Will Diaco Dial Up Some Blitzes This Year!?

[arrowryan]

With all of this talent on the front 7, why didn't he dial up more blitzes last year? The most recent example is the 2nd half of the FSU game. He blitzed the entire 1st half and we did great, he called off the dogs in the 2nd half and that hurt us. For us to win games this year, our fron 7 needs to get to the quarterback. If we fail to do that, our secondary will get shredded to pieces

 

[JadeBrecks]

Part of "dialing it back" in the second half is offensive adjustments but i would like to see more blitzing this year.

 

[yankeeND]

He will have to if we can't get it from the front lines. That first half in the bowl was epic though. Haven't seen us play like that in a long time!

 

[arrowryan]

He will have to if we can't get it from the front lines. That first half in the bowl was epic though. Haven't seen us play like that in a long time!

I wish we played like that for the 2nd half too

 

[NDinFL]

I wish we played like that for the 2nd half too

It also would of helped if our offense could pull its collective head out of its ***

 

[DCIrish]

I think many ND fans make too much of what ND did in the 1st half against FSU. FSU was starting 4 true freshman on the O-line in that game, ND should have dominated. The fact that they let a team that young on the O-line comeback and beat them was as embarrassing as the Michigan game.

It would be great if ND could be more aggressive and blitz more, but I don't think they have good enough talent in the secondary to get away with it consistently.

 

[NDinFL]

I think many ND fans make too much of what ND did in the 1st half against FSU. FSU was starting 4 true freshman on the O-line in that game, ND should have dominated. The fact that they let a team that young on the O-line comeback and beat them was as embarrassing as the Michigan game.

It would be great if ND could be more aggressive and blitz more, but I don't think they have good enough talent in the secondary to get away with it consistently.

Truf

 

[Irish Fam]

I would like to see a lot of third downs with both Ishaq and Shembo on the field with only one concern and that is getting to the quarterback. Manti can eat anything up that squeaks up the middle.

 

[woolybug25]

I would like to see a lot of third downs with both Ishaq and Shembo on the field with only one concern and that is getting to the quarterback. Manti can eat anything up that squeaks up the middle.

I've been thinking, when we play scUM, I would like to see some four man fronts occasionally. I would want Nix to sit down (just a speed thing, I got mad love for Irishchocolate) and slide Tuitt inside with Sheldon Day. Then throw Ishaq and Shembo on the ends.


Tell them all to "kill denard".... then simply watch what happens....

 

[IrishLion]

I've been thinking, when we play scUM, I would like to see some four man fronts occasionally. I would want Nix to sit down (just a speed thing, I got mad love for Irishchocolate) and slide Tuitt inside with Sheldon Day. Then throw Ishaq and Shembo on the ends.


Tell them all to "kill denard".... then simply watch what happens....

They did this quite a bit last year I thought (though not early, such as agains scUM), with the transfer-that-no-longer-exists rushing from the inside. With the departure of that one guy, I was hoping that Ishaq would get more of an opportunity to rush on the edge. You may be on to something.

 

[woolybug25]

They did this quite a bit last year I thought (though not early, such as agains scUM), with the transfer-that-no-longer-exists rushing from the inside. With the departure of that one guy, I was hoping that Ishaq would get more of an opportunity to rush on the edge. You may be on to something.

I don't remember this transfer in which you speak and frankly do not believe he existed... but yes... Sheldon Day would look magnificent there.

 

[IrishLion]

I don't remember this transfer in which you speak and frankly do not believe he existed... but yes... Sheldon Day would look magnificent there.

Also hoping Jarron Jones is as advertised... with his size/athleticism, he could be a carbon copy of Tuitt. The possibilities could be endless.

 

[Who'saWildManNow]

Whenever I think of the defense a few of the same questions keep cropping up.. beyond the obvious CB issue.

- What are we going to get out of Danny Spond and Ben Councell?

- Will we see why the Gators offered Chase this year?

- Will either Farley or Hardy be a major surprise? I really believe one of these two is going to come through big..

