- Jun 5, 2014
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Founding Member
More thoughts from Donkey:
We also don't know what else is going on behind the scenes. Lots of rumors about Raymond. I don't believe he has ever been a DC but he's been around some damn good defenses. Maybe he is going to be co DC here if we hire the young dude. Raymond does seem to be a lot more than just an elite recruiter. Very impressive coach. No clue how LSU let him leave.
It's really hard to know ANYTHING about staff hires. I wasn't impressed by the Brian Johnson hire either. His stats were terrible as OC before and he seemed like just another bootlicker off the Mullen tree (played at Utah under Mullen, coached under Mullen at Cowbell) . But he has been the only person in 19 years to convince Mullen to change his passing play calls. The only time in 19 years that passing wasn't just screens and 9s. Mullen still stuck with options even with Trask at QB but still... it was a major accomplishment and the only functional offense we've had in two decades.
>>Switching defensive schemes would NOT necessarily be bad because:
There's not a damn thing wrong with the scheme. Toney had the #9 defense just the year before. And frankly, it's 99% Saban anyway.
I'm not sure exactly WTF happened last year. Watching it from an X's and O's standpoint, you'd swear it was a different person calling the plays.
If I were making an uneducated guess, it would be something like a combination of:
1: There just weren't pieces on the roster. You can't play 40-60 pounds undersized on the DL, a safety and a FIU player at linebacker, and whatever the **** that has been at safety the year (and the five before it).
2. Toney just didn't scare anyone and once you lose that boss/subordinate, it was clearest with Brenton Cox just doing whatever in the hell he wanted on about 50% of the plays, but I doubt that was all of it.
3. Because of 1 and 2, his playcalling became... not sure how to describe it. Playing 10-12 yards deep on third and 6, playing man defense on obvious running downs, "threatening pressure" but never actually bringing it, etc. Just... totally lost. Maybe he was giving up, just trying not to get Miller burned in pass coverage or giving up 400 yards rushing by our weak ass and laughable run defense. I just don't know.
I did not mean to imply that we don't need a change in PLAYCALLING. Of course we do. I mean we don't need to change the scheme of the defense, the calls, reads, keys, formations, adjustments etc. It is sound, and hopefully the players know a lot more. If we change now, next year is tossed also. And there are few decent other options in defensive schemes anyway. Most of the NCAA and all of the NFL play this Belichick/Sabanesque defense for a reason.
What do you want? Conf USA (and WVU) special 3-3-5? Old school 4-3 zone base like Randy Shannon and Charley Strong? Base Cover 1 from basically... I guess only Durkin? Neither Strong nor Durkin have had even the slightest recent success for a reason. They just don't have an answer for modern offense.
It doesn't matter much. Bammer just scoured the country and ended up with 3x retread vagabond Steele coming off a 5-7 season. SCUM hired some dude I'd never heard of who didn't even coach a game at Houston. There aren't many good options anyway. Think we would do better than them?
OK. Im not bothering Ox for a few weeks. Pile on, boys."
"We don't even KNOW who is hired. It's still just a rumor. The dude is still in Tuscaloosa. Maybe he is negotiating for CoDC up there or something. Somehow.
We also don't know what else is going on behind the scenes. Lots of rumors about Raymond. I don't believe he has ever been a DC but he's been around some damn good defenses. Maybe he is going to be co DC here if we hire the young dude. Raymond does seem to be a lot more than just an elite recruiter. Very impressive coach. No clue how LSU let him leave.
It's really hard to know ANYTHING about staff hires. I wasn't impressed by the Brian Johnson hire either. His stats were terrible as OC before and he seemed like just another bootlicker off the Mullen tree (played at Utah under Mullen, coached under Mullen at Cowbell) . But he has been the only person in 19 years to convince Mullen to change his passing play calls. The only time in 19 years that passing wasn't just screens and 9s. Mullen still stuck with options even with Trask at QB but still... it was a major accomplishment and the only functional offense we've had in two decades.
>>Switching defensive schemes would NOT necessarily be bad because:
There's not a damn thing wrong with the scheme. Toney had the #9 defense just the year before. And frankly, it's 99% Saban anyway.
I'm not sure exactly WTF happened last year. Watching it from an X's and O's standpoint, you'd swear it was a different person calling the plays.
If I were making an uneducated guess, it would be something like a combination of:
1: There just weren't pieces on the roster. You can't play 40-60 pounds undersized on the DL, a safety and a FIU player at linebacker, and whatever the **** that has been at safety the year (and the five before it).
2. Toney just didn't scare anyone and once you lose that boss/subordinate, it was clearest with Brenton Cox just doing whatever in the hell he wanted on about 50% of the plays, but I doubt that was all of it.
3. Because of 1 and 2, his playcalling became... not sure how to describe it. Playing 10-12 yards deep on third and 6, playing man defense on obvious running downs, "threatening pressure" but never actually bringing it, etc. Just... totally lost. Maybe he was giving up, just trying not to get Miller burned in pass coverage or giving up 400 yards rushing by our weak ass and laughable run defense. I just don't know.
I did not mean to imply that we don't need a change in PLAYCALLING. Of course we do. I mean we don't need to change the scheme of the defense, the calls, reads, keys, formations, adjustments etc. It is sound, and hopefully the players know a lot more. If we change now, next year is tossed also. And there are few decent other options in defensive schemes anyway. Most of the NCAA and all of the NFL play this Belichick/Sabanesque defense for a reason.
What do you want? Conf USA (and WVU) special 3-3-5? Old school 4-3 zone base like Randy Shannon and Charley Strong? Base Cover 1 from basically... I guess only Durkin? Neither Strong nor Durkin have had even the slightest recent success for a reason. They just don't have an answer for modern offense.
It doesn't matter much. Bammer just scoured the country and ended up with 3x retread vagabond Steele coming off a 5-7 season. SCUM hired some dude I'd never heard of who didn't even coach a game at Houston. There aren't many good options anyway. Think we would do better than them?
OK. Im not bothering Ox for a few weeks. Pile on, boys."
