In defense

[Ollie]

Few teams play defense well these days. At least as compared to the game I grew up with. The overs from Vegas are soaring. The rules in todays game are to hinder defenses and promote the passing game. Spread the defenses out and flag them often seems to be the flavor of the day. Sometimes the games fall in the hands of the refs. The passing numbers are off the charts compared to the rushing numbers. Frost's offense exploits the new rules. He spreads them out. Plays fast. Outscores them. At least up to now.

The protection of receivers, quarterbacks and ball carriers have created a fast break game that sucks the life out of eleven players on the other side of the ball. You need platoons of defensive squads. In hockey you see two and three lines of players shuttling in and out on the fly. No breaks between plays. Back in the roaring 90's Nebraska fielded two defensive lines and it paid dividends. I remember Miami's Sapp with his hands on his hips sucking in the humid air of the Orange Bowl. The rules today make subbing difficult. So maybe we need a defensive line that play a series and then a second to play the next.

The good thing for the TV networks is games last much longer and advertising numbers engorge the bottom line. The venders have another hour to sell their goods. The networks have increased control of time and space. America is all about the Benjamins and the college game of football have surrendered to those networks in some cases. That is the rules of the game. You need numbers on the defensive side of the ball.

Coach Frost has embraced those rules and his offense flourishes. However in the Big 10, ground games still means control. The clock seems to be more important than scores. Wisconsin's 22 consecutive rushes in the waning moments meant the defense was hung out to dry. Riley paced the sidelines with his hands in his pockets and could do nothing. So just maybe there is room for the ground pounders. Especially when the opposition has but one line of defenders to stave off the onslaught.

It will be interesting to see what Frost and his DC have in store for the likes of Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. You have to win the West before you win the league and the phrase Big is apropos for the western division. They are big and they still run the ball. The coach got an ovation when he hoped that the Big 10 would need to adjust to him. It didn't work out for Riley and his DC. The defense lost games when they couldn't stop the run. Their gas tanks empty as dehumidifier in the desert.

Will it be fastbreak basketball on turf with two or three hockey lines giving depleted players some relief on defense. Will it be Vegas upping the overs when the offense sets sail. They had Frost's championship game overs at 82. It wasn't enough. Maybe tanks of oxygen stacked on the sidelines for the defenders. I'm not throwing gas on the fire. Just contemplating what may be in store for the future. Frost is bright and flexible. Will he adapt to the Big, or will the Big adapt to him? Stay tuned sports fans. The tug of war is about to begin.
GBR

 

[Removed Spleen of Jordan]

There won't be much "adapting to the Big Ten" in my opinion and I don't think there should be. Don't become another clone of the majority of all the other teams in the conference. Be fast, play fast and be unique. A lot of what ailed our defense this year can be remedied by the offense not going three and out again, and again and putting points on the board. Score like a mofo and put the pressure on the other team's offense to change what it does to keep up.

 

[j d]

I'm going to agree with Ollie to a large extent. I think we need to "be able" to run the ball and control the clock...at least when the situation dictates that. The flip side is also true, we need to be able to pass and score quickly when the situation requires. Those situations can be for many reasons: weather, opponents weakness, opponents strengths, player injuries, etc, etc.

I remember a certain team located in the SE part of the US that ran a fast paced, scoring offense a number of years ago. The bowl game wasn't supposed to even be competitive. That offense was going to score at will against our Huskers. That fun 'n gun offense the Gators of Florida ran, had not come across a defense quite like our blackshirts. The pundits were right, wasn't much of a competitive game, they just had the outcome wrong.

I quite often look at 30 points as an indicator of a W or L. If you score 30+, you should win, give up 30+ you should lose. Our 2017 offense scored 30+ 3 times. Definitely a problem with the offense when you only get to the magic number 3 times in a season. However, even more troubling, we only won one of those games because the opponent scored more than that. Opponents scored 30+ 8 times in 2017. That is a huge problem. Granted, the defense didn't give up all of those points.

Captain obvious here, but the problem in 2017 was we didn't score enough too often and allowed opponents to score too much too often. We need to flip that around if we want to be successful on a consistent basis.

Having said all that, I am a defense first guy. I dislike all the rule changes that have occurred over the years that favor the offense. Excuse given that scoring is exciting. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I think a stifling, attacking defense is exciting. Give me a defense that has sound tackling fundamentals, bone crushing hits, creates turnovers, sacks/tackles for loss, three and outs, pass breakups, and shutouts. That is exciting to me. You have that type of defense and it is pretty difficult to lose a game. It is very tough to lose a game when the opponent does not score.

 

[redfred]

Provocative posts all.

I don't have too much time to add but I would like to encourage readers to go to the home page under The Star and read Dave Remmington's thoughts on the D-line. I know Scott will be getting all kinds of advice, but I hope he takes Dave's advice to heart.

".....man eaters". That's what we need.

