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2012 Defense Discussion

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buchtelgrad04 said:
"Silver Bullet standards" is an arbitrary term that is measured by oneself. We can agree to disagree.

  • Ohio State ranked second nationally in total defense, allowing just 269.7 yards per game;
  • Ohio State ranked sixth nationally in passing defense, allowing just 140.3 yards per game;
  • Ohio State ranked in a tie-for-second nationally in fewest plays allowed over 10 yards with 26;
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Which clearly shows stats mean squat. We gave up 600+ yards and 41 points to a crappy Michigan offense, and almost 440 yards and 34 points to a so-so MSU offense, over the last two games. That's 520+ yards and 37.5 points per game over the last two games, arguably the two biggest games of the season.
 
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BUCKYLE said:
He's talking about 2012.
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Which is the part that really sucked about how we ended this season on defense. Last year, we also were average at absolute best throughout the beginning/middle of the season, but then ended on a very strong note. This year, we were average at best throughout the beginning/middle of the season (so didn't carry over the strong finish whatsoever), and then ended very very poorly. And it wasn't caused by injuries (Bryant being the only one and it was early enough that it can't be linked to the woes we had late in the season).
 
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UpNorth_Buckeye said:
.... And it wasn't caused by injuries (Bryant being the only one and it was early enough that it can't be linked to the woes we had late in the season).
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Curtis Grant missed time and when he did play he was basically running around on one leg. He was average at best but our defense was better with him at full health. He played well in a 3 game stretch (Wisky, NW, Iowa) and showed flashes. Josh Perry was dinged up later in the year. Broke his hand during the bye week and also had the concussion. Injuries were a factor. They just caused us to go from bad to worse though.
 
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Tlangs said:
Curtis Grant missed time and when he did play he was basically running around on one leg. He was average at best but our defense was better with him at full health. He played well in a 3 game stretch (Wisky, NW, Iowa) and showed flashes. Josh Perry was dinged up later in the year. Broke his hand during the bye week and also had the concussion. Injuries were a factor. They just caused us to go from bad to worse though.
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Neither LB you mentioned was honestly much of a factor, and their injuries meant little, imo. What made our defense go from bad to worse was the fact that we had no LB depth whatsoever. I'm not looking for raekwon to start next year, but I would like for him to at least contribute meaningfully if called upon. Because once we lose shazier, LB becomes terribly thin at the starters and on the bench.
 
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BUCKYLE said:
He's talking about 2012.
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Then he's still wrong wrong. The defense finished 34th in total defense (360 ypg) and 76th in passing defense (244 ypg) for the 2012 season. If he's referring to the improvement made when Boren came in as MLB, it was probably more due to Boren's leadership than his playing ability. Regardless, we need top-notch linebacking play to solidify this defense...
 
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MililaniBuckeye said:
Then he's still wrong wrong. The defense finished 34th in total defense (360 ypg) and 76th in passing defense (244 ypg) for the 2012 season. If he's referring to the improvement made when Boren came in as MLB, it was probably more due to Boren's leadership than his playing ability. Regardless, we need top-notch linebacking play to solidify this defense...
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No, you're talking about something completely different. He said the defense towards the end of the season wasn't "up to Silver Bullet standards," but being ranked #2 in the month of November is impressive no matter how you slice it.

You're correct about Boren moving provided stability and leadership, and that made them a better unit.
 
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C-busBuck said:
Moving Boren to LB last year paid big dividends later in the year, which just goes to show the lack of ability by coaches to judge talent on the
defensive side of the ball. Boren ended up being a stud at Linebacker. They should have played him there all 4 years. They whiffed on that one.
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You must be forgetting that Boren was an even better FB than he was a LB. If you think Walrusball was miserable, try playing it for those last three years without a fullback.
 
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pnuts34 said:
Neither LB you mentioned was honestly much of a factor, and their injuries meant little, imo. What made our defense go from bad to worse was the fact that we had no LB depth whatsoever. I'm not looking for raekwon to start next year, but I would like for him to at least contribute meaningfully if called upon. Because once we lose shazier, LB becomes terribly thin at the starters and on the bench.
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I'd agree neither was great or "Silver Bullet Standard" per se; but there was a massive dropoff when they were both out. And it showed on the field with all the missed tackles.
I have no doubts regarding why Perry and Grant are the starters.
Assuming Shazier leaves, I think we'll miss him more than Braxton. At QB it's "next man up". But whose going to step in at LB? Right now it looks kinda scary.
 
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