[Husker] the D

Steve Reichenbach reich at inetnebr.com
Fri Dec 8 15:50:57 CST 2006


Actually, I pretty much agree with Derek's analysis too:

NU sold out somewhat to stop the run, which I think was a wise thing
to do, and it worked out pretty well in terms of stopping OU from scoring.
The Blackshirts had a good game --- good enough for NU to win if not
for the turnovers.  And, the OU defense made some nice plays.

I disagree that there was much of a talent disparity.  In fact, I
thought that NU may have been the better team, but it is tough to
win with all of the turnovers and associated lack of scoring.

That said, I don't think that Rich's more substantive comments (to
which Mr. Stone made no substantive reply) are groundless.  NU's
defense against the pass has not been stellar this year.  Yes, Bowman
is surely missed, but as Rich's post pointed out the DBs who did
play were relatively highly recruited.  Rich isn't the only one to
question the corners having so much single coverage (and the cushions
that may necessitate), infrequency of blitzes, and transparency of
coverages.

So, yes, overall the defense did its job against OU, but these aren't
new questions asked solely on the basis of this game.  On the basis
of the whole year's defensive performance, I don't think it is
surprising that some are suggesting that changes of some defensive
coaches is warranted.  Given the talent on defense this year, how
well did the coaches do?  I think that is one of the best retrospective
questions about this year.

On miscellaneous issues:
Yes recruit rankings are problematic, but they aren't unfounded and
can certainly be offered in evidence for making a point about talent.
The question of how well Taylor would do against the NU defense is
hypothetical, but hypotheticals are stock subjects for this list.


