Tuffguy20 Wrote:While I agree that our we need better running backs, the guys we have are working hard on what their doing. Not to mention the O-line which has looked very good. I dont believe that would change the season if you asked me, and the reason is, the problem on our team is not the offense. We just finished giving up 35 points to a team who had scored 3 points in 2 weeks, and they didnt even play a BCS team. Defense must improve if were going to go places, not any facet of the offense.
Tuffguy
While we loss to Tech and NMSU in the closing seconds, those games were actually lost in the 1st Quarter. Let me explain.
We've had a problem all year with moving the ball EARLY all year. Both of the above games started poorly for us. We have gotten 1 first down in the first 3 drives of each game. Both of those were via the pass. That's bad.
We cannot run the ball early at all. Had we put together drives earlier, the less the defense is on the field, the less the other team can score.
I agree with your observations on the defense. Just don't bring it up on the Delphi board. You will get jumped on like I did. The defensive tackles are outmanned. Maybe Bradley can help there. I have doubts. The linebackers are slow and small. We have better linebackers redshirting. It was my opinion early on to play them. I'm not having fun right now saying "I told you so" to certain people.
I've always thought that football and baseball have similar defensive strategies. You had better be strong up the middle. In baseball, that's the Catcher, pitcher, SS, center field. In football, it's the Tackles, Middle Linebacker, and the Free Safety.
With the injury to Smith, all we really have now is Spann. So, that means we will have to pressure people from the edges in. The defensive ends are good, but young. The OLB's? Don't go there. The corners are excellent, and C. C. Brown is awesome at SS.
We can't take the redshirts off now. It's too late. The LB situation is near crisis levels. I suugest moving Mack Fair back to MLB. I don't know why he was ever moved. The big thing would be to drop C.C. down to OLB and turn him lose. We need our playmakers on defense in a position to make plays. There is more than enough depth to cover him in the secondary.