James Willis new Defensive Analyst

[MetryCajun]

The team also tossed salt over their left shoulder. I'll throw this down... if Willis had any impact on our defense... by only having the time to make a program fly-by... football is taught and managed by a lot lower life form than I thought prior.

You are just figuring this out? Its football, not surgery. Moving #3 back to his natural position helped. Having #8 back playing which allows a bad CB to sit the bench helps. DL being semi-disruptive helps. Is this b/c of Willis our is it because we had some favorable matchups. We will see in the coming weeks.

[Just1More]

You are just figuring this out? Its football, not surgery. Moving #3 back to his natural position helped. Having #8 back playing which allows a bad CB to sit the bench helps. DL being semi-disruptive helps. Is this b/c of Willis our is it because we had some favorable matchups. We will see in the coming weeks.

So we couldn't play Checkers without Willis? Lucas turned our defense around last year, but he needed Willis to tell him what to do in game 5 of our season, after Willis just glanced at some team footage and met the cast this past week? We were that stupid as a defensive coaching staff that Willis sorted out the mess in one week?

The defense played well. Who deserves that credit? Not my call. I just find attributing it to Hud's quick grab of Willis... is perhaps a bit premature. Willis could help. But to walk in on a horrendous defense... and do something without having been imbedded... doesn't actually make me feel better about UL football. It's the fact that it was never rocket science... that irritates me.

I do hope we improved on defense. Make no mistake. Our offense is potentially too good to be compromised by a terrible defense. But to hand that potential defensive unit improvement to Willis... that soon... is a little bothersome.

[MetryCajun]

So we couldn't play Checkers without Willis? Lucas turned our defense around last year, but he needed Willis to tell him what to do in game 5 of our season, after Willis just glanced at some team footage and met the cast this past week? We were that stupid as a defensive coaching staff that Willis sorted out the mess in one week?

The defense played well. Who deserves that credit? Not my call. I just find attributing it to Hud's quick grab of Willis... is perhaps a bit premature. Willis could help. But to walk in on a horrendous defense... and do something without having been imbedded... doesn't actually make me feel better about UL football. It's the fact that it was never rocket science... that irritates me.

I do hope we improved on defense. Make no mistake. Our offense is potentially too good to be compromised by a terrible defense. But to hand that potential defensive unit improvement to Willis... that soon... is a little bothersome.

I think Buckley's article this morning said it best....(stealing from Jim Mora) we think we know but we do not. I tend to think we just ran into a favorable matchup, but I know as little as everyone else on this site.

On a side note, rereading some of the post on this tread is comical in light of what transpired yesterday.

[Boomer]

Looks like bringing in Willis paid some immediate dividends. Lets see if it holds.

....macro/micro......so much goes into just the singular analysis of grading a player to see just how well they are playing compared to what perfection could do.....take a receiver and grading his performance.......some things are only gotten from post game questioning (what was the play and why we are running it, eye projection,etc).....some things are shown on the video like alignment, stance, defense read, realignment, release, angle, speed, distance to fake, cut, distance after cut,etc etc etc!!! No statues are erected to critics but, even if he finds a few flaws, an objective look see by a knowing eye maybe along with some buddies of the profession can be literally game changers!!!

[MetryCajun]

....macro/micro......so much goes into just the singular analysis of grading a player to see just how well they are playing compared to what perfection could do.....take a receiver and grading his performance.......some things are only gotten from post game questioning (what was the play and why we are running it, eye projection,etc).....some things are shown on the video like alignment, stance, defense read, realignment, release, angle, speed, distance to fake, cut, distance after cut,etc etc etc!!! No statues are erected to critics but, even if he finds a few flaws, an objective look see by a knowing eye maybe along with some buddies of the profession can be literally game changers!!!

Yes. Some things, like Dillon moving back to end, are so easy even people on this site can see them. Others are much more subtle. Who knows who should get credit, but the approach was different and successful.

