What's wrong with our Defense??

[mcgufcm 4,107]

i watched the replay last night, and it did look like we played more man than we have been. and i'd say the man parts of our mixed coverage worked. their success wasn't coming against our corners for the most part. only massaquoi was able to exploit a matchup against our corners (he finished with 100+ yards but 30 of them came on the last play of the game). the problems came in miscommunication between our linebackers (they were just plain awful at passing receivers from one zone to the next... huge seems), out of position safeties (where you going in the endzone when you're assigned to a straight double team on leonard pope, gandy?), or poor pass rush (you can only cover for so long... a lot of their success of drag routes could have been halted by actually forcing shockley to get rid of the ball before the route materialized).

i would say the defense does have a problem. and i'd say uga did a great job of exploiting every single weakness. the difference between gibbs and chizik so far for me is that chizik's defense played its best at the close of the year; gibbs' unit has never looked worse. i have faith that we'll get it together, but honestly, i wouldn't blink if he wasn't on the staff next year. i'm not calling for his head, just saying it wouldn't surprise me in the least.

i'd be able to handle the "we stop the run first" argument if we were in fact stopping the run. we aren't doing that either. thomas brown averaged what? bout 7 yards a pop. same for shockley and that included two or three sacks. i'm sorry the only reason it seemed like uga wasn't putting up bigger rushing numbers is b/c they were gashing us in the passing game. and kentucky ran it down our throats the week before (little went over 100 on his own). so really, we're stopping neither... we're just stopping the pass less.

i don't expect bama to be able to exploit us in the same way b/c they don't have the personnel. they don't have the big target tight end. they don't have the mobile qb (by the way, when we did use a spy, shock made him look silly. see a.t. getting embarrassed on the opening drive of the second half on the run up the middle). they don't have the offensive line. we'll look better whether we have it fixed or not.

[80Tiger 904]

This has been talked about before, but the biggest difference in this years and last years defense is the defensive ends and their size and bulk. Last year Eddins and Lagenfield provided the size that the a defensive end needs to really stuff the run. I am not sure but it seemed as if GA run prowess came off the corner. An end has to have the size to stalemate at tackle or big tight end like Pope to control the corner. Now UA does not have the O-line that GA does. And I think their tackles are particularly suspect. With TJ and WD controling their center our DE have to have big run stopping games. KD is a good running back who gets a lot on his own with his juking and cutting. He does not need a big game. If we can get ahead and force them in to passing game then our defense has to put pressure on Ringo with blitz and DE rush. If that happens we are O.K.

[Shug2003 1]

I was proud of our defense for hanging in there like they did. You don't see a scrambler like Shockley often nor do you see a stable of capable WR's and a Monster TE like Pope.

That being said, IF we give BC all day long to throw, he will literally pick us apart with Brown and DJ Hall. It's going to be hard for us to match up with Hall and Brown's height and speed. Plus, you can never forget Darby and the screens and draws. One of the other things I am most concerned about is our ability to run the football on that defense! They pursue laterally so quickly and jam up the middle too. We had trouble last year in T town even with all the injuries they had.. I've said this for so many years that it's getting old but I'll say it again.........THEY WILL PLAY OVER THEIR HEADS AGANST US AND THEY WILL PLAY THEIR BEST GAME OF THE YEAR.......COUNT ON IT! We had damn sure better be ready! To win we have to:

- Run the football on thier vaunted defense & diversify our offense

- Play sound defense but be willing to take some chances to put pressure on BC-

- MAKE whatever adjustments are necessary as the game progresses and at half-time;-

- NO turnovers

- No breakdowns in our kicking game[/B]- Keep penalties to a minimum

[ValleyTiger 2,894]

We may have run man a good bit, but on so many of the plays they made you could see on the replay one of our men releasing the receiver and let him run free. Just because a corner turns and runs on the snap does not men man, he may have deep responsibilities.

Corners do not turn and run to their deep zones. They are taught to back pedal into their area. This allows them to keep their eyes in the backfield so to speak. I am interested to know how much Man Free Gibbs called(meaning one safety protects deep.)

Also, those are indeed the keys to victory at Pat Dye Field at Jordan-Hare Stadium this Saturday.

WAR EAGLE!! Eat Brodie Flakes for Breakfast!!

[PowerI 0]

The problem is coaching. I've said it all along. David Gibbs is in over his head. We have the talent, but his lackluster schemes aren't getting it done.

[DKW 86 7,451]

Power I

If I am ever TOO happy. I will just come hang out at your house. Man, you could not be a bigger downer.

BTW< Chizik had a few bad games his first year in the SEC too. Anyone remember ARK?

[ValleyTiger 2,894]

BTW< Chizik had a few bad games his first year in the SEC too. Anyone remember ARK?

Gibbs=Secondary Guy=Chizik

Difference being that Gibbs has dropped the ball on his "specialty" the past two weekends.

[mcgufcm 4,107]

i remember chizik having the worst defensive showing i've ever seen at auburn. yeah i remember that. but i also remember, in the same season, his defense getting all the mistakes corrected playing well enough to beat a uga team that went what 13-1? then holding a 10-3 bama team to 7 points. then holding a firecracker hot penn state team to the same 7 points.

the fact is chizik's defenses always looked better and better as the season progressed, even in his first year. the same can't be said for gibbs' first defense. either way, i think the defense we saw dominate the first half of the season will return for this one. shut 'em down and shut 'em up.

[freebody 0]

shut 'em down and shut 'em up.

198717[/snapback]

That may not be realistically possible. (The "shut 'em up" part, that is)

[OKieAuburnDoug 1]

I think we were worried about Shockley running and we played our LBs up and gave up the intermediate field (about 15-25) yards particularly in the middle of the field.  They were hitting the deep drag route all night.  I thought we should have just had a spy.  We wanted to send heat at times but he would avoid it pretty well.

I think we will have a field day on Bama's d line

197949[/snapback]

i think brandon cox is a good QB and yall have a good team, but i don't see a "field day" on our D line really happening....heh O line, that might be a different story. its going to be a hard fought game, whoever wins it will truly have to earn it i think. congrats on the win yesterday, though. it was a great game, and i think the SEC showed the nation what its made of. roll tide!

197955[/snapback]

will be a field day on your O-line though!! TERRIBLE interior line!