Defense and Steele

[AuburnNTexas 7,138]

I have been one of his biggest fans.  He has done a great job recruiting players that fit his style of defense, Hard nosed physical DB's that play tough man to man, he has relied on Garner to keep D-Line tough and the LB's we are signing from a recruiting standpoint have been really good. Over last few years he has made some great half time adjustments. 

Then this year happened our D-Line is not dominant, I see missed assignments by DB's, our LB's play hard but there seems to be a lack of communication between DB's and LB's on things like wheel routes and who is covering the TE.  To be honest the best game the Defense played was Kentucky and they have regressed since.  Georgia we got beaten in every facet of the game, against Arky after 1st quarter we couldn't stop them, we improved against SC but I think SC's anemic O was the reason, and Ole Miss scored 28 points on us luckily their D sucks.  What got me in the Ole Miss game was how many time we made a great play on 1st down and Ole Miss was second and 15 and still picked up the first down.  The Blue Print that other teams had given us after Ole Miss bashed bama was zone. Teams that went to zone shut down Ole Miss O.  

We are a man to man team but when it is not working you have to adjust. Man to man puts DB's on an Island as long as you are getting a good rush on QB you can shut down a team but without a rush DB's will eventually lose. Zone takes some of the pressure off the DB's and also helps in the communication between DB's and LB's. I am not saying we completely drop Steele's style of man to man but against teams like Ole Miss that don't handle zone well you have to utilize it.  QB runs gashed us a lot in the game and yet we never assigned a spy on the QB.  Corral scored untouched twice on the exact same play 1st time was forgivable the 2nd time was not. Zone also allows a DB's to react quicker on a Run/Pass RPO when a team runs as DB is looking into Backfield instead of having his back to runner.

[BJCrawford 1,568]

I’m not an expert in any way, but if our defense is so bad, why did we hold Ole miss to the yards we did while Florida and Alabama gave up 600+. Arkansas held them to the same but ole miss threw six interceptions. Real question from someone who only understands the basics.

[toddc 13,194]

We played a defense set up to prevent the big plays, similar to the LSU game last year. With three down linemen we were gonna give up some rushing yards. I do think Steele should have gone with four down linemen earlier than he did though at the end of the game.

[Swamp Eagle 5,131]

Steele schemes (or it seems to me) to prevent points over yardage. I'd say that's a pretty sound strategy.  There are concerning fundamentals that need improving, but some of that is a lack of spring training. 

[AuburnNTexas 7,138]

24 minutes ago, BJCrawford said:

I’m not an expert in any way, but if our defense is so bad, why did we hold Ole miss to the yards we did while Florida and Alabama gave up 600+. Arkansas held them to the same but ole miss threw six interceptions. Real question from someone who only understands the basics.

Florida Defense has given up big yardage in every game, bama defense has a lot of talent but at beginning of year were not on the same page and were not ready for that Offense they have gotten better week to week where our D has not.  Time will tell if Fla D is improving at they had to reschedule LSU and had a bye this week. My biggest issue is lack of improvement week to week on our D.   

[Win4AU 4,052]

I guess losing Davidson, Brown, Dean, and Noah to the NFL and Britt to injury really hurt.  Big Kat being hurt early, Moultry not progressing, Jaylin getting hurt early, and Coynis getting dismissed didn’t help.  
 

I have seen a little better pass rush since Big Kat has come back.  Wooden is starting to stand out.  Newkirk and Truesdale aren’t SEC level starters and are getting overworked.  Pappoe and McClain are playing a little better each game.  DBs are playing well except for the occasional bust. 
 

Unfortunately Auburn is rebuilding and not reloading this year.  We better hope we can hold on to the Dlinemen currently committed.

[EastAl_Tiger 225]

Linebacker play is spotty at best.  re watching the game around 12 minute mark of Q1. On first down, #25 makes tackle for 5 yd loss. that's good.  Now on 2nd and 15, #0 does something inexplicable: runs through the line to shove the RT(huh??) leaving the middle open for Long QB draw for 1st down.   Absolutely no nose for the ball. 