[fanof71]

....macro/micro......so much goes into just the singular analysis of grading a player to see just how well they are playing compared to what perfection could do.....take a receiver and grading his performance.......some things are only gotten from post game questioning (what was the play and why we are running it, eye projection,etc).....some things are shown on the video like alignment, stance, defense read, realignment, release, angle, speed, distance to fake, cut, distance after cut,etc etc etc!!! No statues are erected to critics but, even if he finds a few flaws, an objective look see by a knowing eye maybe along with some buddies of the profession can be literally game changers!!!

Watson Brown, who I think does a great job calling Cajun games on espn3, said it. Cajun D had been worried about technique instead of just lining up and getting after it..You can bet that change came from Willis being in the room...You only need to look at the game Joe"Marshall"Dillon had as well as J.Boudreaux, who had been useless the last 3 games...

[Just1More]

I think Buckley's article this morning said it best....(stealing from Jim Mora) we think we know but we do not. I tend to think we just ran into a favorable matchup, but I know as little as everyone else on this site.

On a side note, rereading some of the post on this tread is comical in light of what transpired yesterday.

You don't need Buckley or Mora to try and tell you what people do or don't understand. And if this defense was somehow transformed overnight by a speech or a tweak Willis brought to us in one week, then it compounds how much money we're wasting on Hud.

You may find comedy in the posts of disgruntled fans? I don't. A small margin of victory over an Idaho doesn't exactly erase the ULM at home loss. If Willis is what was missing... so be it. But it seems a little weak after 7 years with Hud to get smart with fans just because we beat Idaho. I think it should take more than that.

[Just1More]

Watson Brown, who I think does a great job calling Cajun games on espn3, said it. Cajun D had been worried about technique instead of just lining up and getting after it..You can bet that change came from Willis being in the room...You only need to look at the game Joe"Marshall"Dillon had as well as J.Boudreaux, who had been useless the last 3 games...

I heard that comment. I find it hard to believe our "swarming defense" was being too cerebral. Whatever works, let's keep using it. But if the oversimplified explanations are the excuses for our first 4 contests... the staff needs to refund the UL fans.

[MetryCajun]

You don't need Buckley or Mora to try and tell you what people do or don't understand. And if this defense was somehow transformed overnight by a speech or a tweak Willis brought to us in one week, then it compounds how much money we're wasting on Hud.

You may find comedy in the posts of disgruntled fans? I don't. A small margin of victory over an Idaho doesn't exactly erase the ULM at home loss. If Willis is what was missing... so be it. But it seems a little weak after 7 years with Hud to get smart with fans just because we beat Idaho. I think it should take more than that.

Actually we do need the reminder. You, me, not even our resident geniuses have any idea how this season will turn out. For example, C4L said we will win 2 games this year, 4 tops. I said 6 or 7. After last week I thought my prediction was too optimistic. After yesterday C4L probably thinks his prediction is too pessimistic. Goes to show none of us know anything when it come to predicting these games. Welcome to G5 football, where the talent level and coaching prowess advantages are razor thin week to week.

[ManAboutTown]

Looks like bringing in Willis paid some immediate dividends. Lets see if it holds.

James Willis had nothing to do with this game as he was not with the team nor did he make the trip to Idaho.

The difference was putting players in their positions, like Joe Dillon and Trev Miller. Cajuns exposed a very overrated Idaho offensive line.

[ManAboutTown]

Watson Brown, who I think does a great job calling Cajun games on espn3, said it. Cajun D had been worried about technique instead of just lining up and getting after it..You can bet that change came from Willis being in the room...You only need to look at the game Joe"Marshall"Dillon had as well as J.Boudreaux, who had been useless the last 3 games...

He absolutely nailed it, although that broadcast was brutal.

[MetryCajun]

James Willis had nothing to do with this game as he was not with the team nor did he make the trip to Idaho.

The difference was putting players in their positions, like Joe Dillon and Trev Miller. Cajuns exposed a very overrated Idaho offensive line.

Even better. Now let’s see is we can expose Texas States weeknesses.