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Posted on 7/20/20 at 3:57 pm to Soda City Spur
man time flies
Posted on 7/20/20 at 3:58 pm to Prof
quote:
LSU, BAMA and Auburn are in the East?
east stacked
Posted on 7/20/20 at 4:02 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
Nah. UGA will very likely have a top 3 defense in the nation.
Posted on 7/21/20 at 4:21 am to Thumpa15
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They have a chance. Pruitt is the best defensive mind in the East and maybe the conference imo. His issue is that UGA & UF both have had significantly more talented rosters than what he's had to work with in his first 2 years in Knoxville. He's brought in some good classes since taking over though so that gap looks to be closing a little bit. They've made a big jump on that side of the ball from Butch's last year to now. It'll be interesting to watch it play out.
2017 - 82nd in total defense (Jones' last year)
2018 - 49th in total defense
2019 - 23rd in total defense
2020 -
The team overall was bad but one of the most underrated coaching jobs ever was the 2018 defense. There was nothing spectacular about them until you realize that that group improved by 33 spots while switching from a 4-3 to a 3-4 . That year's defense was beyond threadbare with plenty of players that would never have gotten a scholarship at other teams and what talent we did have wasn't suited to run a 3-4. (And go ahead and ask any Tennessee fan about how switching to the 3-4 can turn out under other coaches). The 2019 team's improvement was another 26 spots.
It's pretty remarkable how big the leaps have been, especially under the circumstances. However, Pruitt hasn't let talent deficiencies get in the way of those leaps either. When he's brought in 3*s on D they've turned out to be ballers and he made more than one former 3 or 4 year bust everyone had written off into an NFL ready player. Now he's getting better talent and the new guys are maturing so I expect an improved defense with a lot of the players from last season having a full season under their belt as well as some (albeit covid effected) weight training and practice. It's impossible to match the leaps over the last two seasons but a 10 spot jump would put us in the top 15 nationally. Higher than that isn't entirely out of reach going by his record but without an off-season I think it makes it far less likely.
Posted on 7/21/20 at 5:58 am to HailHailtoMichigan!
Wut?
Posted on 7/21/20 at 6:48 am to Prof
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When he's brought in 3*s on D they've turned out to be ballers
Pruitt found a lot of solid players for UGA in the 3 star rankings. Particularly in the defensive backfield.
When UGA lost the NCG to Bama, those 3 stars were blamed. There is a difference between being better than 10 out of 12 of your opponents and being better than 12 out of 12 of your opponents. 3 stars dont get faster and taller because of coaching.
Posted on 7/21/20 at 8:29 am to LouisvilleKat
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Tennessee actually lost a lot on the defensive side of the ball from last year.
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Daniel Bituli and Nigel Warrior were two of the top three tacklers that I remember. Don't know what else yall lost on Defense but those guys were pretty big.
Add Darrell Taylor to those two, and you have three of the top 5 leading tacklers from last year's squad.
Posted on 7/21/20 at 8:33 am to Thumpa15
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Pruitt is the best defensive mind in the East and maybe the conference
lol. Only one SEC team gave up more than 30 to UGA’s abysmal offense. That team? Tennessee. If Georgia State can run up and down through your defense, the coach isn’t the best defensive mind in the conference.
Posted on 7/21/20 at 9:24 am to atlanta917
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the coach isn’t the best defensive mind in the conference
I mean yeah we lost to GA state lol, but to deny that Pruitt is an elite defensive coach is just asinine. Does Kirby suck because he lost to 4-8 SC last year?
We wont have the best Defense in the east next season but with his ability and the way he is recruiting, it wont be too long before we are right there with you.
quote:
In 2013, Pruitt was hired as the defensive coordinator at Florida State. In his lone season with the Seminoles, his defense ranked number one in scoring defense, allowing just 12.1 points per game, and ranked third in total defense, helping the 2013 Seminoles win the national championship.
In 2014, Pruitt joined the Georgia coaching staff as the defensive coordinator. His 2014 defensive unit finished 17th nationally in total defense, and finished in the top ten in turnover margin and passing yards allowed. Pruitt's 2015 unit at Georgia finished the season ranked seventh nationally in total defense, and led the nation in fewest passing yards allowed per game.
Pruitt returned to Alabama as defensive coordinator in 2016, replacing Kirby Smart, who had left to become the head coach at Georgia. His 2016 defensive unit led the nation in scoring defense and rushing defense, and was ranked second in total defense. His 2017 Alabama defensive unit finished the regular season ranked second in total defense and first in scoring defense.[17] The unit was part of the team that won the National Championship in the 2017 season.
