Gators Defense

[NavetG8r]

i would like to see penalties for rbs lowering their heads too though.

Yes to this! If defenders can't lead with the crown of their helmets, runners shouldn't be allowed to either.

 

[Concrete Helmet]

We really do not have one single SEC LB on the roster or that is playing. Perhaps Johnson could be, but it does not appear he is coming back. Reese and Joseph are slow to react or pick up anything. Garcia is a good story but lets face it a walk on talent wise. Jackson is just not good.

This is a real problem and will make matters worse later in the season because as bad as these guys are just imagine their replacements when they're dinged up......I know I was a little guilty about thinking Reese would catch on quickly and become a quality LBer for us. The reality is he's just slow, small and late to react at least to this point in the season....and no way in hell he weighs 239#, he plays like he's about 210# and gets rag dolled as much as McMillan did for the last 2 years.....Our shortage of 300# space eaters in front of him isn't helping matters and I suspect quite a few of our future opponents will put up well over 200 yards of rushing on this no ass defense. I guess this is what happens when recruiting is set on cruise control....

 

[Marianna-FL_Gator]

Well we've recruited three stars to replace NFL players

Hey...3* players are just as good as the 4/5* guys ;)

 

[InstiGATOR1]

guys it's no different than a fask mask or a horsecollar, used to be legal, isn't anymore. if these guys were playing backyard football with their cousins and brothers, would they launch face to face and risk snapping necks, breaking heads, busting teeeth and noses? no.

it's no different. they CAN control it.

moreover it isn't changing regardless. head to head and your are out. i would like to see penalties for rbs lowering their heads too though. the other option is the trial attorneys taking football from us altogether.

the added benefit is we may see better TACKLING and less formless hitting.

Yes, like the face mask particularly, it is a random thing. The reason why analysts with half a brain do not call the face mask a dirty play is that you are out their grabbing for anything you can get and sometimes you get the face mask. You are right sadly the 5 yard incidental face mask call went away taking away the incentive to let go quickly if you happen to catch the face mask of an opponent.

And you are right the horse collar is similar, though I guess getting your hand in the runner shoulder pads is not a penalty or at least a UF guy who did last night but let go and did not bring the guy down did not get a penalty. And like any other tackle, the UF guy was just grabbing for what he could get when he got his hand in the guys shoulder pads.

As for whether or not the trial attorneys will end college football or not, the NFL started this move to semi-touch football because they did not want the players recognized by the casual fan, QBs and WRs getting hurt. Then after the NFL started acting guilty, the trial lawyers became involved.

As for whether it will improve tackling or not, football happens very fast and is quite instinctual. So I suspect thinking about not getting a horse collar flag or whether or not you will be a targeting penalty and be thrown out of the game etc leads to sloppier tackling and more missed tackles rather than better form tackles.

One solution might be as you suggest might be stressing defenseless players. Someone who is about to or can potentially deliver a blow to you with their helmet or shoulder is not defenseless.

 

[Durty South Swamp]

Rhetorical question. Everyone knows what has happened to our once great defense.

Mac took over, the talent left, he replaced it with 3* players and 0* coaching.

 

[soflagator]

Not only have we replaced 5* with 3* in too many areas, we're also at year 3, which has historically been a bad year for UF coaches. I allowed myself to buy in to the preseason talk, when my head kept going back to the facts.

We either have true freshmen starting, or 3rd-year guys that were throw-in's of a transition class. Guys like Ancrum and Jackson shouldn't be on scholarship at UF. Yet not only are they on scholarship, they're in our 2-deep and playing significant snaps.

Now, the positive is that the staff does seem to have recognized that to a degree and have now upped the rating of our players. But it will likely take 2-3 years to recover from that.

 

[G8trwood]

Who is the leader on Defense?

 

[soflagator]

Who is the leader on Defense?

So far all we've been able to identify are the "ring leaders" on our team.