Cajuns cornerbacks embracing new style, 'competition' within squad

[NewsCopy]

It's no secret the Ragin' Cajuns struggled last season in the defensive secondary.

Advertiser
subscription

[Bigbuf]

I really like hearing "I have never been coached so hard"!!

[axg8750]

The quotes in this article from the players are very encouraging!

And hearing that the new defensive coordinator realized that the poor performance of the passing defense last year is directly related to the soft zone they played is really good to hear!

However, I am still not completely convinced that Hud will let the defensive coordinator do his thing all year long. Hud's only quote in the article he says that we won't be in man all of the time, we have to play some zone to mix it up.

Of course they will need to show the opposing offense some different looks, but that quote makes me worry that he is going to "help" the new defensive coordinator decide that we should primarily play that soft zone defense, at least for the first 1/4 of the season.

I hope I am wrong and that Hud has learned from his mistakes from the last couple of years. Or maybe this new defensive coordinator will put his foot down and run what he wants because he is a more of a veteran coach than Willis was.

Either way I think by the end of the Kentucky game next weekend we will have a good idea about whether or not things have really changed on defense and this Cajun Fan can't wait!

[alum81]

With new coaching and new schemes it may take a minute to get their feet under them but it will be hard to not improve over the pass defense of last season. Except for the NO bowl, they showed up for that one.

[Boomer]

With new coaching and new schemes it may take a minute to get their feet under them but it will be hard to not improve over the pass defense of last season. Except for the NO bowl, they showed up for that one.

---Been away from it for a while but I remember when our zone made us the second best pic team in the country behind S Miss----I remember getting caught in man with our defender chasing his man down field as the QB broke for huge yards---Yes it is easier for the route tree to happen against zone but if you escape your man, it can be brutal!!! I would guess the need to really mix and disguise and hope that we are in zone for containment and rush breakdowns!!!

[raginsaints]

Every team figured out the bubble screen on first and second down would get them a 3rd and 1 or a first down against us.

[Just1More]

The quotes in this article from the players are very encouraging!

And hearing that the new defensive coordinator realized that the poor performance of the passing defense last year is directly related to the soft zone they played is really good to hear!

However, I am still not completely convinced that Hud will let the defensive coordinator do his thing all year long. Hud's only quote in the article he says that we won't be in man all of the time, we have to play some zone to mix it up.

Of course they will need to show the opposing offense some different looks, but that quote makes me worry that he is going to "help" the new defensive coordinator decide that we should primarily play that soft zone defense, at least for the first 1/4 of the season.

I hope I am wrong and that Hud has learned from his mistakes from the last couple of years. Or maybe this new defensive coordinator will put his foot down and run what he wants because he is a more of a veteran coach than Willis was.

Either way I think by the end of the Kentucky game next weekend we will have a good idea about whether or not things have really changed on defense and this Cajun Fan can't wait!

Hud stated the obvious. Of course we'll disguise and shift into zone coverage at times. The key is that our defensive coaches are actually teaching man coverage and are primed for it. Playing man coverage to the secondary requires playing it on Saturday. You slip into zone as a base cover because you have no confidence in your players to play man... and they won't play man coverage well.

And the biggest issue for man coverage is how your DL and LBs take care of their assignments. You can't just hold your lanes and allow a QB uncontested opportunities. We have to get into the backfield and into the head of opposing QBs. All 11 men on defense have to make man coverage work. You don't just look at one missed coverage by a CB and go back to the "inexperienced CB... must have zone" BS.

"Zone" is for very obvious downs/distances/circumstances... and an occasional change of look for an opposing QB. Feed the defensive beasts and they'll become defensive beasts.

[Just1More]

Every team figured out the bubble screen on first and second down would get them a 3rd and 1 or a first down against us.

From the 25 to the 25, we were horrendous.