[abw0004 10,110]

I am still a big Steele fan.  With how Steele runs a man coverage defense, it all tees off of the defensive line affecting the quarterback.  Without it, man coverage only lasts so long before someone gets open for the QB to throw to.  With who departed last year on all levels (draft and transfers) there is still a lot of talent, just inexperience.  This is why you are seeing us slowly get better as the experience goes further.

It is concerning though that we are using Pappoe as an edge rusher instead of at his true position last game.  It reminds me of 2015 when we used the linebackers to blitz almost every play to create some sort of pressure.

Luckily we have the opportunity for everyone to return next year (seniors included).  It is hard seeing anyone declaring for the draft just yet.  Still have half of a season to go though and a lot can change.

[auburn4ever 1,266]

Why does defensive guys always wait for the ball carrier to come to them and give lots of yards instead of our LB's or DB's going after them for very little gain if any.

[EastAl_Tiger 225]

2 hours ago, auburn4ever said:

Why does defensive guys always wait for the ball carrier to come to them and give lots of yards instead of our LB's or DB's going after them for very little gain if any.

exactly.  making the hit 4 yds from LOS and being dragged for 2 more. Not stepping up into the hole and driving through the ball carrier

[Tigerpro2a 5,650]

10 hours ago, AuburnNTexas said:

I have been one of his biggest fans.  He has done a great job recruiting players that fit his style of defense, Hard nosed physical DB's that play tough man to man, he has relied on Garner to keep D-Line tough and the LB's we are signing from a recruiting standpoint have been really good. Over last few years he has made some great half time adjustments. 

Then this year happened our D-Line is not dominant, I see missed assignments by DB's, our LB's play hard but there seems to be a lack of communication between DB's and LB's on things like wheel routes and who is covering the TE.  To be honest the best game the Defense played was Kentucky and they have regressed since.  Georgia we got beaten in every facet of the game, against Arky after 1st quarter we couldn't stop them, we improved against SC but I think SC's anemic O was the reason, and Ole Miss scored 28 points on us luckily their D sucks.  What got me in the Ole Miss game was how many time we made a great play on 1st down and Ole Miss was second and 15 and still picked up the first down.  The Blue Print that other teams had given us after Ole Miss bashed bama was zone. Teams that went to zone shut down Ole Miss O.  

We are a man to man team but when it is not working you have to adjust. Man to man puts DB's on an Island as long as you are getting a good rush on QB you can shut down a team but without a rush DB's will eventually lose. Zone takes some of the pressure off the DB's and also helps in the communication between DB's and LB's. I am not saying we completely drop Steele's style of man to man but against teams like Ole Miss that don't handle zone well you have to utilize it.  QB runs gashed us a lot in the game and yet we never assigned a spy on the QB.  Corral scored untouched twice on the exact same play 1st time was forgivable the 2nd time was not. Zone also allows a DB's to react quicker on a Run/Pass RPO when a team runs as DB is looking into Backfield instead of having his back to runner.

I don't think our Man scheme had much to do with OM's success against us. They threw for under 161 yards. They are a good offense as well. They gashed us on the ground because of poor tackling and bad DL/LB play.

[countoff 331]

Steele has historically done a great job. But I think that periodically there will be down years. In those years when the defense is down, the offense has to step up. But our offense has been an drag on our team for years now and there was no expectation on my part that this year would be any different. 
 

I hope the fan base does not extend their anger with Gus on to Steele. We need to cut him some slack

[tdburger 37]

3 hours ago, auburn4ever said:

Why does defensive guys always wait for the ball carrier to come to them and give lots of yards instead of our LB's or DB's going after them for very little gain if any.

Is that you Takeo Spikes...:)

[penguin149 391]

KJ Britt being out the last 3 weeks hasn't helped.  He is instrumental in getting guys lined up correctly.  That and a ton of new guys playing with reduced practice time.  Week to week consistency is lacking in preparation and it shows in games.  I think they'll improve as the season continues.  

[Tigger1985 806]

4 hours ago, auburn4ever said:

Why does defensive guys always wait for the ball carrier to come to them and give lots of yards instead of our LB's or DB's going after them for very little gain if any.

We seem to have forgotten how to tackle. We run up and grab with our arms allowing the ball carrier to break free.

