Bits & Pieces: Florida vs. South Carolina

[Swamp Donkey]

I thought Elam was really good yesterday. I can’t figure out wtf is going on with linebacker play. Defense is constantly running zone and it’s exposing these DBs. .

Yeah, I saw a bunch of zone yesterday. More than usual. It maybe easy to miss bc it is the Saban style "match up zone", not your fathers drop 7 yards and wait stuff.

 

[Double Gator Dad]

My primary concern with the defense is the lack of a pass rush

The entire offseason I felt like people were diminishing the value of Jachai Polite, Jabari Zuniga, and Jonathan Greenard by simply assuming that Carter and Moon would suddenly become effective pass rushers even though neither has been in the past.

This gap is huge and will negatively effect everything we do this season

 

[SGG]

My primary concern with the defense is the lack of a pass rush

The entire offseason I felt like people were diminishing the value of Jachai Polite, Jabari Zuniga, and Jonathan Greenard by simply assuming that Carter and Moon would suddenly become effective pass rushers even though neither has been in the past.

This gap is huge and will negatively effect everything we do this season

Moon is awful. I’ve never seen someone lose their balance and fall down on 90% of their plays.

Carter has been very subpar and disappointing. I’ve been surprised by Chatfield, though, and Bogle looked good yesterday when he was in.

 

[fischerwood]

A few observations:
1. D line get your hands up on a consistent level if you don't get to the passer, at least it blocks some of the passing lanes. I think we knocked one pass down from the LOS.
2. #7 (Marco Wilson) has the worst technique for a DB I've seen in a long time. Don't these guys know how to break down to tackle? Poor coaching? IDK...head scratching...
3. I jumped out of my chair on Trask's 1st fumble..WTF is Mullen calling?
any way GO Gators...

 

[Homer J]

Marco has cashed out for the NFL

 

[fischerwood]

Not with those performances...

 

[t-gator]

My primary concern with the defense is the lack of a pass rush

The entire offseason I felt like people were diminishing the value of Jachai Polite, Jabari Zuniga, and Jonathan Greenard by simply assuming that Carter and Moon would suddenly become effective pass rushers even though neither has been in the past.

This gap is huge and will negatively effect everything we do this season

At 250 lbs Carter has no business playing inside. What little snaps he got on the end, he looked pretty good to me.

 

[fischerwood]

Marco has cashed out for the NFL

Not with those performances

 

[Swamp Donkey]

by simply assuming that Carter and Moon would suddenly become effective pass rushers even though neither has been in the past.

Carter has been very good and he is looking at a high draft pick. His grades and film will make him $$$. He is what we should hope for out of these flyweights, extreme dedication to the weight room and form.

He will of course play DE in NFL.

He wont do much sackwise being lined up DT and doubke teamed, and his draft will somewhat be hurt by this, but when you sign nothing but Rushbackers for years, it is what it is.

Moon is just a dude. He should be playing Sam LB, and he would be fine at it, but that position doesnt exist in our defense.

 

[Double Gator Dad]

Marco has cashed out for the NFL

I hope he’s not expecting much

 

[Double Gator Dad]

At 250 lbs Carter has no business playing inside. What little snaps he got on the end, he looked pretty good to me.

He did a good job of pushing his blocker towards the QB but we need a good old fashioned speed rusher like Polite that can disrupt everything

 

[gingerlover]

Not with those performances

Ever since he got hurt it feels like the minimum. Last year he read the twitter criticism way to much and eventually got pissed off enough to actually show a little more effort the last few games to tell people to shut up. Looks like he’s back to old form.

 

[cover2]

Grantham is mindnumbing.

It is just amazing that he has been Third and Grantham since 2010 or so and still he gets paid millions to do this.

Your thoughts on the top schematic things things that affects this defense?

Im just stunned at depth chart and roster management.

For starters, I’d never rush just four (and definitely not three) on conversion downs. I know this is a hated name for us Gators, but Mickey Andrews was the best in these situations. He’d always send at least one more than you could block on third-and-passing from different angles. The End would often bull or rip the OT to clear a lane to the QB. The DL would rip and roll quite a bit as well, often finding a vacant spot in the middle when the OG slid with the rip. He did this when he had good DBs and an overall strong D. Sitting back and trying to cover your way to a stop with our current group isn’t working out real well. Grantham needs to live up to the “Dr. Pressure” monicker that many have given him, at least more so (and more creatively and diversely) than is currently happening.

I thought Elam was really good yesterday. I can’t figure out wtf is going on with linebacker play. Defense is constantly running zone and it’s exposing these DBs. Obviously Stiner sucks monkey balls but the reason these DBs look like they’re giving up big plays is because the WRs are just running short routes and sitting in the soft spots in the zones. Just let these guys man up. The few times I saw Elam on man coverage he was lights out.

