2008 tOSU Defense discussion (official thread)

[Buckrock]

Bear Bryant used to say that the perfect DL was and i quote...."Agile, Mobile and hostile" let's get some of those dudes.

 

[GrizzlyBuck]

Bear Bryant used to say that the perfect DL was and i quote...."Agile, Mobile and hostile" let's get some of those dudes, and turn them loose to wreak havok on the poor, undermanned opponents

FIFY

 

[crazybuckfan40]

I will throw my thoughts out there...

We have talent up front...Some just not big enough, some better at defending the run, than the pass, and some best against the pass...

Wilson is really the only guy at his position that I feel comfortable whether a team is about to run or pass...

Then we have make shift...Gibson (pass only), Abdallah(run only), Worthington(pass, close on the run), Heyward (at end run, inside pass)

We don't have the balance, because either our big guys are too big or our smaller guys aren't big enough...

We are getting gashed up the middle...I wouldn't mind pinching the DT towards the center and then hoping to pinch the C from getting to the backers...

Not sure if Ohio state fans understand the whole bull rush thing...It is how ever defensive coach teaches d-line...You get your hands on the guy in front of you and push so you have leverage then you use the rip, swim, spin, etc...The thing is the quicker you goto a move like that, you make it easier for the o-lineman to get into your body, and take you out of a play, and also open up a lane...

Wilson, Gibson do a good job of trying to get off blocks when rushing the passer...But there were a couple times when they were given the inside path they took it and then the booting QB got outside of them...


It just seemed to me that we are getting out of the defense what we want out the defense...Not us in terms of but coaches...Obviously not the big runs, but the 3-4 yard runs...Because we are putting 7 against 7 in the box, or against a spread team we are putting 6 against 6...We aren't outnumbering teams, against Wisky we were running lots of 4-3 over, which look like a 5-2...The thing is the Wisky line is good enough against just about anyone to open up holes against that...They were hitting us right up the 0-1 hole when we spread out...Homan and JL got there but 3-5 yards down the field, because there wasn't the push of the D-Line to where it caused the RB to make a cut...Or cause a pile and take out 2 olineman...

We were stunting, but we weren't getting into the gaps, we were just letting the oline push us out of the play...

But I said last paragraph we are getting out to the defense what we want...We can't get pressure on the QB because it seems the first read is always open...It is a 3 step drop and that guy is open...If that guy isn't open then the QB needs a check down, and then there should be time to get pressure...It is hard to get pressure with 4 if the QB is only having to make one read...We should be able to jump the route quick as teams aren't running deep routes on us...

We are disguising coverages, switching man to zone, but we don't seem to use our safeties for much other than just make sure you don't give up the big play...

Why not play a man cover 1, and bring a safety up for man on the TE, where they were killing us on the boot pass where our middle LB seemed to be the closest guy to coverage...They are hitting passes under the cover 2 before the CB can get off his route and cover the flat...

Teams have designed against us to hurt us, we adjusted in the second half, but that is when they gashed us with the run, when our guys seemed dead, and weren't getting the push they were getting early...

 

[osugrad21]

Advocate

OSU's defensive improvements drawn within the line

Shifts up front filter success to Buckeyes' back seven

By JON SPENCER ? For The Advocate ? October 14, 2008

COLUMBUS -- In analyzing the play of Ohio State's defensive linemen, co-captain Malcolm Jenkins took the same straightforward approach that led to his tone-setting blocked punt in Saturday's 16-3 victory against Purdue.
"Basically, they had been pretty average," the senior cornerback said after the game. "The biggest thing we take out of the win is how hard our defensive line played. They stepped it up."
For the most part, the pressure up front that the Buckeyes put on Purdue quarterback Curtis Painter had been missing since Vernon Gholston took his Mr. Olympia body and pass-rushing skills to the NFL this spring.
Even with two sacks Saturday, the 6-1 Buckeyes have just 11 on the season. Only Wisconsin, with nine, has fewer in the Big Ten.
Moving Thaddeus Gibson from linebacker to end has helped. He's caused two fumbles in the past two games and rattled Wisconsin quarterback Allan Evridge into a victory-sealing interception by Jenkins.
Shifting ends Cameron Heyward and Rob Rose inside to boost performance from the tackle position also has given the team a spark, though some of the optimism was muted by a knee injury end Lawrence Wilson suffered against Purdue.
Wilson, whose fumble recovery led to a field goal Saturday, was expected to step in and replace Gholston as a sack master. But he never has really rounded into form after missing virtually all of 2007 with a broken leg.
Cont..