 

[Doc Holiday]

Few teams play defense well these days. At least as compared to the game I grew up with. The overs from Vegas are soaring. The rules in todays game are to hinder defenses and promote the passing game. Spread the defenses out and flag them often seems to be the flavor of the day. Sometimes the games fall in the hands of the refs. The passing numbers are off the charts compared to the rushing numbers. Frost's offense exploits the new rules. He spreads them out. Plays fast. Outscores them. At least up to now.

The protection of receivers, quarterbacks and ball carriers have created a fast break game that sucks the life out of eleven players on the other side of the ball. You need platoons of defensive squads. In hockey you see two and three lines of players shuttling in and out on the fly. No breaks between plays. Back in the roaring 90's Nebraska fielded two defensive lines and it paid dividends. I remember Miami's Sapp with his hands on his hips sucking in the humid air of the Orange Bowl. The rules today make subbing difficult. So maybe we need a defensive line that play a series and then a second to play the next.

The good thing for the TV networks is games last much longer and advertising numbers engorge the bottom line. The venders have another hour to sell their goods. The networks have increased control of time and space. America is all about the Benjamins and the college game of football have surrendered to those networks in some cases. That is the rules of the game. You need numbers on the defensive side of the ball.

Coach Frost has embraced those rules and his offense flourishes. However in the Big 10, ground games still means control. The clock seems to be more important than scores. Wisconsin's 22 consecutive rushes in the waning moments meant the defense was hung out to dry. Riley paced the sidelines with his hands in his pockets and could do nothing. So just maybe there is room for the ground pounders. Especially when the opposition has but one line of defenders to stave off the onslaught.

It will be interesting to see what Frost and his DC have in store for the likes of Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. You have to win the West before you win the league and the phrase Big is apropos for the western division. They are big and they still run the ball. The coach got an ovation when he hoped that the Big 10 would need to adjust to him. It didn't work out for Riley and his DC. The defense lost games when they couldn't stop the run. Their gas tanks empty as dehumidifier in the desert.

Will it be fastbreak basketball on turf with two or three hockey lines giving depleted players some relief on defense. Will it be Vegas upping the overs when the offense sets sail. They had Frost's championship game overs at 82. It wasn't enough. Maybe tanks of oxygen stacked on the sidelines for the defenders. I'm not throwing gas on the fire. Just contemplating what may be in store for the future. Frost is bright and flexible. Will he adapt to the Big, or will the Big adapt to him? Stay tuned sports fans. The tug of war is about to begin.
GBR

One of the best posts of this whole year right here folks......you get 3 gold stars in my book.

Doc.

 

[Red Storm Rising]

Few teams play defense well these days. At least as compared to the game I grew up with. The overs from Vegas are soaring. The rules in todays game are to hinder defenses and promote the passing game. Spread the defenses out and flag them often seems to be the flavor of the day. Sometimes the games fall in the hands of the refs. The passing numbers are off the charts compared to the rushing numbers. Frost's offense exploits the new rules. He spreads them out. Plays fast. Outscores them. At least up to now.

The protection of receivers, quarterbacks and ball carriers have created a fast break game that sucks the life out of eleven players on the other side of the ball. You need platoons of defensive squads. In hockey you see two and three lines of players shuttling in and out on the fly. No breaks between plays. Back in the roaring 90's Nebraska fielded two defensive lines and it paid dividends. I remember Miami's Sapp with his hands on his hips sucking in the humid air of the Orange Bowl. The rules today make subbing difficult. So maybe we need a defensive line that play a series and then a second to play the next.

The good thing for the TV networks is games last much longer and advertising numbers engorge the bottom line. The venders have another hour to sell their goods. The networks have increased control of time and space. America is all about the Benjamins and the college game of football have surrendered to those networks in some cases. That is the rules of the game. You need numbers on the defensive side of the ball.

Coach Frost has embraced those rules and his offense flourishes. However in the Big 10, ground games still means control. The clock seems to be more important than scores. Wisconsin's 22 consecutive rushes in the waning moments meant the defense was hung out to dry. Riley paced the sidelines with his hands in his pockets and could do nothing. So just maybe there is room for the ground pounders. Especially when the opposition has but one line of defenders to stave off the onslaught.

It will be interesting to see what Frost and his DC have in store for the likes of Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. You have to win the West before you win the league and the phrase Big is apropos for the western division. They are big and they still run the ball. The coach got an ovation when he hoped that the Big 10 would need to adjust to him. It didn't work out for Riley and his DC. The defense lost games when they couldn't stop the run. Their gas tanks empty as dehumidifier in the desert.

Will it be fastbreak basketball on turf with two or three hockey lines giving depleted players some relief on defense. Will it be Vegas upping the overs when the offense sets sail. They had Frost's championship game overs at 82. It wasn't enough. Maybe tanks of oxygen stacked on the sidelines for the defenders. I'm not throwing gas on the fire. Just contemplating what may be in store for the future. Frost is bright and flexible. Will he adapt to the Big, or will the Big adapt to him? Stay tuned sports fans. The tug of war is about to begin.
GBR

Nice write up and welcome to the board

I will be surprised if SF changes his offense because he is playing in the BIG--what he has shown at Oregon and UCF, is that he will play fast and try to confuse and exhaust the opposing defense.