[gr82b4au 5,568]

5 hours ago, auburn4ever said:

Why does defensive guys always wait for the ball carrier to come to them and give lots of yards instead of our LB's or DB's going after them for very little gain if any.

Drives me crazy. Uga and Uat are like missiles to the ball. It is like they are playing offense in defense. 
we just wait for it to happen.  

[weagl1 1,782]

9 hours ago, penguin149 said:

KJ Britt being out the last 3 weeks hasn't helped.  He is instrumental in getting guys lined up correctly.  That and a ton of new guys playing with reduced practice time.  Week to week consistency is lacking in preparation and it shows in games.  I think they'll improve as the season continues.  

Yes. I think the loss of Britt has been a big blow to the defense.  He is not only the best player on the defense he is the leader.

[BurtonJ20 61]

8 hours ago, gr82b4au said:

Drives me crazy. Uga and Uat are like missiles to the ball. It is like they are playing offense in defense. 
we just wait for it to happen.  

You forgot one part.  You then have to go to Instagram and post video clips of you hitting a player after a 15 yard gain or anytime you for a draw with a ball carrier...

Small correction but if you wait for contact on offense you’ll end up under someone’s cleats too. There is no room to be timid on either side of the ball in college football. 
 

edit* The phrase that I passed down to offensive players I worked with that were timid was “Run in his mouth and out his “butt”hole. 
You’d be surprised what a difference that elementary advice made for timid players. You can deliver a lick as an offensive player too. 

[Auctoritas 2,828]

22 hours ago, AuburnNTexas said:

Florida Defense has given up big yardage in every game, bama defense has a lot of talent but at beginning of year were not on the same page and were not ready for that Offense they have gotten better week to week where our D has not.  Time will tell if Fla D is improving at they had to reschedule LSU and had a bye this week. My biggest issue is lack of improvement week to week on our D.   

Small note about FL - remember, while they had to reschedule and had a bye, they also had zero practices for two weeks while things were shut down.

[AuburnNTexas 7,138]

15 hours ago, Tigerpro2a said:

I don't think our Man scheme had much to do with OM's success against us. They threw for under 161 yards. They are a good offense as well. They gashed us on the ground because of poor tackling and bad DL/LB play.

I agree about bad tackling and poor DL/LB play but zone also affects how quickly DB's react to a run in a run/pass RPO like Ole Miss plays when QB gives to RB or keeps and runs the DB has back to play while following receivers so it takes a little longer to turn and come up and help on the run that can add 2 or 3 yards to a run that adds up over a game.

That said when DL and LB are playing well we don't often need the DB help against the run game.

[auburn4ever 1,266]

The defense needs to do a better job at stopping LSU's running game. We haven't done anything to stop the running game in the last 2 games. It could be another long Saturday for Auburn.

[Swamp Eagle 5,131]

32 minutes ago, auburn4ever said:

The defense needs to do a better job at stopping LSU's running game. We haven't done anything to stop the running game in the last 2 games. It could be another long Saturday for Auburn.

I'm going to trust Steele's plan and question Gus' until something changes drastically.

[TigerPAC 965]

15 hours ago, countoff said:

Steele has historically done a great job. But I think that periodically there will be down years. In those years when the defense is down, the offense has to step up. But our offense has been an drag on our team for years now and there was no expectation on my part that this year would be any different. 
 

I hope the fan base does not extend their anger with Gus on to Steele. We need to cut him some slack

 i am not cutting anyone "slack."  each coach has a job to do, just like everyone in our healthcare office.  ALL are expected to put together a competitive team and game plan.  

[aucanucktiger 1,791]

Big Steele fan too, the guy's been at this a long time so the book on him is long but predictable. Although he has games out of the blue where a good D gets absolutely punked, even his rebuilding seasons improve significantly as season progresses. 

[bigbird 60,480]

On 10/26/2020 at 4:33 PM, auburn4ever said:

Why does defensive guys always wait for the ball carrier to come to them and give lots of yards instead of our LB's or DB's going after them for very little gain if any.

Umm... because, in the open field, it's easy to juke/allude a defender that's not playing under control. Close the gap, break down, and secure the tackle. It's pretty basic stuff.