2015 Cajuns' defensive concerns are front-loaded

[CrappDaddy]

Briscoe is solid in the run game. He and Stephens will hold their own.

[Just1More]

Call me crazy, but I think the secondary is going to be much improved. Tracy Walker looks like a good one and we'll add Brazil and Thomas to the fold. There's good reason to believe that we will be much improved there and at linebacker.

Nothing crazy about it. If we main line man coverage, we'll kick rump. We should have counted on these guys to get better week to week in man assignment coverage, and switched to zone under specific scenarios. We showed our hand defensively most of the season. We were lucky our offense compensated. The last 6 quarters of football... second half at Troy... and 4 quarters against Nevada... proved we had the personnel all season to thrive in man coverage. We only resorted to man coverage after failing miserably in the first half against Troy. If we were personnel deficient to play any team on our schedule with secondary assignment football, we shouldn't have done it against Nevada. If we had a weak secondary, or had to park every lineman and LB in a lane to contain Fajardo... we didn't do it. We slashed and gashed to get on his ___, and we covered everyone (but twice) like a blanket, in man coverage. If we don't feature a high pressure/assignment coverage defense next year... our coaches have lost their minds.

In other words, we lack nothing in defensive personnel. You just about can't lack defensive athletes when you recruit in Louisiana and Mississippi. You just have to let the hair grow on your back, teach fundamentals, preach aggression, and let them do what they came to college to do.

[RedCajun]

Briscoe is solid in the run game. He and Stephens will hold their own.

Agreed. Briscoe does a good job playing with leverage.

I think the d line will continue to be a strength next season.

Any chance Sherrard Johnson is in the d line rotation? To me, he would be a beast on the other side of the ball at guard or rt.

[CajunT]

Yes.....the young man we placed from Farmersville 2 years ago is a commitment. Please see updated commitment list at Louisiana.scout.com

Policarp, UL dropped Andrews about a month back. He won't be coming to UL.

[Policarp]

Oops.....my bad.

[Bandwagon King]

Nothing crazy about it. If we main line man coverage, we'll kick rump. We should have counted on these guys to get better week to week in man assignment coverage, and switched to zone under specific scenarios. We showed our hand defensively most of the season. We were lucky our offense compensated. The last 6 quarters of football... second half at Troy... and 4 quarters against Nevada... proved we had the personnel all season to thrive in man coverage. We only resorted to man coverage after failing miserably in the first half against Troy. If we were personnel deficient to play any team on our schedule with secondary assignment football, we shouldn't have done it against Nevada. If we had a weak secondary, or had to park every lineman and LB in a lane to contain Fajardo... we didn't do it. We slashed and gashed to get on his ___, and we covered everyone (but twice) like a blanket, in man coverage. If we don't feature a high pressure/assignment coverage defense next year... our coaches have lost their minds.

In other words, we lack nothing in defensive personnel. You just about can't lack defensive athletes when you recruit in Louisiana and Mississippi. You just have to let the hair grow on your back, teach fundamentals, preach aggression, and let them do what they came to college to do.

Do you need a job as a defensive coordinator? Or better yet, you should go around the country preaching this philosophy in coaching seminars for offensive head coaches. What I don't understand is that when an offensive coach is running a team & he makes his defensive coach run a scheme that he understands. If he can understand it & therefore beat it, then why does he want his own coach running that philosophy? A smart offensive coach will give his defensive guy leeway to run the kind of defense he wants, ala Chavis & LSU. Where would they be without him?

[ManAboutTown]

Nothing crazy about it. If we main line man coverage, we'll kick rump. We should have counted on these guys to get better week to week in man assignment coverage, and switched to zone under specific scenarios. We showed our hand defensively most of the season. We were lucky our offense compensated. The last 6 quarters of football... second half at Troy... and 4 quarters against Nevada... proved we had the personnel all season to thrive in man coverage. We only resorted to man coverage after failing miserably in the first half against Troy. If we were personnel deficient to play any team on our schedule with secondary assignment football, we shouldn't have done it against Nevada. If we had a weak secondary, or had to park every lineman and LB in a lane to contain Fajardo... we didn't do it. We slashed and gashed to get on his ___, and we covered everyone (but twice) like a blanket, in man coverage. If we don't feature a high pressure/assignment coverage defense next year... our coaches have lost their minds.

