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Convert Offensive Players?
Posted on 11/14/16 at 11:42 am
Posted on 11/14/16 at 11:42 am
Looking at the rankings for the defenses in college football it is clear to me there is a real problem in Texas. We are ranked 97th, while Texas is worse and Tech is the worst in the sport. There is no Power 5 Texas team that is ranked within the top 60 on defense.
Us and Texas keep hiring one highly regarded (aka expensive) defensive coach after another and none of them can seem to turn the tide. Some of these coaches like Manny Diaz or Chavis have had a lot of success elsewhere, and Diaz did so after his stint in Texas. It seems like across the board defense in this state is dying and not even talented coaching can stop it.
The reason why seems obvious- an emphasis on 7on7 and offensive production at a high school level. Being on offense and scoring touchdowns is much more sexy in the modern age than hitting people, and the end result is no Power 5 team in the state has the raw material needed to have a decent defense.
The obvious solution is to get recruits from other states on defense, but that is easier said than done and wouldn't be a consistent solution even if a coaching staff could succeed in short spans of time. The optimal solution is to find a way to do better with the raw material we have here in Texas.
I was thinking about how Jackie Sherrill changed our fortune in the 80's by recruiting QBs (at a time when top defensive recruits didn't want to come here) and converted them into defensive players. Is there some merit in trying to maybe recruit overlooked offensive players and convert them into defensive players? Or do you think a high school WR or QB would rather be a WR or QB at SMU rather than be a DB or LB here with us?
Us and Texas keep hiring one highly regarded (aka expensive) defensive coach after another and none of them can seem to turn the tide. Some of these coaches like Manny Diaz or Chavis have had a lot of success elsewhere, and Diaz did so after his stint in Texas. It seems like across the board defense in this state is dying and not even talented coaching can stop it.
The reason why seems obvious- an emphasis on 7on7 and offensive production at a high school level. Being on offense and scoring touchdowns is much more sexy in the modern age than hitting people, and the end result is no Power 5 team in the state has the raw material needed to have a decent defense.
The obvious solution is to get recruits from other states on defense, but that is easier said than done and wouldn't be a consistent solution even if a coaching staff could succeed in short spans of time. The optimal solution is to find a way to do better with the raw material we have here in Texas.
I was thinking about how Jackie Sherrill changed our fortune in the 80's by recruiting QBs (at a time when top defensive recruits didn't want to come here) and converted them into defensive players. Is there some merit in trying to maybe recruit overlooked offensive players and convert them into defensive players? Or do you think a high school WR or QB would rather be a WR or QB at SMU rather than be a DB or LB here with us?
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Posted on 11/14/16 at 11:45 am to cardboardboxer
quote:
I was thinking about how Jackie Sherrill changed our fortune in the 80's by recruiting QBs (at a time when top defensive recruits didn't want to come here) and converted them into defensive players
I don't know how he did it, or if it was a product of the time or something, but QBs tend to want to QB and reject the idea of playing defense these days. Even 20 years ago, my HS's QB, who was a freak athlete, got a scholly as a safety and quit a week into camp because his real passion was QB, not just playing football in general. It's a hard sell. I don't know how Jackie pulled it off.
Posted on 11/14/16 at 11:46 am to cardboardboxer
quote:
The obvious solution is to not lose guys like Jamal Adams to out of state schools
Sorry, couldn't help myself.
I agree with you though, it's become a weird phenomenon.
A guy who has done this with success is Gary Patterson at TCU. I was reading something recently regarding his 4-2-5 defense and how for one of the strong safety positions it's almost like every player he recruits and puts there was playing QB in high school.
Posted on 11/14/16 at 11:51 am to DBU
That's certainly part of it though. Both of you are right, talent on the defensive side of the ball in Texas HS has taken a step back, and the truly elite guys are going out of state more and more.
I don't know what the answer is, I think having a HC who puts a clear priority on excelling on defense is a start. But that doesn't fix it all.
