Less Blitzing = Improved Secondary?

[FightingIrishLover7]

Well, with Diacco in and Tenuta out...

Do you guys think the reduction of blitzing will by default give our secondary a better chance at being more successful?

I personally think the blitzing last year was a major reason for ND's lackluster performance in the secondary. The corners were always stuck in man coverage, and never had the opportunity to reason help from a zone defense.

I was watching a video on Rivals interviewing I believe Darrin Walls (correct me if wrong), and he mentioned that the new defensive scheme is much more beneficial to the secondary, because the zone coverages allow the corners to make more big plays and give them more help opposed to the man coverage.

I think Diaco's defense will greatly benefit the secondary, and the front 7 will be better too at their natural positions and their overall maturity from last year.

I'm looking forward to watching defense more than any time in the last 7 years or so. I'm expecting a nice change of from Diaco's D.

Look forward to hearing your guys opinions.

 

[nd1]

i would think they would be better. atleast i hope so.

they got to be better because u will have more people covering the receivers. I can't wait to see them play and i expect everyone will be surprise of the difference it's going to make.

 

[Riddickulous]

Definitely.

There was so much going against the corners last year that it was almost impossible to succeed. The blitzing left the corners on an island. Couple that with scheme confusion and they didn't know what the hell to do.

The secondary will be vastly improved this year.

 

[TerryTate]

I believe that the CBs won't be left on an island as much as they were in the past. I think this defense provides better support for the secondary. I defer the true benefit of the 3-4 to the more savvy members of the board

 

[ACamp1900]

anything will be better than sending ineffective blitzes every single play no matter what the down or situation...

 

[Irish Man3]

Not only was it just the blitzing on every play, but the fact that the blitzing didnt affect the qb. It was a terrible attempt to put pressure on the qb. One of the most important purposes for blitzing is to get pressure on the qb if not sack him. We were very unsuccessful in doing so. I look for a much improved scheme. Players playing in their natural positions will also help.

 

[IrishJayhawk]

It should help because of how ineffective the blitzing was.

That said, I can't figure out why we couldn't get to the QB. Tenuta had a track record and a reputation that was sterling. Did he get dumber? Did Charlie's practice schedule not allow for good coaching? It's pretty clear that people were out of position on defense for most of the year...

I'm not a defensive guru, but we were led to believe (and his Georgia Tech defenses seemed to indicate) that Tenuta was.

 

[GO IRISH!!!]

Wait...we blitzed last year?

 

[Irish Man3]

HAHA every once and awhile with 17 members of the defense headed towards the same gap.

 

[ACamp1900]

Not only was it just the blitzing on every play, but the fact that the blitzing didnt affect the qb. It was a terrible attempt to put pressure on the qb. One of the most important purposes for blitzing is to get pressure on the qb if not sack him. We were very unsuccessful in doing so. I look for a much improved scheme. Players playing in their natural positions will also help.

If our defense can be good each and every game... not even great, just good and actually make key stops at big moments and such... just something the team as a whole can trust in... AND if Crist stays healthy... we'll win 10 games and compete for a BCS spot... I know they can do it... but given what this defense has down 4 out o the last 5 years... I'm not counting any chickens until they are hatched.

It should help because of how ineffective the blitzing was.

That said, I can't figure out why we couldn't get to the QB. Tenuta had a track record and a reputation that was sterling. Did he get dumber? Did Charlie's practice schedule not allow for good coaching? It's pretty clear that people were out of position on defense for most of the year...

I'm not a defensive guru, but we were led to believe (and his Georgia Tech defenses seemed to indicate) that Tenuta was.

I hated the Tenuta hire from the second it happened and have hundreds of posts on this board to prove it, I still say Brown was building some good momentum... and I just don't like blitz happy DCs... and Tenuta made Notre Dame look bad and Notre Dame made Tenuta look like a genius... The rest of the country??? Not so much... I always watch a ton of ACC football (don't ask why, I just alwasy watch ACC over many other conferences, I just find it more fun to watch) and have always liked GT most of all... I saw Tenuta's blitz packages give up big play after big play at GT just like it did here... Tenuta single handedly lost some games for them during his time there... difference was his scheme was less consistent at GT (meaning less consistently bad)... for every egg lay he had it seemed he'd shut some team down... either way you wonder now what either team could have done if not for such a transparent scheme that puts your secondary on islands each and every play.

Let's hope we don't relive his era at ND any time soon.

 

[TDHeysus]

It should help because of how ineffective the blitzing was.

That said, I can't figure out why we couldn't get to the QB..

less blitzing means that the CB's are going to need to hold coverage longer. Blitzing wasnt the direct problem last year, it was that the blitzes were ineffective. A blitz can be a great tool if used in conjunction with other successful strategies. But if a blitz is used independently, it becomes a crap shoot. I think blitzing should be a supplement to your defensive strategy, not the main game plan.

ND couldnt get to the QB's last year because of a combination of things. DLine (except KLM) was largely ineffective, and inconsistant. Combine that with an ineffective Blitz and you got double trouble, a compound problem. If the defense blitzes less this year, and still doesnt get pressure from the Dline, its gonna be another ugly year on defense.

i think the defense will be better this year, not by leaps and bounds, but I do believe the defense will have a better year. Im hoping the defensive game plan will be more dynamic and flexible, as opposed to the rigid (call it stubborn) game plan of recent years.

 

[IrishJayhawk]

I hated the Tenuta hire from the second it happened and have hundreds of posts on this board to prove it...

Yeah, but you hate lots of things. grin:

 

[TDHeysus]

Yeah, but you hate lots of things. grin:

but dont call him prejudice, he hates everything equally.

 

[ACamp1900]

I hate whoopi goldbergs lips...