In other words, we lack nothing in defensive personnel. You just about can't lack defensive athletes when you recruit in Louisiana and Mississippi. You just have to let the hair grow on your back, teach fundamentals, preach aggression, and let them do what they came to college to do.

If we can run a true man and get adequate pressure from the front 4 (Washington coming off the edge at times, J Bris and Taboris up the middle) we can navigate next year's schedule defensively. I believe we have the athletes to do it. Maybe Hud will trust the scheme now that its paid dividends for the team. Question for me is, who provides the speed and discipline at OLB?

[zephyr]

Briscoe looked overweight and slow off the line. I would be surprised if he is a significant contributor. Excited to see Washington next year.

Briscoe was a significant contributor this year. What makes you think that would change with us losing Ringo and Hamilton?

[zephyr]

Call me crazy, but I think the secondary is going to be much improved. Tracy Walker looks like a good one and we'll add Brazil and Thomas to the fold. There's good reason to believe that we will be much improved there and at linebacker.

In certain areas, the secondary will be improved just as you mention which is the Safety spot. However, the CB depth and experience concern me and I fear we are going to philosophically run what we have run the last 4 years that drives all of us crazy but have less depth at the position.

[Just1More]

If we can run a true man and get adequate pressure from the front 4 (Washington coming off the edge at times, J Bris and Taboris up the middle) we can navigate next year's schedule defensively. I believe we have the athletes to do it. Maybe Hud will trust the scheme now that its paid dividends for the team. Question for me is, who provides the speed and discipline at OLB?

I think the evidence is more than enough to convince him of the correct core scheme to teach and focus our defense around. I'm afraid of one thing... and Zephyr points to it... and that is if he's willing to stick to it with some new secondary members and new key DL. He needs to regardless. But will he? It does concern me. He could argue to himself that it was only after our defense got the experience to play man that it worked. He needs to count on the new unit and just work them through their errors, but stick to man cover and max pressure. It's the correct path. Success isn't an event. It's a process. And Hud needs to just follow the prescription and stop thinking "but I don't want to give up the big play". You did. Over and over and over. Don't ever go back to soft cover. You'll only feed the opposition exactly what they want you to feed them. They all laughed at our prevent defense and ate us a new hole. Thank the Lord we had enough offense... and most of our schedule opposition weren't good football teams.

[cajun4life]

In certain areas, the secondary will be improved just as you mention which is the Safety spot. However, the CB depth and experience concern me and I fear we are going to philosophically run what we have run the last 4 years that drives all of us crazy but have less depth at the position.

K Holmes, J Brazil, and S Thomas are all going to be here in the Spring. Not to mention guys who saw significant playing time this year.

We have the players to get to a 9 or 10 win season, it is finding the right combination and schemes to put the players in position to maximize their abilities.

[ManAboutTown]

I think the evidence is more than enough to convince him of the correct core scheme to teach and focus our defense around. I'm afraid of one thing... and Zephyr points to it... and that is if he's willing to stick to it with some new secondary members and new key DL. He needs to regardless. But will he? It does concern me. He could argue to himself that it was only after our defense got the experience to play man that it worked. He needs to count on the new unit and just work them through their errors, but stick to man cover and max pressure. It's the correct path. Success isn't an event. It's a process. And Hud needs to just follow the prescription and stop thinking "but I don't want to give up the big play". You did. Over and over and over. Don't ever go back to soft cover. You'll only feed the opposition exactly what they want you to feed them. They all laughed at our prevent defense and ate us a new hole. Thank the Lord we had enough offense... and most of our schedule opposition weren't good football teams.

It's the snowboarding vs. skiing argument. While skiing is easier to pick up, it has a ceiling. Take the bumps and bruises, commit to the man scheme, teach your players to believe in it, and come out on the other end doing 720 spins down the mountain.