I've been going back and fourth with a friend, defending Kirby for 2 years regarding our defensive issues. However, it's getting tougher and tougher to avoid certain issues. You can look at today and say the D only gave up 10 pts, 7 to backups, we forced TO's, etc. But I also saw a MTSU team dominate the time of possession in the first half, miss a FG, botch a snap at the goal line, etc. Really looks like the same D from last year... Tons of "potential", with lots of guys not reaching their "potential", leaving that group short of what they could be.
There are 3 glaring concerns IMO. And it's been this way for quite some time.
1. The substitution/preparation timing is horrendous. Time after time our front 7 is caught out of position. Running to a different spot, running in from the sideline, signaling to each other when the ball is snapped,etc. It just leads to our guys flat out not being ready to be aggressive. A guy cannot be re positioning himself and still be ready to dominate his match up or focusing on his assignment. Our defensive scheme is so focused on trying to get the "perfect play" or the "perfect personnel" that it takes away from having the D in position to play. It's happened over and over and is a glaring issue when we get beat in certain games/plays. Amazing to me that this has not been addressed.
2. Third and long. Why are we so bad at this? One of the worst defenses in the country last year in this area, and off to an average start this year. This is not an average talent team though. I don't know a ton about the specifics of certain defenses, but I know that we play zone consistently in third and long and there are huge windows that allow for those first downs. Very little pressure on the QB in these situations. Our best defenses would make this hell for the QB... This has not happened recently. (To the football heads - Is playing man to man a huge no-no in this situation?)
3. Playing the good ole' boys. Devall, Dillon Lee, Geno Smith come to mind. This was actually as good as I've seen Devall play in quite some time, yet he is the most ineffective pass rusher I've ever seen at Alabama. Darren Lake could come off the edqe quicker than him. He did make a nice run stop today, which means even the sun shines on a dogs ass every now and then when you play as many snaps as he does. Dillon Lee is a no show and non factor. And the last time Geno Smith made a good play was in the 2012 SECCG... That I can remember. I'm not sure why but the staff finds certain guys they are comfortable with and stick with them until the bigger end. Hubbard and Christion Jones come to mind, amongst others. If we are going to legitimately talk about the defense taking the "dominant" step, the young studs have to get a shot.... Because the Devall/Lee group has proven to have little to no "special" in them.
*The defensive system has guys over thinking, looking at the sideline, out of rhythm, and not ready to play. With all the talent on this team, does it really need to be THAT complicated? Especially when we can't get off the field in third and longs. Freedom and confidence could go a long way in helping talented guys making big time plays... Particularly THE RIGHT guys. JMO. RTR
There are 3 glaring concerns IMO. And it's been this way for quite some time.
1. The substitution/preparation timing is horrendous. Time after time our front 7 is caught out of position. Running to a different spot, running in from the sideline, signaling to each other when the ball is snapped,etc. It just leads to our guys flat out not being ready to be aggressive. A guy cannot be re positioning himself and still be ready to dominate his match up or focusing on his assignment. Our defensive scheme is so focused on trying to get the "perfect play" or the "perfect personnel" that it takes away from having the D in position to play. It's happened over and over and is a glaring issue when we get beat in certain games/plays. Amazing to me that this has not been addressed.
2. Third and long. Why are we so bad at this? One of the worst defenses in the country last year in this area, and off to an average start this year. This is not an average talent team though. I don't know a ton about the specifics of certain defenses, but I know that we play zone consistently in third and long and there are huge windows that allow for those first downs. Very little pressure on the QB in these situations. Our best defenses would make this hell for the QB... This has not happened recently. (To the football heads - Is playing man to man a huge no-no in this situation?)
3. Playing the good ole' boys. Devall, Dillon Lee, Geno Smith come to mind. This was actually as good as I've seen Devall play in quite some time, yet he is the most ineffective pass rusher I've ever seen at Alabama. Darren Lake could come off the edqe quicker than him. He did make a nice run stop today, which means even the sun shines on a dogs ass every now and then when you play as many snaps as he does. Dillon Lee is a no show and non factor. And the last time Geno Smith made a good play was in the 2012 SECCG... That I can remember. I'm not sure why but the staff finds certain guys they are comfortable with and stick with them until the bigger end. Hubbard and Christion Jones come to mind, amongst others. If we are going to legitimately talk about the defense taking the "dominant" step, the young studs have to get a shot.... Because the Devall/Lee group has proven to have little to no "special" in them.
*The defensive system has guys over thinking, looking at the sideline, out of rhythm, and not ready to play. With all the talent on this team, does it really need to be THAT complicated? Especially when we can't get off the field in third and longs. Freedom and confidence could go a long way in helping talented guys making big time plays... Particularly THE RIGHT guys. JMO. RTR