I’ve noticed the zone coverages, usually when the opponents either throw under and the receiver is wide open and has a 10 yard running start or when the QB finds the soft spot after having a coffee and the morning paper. It’s clear that our groups are not real solid on the zone responsibilities. A squatting safety covers no one.

I agree with @divits when he says we are overrated at #3, or at least our D is. I believe that without some changes in defensive ideology, we’ll likely eventually run into a group that is good enough on D that we won’t be able to simply out score. I go back to my belief that we are not quite strong enough on the LOS at this point to win more battles up front than we lose. Dexter, Cox, and a couple of others will get there, but the staff’s got to help them out now. Great motor and heart won’t always fix a narrow@ss.

 

[JDW]

Marco has cashed out for the NFL

Marco is playing his way into needing another season

 

[Swamp Donkey]

He did a good job of pushing his blocker towards the QB but we need a good old fashioned speed rusher like Polite that can disrupt everything

Cox does that. But you can only play one of those dudes at a time or you get destroyed in run defense.

Preferably youd have a speed guy who is also competent vs the run, but everybody wants that guy. They are few and far between.

Cox (and all the speed rushbackers) should be off the field in run downs, but we just dont have enough real linemen to do this.

Playing two Rushbackers at DE is one of our biggest problems. I agree that we have far better rush options but Mullinz plays seniors, period.

 

[Zambo]

Sure seems like the overall tone of the game changed on the interception. Prior to that we had just scored a couple more TDs and gotten a fumble and a punt out of the cawks. Looked to me like Trask was throwing to a spot and Toney slipped coming out of his break which let the ball sail into the arms of the defender, who I still think dropped the ball and we should have had the play reviewed.

While I agree with a lot of the scheme and personnel points made about the defense, IMO everything looks a hell of a lot better if we can just do a better job of tackling. Just way too many yards after contact.

The long drive by the cawks at the end of the game was frustrating to watch but probably a lot of it was situational. Looked like we were giving even more cushion than normal trying to prevent giving up a big play knowing they needed two scores to tie, which let them dink and dunk their way down the field but also chew up the entire clock. Even if they converted that 4th down play for a TD, the game was over. Cover and I were talking about predictions before the game and we both agreed it would be something like 35-21 and that's pretty much what we got.

Overall I have to agree this isn't a championship team because of the defense, more so because of talent/depth than scheme IMO.

 

[RocketCityGator]

At #3 this team is waaaaay overrated. A third rated team should be a considerable threat to win it all. With this awful defense we aren't even close. There are no standouts on this defense to look to as bright spots. We are too small all over and it shows in our "tackling". I fear we'll get totally man handled against a decent offensive line and eviscerated by decent passing team. Someone like Georgia or Bama will be able to give their QB all day to pick apart our inept DBs. And since we don't seem to understand the concept of contain even a middling good QB will kill us with he feet.

It's so immensely frustrating that after 12 years we FINALLY have a championship caliber offense and a Pop Warner defense. We'll lose at least 2 games with this defense.

Sorry to be so negative but watching us give up third and fourth and long so many times, something our defenses have become famous for, does not give one any confidence that we are anywhere close to fixing our defensive problems.

I don't think your being negative, I think you being realistic. I don't see us winning the east with this defense. And as long as 3/4&G is still around, it aint getting fixed.

Frankly I'm fairly pessimistic about beating A&M, Toothless, LSwho, and the Dwags. Damm I feel like retching.

 

[Double Gator Dad]

Cox does that. But you can only play one of those dudes at a time or you get destroyed in run defense.

Preferably youd have a speed guy who is also competent vs the run, but everybody wants that guy. They are few and far between.

Cox (and all the speed rushbackers) should be off the field in run downs, but we just dont have enough real linemen to do this.

Playing two Rushbackers at DE is one of our biggest problems. I agree that we have far better rush options but Mullinz plays seniors, period.

I seem to recall Florida playing Greenard and Zuniga together, when healthy last year.

 

[cover2]

Question for you or someone who knows football and watches film: when Toney was nailed for a loss on the counter play in the second half, it was a key setback. Play starts right and comes back left. Gouraige moves sharply right and his man comes around him on his left into our backfield for the tackle. Tony acts disgusted. Here's my question: did Gouraige just miss his block going too far to the right, or are plays like that designed to fool the DL into going further in the direction Gouraige was moving? Thanks.

Thanks AR. I recall the play. Gouraige’s G scheme should have him kicking the backside end for Toney to run underneath after jabbing and cutting back. I believe the guy who blew the play up beat the cut off / wall by the backside OG. Usually when that happens, the defender’s key is to “get in the G scheme’s hip pocket” before the next guy in can get a hand or pad on you. At least that’s the way it used to be taught. I don’t believe it was any kind of influence by Gouraige. I’ll look for this play again to be sure, but I believe that’s what happened.

 

[deuce]

The old adage is "Defense wins Championships"

That about covers it....


We are one injury away from a 3 win season, if not 2...