Here are somethings I think Dave should do next week against Wisconsin as far as the defense is concerned.
1. Play at least four new starters, younger the better. (Really, can they do any worse?)
2. Onside kick at least 3 times. (That way there's at least a small chance to get the ball back)
3. Gamble and sell out on each play. Jump routes and go all out blitz on any running down. (Yes we'll get burned but so what?)
4. If he's not already, he needs to call all defensive plays and take full responsibility of the defense. (The buck should stop with him)
God help us.

I am sure this professional coach, with 16 years experience, knows precisely what must be done starting with never listening to Monday morning quarterbacks with little or no knowledge of the game like badmoon.

(09-11-2011 03:08 PM)badmoonrising_13 Wrote:  Here are somethings I think Dave should do next week against Wisconsin as far as the defense is concerned.
1. Play at least four new starters, younger the better. (Really, can they do any worse?)
2. Onside kick at least 3 times. (That way there's at least a small chance to get the ball back)
3. Gamble and sell out on each play. Jump routes and go all out blitz on any running down. (Yes we'll get burned but so what?)
4. If he's not already, he needs to call all defensive plays and take full responsibility of the defense. (The buck should stop with him)
God help us.

Picking a random number of new starters guarantees nothing. It's just change for the sake of change. He needs to play the best players...I don't think there is somebody being held back.

Onside kicking 3 times is playing against the odds, which a good coach shouldn't do that often.

Blitzing on every play is predictable and very easy to beat.

Forget the no huddle.
Try to take as much time off the clock as you can.
Do not let the defense on the field.

Doeren inherited crap on defense and is a first year coach. Yet we have know-it-alls lambasting his defensive playcalling. Typical b.s. that pollutes this board.

(09-11-2011 03:18 PM)cagy cager Wrote:  I am sure this professional coach, with 16 years experience, knows precisely what must be done starting with never listening to Monday morning quarterbacks with little or no knowledge of the game like badmoon.

Good grief - amen to that!

(09-12-2011 11:05 AM)sportsfan Wrote:  

(09-11-2011 03:18 PM)cagy cager Wrote:  I am sure this professional coach, with 16 years experience, knows precisely what must be done starting with never listening to Monday morning quarterbacks with little or no knowledge of the game like badmoon.

Good grief - amen to that!

+ 1

(09-12-2011 11:05 AM)WhiskeyDick Wrote:  Doeren inherited crap on defense and is a first year coach. Yet we have know-it-alls lambasting his defensive playcalling. Typical b.s. that pollutes this board.

Have you looked into a mirror lately?

Haven't seen too many complaining about the defensive playcalling though. Mostly it was a matter of the players not being in the right spot or not making the tackle when they were.

If our kicker can't kick deep and get good hang time on kickoffs, and our special teams can't stop giving up good field position then how about we just kick the balls more linear through the end zone.

(09-12-2011 11:01 AM)huskie1stdown Wrote:  Forget the no huddle.
Try to take as much time off the clock as you can.
Do not let the defense on the field.

The no huddle still works in our favor, Chandler just needs to run more time off the clock b4 the ball is snapped. By running no huddle NIU can limit the ability for Wisky to substitute players and packages, giving NIU the benefit on certain down, such as short yardage when the other team doesn't have enough time to run their big guys on the field and get set. But it is hard to not think what could have happened Saturday if we didn't score so quickly every time. Bottom line - we lost, but that doesn't mean we can't learn from it either.

(09-11-2011 03:08 PM)badmoonrising_13 Wrote:  Here are somethings I think Dave should do next week against Wisconsin as far as the defense is concerned.
1. Play at least four new starters, younger the better. (Really, can they do any worse?)
2. Onside kick at least 3 times. (That way there's at least a small chance to get the ball back)
3. Gamble and sell out on each play. Jump routes and go all out blitz on any running down. (Yes we'll get burned but so what?)
4. If he's not already, he needs to call all defensive plays and take full responsibility of the defense. (The buck should stop with him)
God help us.

have you sent these points to coach doeren. maybe we got the wrong coach. i'd give him a couple more games and then make a decision on his future. we are closer to rock bottom then a championship.

(09-12-2011 11:01 AM)huskie1stdown Wrote:  Forget the no huddle.
Try to take as much time off the clock as you can.
Do not let the defense on the field.

I like this idea. In order to have any chance in this game we need to keep the D off the field as much as possible. We shouldn't snap the ball with any more then 5 sec left on the play clock on downs when the game clock is running.

(09-12-2011 11:24 AM)NIUFAN Wrote:  

(09-12-2011 11:01 AM)huskie1stdown Wrote:  Forget the no huddle.
Try to take as much time off the clock as you can.
Do not let the defense on the field.

I like this idea. In order to have any chance in this game we need to keep the D off the field as much as possible. We shouldn't snap the ball with any more then 5 sec left on the play clock on downs when the game clock is running.

Not sure how this would really help. Wouldn't it just mean we would've lost 24-21 instead of 45-42? If we can't stop anyone, and we slow the game down, the 2 teams just won't score as much.

Maybe we get the ball last in this scenario.

It's two games into his coaching career. TWO. The only real problem I had was the timeout usage in the 2nd half of the Kansas game. Doeren can't be held accountable for every bad kick and missed tackle without giving him credit for the good offense. You can't have it both ways.

Yes, defense is his specialty but he inherited a rather thin and young group. We weren't a preseason top 10 team. Give him a chance to coach them up/make the right substitutions and actually coach an entire season. (Also, let him recruit more of "his" guys.) If the defense shows no improvement by the end of the year, if his use of timeouts is still questionable, if he puts in Grady at QB, fine, have at him.

Feel free to criticize his mistakes but don't let the disappointment of one game (such a limited sample it's absurd) be the reason you hang Doeren. I'm glad NIU fans have high expectations and hurt when they lose, but geez, take a breath.

Also, I am for the no huddle BECAUSE IT'S WORKING. Let's not fix what isn't broke. Let's fix the defense and special teams. There's no way to avoid giving the other team the ball.

NIUslumo is right; just because there'd be less scores, doesn't mean we'd stop the opponent enough to win.

(09-11-2011 03:08 PM)badmoonrising_13 Wrote:  Here are somethings I think Dave should do next week against Wisconsin as far as the defense is concerned.
1. Play at least four new starters, younger the better. (Really, can they do any worse?)
2. Onside kick at least 3 times. (That way there's at least a small chance to get the ball back)
3. Gamble and sell out on each play. Jump routes and go all out blitz on any running down. (Yes we'll get burned but so what?)
4. If he's not already, he needs to call all defensive plays and take full responsibility of the defense. (The buck should stop with him)
God help us.

So, according to you, going into the game where we will play unquestionably the biggest and most talented team we will face all year, the coach should put in at least 4 guys who he thinks are not as good as the guys who he has been playing so far? are you insane?
The other points are even dumber.

Here's what I think Doeren should do: NOT listen to morons on this board who think they know better than him.

Dear Coach D - I am available to play defense and / or coach, please let me know, I will be either:

A) on my couch at home
B) in my dorm room or
C) watching ESPN3

so I should be able to report to the sidelines pretty quick.

Best Regards /
Random Internet Poster