 

[jmurphy75]

I think the defense has to be better, they'll be more mature, better conditioned, and I'm sure Diaco will have them well coached. All of that being said the thing I really want to see is for our defense to develop a nasty personality.....they need to be just plain out mean on the field and from some of the practice video it looks like they might be getting a little bit of attitude. I'm really looking forward to seeing how they do.

 

[Irish Man3]

I agree with the attitude factor. Our defense hasnt played with confidence in years. Playing with confidence gives them an edge and a chip on their shoulder. They need that intensity. We dont strike fear into any offenses right now.

 

[phgreek]

less blitzing means that the CB's are going to need to hold coverage longer. Blitzing wasnt the direct problem last year, it was that the blitzes were ineffective. A blitz can be a great tool if used in conjunction with other successful strategies. But if a blitz is used independently, it becomes a crap shoot. I think blitzing should be a supplement to your defensive strategy, not the main game plan.

ND couldnt get to the QB's last year because of a combination of things. DLine (except KLM) was largely ineffective, and inconsistant. Combine that with an ineffective Blitz and you got double trouble, a compound problem. If the defense blitzes less this year, and still doesnt get pressure from the Dline, its gonna be another ugly year on defense.

i think the defense will be better this year, not by leaps and bounds, but I do believe the defense will have a better year. Im hoping the defensive game plan will be more dynamic and flexible, as opposed to the rigid (call it stubborn) game plan of recent years.

I agree with most of it...and as the raw numbers (Stats) are compared after this year our '10 defense will be better than the '09 defense...just not by leaps and bounds as you said.

However, I think thier limited improvement could have a monster impact on outcomes...W's and L's. If we put up similar points per game on O, this program could turn the corner.

We were always a stop or two from winning in '09...rather conditioning or scheme, I think the '10 group will get some of those stops.

As such, if all goes as we expect, the '10 D will be remembered as leaps and bounds better than '09...even if the stats don't support that sentiment...

 

[NDinL.A.]

less blitzing means that the CB's are going to need to hold coverage longer. Blitzing wasnt the direct problem last year, it was that the blitzes were ineffective. A blitz can be a great tool if used in conjunction with other successful strategies. But if a blitz is used independently, it becomes a crap shoot. I think blitzing should be a supplement to your defensive strategy, not the main game plan.

Agreed on the blitzing. Effective blitzing is something I love...I love putting the QB under pressure. However, obviously the 836 blitzes that Tenuta deployed every game were useless, and much more detrimental than useful. But really, there is no absolute way to play D. The Jets blitz like crazy and had the #1 defense in the league. When the Giants won the SB, they never blitzed and were among the leaders in sacks. All depends on how good your personnel is and how you feel the best way to use them is.

As for our DBs, yes, they were put in tough spots. However, their technique was AWFUL last year. That had nothing to do with blitzing. I'm talking quick slants and quick outs, and they were getting turned inside out with their hips too slow when opening up and their footwork all wrong and everything else. You can blame their position coach, or their work ethic, or their concentration level, or whatever (I wasn't at practice, so who knows), but they were bad.

And they couldn't tackle either, which has nothing to do with blitzing either.

I'm really worried about the secondary. I think our corners are very talented, and with good coaching and a stable scheme they'll be very good. However, we are super thin, and a couple injuries and we are in deep trouble. Also worried about the safeties. Smith is talented and experienced, but can he put it together??? If he doesn't, we're in major trouble. And the rest of the guys are talented but have no experience. Will they crap the pants when the lights are on? Will they be able to stay healthy? Will they grasp the schemes to the point where they are reacting and not thinking?

We have every right, as fans, to be worried about the defense. I'm comforted in the fact that there is some real talent out there, and the coaches are unified in their vision of what the defense should look like. We should be improved, but is that saying much? We need marked improvement, which is definitely possible...

 

[jason_h537]

Last year there was so much going on behind the scenes that led to the bad defense. The team is running a 3-4 and blitzing will still continue but the amount will likely drop and better fundamentals will certianly help everything

 

[Irish_Angst]

less blitzing means that the CB's are going to need to hold coverage longer. Blitzing wasnt the direct problem last year, it was that the blitzes were ineffective. A blitz can be a great tool if used in conjunction with other successful strategies. But if a blitz is used independently, it becomes a crap shoot. I think blitzing should be a supplement to your defensive strategy, not the main game plan.

ND couldnt get to the QB's last year because of a combination of things. DLine (except KLM) was largely ineffective, and inconsistant. Combine that with an ineffective Blitz and you got double trouble, a compound problem. If the defense blitzes less this year, and still doesnt get pressure from the Dline, its gonna be another ugly year on defense.

i think the defense will be better this year, not by leaps and bounds, but I do believe the defense will have a better year. Im hoping the defensive game plan will be more dynamic and flexible, as opposed to the rigid (call it stubborn) game plan of recent years.

Agreed. To me, blitzing is like adding red pepper flakes to your pizza... don't do too much or you'll get burnt.

It wasn't just the volume of blitzing, it was that they were predictable. You have to disguise the direction the blitz is coming from. That is why I like the move back to the 3-4 in that pressure can be disguised & applied from different directions. A simple shift from one of the outside linebackers up to the line just before the snap can provide some additional leverage.

And we know we have the defensive personnel to take advantage of a 3-4 scheme with speed on the edge to force the action into the middle where Manti will be waiting.

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

Agreed. To me, blitzing is like adding red pepper flakes to your pizza... don't do too much or you'll get burnt.

I don't know, I love me some red pepper flakes.

But seriously, Tenuta blitzed too much with little effectiveness. And ND's corners can't stay on their own island. They are no Darrelle Revis's.

This year our Defense will rise again.