 

[Irishman77]

You have the luxury of blitzing when your secondary can hold their own. Ours to this point cannot.

 

[BobD]

You have the luxury of blitzing when your secondary can hold their own. Ours to this point cannot.

I agree. Confidence in the secondary first, blitz their @ss second.

 

[woolybug25]

You have the luxury of blitzing when your secondary can hold their own. Ours to this point cannot.

To be fair, we are assuming that they cannot hold their own. There is a lot of signs that it may be indeed the case, but no on knows that for sure. But I feel ya.

 

[TerryTate]

A couple of things need to happen before we can send the house on some blitzes.

Need to have confidence in our corners to keep the QB honest.
Need to put points on the board and maintain a lead, then we can take some risks on the defensive side of the ball.
Ishaq/Shembo need to get off of their blocks
Slaughter has to be able to play the safety/linebacker hybrid role more with solid safety play behind him. If there's not a solid backfill in the backfield, Slaughter won't be able to get the looks needed to create havoc.

Hopefully our D-Line stays healthy enough to do their job in the trenches

 

[BobD]

A couple of things need to happen before we can send the house on some blitzes.

Need to have confidence in our corners to keep the QB honest.
Need to put points on the board and maintain a lead, then we can take some risks on the defensive side of the ball.Ishaq/Shembo need to get off of their blocks
Slaughter has to be able to play the safety/linebacker hybrid role more with solid safety play behind him. If there's not a solid backfill in the backfield, Slaughter won't be able to get the looks needed to create havoc.

Hopefully our D-Line stays healthy enough to do their job in the trenches

I agree with everything, on your second point especially, I think the blitz is best used as a "finish them off" type weapon.

 

[micks60]

They did this quite a bit last year I thought (though not early, such as agains scUM), with the transfer-that-no-longer-exists rushing from the inside. With the departure of that one guy, I was hoping that Ishaq would get more of an opportunity to rush on the edge. You may be on to something.

That did not play Lynch or Tuitt much the UM game because they could not play within the scheme. When playing against UM/DRob you have to have guys that can play their assignments. One break down and he is gone.

 

[micks60]

Depends on what is defined as a blitz. If you are in a 3-4 usually you send one guy each play. It may be as simple as a run blitz or it could be a full out pass rush. Another thing to add to this is assuming in the 3-4 we are at least blitzing one man then what stunts are you running with the dline. These can become more important or just as important as the blitz chosen.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Each year forward is going to be a significant step forward with the defense in a way none of us can truly appreciate. Counsell will play dog this year at least competently. I believe Spond will too. This will be a first. The next year, when Jaylon gets snapped in we will have more than one who can play dog at an elite level.

Improving our dog play, will shore up a whole lot of the remaining soft spots with this defense, and allow Coach D to dial up just about what he wants.

 

[Old Man Mike]

We actually have been told part of the answer to this.

Diaco is going to play Big Lou or Kona when it's judged by him to be an ordinary down. He will turn loose the CAT or even another linebacker [usually I predict the Will, which is why I don't see Carlo playing as much] when he's mixing it up a bit on such downs.

When it is a judged passing down, Big Lou comes off the field, KLM and Tuitt slide inside, and both Ishaq and The Prince put a hand down in a four-three look. In that look Diaco hopes to get pressure on the QB with just that four.

If he cannot, he will stick with that 4-3 and bring other pressure occasionally, mixing it up with surprise --- look for more corner blitzes if we are in that situation. We will have speed at corner but not necessarily coverage brilliance.Blitzing a corner in a bizarre way solves two problems at once if it works, and our experienced safeties can rotate zones that way.

This is what I expect to see against teams not named Navy. ... and The Denard still poses a special problem even in this scheme.

 

[dshans]

I expect Diaco to order up a blintz or two over the course of the season. They're delicious. With luck they are a regular staple at the training table.

 

[Black Irish]

Wouldn't a fast blitz be better for our secondary because it forces a QB to make a rushed throw? Isn't giving a Barkley time to read and react working against the ND defense?