 

[osugrad21]

BN$--Defense Gets Into Scoring Act Twice In Win At MSU

Players comment on the scoop and scores and also Ringer's comments.

 

[GrizzlyBuck]

Hopefully one of the Nittany [censored]s will put his foot in his mouth this week and give the D another reason to shut down PU this Saturday.

I'm sure this D will be ready to play their best game of the year to make up for the less than stellar USCum game. The D-line will need to apply pressure, yet stay disciplined and not give running lanes to Clark. I like our D-backs against the Nits recievers, and expect to see Hines roaming and hitting from the Nickel.

This defense is starting to look like the one I envisioned when the season started, and it is coinciding with the D-line picking up their play. I'm not sure why the D-line play has improved, coaching (JT light a fire under their [censored]'s) more experience for Thad, Cam, RR, Dex and Nate or returned health from Denlinger, but the resurgence could not have come at a better time.

 

[fourteenandoh]

I'm interested in the board's on opinion on how many points Tulsa, Texas Tech and Oklahoma would put up on our defense respectively.

I don't think we could shut down any of them, but I think we could slow down Tulsa and Texas Tech. Oklahoma is a different story, IMO.

I say Tulsa and TTech could get in the high 20s or low 30s and I think Oklahoma would put up 40 or more. I don't have any stats or specific arguments to back that up, its more of a gut opinion.

I don't mean this to be a knock on the defense, but more of an argument about whether or not these team's offenses are for real.

 

[Jake]

I'm interested in the board's on opinion on how many points Tulsa, Texas Tech and Oklahoma would put up on our defense respectively.

I don't think we could shut down any of them, but I think we could slow down Tulsa and Texas Tech. Oklahoma is a different story, IMO.

I say Tulsa and TTech could get in the high 20s or low 30s and I think Oklahoma would put up 40 or more. I don't have any stats or specific arguments to back that up, its more of a gut opinion.

I don't mean this to be a knock on the defense, but more of an argument about whether or not these team's offenses are for real.

Tulsa would do well to break 20.

Tech and OU might break 30.

I'd also like to go against their defenses, if you please.

 

[WaitingforKickoff]

I'm interested in the board's on opinion on how many points Tulsa, Texas Tech and Oklahoma would put up on our defense respectively.

I don't think we could shut down any of them, but I think we could slow down Tulsa and Texas Tech. Oklahoma is a different story, IMO.

I say Tulsa and TTech could get in the high 20s or low 30s and I think Oklahoma would put up 40 or more. I don't have any stats or specific arguments to back that up, its more of a gut opinion.

I don't mean this to be a knock on the defense, but more of an argument about whether or not these team's offenses are for real.

We'd have problems with Oklahoma, because they have a power running game, off of which they can set up the play-action against our safeties. Against the pure spread offenses, we have enough DBs and can exert enough pressure with the emergence of Gibson to frustrate that mode of attack.

 

[fourteenandoh]

Tulsa would do well to break 20.

Tech and OU might break 30.

I'd also like to go against their defenses, if you please.

oh, for sure. i'm not trying to debate if we could beat them. i'm just curious what these high powered offenses could do.