> I agree with Derek's message - and I think the DB's did a pretty  good job 
> considering what I thought the defense was trying to do - stop the run  and make 
> Thompson win the game with his arm.  You have to leave someone  'short' and 
> that was the outside coverage.  Grixby at 5'9 did a pretty good  job on the 
> bigger WR's . Thompson made some pretty good throws.  Yes  there were some 
> breakdowns, I remember slipping a couple times and getting beat,  but overall I 
> comend the job he did!  We held a pretty good running game to  an average of 1.5 
> yards per carry and a long of 9- meaning the DB's were  thinking run first and 
> hustling up to make stops.  If the offense could  have put up some numbers - 
> we could have won the game.  I do wish the  playcalling on offense and defense 
> was a little more wide open, but Callahan  with 20/20 hindsight pretty much 
> said the same. 
>  
>  
> Steve  Kauf
> A Husker fan deep in South Texas
> NOT THE VICTORY BUT THE  ACTION
> NOT THE GOAL BUT THE GAME
> IN THE DEED THE  GLORY
> 
> 
> 
> In a message dated 12/8/2006 10:49:46 AM Central Standard Time,  
> dryter at inebraska.com writes:
> 
> I didn't  find Cousin Ed's--I mean Cousin Rich's rant useful in any  
> way.   He attacked the coaches using points like recruit rankings that  
> are  problematic and unfounded--and long debated on this list--and   
> hypotheticals (Who cares what Zack could have done to the NU   
> secondary?).  Rich criticized like a disgruntled fan with little  real  
> analysis or breakdown.  There was a talent disparity in  KC, that was  
> obvious.  Incompetent coaching?  A DB blazing  across the endzone to  
> steal a sure TD from Nate Swift was not OU  coaching genius; it was  
> great athleticism, which was not matched on  a few key plays by the  
> Black Shirts.  It is undeniable that the  Black Shirts played a hell of  
> a game (field position tells it all)  in the face of difficult  
> circumstances--how many teams would have  only given up 21 points with  
> their offense committing 5 turnovers  and turning the ball over twice  
> on downs?  NU also punted 7  times and the Black Shirts forced 9.   
> Well?  I'm  waiting.  Who ya gonna fire?
> 
> In my opinion, Rich's rant warranted  Mr. Stone's reply.  The problem  
> is that Rich can't reply,  because he isn't here.  It would be a good  
> idea to leave Rich  to volunteer his own thoughts in the future.
> 
> Derek
> 
> Quoting Steve  Reichenbach <reich at inetnebr.com>:
> 
> > <sarcasm>
> >  Right, that's what we need --- gratuitous insults in response to a
> >  post with a substantive discussion of the safety support for the
> >  corners and blitzing.
> > </sarcasm>
> >
> > Seriously, if  there was any substance to Steve Stone's post amidst
> > it's  uninformative name calling and insults, I missed it.  It appears
> >  to me that Steve Stone, not liking a critical analysis, responsed
> > with  a personalized diatribe.
> >
> > Granted, there were some zingers  aimed at Callahan and Cosgrove that
> > may or may not be justified, but  at least there was a discussion of
> > actual issues, unlike Mr. Stone's  churlish response.  I am not an
> > expert at football, but it does  seem as if NU's corners get little
> > support.  Personally, I  appreciate hearing substantive arguments on
> > both sides of this issue  --- why NU's defensive schemes and gameplans
> > are good or why NU's  defensive schemes and gameplans are bad.  Such
> > namecalling  typically ends substantive discussions and this list seems
> > to have  less and less substantive discussion.
> >
> > Mr. Stone, if you think  that the criticism of NU's defensive schemes
> > and coaching is wrong,  then why don't you explain why those criticisms
> > are mistaken, instead  of responding with nothing but ad hominem attacks.
> > I look forward to  your analysis.
> >
> >
> >> Thank you Mr  Stone!!
> >>
> >> In a message dated 12/7/2006 5:12:08 PM  Central Standard Time,
> >> sstone at pvtnetworks.net  writes:
> >>
> >> Bill  Laughlin  wrote:
> >>
> >> >I sent "Cousin Rich" Skylar's "Opposing  Receivers  2006 Stats" which I
> >> >found intriguing, and he  said this: "Great  stats!  Too bad that Callahan
> >>  >doesn't read stuff like  this."
> >>
> >> Callahan  doesn't need to read that stuff ... it's engraved on  his  
> eyeballs.
> >>
> >> >Then he sent this:
> >> >Our  problem is not  o-line.  Of course, I know that you think you  know
> >> >what I am going  to say next, because I'm sure it is  what EVERYBODY
> >> >complains about . .   .
> >>
> >> Both first-string tackles had to sit out the Sooner  game, and the
> >> problem isn't the O-line? All offense begins with  the tackle
> >> positions. Not that the reserve tackles played poorly,  but against a
> >> defense like Oklahoma's, a fraction makes a  major  difference.
> >>
> >> >And no, it is NOT Courtney  Grixby and our  d-backs.  We will never really
> >> >know  how good (or bad) Courtney or  any of our d-backs are because of  
> the
> >> >total lack of coaching.  The  coaches are  questionable and the schemes 
> are
> >> >"high school"at   best.
> >>
> >> Here it's beginning to sound like this piece  should have gone to  one
> >> of those bulletin board  gabfests.
> >>
> >> >Grixby and Jones have to  play  man-man every down and get no help from 
> the
> >> >safeties.   The  difference on how OU plays in the secondary vs. how we  
> do
> >> >it is  incredible.  Just watch the interceptions  that Zac threw.   There
> >> >was always a safety there to  make a play or if the cornerback  didn't.
> >> >Simple zone  defense.
> >>
> >> Simple - - simplistic - - or   simple-minded?
> >>
> >> >Zac would throw for 400 yards  against our pathetic  coverage.  We made
> >> >Thompson  look like a good QB.  All he had  to do was lob balls out  in
> >> >front of receivers and they run under  them.  He  never had to try to
> >> >figure out what coverage we were in,   because it never changes.  If the
> >> >corners get beat, it's  all over,  because our scheme is so bad.
> >>
> >> Isn't  this the same guy who posted a  diatribe last year that our
> >>  senior safety was the worst in the Big  XII?
> >>
> >>  >And what is worse is Cosgrove never changes anything, never   mixes
> >> >coverages.  Every "blue moon," we go to a  nickel.  We  blitzed OU ONE 
> time
> >> >and got Thompson to  panic and throw an  interception.  Where was that
> >>  >blitz a 2nd time?
> >>
> >> And let the  catgorical  imperatives fly!
> >>
> >> >Zac Taylor, after the game: "They  did a  great job disguising their
> >> >coverages, that was  probably the thing that  gave me the most trouble".
> >>  >Wonder if Callahan and Cosgrove heard that   one?
> >>
> >> I'll use this non-sequitur in Comp  classes.
> >>
> >> >If someone  had asked Paul Thompson  about "reading" our coverages, his
> >> >quote  probably would  have been: "are you kidding?  I saw more  complex
> >>  >coverages when I was in the 7th grade".
> >>
> >> An  imaginary  answer to an imaginary question. I trust Cousin  Rich's
> >> imaginary friend  helped frame  them.
> >>
> >> >It was pretty cool to watch OU's defense  line up  in what looked like
> >> >man-coverage, and then at  the snap of the ball,  they would rotate their
> >> >safeties  over to a different  coverage.
> >>
> >> Yeah, man,  cooooool!
> >>
> >> >Without changing a few  defensive  coaches we will never get back to where
> >> >we want to   be.
> >>
> >> Where does Cousin Rich get this "we"  sh*t?
> >>
> >> >Better  corners and safeties are not  the answer.  By the
> >> >way, it was  recently pointed  out to me
> >>
> >> Recently?  R e c e n t l y   ??   RECENTLY???
> >>
> >> >that Zac Bowman was  a  5-star
> >> >recruit, Grixby a 4-star and Andre Jones a  4-star.  Not the  players, but
> >> >the  coaches!
> >> >And then we can get to the offensive   problems  . . . I don't have time
> >> >right now, but how  about zero  rushes in the last 25 minutes!
> >>
> >> Yeah,  how about  that!
> >>
> >>  >_____________________________
> >> >
> >> >(I've  invited  "Cousin Rich" to get on the List several times, because  
> his
> >> >level of  intensity re: NU football has always been  several notches up
> >> >above  mine. But he's not gonna do  it.)
> >>
> >> Promise?
> >>
> >> Steve   Stone
> >>
> >>  _______________________________________________
> >> husker site   list
> >> husker at tssi.com
> >>  http://romaine.tssi.com/mailman/listinfo/husker
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>  Steve  Kauf
> >> A Husker fan deep in South Texas
> >> NOT  THE VICTORY BUT THE  ACTION
> >> NOT THE GOAL BUT THE  GAME
> >> IN THE DEED THE  GLORY
> >>
> >>  _______________________________________________
> >> husker site  list
> >> husker at tssi.com
> >>  http://romaine.tssi.com/mailman/listinfo/husker
> >>
> >
> >  _______________________________________________
> > husker site  list
> > husker at tssi.com
> >  http://romaine.tssi.com/mailman/listinfo/husker
> >
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> Steve  Kauf
> A Husker fan deep in South Texas
> NOT THE VICTORY BUT THE  ACTION
> NOT THE GOAL BUT THE GAME
> IN THE DEED THE  GLORY
> 



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