I don't know what the answer is, I think having a HC who puts a clear priority on excelling on defense is a start. But that doesn't fix it all.
Posted on 11/14/16 at 12:02 pm to Cooter Davenport
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I don't know how Jackie pulled it off.
Yeah maybe that is too hard to do nowadays.
quote:
Sorry, couldn't help myself.
I get your point but even when we or Texas recruit top players on defense them seem to underperform. For example I feel like Jamal Adams wouldn't be the same player here. The locker room culture or attitude of a defense just isn't the same when it's mostly Texas boys. We are watching Chavis's D decline as we go, and I can't help but think part of that decline is a message that worked well about alpha male pride macho whatever at LSU and Tenn just doesn't work here. Having pride in a good defense is foreign to young Texans.
quote:
A guy who has done this with success is Gary Patterson at TCU. I was reading something recently regarding his 4-2-5 defense and how for one of the strong safety positions it's almost like every player he recruits and puts there was playing QB in high school.
He does seem to be the rare exception, as TCU finds a way to have one of the better defenses in the state every year. I wonder if what Gary has done has its limits though- we have seen his defenses get worn down against Big 12 talent in a way that they never did pre-Big 12.
Gary's system with better recruits would probably do the trick, but then we are talking about 3 star QBs with other offers instead of the two start nobodies Gary recruits. We are then back to the issue of ego on offense, and why it's so out of check in the state.
Posted on 11/14/16 at 12:27 pm to cardboardboxer
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Gary's system with better recruits would probably do the trick, but then we are talking about 3 star QBs with other offers instead of the two start nobodies Gary recruits.
Yeah I think that's the problem. Are the no-offer QBs he recruits to be power safeties in a 4-2-5 better than the safeties he can reasonably get? I think he has shown they are in a lot of cases. But are they as good as the safeties WE or other SEC teams can get? No. You'd have to move up a rung to 3* level scrambling-type QB athleticism, at which point you are talking about guys who will play QB somewhere and aren't interested in becoming a safety.
Posted on 11/14/16 at 12:33 pm to ShaneTheLegLechler
quote:
, I think having a HC who puts a clear priority on excelling on defense is a start.
I don't even want that 1%. Charlie Strong was that guy, the defensive genius, and even with better recruiting than us his defense is worse than ours. I think any guy who comes to Texas looking to make his mark on the defenses here at a head coaching level is running right into a brick wall.
I want an offensive guy who hires the right DC and gives him complete control. Crazy thing is Sumlin was that guy, his first choice for DC was Pat Narduzzi but we didn't have the booster backing to get him.
Posted on 11/14/16 at 1:07 pm to cardboardboxer
quote:
Looking at the rankings for the defenses in college football it is clear to me there is a real problem in Texas. We are ranked 97th, while Texas is worse and Tech is the worst in the sport. There is no Power 5 Texas team that is ranked within the top 60 on defense.
Incorrect. Cougar High has a top 10 total defense and the 25th scoring defense.
But your point is still valid. Texas High schools throw most of their talent on offense because this state has gone full retard on the spread system. Not much we can do about it unless we start recruiting out of state, (which would be a waste of time) or we hire great position coaches who can beat out old bad habits.
Posted on 11/14/16 at 1:12 pm to Texas Weazel
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Incorrect. Cougar High has a top 10 total defense and the 25th scoring defense.
UH isn't Power 5 which was my stipulation.
And they have WAY more talent than the teams they face. I even think among the not Power 5 teams they are a bad example. They are the Bama of the Group of 5.
quote:
we hire great position coaches who can beat out old bad habits.
Haven't we tried to do that though? It seems like just throwing money at the problem doesn't fix anything.
Posted on 11/14/16 at 1:19 pm to cardboardboxer
quote:
Haven't we tried to do that though?
This is all relative, but no. Sumlin has hired coaches who are better recruiters than they are coaches. Terry Joseph and Mark Hagen come to mind.
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