 

[ryno 24]

I see us blitzing more often than you all think because every down that we send the cat backer is a blitz and I see this happening very often.

 

[micks60]

Wouldn't a fast blitz be better for our secondary because it forces a QB to make a rushed throw? Isn't giving a Barkley time to read and react working against the ND defense?

No, due to loss of men in coverage. The more you blitz the more one on one matchups you have. Zone coverage can protect weak corners from almost every route. (at least big plays)

 

[Whiskeyjack]

A "blitz", by definition, is rushing more defenders than the offense has back in protection. So when there's an empty backfield, the offense has the minimum of 5 players in pass protection (the OL), which means the defense has to rush a minimum of 6 players to create a blitz.

For obvious reasons, it's very risky, and it's not something Diaco's system is designed to do. One of the strengths of the 3-4 is that it allows the defense to effectively pressure the QB without resorting to extremes like dropping DL into coverage (zone blitz) or bringing the house.

Rushing 5 and dropping 6 is a very common practice for 3-4 defenses on passing downs. As was mentioned above, I expect to see some combination of Ishaq, Tuitt, KLM, Shembo and Day as our 4 DL, with Diaco bringing pressure from one unexpected source-- most often a LB, but occasionally a DB.

This isn't a true blitz. Against most offenses, our rushers will probably be outnumbered by a RB who stays in to protect along with the OL. But if our 5th rusher doesn't give away his intentions pre-snap, the randomness involved gives us a good shot at sack without risking giving up a big play, because we'll still have 6 defenders in coverage.

 

[micks60]

A "blitz", by definition, is rushing more defenders than the offense has back in protection. So when there's an empty backfield, the offense has the minimum of 5 players in pass protection (the OL), which means the defense has to rush a minimum of 6 players to create a blitz.

For obvious reasons, it's very risky, and it's not something Diaco's system is designed to do. One of the strengths of the 3-4 is that it allows the defense to effectively pressure the QB without resorting to extremes like dropping DL into coverage (zone blitz) or bringing the house.

Rushing 5 and dropping 6 is a very common practice for 3-4 defenses on passing downs. As was mentioned above, I expect to see some combination of Ishaq, Tuitt, KLM, Shembo and Day as our 4 DL, with Diaco bringing pressure from one unexpected source-- most often a LB, but occasionally a DB.

This isn't a true blitz. Against most offenses, our rushers will probably be outnumbered by a RB who stays in to protect along with the OL. But if our 5th rusher doesn't give away his intentions pre-snap, the randomness involved gives us a good shot at sack without risking giving up a big play, because we'll still have 6 defenders in coverage.

A blitz is not defined by bringing more guys than they have to block. I have coached for many years and have never heard it defined this way. A blitz is defined any time you take a linebacker or defensive back out of the normal position to attack the qb/backfield. It can be one player or many.
A blitz for a single LB or DB can also be defined when it is predetermined that they attack a specified area of the line of scrimmage before the snap of the ball. This limits or negates at most time player reading their keys. This can be where run blitzes come into place.

 

[Old Man Mike]

I think that everyone's right here, and we're talking past the actual point of what Diaco will do or not do defensively anyway. Whiskey's definition of a "blitz" is an old school definition, when the idea of sending-the-house became a somewhat regularly seen tactic. The term was appropriated from the all-out rush of the German Blitzkrieg Panzer attacks. As defenses became sophisticated, specially designed area attacks came into play [as hopeful surprises], and commentators called these blitzes, and the old-style ones "all-out blitzes".

What we really care about, and what smart folks like Micks and Whiskey have interesting things to tell us, is what actual attacking defenses they see Diaco employing this season and why. Nobody REALLY cares about what they're called, except that if we have a commonly agreed-upon language it makes sentences easier.

I stated my opinion on this above in an earlier post. The basis for that post came from statements by Ishaq's Dad.

 

[micks60]

Mike-good pt but to go to the title of thread" will Diaco blitz this year". Of course he will. Actually alot. Have to for this D to be successful. Just not all out blitzes. Very few situations warrant that.