This post was edited on 7/21/20 at 9:27 am
Posted on 7/21/20 at 9:35 am to VFL1800FPD
quote:
In 2014, Pruitt joined the Georgia coaching staff as the defensive coordinator. His 2014 defensive unit finished 17th nationally in total defense, and finished in the top ten in turnover margin and passing yards allowed. Pruitt's 2015 unit at Georgia finished the season ranked seventh nationally in total defense, and led the nation in fewest passing yards allowed per game.
Georgia was 9th in the conference in rushing defense and 10th in the conference in rushing TDs allowed in 2014. Who is going to pass when they can run on you? And who is going to put up more total yards in a game by running the ball than by passing.
In 2015, Georgia was 8th in the conference in rush defense and tied Missouri for 3rd in conference for rushing TDs allowed (behind Ole Miss at 2nd).
Pruitt does a lot of good things. Bama fans are over the moon for what he did there. But Pruitt was not a major improvement over Grantham at UGA (other than rotating players and developing underclassmen better). He had some real stinkers.
Posted on 7/21/20 at 9:51 am to HailHailtoMichigan!
CFP bound this year. 2020 Champions of Life & the Playoff.
Brick by Brick
Brick by Brick
Posted on 7/21/20 at 9:57 am to atlanta917
I'm of the opinion, as is most of the Alabama fanbase, that Pruitt is a better defensive mind than Kirby. I don't much care what your thoughts are about that (or yours meansonny). It certainly isn't going to change my mind.
When the talent disparity isn't as glaring as it has been in his first 2 years, Tennessee's defense will be a force nationally. It's just a matter of time.
When the talent disparity isn't as glaring as it has been in his first 2 years, Tennessee's defense will be a force nationally. It's just a matter of time.
This post was edited on 7/21/20 at 9:59 am
Posted on 7/21/20 at 1:33 pm to VFL1800FPD
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deny that Pruitt is an elite defensive coach is just asinine.
I never said he wasn’t good a defensive mind. I just said he wasn’t the best.
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Kirby suck because he lost to 4-8 SC last year
The defense didn’t lose that game. They gave up 10 in regulation.
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We wont have the best Defense in the east next season but with his ability and the way he is recruiting, it wont be too long before we are right there with you.
That’s the point. Pruitt doesn’t have the ability to have the best defense this season. Not a knock on him since CFB is more offensively driven now. I also think he’ll get better with experience and better talent to work with.
Posted on 7/21/20 at 1:35 pm to Thumpa15
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When the talent disparity isn't as glaring as it has been in his first 2 years, Tennessee's defense will be a force nationally. It's just a matter of time.
Like the talent disparity between UT and GSU? SC and UGA have a talent disparity and Muschamp shut down the same offense that put up 30+ on UT.
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I don't much care what your thoughts are about that (or yours meansonny). It certainly isn't going to change my mind.
If facts won’t change your mind then nothing will.
Posted on 7/21/20 at 1:41 pm to Thumpa15
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I'm of the opinion, as is most of the Alabama fanbase, that Pruitt is a better defensive mind than Kirby
Of course you are because Kirby was followed by Pruitt who's solid while Pruitt was followed by Golding who's barely functional. Pruitt looks like a freaking genius compared to him.
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I don't much care what your thoughts are about that (or yours meansonny)
He's one of the most knowledgeable posters on here. You should actually pay attention to what he has to say instead of just burying your head in the sand.
Posted on 7/21/20 at 1:46 pm to Soda City Spur
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This is Proot's 3rd year FWIW.
...and apparently he's gonna swang his big stick of asparagus all over the SEC after just booting off the team one of his best DL - who hit a woman.
Posted on 7/21/20 at 1:51 pm to Porter Osborne Jr
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Of course you are because Kirby was followed by Pruitt who's solid while Pruitt was followed by Golding who's barely functional.
I think the biggest thing in Pruitt’s favor for Bama fans is that he is still seen as one of them. There’s also a sentiment that Kirby somehow betrayed them.
Posted on 7/21/20 at 1:55 pm to Crowknowsbest
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think the biggest thing in Pruitt’s favor for Bama fans is that he is still seen as one of them. There’s also a sentiment that Kirby somehow betrayed them
It's mainly due to Kirby doing so well. When he left bama every bama fan I know irl wished him well and felt like they were losing a brother, but understood he was going home. Then he started recruiting better than bama and making playoff appearances and they hated him all of a sudden. Bama fans will continue to love Pruitt while he still finishes 3rd in the east and lose to ga state but wait til he beats bama or starts eating into their recruiting and they'll change that tune quick.
Posted on 7/21/20 at 1:59 pm to atlanta917
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quote:
Kirby suck because he lost to 4-8 SC last year
The defense didn’t lose that game. They gave up 10 in regulation.
Hell. Even 3 of those points given up by the defense were after a loss of downs by the offense giving a short field to the Gamecocks. SCar moved the ball 30 yards and made a 49 yard field goal. You are asking a lot of a defense to not give up 30 yards a series.
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