• The KillerFrogs

Great D Will Lead TCU Back

Froggish

Active Member
I think we were 2 average to above average DEs away from having a great defense last year. That position just absolutely killed us.
Bingo...If you cant pressure..you will get beat..Bama, LSU, OSU..they will all get beat without a pass rush. I know we were terrible at QB/WR last year, but I’d argue that bad DE play cost us at least 2 games.

If we are counting on needing a top15 defense to challenge for a B12 title every year we are all going to be really disappointed. The game has changed to a bend don’t break style. We have to be able to put pressure on other teams by scoring points.
 
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jake102

Active Member
yes I agree.

My thoughts, we seem to be trending toward a cycle of a good team once every four to five years. Of course that's liquid which can change a cycle if only one .. two... or three really skilled players just break away and carry an offense or defense. If your a coach, that's a dream.. one of those moments you sit in your car going home and think...if only Smith and... Jones would step it up just a little. What is it, 1,400 in the NFL out of 20,000 thousand kids? More and more I realize how lucky we were with Andy's bunch!!!

Just for reference, we consistently recruit between #20-#30 in the nation, and 3rd best in the Big 12. So if you believe we will only have a good team once every four or five years, you are basically saying we have a below average coaching staff. Totally a fair idea at this point in time, but I think a lot of people still assume we are recruiting at the bottom of the barrel and it's our coaching staff that makes it work. Based on talent we really shouldn't be out of the top 25 very often.

My personal opinion is that we have an A+ coaching staff on the defensive side, top to bottom. Offensive side we are pretty close to a D-
 

Eight

Member
So what's the grade on a HC who maintains a D- offensive staff?

How's special teams?

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4th. down

Active Member
I don't think we can honestly predict anything other than a slow start, again, then improve in time to play Tex. This is not just the defense but the whole team. If this incoming team could practice for a long-long time before we play, my attitude would improve greatly. You just cannot cover all the holes in a short period of spring and summer practice. And they still have to learn and remember new def signals and hopefully some new thoughtful, creative offensive formations that have a chance to succeed. Don't forget how to run a passing route and catch the ball. The coach's have to get their collective act together, so.....

Well, I heard and don't remember where, post game quotes or the Startlegram or the pay site or where, but it was said that about 5 minutes per practice the DB's would press the receivers and play tight coverage and contest for the ball. Hopefully, if this is true, maybe GP will extend that to about 15 minutes and we all understand that NCAA puts a time limit on fall practice. But, why not over the summer where there is no NCAA limitation?

For DB's, it's kinda like Moehrig and Washington have that WANT TO make the interception and the receivers simply have to learn to catch with their hands and play the ball in the air without waiting until the last second to look up for the ball and have Max put it right on them. For our receivers, to me, that is what's really holding the receivers back. Taye plays the ball in the air and we all see how that turns out.
 

Eight

Member
Well, I heard and don't remember where, post game quotes or the Startlegram or the pay site or where, but it was said that about 5 minutes per practice the DB's would press the receivers and play tight coverage and contest for the ball. Hopefully, if this is true, maybe GP will extend that to about 15 minutes and we all understand that NCAA puts a time limit on fall practice. But, why not over the summer where there is no NCAA limitation?

For DB's, it's kinda like Moehrig and Washington have that WANT TO make the interception and the receivers simply have to learn to catch with their hands and play the ball in the air without waiting until the last second to look up for the ball and have Max put it right on them. For our receivers, to me, that is what's really holding the receivers back. Taye plays the ball in the air and we all see how that turns out.

if by summer you mean june and july there aren't any coaches involved aside from the strength and conditioning staff and i am not sure if you want our players engaged in a high degree of contact with no coaching supervision

do think this is something that can be done to a great degree this spring since you aren't game planning and have more time to work on technique and position work.

moehrig was actually a very good receiver in high school playing both ways and you see it in how he goes to the ball.
 

4th. down

Active Member
if by summer you mean june and july there aren't any coaches involved aside from the strength and conditioning staff and i am not sure if you want our players engaged in a high degree of contact with no coaching supervision

do think this is something that can be done to a great degree this spring since you aren't game planning and have more time to work on technique and position work.

moehrig was actually a very good receiver in high school playing both ways and you see it in how he goes to the ball.

LSU did it and it turned out ok.
 

4th. down

Active Member
i thought a big part of the summer program for the lsu receivers were specific drills they worked on within the receivers themselves

I would doubt that. Even Mule in shorts and a T Shirt could complete a 15 yd. pass with no defender. Well, on 2nd. thought, maybe not.
 

jake102

Active Member
I would doubt that. Even Mule in shorts and a T Shirt could complete a 15 yd. pass with no defender. Well, on 2nd. thought, maybe not.

Fun story. I snuck into a fall scrimmage his and Sawyers freshman or sophomore year (2014/2015?). They were doing this drill where the QB takes the snap and rolls out deep to their left and has to make a throw to the left sideline with the WR standing about 15 yards downfield. Really difficult throw, about as hard as it gets for a righty. That being said, there was no OL or defense or anything, simply a throwing drill to a WR standing still on the sideline

Boykin was effortless, looked like a cannon coming out. He completed most of them

Sawyer really had to put some effort into it, sailed a few, put a couple in the dirt but probably hit 50%

Muehlstein didn’t put a throw within three yards of the target, majority didn’t even get there
 

4th. down

Active Member
Fun story. I snuck into a fall scrimmage his and Sawyers freshman or sophomore year (2014/2015?). They were doing this drill where the QB takes the snap and rolls out deep to their left and has to make a throw to the left sideline with the WR standing about 15 yards downfield. Really difficult throw, about as hard as it gets for a righty. That being said, there was no OL or defense or anything, simply a throwing drill to a WR standing still on the sideline

Boykin was effortless, looked like a cannon coming out. He completed most of them

Sawyer really had to put some effort into it, sailed a few, put a couple in the dirt but probably hit 50%

Muehlstein didn’t put a throw within three yards of the target, majority didn’t even get there

Yet we come out against Cal with a passing attack. This, above all else, got me to wondering seriously about Sonny. Then, did the same at the beginning of the second half. Hate to bring this back up again so I will quit..........sorry.
 

Snoop1122

Active Member
I feel like our defense was not bad last year. It looked bad at times because it had to overcompensate for the horrid offense. The main thing for the defense last year was zero pass rush and we did not force many turnovers.
 

Froggish

Active Member
I feel like our defense was not bad last year. It looked bad at times because it had to overcompensate for the horrid offense. The main thing for the defense last year was zero pass rush and we did not force many turnovers.

It wasn’t a bad year for the defense but they had moments where they were terrible and it had nothing to do with the offense. As a defensive coordinator, you are hoping for two things out of your offense.

1.TOP - which the offense was really good at.
2.Field position - again the offense was pretty good.

If a defense is well rested and has long fields to work with, there is no excuse for playing poorly. Lack of scoring isn’t irrelevant as it pressures the opposing team to become one sided, but it also isn’t the reason a defense can’t get off the field. If you look at critical drive metrics, the defense failed in a multitude of those situations last year. Especially against teams with a vertical passing game.

At the end of the day...We played good enough defense to win 8-9 games. We played poor enough offense to win 3-4
 

steelfrog

Tier 1
Steel doesn't disagree. But 2012-2019, the defense has been dang good nearly every dang year; 2019 was the worst or second worst. No reason to believe it won't improve, or regress to the mean, so to speak, in 2020.
 

LawFrog504

Active Member
Was told all summer that this is the best defense GP ever had. Solid work there. Losing 2 potential first round guys and suddenly we are gonna be better?
 
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