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

Ohio State Insider: Offensive struggles overshadow defensive prowess

by Doug Lesmerises/Plain Dealer Reporter Thursday October 30, 2008, 10:35 PM

Mark J. Terrill/Associated PressSince losing 35-3 to USC, the Buckeyes' defense has given up seven touchdowns in their opponents last 66 offensive drives.
COLUMBUS -- The bye week could have been all about the Ohio State defense. If the Buckeyes pull out a 6-3 win over Penn State on Saturday, during this break the talk centers on the pass rush of Thaddeus Gibson, the aggression of James Laurinaitis, the presence of Cameron Heyward, the energy of Malcolm Jenkins and the revitalization of Nader Abdallah. But a 13-6 loss has kept the focus, rightfully, on the shortcomings of the offense.
It doesn't change the fact that the Ohio State defense, embarrassed at USC, has turned its season around. Shutting down Penn State's attack proved the Buckeyes can handle a real offense. The Nittany Lions, ranked seventh in the country, scoring 45 points per game coming into Columbus, were held 32 points under their average.
That's a far cry from USC's domination of the defense.

Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

OZone

Football
Buckeye Defense Bright Spot as Season Unfolds
By John Porentas ​

For a week since the loss to Penn State the talk has been about the Buckeye offense, or more specifically, the lack thereof against the Lions. What has totally died down however has been talk about what ails the OSU defense.​

The OSU defense has come into its own as the season has unfolded, including against the high-powered Penn State HD spread offense. On the season the Lions are averaging 41.8 points per game and 458.9 yards of total offense. The Buckeyes limited them to 13 points and 281 total yards, far below their season averages. After stumbling in the USC game, the Buckeyes defense has gotten better and better against not only spread offenses, but all offenses.​

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Kurt Coleman[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
Photo by Jim Davidson [/FONT]

"I think we're playing really well," said safety Kurt Coleman.​

"We're flying around to the ball and we're making teams one-dimensional right now. I think that's the biggest thing we needed to do early in the year," Coleman said.​

The improvement has been most apparent up front along the defensive line and in the defensive backfield. The return of Donald Washington at corner and the emergence of Jermale Hines at both the nickel back and safety positions has allowed the defensive backfield to become a strength. Washington, along with Malcolm Jenkins and Chimdi Chekwa, are capable of manning up with three wide receivers when they are on the field together, and that means problems for opposing passing games. Hines has become the guy who busts up screens in a way that sometimes reminds you of Donte Whitner.​

Nowhere, however, has the OSU defense improved more than along the defensive line. Nader Abdallah, Doug Worthington and Dexter Larimore have all made steady improvement, but a couple of personnel changes have had a major impact as well.

Cont...​

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

Over in the Penn State/Iowa game thread, several folks are sounding the alarm at the departure of Laurinaitis, Jenkins, Freeman, etc. I seem to remember a lot of those on this board shitting their pants over the graduation of Hawk, Carpenter, Schlegel, Whitner, and Salley and the early departure of Youboty after the 2005 season. IIRC, their replacements ended up being pretty good themselves and didn't miss a beat stepping right into the 2006 season. I for one am not all that worried about next year's defense...

 

[buckeyes_rock]

Over in the Penn State/Iowa game thread, several folks are sounding the alarm at the departure of Laurinaitis, Jenkins, Freeman, etc. I seem to remember a lot of those on this board [censored]ting their pants over the graduation of Hawk, Carpenter, Schlegel, Whitner, and Salley and the early departure of Youboty after the 2005 season. IIRC, their replacements ended up being pretty good themselves and didn't miss a beat stepping right into the 2006 season. I for one am not all that worried about next year's defense...

Oh, we'll be fine. The thought of some fresh, hungry young guns in there next year is exciting for sure. But with inexperience comes some growing pains.

I'm not worried. I just think we have to be prepared to not expect the world right out of the gates.

 

[jwinslow]

Over in the Penn State/Iowa game thread, several folks are sounding the alarm at the departure of Laurinaitis, Jenkins, Freeman, etc. I seem to remember a lot of those on this board shitting their pants over the graduation of Hawk, Carpenter, Schlegel, Whitner, and Salley and the early departure of Youboty after the 2005 season. IIRC, their replacements ended up being pretty good themselves and didn't miss a beat stepping right into the 2006 season. I for one am not all that worried about next year's defense...

Hopefully we have an 06-like offense to help tilt the scales again for the D.