The real reason: The Defensive Line

[Albert]

I came in to set the record straight, but I see a couple of others have already done that. Thanks for taking up my slack folks! Recruiting, recruiting, recruiting. That's what we need and that seems to be what we're getting. Billy's struggling with the elite top 50 types, but he's stocking the cupboards with top 75-350 types. That's a pretty solid foundation to build upon. When you started this thread, did you even once consider the amount of talent we have committed at DL this year?

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[G8trwood]

You mean no QB pressure no matter how many we send for 2 years? Rush 5-6, and still have time to become a Heisman candidate matters? Who could have thunk it. So easy even a Donk could see it ;).
Time for da portal or sun belt bust .
This update brought to you by Tres Generations anejo :)
Go Gators
Recruit, buy, kidnap every big butt you can! Not enormous, just big

Please excuse the sarcasm, we all agree

 

[Albert]

The point of my post is that if the defensive front improves, it will open up opportunities for Napier on the offensive side of the ball that appear to be currently problematic. I know much has been made of his play calling and clock management, but with a defense that can’t be trusted and a QB that can’t execute consistently, it leaves CBN SEVERELY handcuffed. Fix this and clock management issue’s won’t be issues at all. As Urban said, “Play great defense and you get the opportunity to play a hell of a lot of offense”.

 

[deuce]

I think it's simplistic to decide that one facet of our team is the "real" reason for our woe's.

Team's are complex, with many moving parts and none of our parts are consistently able to take over a game.

The old adage, "you are what your record says you are" perfectly describes what the Gators are right now, 6 and 6...... average.

We can win every game or we can lose every game. You may say this is true for every team in every game but elite teams and programs are able to find ways to improve their odds to win. ie: How often are Bama or Jawja underdogs in a game?

In my opinion, we could have easily won three more games with just one negative play being changed to a positive play in those three games. 9 -3 would satisfy most fans.

Conversely, we could have easily lost 3 more games if only 3 other plays changed from positive to negative. 3 -9 would have led to suicides among the Gator Faithful.

Many of us had high hopes for an immediate turn around, in retrospect those high hopes were based more on fantasy rather than reality. That reality is we are short on depth, short of talent, saddled with a learning unproven staff and run by an administration that is too cheap to spend the money to compete with the Alabama's and Georgia's in the SEC.

The only consistent thing I can say about the 2022 Gators is that we are consistently average, middle of the pack, ho-hum, mediocre, middling.

Even so, I'm not throwing in my fan towel...... I think a rebuild will take at least three years. I expect us to be much better in 2023 and if we are not challenging the Big Boys in 2024, Billy will need to go. I know that some of you are too impatient to wait three years but it takes a little time to change the complete nature, face and body of a broken Football Program. I think we are one year into that painful change.

Still, at least we are not saddled with Shark Boy or Creepy Dan.

 

[Back Alley Gator]

I think it's simplistic to decide that one facet of our team is the "real" reason for our woe's.

Team's are complex, with many moving parts and none of our parts are consistently able to take over a game.

The old adage, "you are what your record says you are" perfectly describes what the Gators are right now, 6 and 6...... average.

We can win every game or we can lose every game. You may say this is true for every team in every game but elite teams and programs are able to find ways to improve their odds to win. ie: How often are Bama or Jawja underdogs in a game?

In my opinion, we could have easily won three more games with just one negative play being changed to a positive play in those three games. 9 -3 would satisfy most fans.

Conversely, we could have easily lost 3 more games if only 3 other plays changed from positive to negative. 3 -9 would have led to suicides among the Gator Faithful.

Many of us had high hopes for an immediate turn around, in retrospect those high hopes were based more on fantasy rather than reality. That reality is we are short on depth, short of talent, saddled with a learning unproven staff and run by an administration that is too cheap to spend the money to compete with the Alabama's and Georgia's in the SEC.

The only consistent thing I can say about the 2022 Gators is that we are consistently average, middle of the pack, ho-hum, mediocre, middling.

How are we doing on defense? Middle of the pack D would have us looking at 3 more wins likely.

 

[cover2]

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Probably one of my favorite movie moments of all time and a line I still use frequently among my male counterparts! That said, my input on this topic would be that the better your down linemen, the easier things can be for the LBs and secondary. When you’re inconsistent or weak up front you often try and compensate by japping it up with blitzes, stunts, etc. that sooner or later gets exploited. Billy’s approach was more base it seemed with the idea that we get better the longer we did it and not risk getting exposed by blitzing too often. Unfortunately, we weren’t very sound fundamentally from a technique standpoint and broke more than we held. About the biggest gain was that even though we gave up too many scores, many of them took time off the clock, meaning we didn’t give up 50+. Metaphorically speaking, the games we lost were death by hemlock as opposed to a bullet between the eyes!

To sum it up, we’ll be better overall when the DL room is closer to elite than green.

 

[stephenPE]

So the short answer is games are won in the trenches..........Or def. wins championships. If we had two very good D lineman along with another good LB we could easily be 9-3 or better this year. Jimmies and Joes.......Jimmies and Joes.

 

[B52G8rAC]

Yep. Our last purported DC recruited like 11 200 pound safeties could stop any offense. They were so fast they could run away from running backs.

 

[Zambo]

Ogres are like onions. Many layers.

 

[Durty South Swamp]

AR not completing a single pass in the second half against fsu until about 3 mins left in the 4th qtr has little to do with the D line.
Him not being able to hit water from a boat in the second half against Ky has litle to do with the D line.
Napier calling pass play after pass play in both of the above situations despite having a couple backs with real talent who were playing well has little to do with the D line as well.

Im not disagreeing with anything you said about the d line, and your overall point that even if we didnt have the issues i described above (and others), we still would probably suck b/c of the D line may very well be true, but to pretend like the other major issues arent issues is pure fiction. Most of us, and i do mean 'most', are smart enough to walk and chew gum at the same time. We can see the D line is a problem, but its only 1 of many.

 

[Detroitgator]

Probably one of my favorite movie moments of all time and a line I still use frequently among my male counterparts! That said, my input on this topic would be that the better your down linemen, the easier things can be for the LBs and secondary. When you’re inconsistent or weak up front you often try and compensate by japping it up with blitzes, stunts, etc. that sooner or later gets exploited. Billy’s approach was more base it seemed with the idea that we get better the longer we did it and not risk getting exposed by blitzing too often. Unfortunately, we weren’t very sound fundamentally from a technique standpoint and broke more than we held. About the biggest gain was that even though we gave up too many scores, many of them took time off the clock, meaning we didn’t give up 50+. Metaphorically speaking, the games we lost were death by hemlock as opposed to a bullet between the eyes!

To sum it up, we’ll be better overall when the DL room is closer to elite than green.

PS: It was the Krauts that blitzed things, not the Japs.

 

[cover2]

PS: It was the Krauts that blitzed things, not the Japs.

Thanks Vinegar Joe…you military guys and your semantics!

 

[Albert]

Probably one of my favorite movie moments of all time and a line I still use frequently among my male counterparts!.

I knew you were cool all along ol son!

 

[Silverback Gator]

5 4-star DL recruits committed for 2023. Plus 11 R-Fr, Fr or So. If these 16 guys develop, we should be better on DL. for 2023. If we only lose 1 DL (Norwood) this year, our containment should improve with the experience.

Theres no indication our players are coached to contain. Bit sure, maybe staff will recruit some talent and begin to demand it.