The flip side of that coin is your defense is on the field for more plays--I'm sure SF sees that and is ok with the trade-off--score more points, but give up the ball back to the other team more often--he is betting his offense will outscore the opponent , and he has been right more often than not

We need to understand SF WILL run his offense--it won't look like Wisconsin--it won't look like NU in the 90s--so the first time we have a first-and-goal inside the five, and he goes 4 wide, sit back down, take a deep breath, open another beer, and enjoy the show

GBR

 

[Jarhead Husker]

Nice write up and welcome to the board

I will be surprised if SF changes his offense because he is playing in the BIG--what he has shown at Oregon and UCF, is that he will play fast and try to confuse and exhaust the opposing defense.

The flip side of that coin is your defense is on the field for more plays--I'm sure SF sees that and is ok with the trade-off--score more points, but give up the ball back to the other team more often--he is betting his offense will outscore the opponent , and he has been right more often than not

We need to understand SF WILL run his offense--it won't look like Wisconsin--it won't look like NU in the 90s--so the first time we have a first-and-goal inside the five, and he goes 4 wide, sit back down, take a deep breath, open another beer, and enjoy the show

GBR

So, in other words, you disagree with Doc that SF will roll out a different Offense? Well, I guess we will have to wait and see what gets rolled out in the spring/fall, but I'm confident it will be better than the garbage we have been watching lately.........

 

[Ollie]

For myself, I'm one to take some chances now and then on defense. Sometimes you miss. Sometimes you leave yourself exposed and give up a big play. But many times you create that big play. You create a turnover or leave the opposing offense in a long situation because you took that chance.

I'm a General Patton fan. Attack, attack and attack some more. You dictate policy rather than always to react after the fact. It work marvelously in the old days. Rather than trade scores, sometimes you make that stop and score again, making the other guy scramble to recover. We didn't attack and were seemingly always playing from behind. Dancing with their offensive line rather than pushing the LOS back.

The read and react schemes wore out our own defense. They couldn't get off the field. Great attacking defenders love an attacking scheme. They want to play for a DC that is aggressive. Frost saw that kind of defense from McBride in 97. Defensive recruits such as Bookie may come back if he sees an attacking defense. Others will come as well. We been too long with the read and react schemes. I'd rather be the hammer than the nail. Been that nail way too long.

 

[Removed Spleen of Jordan]

So, in other words, you disagree with Doc that SF will roll out a different Offense?

Didn't catch where he said that but Frost himself certainly hasn't said anything like that, with the only statement so far implying that he's damn the torpedoes full steam ahead with what he runs.

 

[Red Storm Rising]

So, in other words, you disagree with Doc that SF will roll out a different Offense? Well, I guess we will have to wait and see what gets rolled out in the spring/fall, but I'm confident it will be better than the garbage we have been watching lately.........

SF called the plays for the highest scoring offense in the country last year--and you think he is going to make substantial changes in that??? Why?

To paraphrase Al Davis--"Just score baby"

GBR

 

[Jarhead Husker]

SF called the plays for the highest scoring offense in the country last year--and you think he is going to make substantial changes in that??? Why?

To paraphrase Al Davis--"Just score baby"

GBR

Jeez, Red Storm, there you go again making sense and being logical........ range: But, I do remember some conversations about how NU, in order to be successful, needs to go to a "power run game", and not be "passing the ball all the time".........

 

[valiantsailor]

SF called the plays for the highest scoring offense in the country last year--and you think he is going to make substantial changes in that??? Why?

To paraphrase Al Davis--"Just score baby"

GBR

Yeah in his later years the Raiders didnt play D and they didnt play offense either. You must be talking about the really early Raiders. Defense wins championships has been around for a 100 years. I am all in but there has to be defense too.

 

[Red Storm Rising]

Yeah in his later years the Raiders didnt play D and they didnt play offense either. You must be talking about the really early Raiders. Defense wins championships has been around for a 100 years. I am all in but there has to be defense too.

Back in the day (before Al went insane) the Raiders had some really, really nasty defenses--guys that scared the hell out of the other teams.

Back to the subject at hand, to get where we want to be, we have to have a great defense--but I don't think it is the offense's job to protect the defense--

GBR

 

[Ollie]

This is why I would like to see two defensive fronts that can trade series periodically. Two fronts with little drop off. Back in the 90s McBride found enough instate talent to add to the imports. With the idea of true development in mind, it could be replicated. Should be replicated.

 

[shivas]

I'd really like to see an aggressive, attacking defense. I know that aggressive defenses can get burned from time to time, but how could that be any worse than the big plays I've seen given up time and time again with the "read and react" philosophy