

 

[Coach Macho]

I think Thomas will outgrow the OLB role. He's a big dude.

He's like 6'5" though. 240lbs at 6'5" is not heavy. He'd have to gain atleast 50 pounds to grow into a 3-4 DE. Ideally you'd like him around 265 for 3-4 OLB or 4-3 DE. At his height, that weight shouldn't hurt his mobility.

 

[CaneMutiny06]

My understanding is that Stanford 1 gaps out of their 3-4 looks most of the time. I really don't think our system is all too comparable to theirs.

I found an article written by Chris Brown after they beat Oregon last season describing it:

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/43197/stanford-shows-oregon-its-own-brand-of-old-school-football

The 2 gap 3-4s at major programs I can think of are Bama, Notre Dame (Bob Diaco) and UGA (Todd Grantham).

Bama is the only 2 gap scheme that has yielded strong defensive consistency. Both UGA and Notre Dame fielded good defenses the last season (or 2 in UGA's case), but both are struggling a good bit this year. We've already discussed GT scrapping Groh's system for Ted Roof's this last year.

My concern is whether we'll be able to achieve the sort of defensive consistency Bama exhibits....because ultimately that was a major part of what made Miami great...our ability to consistently field good defenses year in and out, with minimal drop off even in years where we lost experienced talent to the NFL.. Even seasons like 1990 or 2002, when we lost a great deal of talent off championship defenses, we managed to field top 10/15 caliber units the following season. Can we do that in this system? I don't really know the answer, but I hope its 'yes'.

 

[rok]

Thomas should be playing with his hand on the ground.

Guys like McCord, AQM, Figueroa, Smith, Harris, Jackson, Hoilett can be the stand-up rusher types.

 

[sebastian91]

As much as I hate them, Notre Lame's defense is decimated by injuries...that and they no longer have that guy with the fake, dead girlfriend.

 

[AtrainCane]

I just tracked the first video. On defense, Stanford blitzed virtually every down. I counted TWO times in the entire first half that they rushed only 3 and I counted only THREE times that they rushed 4 (not a blitzer, but rather lined up in a 4-3). The rest of the defensive snaps they were blitzing (either via LB stunt/twist, CB blitz, etcl.). The blitzes varied from location, down/distance, personnel used, number of people, etc.

Didn't bother to track the 2nd half.

They were forcing Oregon's hand with Gap Exchange. In other words, they were anticipating offensive plays and dictating the flow. The fact they decided to do it from a 3-4 doesn't really make them like us or make me wonder if we will be like them. That defense, at least from the video I watched, looked nothing like the our current style.

yep, exactly the opposite of our sht **** of a defensive scheme.

 

[Coach Macho]

Thomas should be playing with his hand on the ground.

Guys like McCord, AQM, Figueroa, Smith, Harris, Jackson, Hoilett can be the stand-up rusher types.

SMH. Ok, and that means he would be a 3-4 DE in our scheme, 2-gapping and taking on Guards and Tackles head-up. (which also means he would have to sit on the bench for a year or two while he gains 45 pounds)

He's not a 3-4 Defensive End. He's an elite edge rusher. And it's already been discovered that he doesn't always do particularly well when playing inside.

Only an idiot would put Thomas anywhere but the edge. That kid is a prototype DE/OLB.

 

[LuCane]

Thomas should be playing with his hand on the ground. Guys like McCord, AQM, Figueroa, Smith, Harris, Jackson, Hoilett can be the stand-up rusher types.

SMH. Ok, and that means he would be a 3-4 DE in our scheme, 2-gapping and taking on Guards and Tackles head-up. (which also means he would have to sit on the bench for a year or two while he gains 45 pounds)He's not a 3-4 Defensive End. He's an elite edge rusher. And it's already been discovered that he doesn't always do particularly well when playing inside.Only an idiot would put Thomas anywhere but the edge. That kid is a prototype DE/OLB.

I think you're going to be disappointed, brosef. Maybe not next year, but long-term.