🏈 What are your feelings on the National title game?
- Thread starter bamaledge
- Start date
We're seeing a lot of discussion on the changes at OC. What we're not seeing his how Venables plans to defend a different Bama offense. It's the one unknown in this game. (I do think he's a good DC and I also see they've given up some yards.)
I'm not sure how that's going to play out. I've considered what it will look like if we see the DL in a passing grouping with Allen sliding to the interior. If so, that's going to blow up the interior of their OL all night. Even doubled, it's too much of a mismatch with the weakness at guard.
So, if Allen is blowing up the middle and we've got the speed on the outside? Gap responsibility with ILB's and Watson is limited.
I like Minkah's experience and really like how this game shapes up for him. I remember his struggles last year and I know he does as well. I can see the safeties having big games here.
Touching on something @Crimson&WhiteGecko mentions ...
I'm not sure how that's going to play out. I've considered what it will look like if we see the DL in a passing grouping with Allen sliding to the interior. If so, that's going to blow up the interior of their OL all night. Even doubled, it's too much of a mismatch with the weakness at guard.
So, if Allen is blowing up the middle and we've got the speed on the outside? Gap responsibility with ILB's and Watson is limited.
I like Minkah's experience and really like how this game shapes up for him. I remember his struggles last year and I know he does as well. I can see the safeties having big games here.
Touching on something @Crimson&WhiteGecko mentions ...
Some call it a prevent, some call it bend but don't break, some call it keeping the play in front ... You know the drill.
I saw a lot of that "keep the play in front" type of approach out of Kirby last year. I can't see the same approach with Pruitt.
That said ...
Bama hasn't seen a Watson type QB since last year.
I don't see how you could classify his 2 sacks and multiple pressures (all after halftime adjustments) as "not attacking"
musso
Member
How many key plays have you seen anyone in our defensive front 7 (or more commonly 6) make this season beyond our starters? I'm hard pressed to remember anything. I recall a meaningless sack, albeit impressive, by freshman DT Davis in the final moments of Miss St (game already decided). I recall one or two plays made by OLB Jennings. As good as I think Hand is, I don't recall any key stops made by him. If you think we are deep on defense, help me out. I know I've heard Saban express concern about our depth, and I recall hearing David Pollock make a bold comment that we are one injury away in our starting front 7 to being desperate against Clemson. And I completely agree. And as I've said earlier, if Watson extends plays/drives with his legs while under pressure, we will be AT LEAST as ragged as we were last year and probably more.
We've already "one injury" in the front seven when SDH went out... they didnt miss a beat... when Dalvin and Reuben went out against Washington, at the same time, they didnt miss a beat... As far as experience, there isnt more depth on the line as last season, but there haven't been many years where we had a d-line that can play all game without needing to come out either like these guys. And I have every bit of confidence that Frazier could come in and play well if Payne had to come out. Same with Hand if Allen or Tomlinson has to come out.
Any defense is going to be "ragged" if they have to chase a guy like Watson all night - depth or no depth - the key is keeping his scrambles to a minimum. Again back to my key being Rashaan.
Because very little of it was him blitzing or "attacking" the line. He was spying on Watson, when it looked like Watson was getting rattled or ready to take off thats when Evans went for him.
An example...
The first sack was him "spying" and then when Watson started to scramble he went for the sack, second sack he rushed off the edge like an end...
Some empirical data I've come across.
The defense has seen 880 snaps this season. Allen has played in 653 of those plays. Tomlinson in 624. Payne in 511.
The numbers for Foster, Anderson and Hamilton mirrored those.
(The defense has been in reg a little over 10% of the time.)
**Again, not my numbers but the guy has done a damn good job this season.
But take into consideration how many of those snaps came in garbage time this season, the fact that Foster and company mirrored those snaps would lend towards the most of those other snaps coming in lopsided blowouts.
I mean if you want to ignore facts I guess have at it...
I think we're saying the same thing. Foster had over 700 snaps. Goes to show how much they've been playing.
You proved my point by that video, BTW.
What created the pressure was the twist up front. Regardless of whether Rashaan was the spy or not, THAT, my friend, was NOT a mush-rush. That was an ATTACK. And in the 2nd half, no less.
So please, bring more of your facts that support my point. By all means...lmao
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musso
Member
Well in all fairness, an injury to Hamilton was perhaps the least harmful loss imaginable, despite him calling plays. We had another junior, Evans, right behind him with a much higher ceiling than Hamilton anyway. The drop off at all other starting positions is far greater.
Hand for Allen: Hand has all the measurables, but again, I don't recall him making any key plays so far in his career. Frankly I think he's been underused or misused so far (too small to stop the run consistently in regular and a tad too slow with the added weight to be a top shelf pass rusher. I think he will shine more next season given the gradual evolution of Saban's system as a true 4-3 type DE.
Frazier for Payne: as discussed in the preseason, we entered the season without a quality back up for Payne. After Davis' arrival we've seen his ascension to 2nd string. But I imagine we won't be using Frazier and Davis very much in this game anyway.
Which brings us to the other base DE, or DT when we have 4 DL: who backs up Tomlinson? Payne is mobile for his size and gets a lot of reps at DT, but mobile enough to be effective against this kind of QB?
Also discussed in the preseason was the disappointing progress of DL Smith and Dwight. This is a game where they would have been very useful for depth, but I don't think they've seen the field much at all this season. I see TONS of pressure on Allen and Tomlinson in this game to play nearly every snap. They are the only two DL who can play the run (outside) and pass (inside) at a high level. Not only that we will need major contributions in pass rush from reserves who I've barely seen all season, like OLBs Jennings, Miller, Brown, freshman Hall, etc. And I wonder if they will put Wilson in as a pass rusher too on obvious passing downs.
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Dude seriously? I never said the defense in general, didnt attack. Weren't you the one that labeled last year as "mush rush?" They def. got more aggressive in the second half and in fact I even said when we started attacking and being more aggressive the defense played much better, I acknowledged that... I said Evans wasn't really attacking, because he was spying... Stop attempting to twist my words.
You stated after I mentioned Rashaan that we were still mush-rushing, and around that same time (probably the post before) that you'd still expect more of a mush-rush.
My assertion was not that Rashaan was attacking by himself. My assertion was that he got his 2 sacks and multiple hurries BECAUSE of a more attacking style up front, to which you continued to argue.
Maybe you misread what I said early on, IDK.
But my point is that we were able to affect Watson much more when we attacked than when we simply tried to contain with a mush-rush, and that we'll see more of an attacking style up front from Pruitt this year.
Usually Dakota Ball... but since he likes to shoot his own fingers off... I think this mass of humanity would do just fine...
Im not the one that misread anything...
I pretty CLEARLY said that I agree we got more pressures when we started to get aggressive last season...
And you didnt say the aggression from the rest of the defense led to his sacks, you said HIS pressures and sacks were proof of him attacking...
I didn't explicitly say he was the one attacking
So I'm supposed to take "I dont see how you could classify his 2 sacks and multiple pressures (he was credited with 0 QBH by the way) as not attacking" as something other than you saying he wasnt the one attacking? And if you are saying you MEANT to say the pressure from other players attacking led to his sacks and "pressures" what would be the point of you saying that when I clearly acknowledged the aggression from the defense in the second half otherwise.
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