Wake's wide line splits....

[CaneTime01]

I thought for sure we would adjust at halftime and start shooting the gaps. The gaps were so wide that we could have had a free run to the QB. Instead we kept lining our ends 30 yards outside the QB. Can someone explain why we never shot the gaps? There has to be some detriment if we didn't do it, correct?

 

[Sh0wty]

I would like to know this as well..

 

[HighSeas]

Double A-gap blitz is arguably the most popular/effective blitz in the NFL right now. Considering Wake had 1 back in the backfield and a weak-armed QB I think double A-gap blitz with cover 1 behind would've turned their offense into a disaster. Problem is D'Onofrio only has the defense practice poorly timed delayed blitzes where the LB or S rushes from so far from the line of scrimmage that they end up in no man's land with no impact on the play. God forbid we show pressure before the snap and let the offense know we're not in the same base vanilla look all 60 minutes.

 

[George84]

If we did the end result would be constant screen passes, no?

 

[HurricaneU]

Double A-gap blitz is arguably the most popular/effective blitz in the NFL right now. Considering Wake had 1 back in the backfield and a weak-armed QB I think double A-gap blitz with cover 1 behind would've turned their offense into a disaster. Problem is D'Onofrio only has the defense practice poorly timed delayed blitzes where the LB or S rushes from so far from the line of scrimmage that they end up in no man's land with no impact on the play. God forbid we show pressure before the snap and let the offense know we're not in the same base vanilla look all 60 minutes.

Agree. We let them dictate the entire match-up.

 

[NateDogg]

I was wondering why we didn't try to blitz the A gap? If any football heads can shed some light it would be appreciated. Not the same scheme but vs GT vtech had fuller at the line of scrimmage blitzing the A gap off and on all game, it had good results. I'd like to think we could have brought an LB or safety up with a 1 deep look to blitz the A gap.

 

[wugambi812]

If we did the end result would be constant screen passes, no?

This was my thought as well. That they would just eat us up sideline to sideline.

 

[Noliaboi]

If we would have done that, the screen passes and slants would have been even more affective against us.

 

[wugambi812]

If we would have done that, the screen passes and slants would have been even more affective against us.

Yea the vulnerability if the wide splits is that if your Dlineman can beat their man, they have a clear shot at the WB usually because the other lineman are too far away to help. Beating your man one on one at the line of scrimmage helps to stop it. Also wide splits occasionally utilize assignment kicking schemes instead of zone blocking. Movement with the front 7 pre snap can really help confuse the lineman and create some missed assignments.

 

[Port Knox]

If we did the end result would be constant screen passes, no?

This was my thought as well. That they would just eat us up sideline to sideline.

We could have at least sent Denzel screaming through that garbage every once in a while to shake things up. The defensive game plan was unbelievably vanilla. I am gonna rewatch the game later this evening and I bet I can count on one hand the total blitz count for yesterday. I thought the part of the mission of the read and react d line formula, was to free up the LB gaps. Am I wrong?

We are who they thought we were! And they let us off the hook!

 

[HurricaneU]

It really isn't about blitzing the A gap so much as it is showing different blitz looks. Yesterday would have been a great opportunity, I think, to use AQM and Tyriq in zone drops out of a 3-4 look.

 

[PSU Cane]

I was screaming at the TV trying to understand why our coaches didn't take advantage of those huge gaps. If a line is going to give you a hole that big, you blitz right up it and destroy their QB....what you DON'T do is line your defenders right up on the guys in obvious passing downs, which we consistently did. It made no sense.

The whole reason for smaller splits is to prevent guys from shooting gaps and disrupting things in the backfield, especially passing downs when blitzes and stunts can wreak havoc.

 

[zone3cane]

Yeah the coaches couldve easily shut that down

Jam the receivers at the line, since all Wake was doing were bubble screens, and quick slants, and pull up the safeties......

then send Perryman, Gaines, and McCord up the middle every time they went w/ a wide gap and WF wouldve stopped doing that immediately.

It's like D'nofrio is too stubborn to make adjustments or something.

 

[HurricaneU]

Haven't re-watched the game yet but I do recall seeing more stunts in the 2nd half. Not sure why that would require a half-time adjustment (as opposed to game planning) but it definitely seemed to help create pressure.

 

[BlackKeysFan]

I know that Golden and D'onofrio have been, i will say "proud" of their scheme in certain ways since getting here and rather than adapt to personnel and situations, have tried to install what we do on defense.

Its easy to say, if we did this or that, but in reality, if we did stuff we havent practiced against an offense we havent practiced against or seen much film on, its a bit of revisionist history to just assume it would have worked.