re: The Defense and Optimism

Nickel:
'13 players: Toney Hurd was solid for the most part but we ended up playing him in situations that really led to struggles. Him trying to tackle Yeldon at the goalline was just sad to watch because Hurd did everything right. He's just a safety in a corner's body. As Noel Ellis played, he really showed what he can be going forward. I was pretty impressed. He's already a better cover guy than Hurd but he showed a willingness to really stick his nose in there and play the run despite his size.

What to expect in '14: Ellis clearly is the frontrunner here and his primary competition will likely be from recruits Nick Harvey or even Armani Watts. A new DB coach though may move people around so it can be hard to know exactly. Ellis showed that he is capable of manning the spot though so whatever we do, we should be in good shape.

BCB:
'13 players: We asked a lot of our corners this year because we put them on islands constantly. Everett is a good corner. He's not elite, but he's good with nice instincts and good technique. He's also a great blitzer and a tremendous help in run support. His biggest weakness is just a lack of raw speed and it got highlighted because he has to cover too long since we get no pressure. When Everett was moved or injured, Jacobs was somewhat adequate but he got abused when he played extensively on an island. He just lacked the instincts to read the game. The limited time Sezer got on the field he showed speed and agility but played without much confidence.

What to expect in '14: Tough to know because it's going to depend on where Everett plays. If he stays and we get an improved pass rush, he should be a plus corner. If we move Everett then Ellis, Sezer, Garner, or incomers like Harvey or Watts could all factor in here. Another thought could even be Sabo moving from offense as he was a very good corner in HS. And Speedy even mentioned he might like to play defense.

FCB:
'13 players: Harris is our best man to man cover guy. He has the speed and quickness to play off and close hard. He has been quite prone to mental errors though and at times didn't commit himself to tackles with comical results. He had a 3-game stretch when he had 1 pass completed on his man. And yet, he's also made multiple highlight reels as he got tossed like a ragdoll. Love him or hate him, he made games exciting. Garner got a little playing time early here and I thought he looked very good in flashes.

What to expect in '14: Harris is extremely talented but the same list on the boundary side could challenge on the field (designations that may not exist in TJ's secondary however). Harris's speed and quickness seems like it would make him an ideal candidate for Joseph's more aggressive style. But he's simply going to have to show more physicality. With the possibility of Everett and Davis moving to safety and Garner likely to miss the spring, we may not have enough bodies to push him this spring which would be a shame. But if he doesn't improve, I'd hardly be shocked to see someone like Nick Harvey show up and flat win that job.

BS:
'13 players: Ahh, the enigma of Howard Matthews. At times he looks like a star in the making. At others he looks like he doesn't even know there is a game going on. Matthews is actually a decent centerfielder who brings some pain when he's coming down hill from his 2-deep or 3-deep spot. But he's awful when isolated in man coverage. His backup is actually Honeycutt but between injuries to Raven and Honey, he basically never had a backup which meant whatever Howard showed up was the one we had to live with. Matthews weaknesses were on full display in the Chicken Bowl as Cutcliffe found ways to isolate him time and again in the 1h. More than anyone else, the lack of a pass rush has exposed Matthews flaws this year. It just seemed every time he was forced to man up, he got burned.

What to expect in '14: Despite starting now for 2 years, I wouldn't be shocked to see Matthews end up a backup in '14. Honeycutt or Miles could very well be your starter at BS (or SS or whatever). We've seen very little of Wiggins but he's also in the mix. We may also see an incoming freshman get a chance but it's going to depend on how we close this class and what Joseph sees.

FS:
'13 players: On to more limited players. Honeycutt is not at all a good fit here and his physical limitations are on full display every game. Unlike Matthews, he has decent long speed, but he lacks the agility to make plays in space. That led to us trying to rework the secondary and put Everett at safety which highlighted Jacobs weaknesses. In the end, Honeycutt rarely makes mental mistakes which is why he earned the job back when he was fully recovered. During his absence, Raven showed us why Honeycutt won the starting job in training camp. He didn't go a game without making the opposing team's highlight reel and found himself benched vs UTEP in the 1st quarter. That took a lot because we sent Toney Hurd out there, who hadn't even practiced FS. The mental errors were so consistent that the second Honeycutt was fully healthy, despite his own obvious limitations, he was handed the job back.

What to expect in '14: Transition. Joseph needs to figure out who is best here and my guess is it will be Everett. Then he can began prepping the youngsters to take the job in '15. Last year we hoped Raven's athleticism would translate and Miles was a backup plan. When both got injured, the floodgates opened. I think we'll see multiple guys try out here in the spring and hopefully at least one shows himself capable.

Secondary Summary:
'13 players: It was a year when the secondary should have been the strength of the defense. But no one stepped up at FS, we had no semblance of a pass rush, and injuries forced us to mix and match a lot. Many were happy to see Yates leave because of how poorly they played but to be fair, the front 7 was so bad we put the secondary in a no-win position forcing them to play against their strengths in cover zero and man free.

What to expect in '14: The question of the new year. This is an area that will bear close watch in the spring as we'll have a new coach with new ideas and everyone will have to reprove themselves. The decommit of DSG leaves more question marks but it's a month to signing day so hopefully we can hold the class together and close strong. My real expectation is slight individual improvement with markedly improved results simply because we will have more opportunity to mix coverages. I have a feeling that a year from now most will see Joseph as a hero. Not to say he won't have fantastic results, but I do think the secondary has been somewhat unfairly maligned this year because we were so successful masking their individual flaws in 2012.