Disagree. Go back and watch what great lbs looked like as true frosh. Shaq did so e things well and he is a great kid, but lewis, spence, mccarthy, they’re a whole nother level. They exploded, diagnosed faster than others, shed blockers, got upfield and across field, had a nose for the ball, just different. We need to upgrade talent, not just coaches. Especially at LB.
Yep.
No doubt but we’ve seen great players make impacts in cb at qb, wr, cb. OL is more developmental, and DT. Partly because of physicality and partly because of assignment. DEs can make plays as true frosh. Safety might be a sneaky spot where development does matter (even with instincts) unless you’re truly unique. Because they have to make the right decisions, not just react, amd they look awful then they blow it.
Baker and patke are both from Houston. My grandfather coached baker, patke played with my cousin at SFA
That's fair. However as the head coach, Diaz is in a position to view things from a broader perspective. By that I mean that as a head coach Diaz has demonstrated the ability to assess the trouble areas of the team/program and address them. It is reasonably safe to assume that coach Diaz is well aware of our problems at CB and LB in terms of recruiting. That Diaz is aware of this defenses decline since Baker took over at DC would also be a would also be a logical assumption.
Bandy was playing the Striker position on that play, not Frierson. Our Striker lines-up to the strong side apex. He didn't blitz. Frierson blitzed from the weak-side.
Hmmm...
Because as the level of play gets more sophisticated, the technique has to be more detailed. You have to understand WR spacing, route recognition, WR releases...Ex: how a WR is stemming you through his route can tip you off to what route he is running... how he's leaning through his route...setting you up for another move... stuff like that. Best CB I ever coached was Juwan Dowels. And those things I mentioned is what made him so good. He wasn't physically imposing at all. When Mike Rumph had him at Heritage, he told me that Dowels was the only one that could cover Isaiah McKenzie in practice. He said that Dowels used to run Isaiah's routes for him.
Best post on the board in a good while. Doesn't deserve to be lost in this thread (which is already great for other reasons). If you're willing to do an interview, would love to hit this topic with you in the offseason and turn it into a main board article or series. So much more to talk about re: Safeties, for example. Communication is completely teachable, but another one of those skills that needs openness from the coach/player. It's hard to teach communication because it needs to be practiced. And, without it, even if you have a Safety who recognizes route combinations and formation tendencies, your secondary will consistently break down. The spread (offense) has made certain "soft" skills as critical as attributes like speed.Hmmm...
Good question.
Defensive Lineman - "Quarterback/rush relation". So many young pass rushers get lost in the moment of tying to beat their O-lineman that they lose track of the QB and run themselves out of sacks. You have to be able to track the QB as you're rushing the passer. You have to possess (what I call) a "big window"...the ability to see beyond just the O-lineman who's blocking you. Oh, and having a counter-move once you need to redirect.
Linebackers - So much about that position is simply instinctual. I'd have to say that teaching pattern matching zone coverage has probably been most difficult. It takes so much repetition. Anybody can run to a spot and cover grass, but running to the hip of receivers and disrupting routes takes a lot more teaching. Ultimately that's my fault for running that style of zone, but I feel that the extra effort is worth it in the long run. It's a better way to play zone IMO. It probably sounds like it would be simple to teach but there's so many route combinations that a Linebacker has to get used to seeing. It takes a lot of 7-on-7 work. Being able to read/cover one receiver and then snap your eyes to the next threat. Knowing how long to carry a route before breaking on another one. Knowing when you're being "high lowed" and baited by short routes. Stuff like that. Goes back to what I was saying about that "big window" thing. I can't get fixated on the slot receiver that's running my way up to seem if the outside receiver is running a shallow or slant underneath him. I have to be able to see the big window and break on that short route. It just takes a lot of eye discipline and then synchronizing your feet with your eyes.
Corners - I think quality man coverage is hard to teach. Anybody can teach junkyard, push the WR to the bench type of technique. But the proper, efficient way to play man coverage is actually very technical and hard to teach. It's like a freakin' combination of salsa dancing and karate.
Safeties - I would have to say that this largely depends on scheme. I'm a cover-3/single-high single high guy, so I don't ask too much of my Safeties. But I do run some 2-high stuff and that takes a lot more teaching. In 2-high your Safeties are often reading 2-to-1. So they have to be able to see the big picture. And they have to make split-second decisions. If the #2 WR runs in or out they have to drive on #1 immediately. But #1 can be running a slant, a vertical, a post, a dig, etc. Much like pattern matching with the Linebackers, this takes a million reps. There's so many route combinations the Safety will see. In the long run you will force much tighter throw in windows if your kids can master it. If you choose the alternative then you'll see wide open intermediate pass catchers like we do almost every Saturday. LOL
Fantastic read, thank you.Hmmm...
Good question.
Defensive Lineman - "Quarterback/rush relation". So many young pass rushers get lost in the moment of tying to beat their O-lineman that they lose track of the QB and run themselves out of sacks. You have to be able to track the QB as you're rushing the passer. You have to possess (what I call) a "big window"...the ability to see beyond just the O-lineman who's blocking you. Oh, and having a counter-move once you need to redirect.
Linebackers - So much about that position is simply instinctual. I'd have to say that teaching pattern matching zone coverage has probably been most difficult. It takes so much repetition. Anybody can run to a spot and cover grass, but running to the hip of receivers and disrupting routes takes a lot more teaching. Ultimately that's my fault for running that style of zone, but I feel that the extra effort is worth it in the long run. It's a better way to play zone IMO. It probably sounds like it would be simple to teach but there's so many route combinations that a Linebacker has to get used to seeing. It takes a lot of 7-on-7 work. Being able to read/cover one receiver and then snap your eyes to the next threat. Knowing how long to carry a route before breaking on another one. Knowing when you're being "high lowed" and baited by short routes. Stuff like that. Goes back to what I was saying about that "big window" thing. I can't get fixated on the slot receiver that's running my way up to seem if the outside receiver is running a shallow or slant underneath him. I have to be able to see the big window and break on that short route. It just takes a lot of eye discipline and then synchronizing your feet with your eyes.
Corners - I think quality man coverage is hard to teach. Anybody can teach junkyard, push the WR to the bench type of technique. But the proper, efficient way to play man coverage is actually very technical and hard to teach. It's like a freakin' combination of salsa dancing and karate.
Safeties - I would have to say that this largely depends on scheme. I'm a cover-3/single-high single high guy, so I don't ask too much of my Safeties. But I do run some 2-high stuff and that takes a lot more teaching. In 2-high your Safeties are often reading 2-to-1. So they have to be able to see the big picture. And they have to make split-second decisions. If the #2 WR runs in or out they have to drive on #1 immediately. But #1 can be running a slant, a vertical, a post, a dig, etc. Much like pattern matching with the Linebackers, this takes a million reps. There's so many route combinations the Safety will see. In the long run you will force much tighter throw in windows if your kids can master it. If you choose the alternative then you'll see wide open intermediate pass catchers like we do almost every Saturday. LOL