My guess is we haven’t seen 20 percent of the defensive playbook yet.
My Thoughts
- Thread starter gef21
- Start date
Brown had three carries for seven yards midway through the 3rd qtr vs Howard.
RB2's don't get a ton of carries, especially when a guy like Monangai is setting personnel records.
And now Brown, who struggled with injuries all last year, has now missed a game due to injury. Will he be fully healthy when he returns? Who knows. The door is open for that #2 spot and Raymond has made a good case that he is that guy.
Second game in a row with a good two minute score.
LB is currently the weakest part of the defense by far and possibly the entire team. Will cost Rutgers games going forward this season.
We don't use a MAS in the 4-2-5, just EKIM and LLIW. 😋
Good stuff but I have to ask about your LB commentary. Last year you were really harsh on one LB without calling them out by name (which I personally appreciate). However, you are now saying we miss MT and TP plus DJ is in the pros. I'm guessing you focus on the LB's and are critical of their play which is fine. But I disagreed last year and disagree again this year. When TP returns we have 3 sold LB's again. One looks more
Like a Safety but hits like a LB and covers a lot of ground. The other has been outstanding.
I saw three times vs Howard.
He has a decent arm but some Minn YT guys (like Rivals) said he could be a better in practice than games. The bigger the game the more mistakes. I saw some skittishness but some of that can come with first weeks on new team. The "no peek" chucks have to stop though. Good QBs dont do that
I always heard players say it took them a season to get back better for the next season.
Outside of a Joe Theismann, Willis Mcgahee injury an Achilles is feared the most the by athletes.
I had one get sore once and I discovered it was because of antibiotics I was on. Certain antibiotics are really harsh on Achilles despite the Achillies not being the targeted area.
Health Sciences Researchers Study How Common Antibiotics Weaken Tendons
University of Arizona undergraduate Mikayla Campagne is part of a research team examining the link between antibiotics and the increased risk of tendinitis and Achilles tendon ruptures. Their work will help clinicians identify weak points in the tendons to prevent future injuries.
Wow that is wild. I have torn both of mine. Vertical tears so no surgery.I always heard players say it took them a season to get back better for the next season.
Outside of a Joe Theismann, Willis Mcgahee injury an Achilles is feared the most the by athletes.
I had one get sore once and I discovered it was because of antibiotics I was on. Certain antibiotics are really harsh on Achilles despite the Achillies not being the targeted area.
Health Sciences Researchers Study How Common Antibiotics Weaken Tendons
University of Arizona undergraduate Mikayla Campagne is part of a research team examining the link between antibiotics and the increased risk of tendinitis and Achilles tendon ruptures. Their work will help clinicians identify weak points in the tendons to prevent future injuries.healthsciences.arizona.edu
We ran to the wrong gaps multiple times in both of our first games. We did a mediocre job of collisionig and passing off. Right now without TP I think we have 1 truly solid LB and he is still raw in coverage, but good in run fit.
Corticosteroids for asthma can also cause problems (and plantar fasciitis along with Achilles things)
Corticosteroids and Musculoskeletal Adverse Events
Last edited:
I think that rusher came fast and direct.. he couldn't have adjusted had AK stepped up. You see that happen all the time. AK has proven he is pretty quick. I wouldn't be surprised if he agreed upon seeing teh game tape of that play. In fact, you routinely see older, slow but wise NFL QBs do it against NFL pass rushes. Its probably a moot point.. stepping up he might have had the time and room to do that AND get feet set for an accurate pass.
On an earlier play he was sprinting outside off an RPO pass and ran right into a rusher and got off a weak pass outside that bounced in front of intended target. Similar... but I think if he wasn't caught up in the RPO duties.. selling the option, he would have stopped short and seen the cover guy bite on his run option and leave the WR sooner that he eventually would miss with his throw.
In any case, I do like that he doesn't focus too much on the rush.. let it fluster him. So avoiding it and still completing passes is a nice thing to have, but not entirely mandatory.
PFF grades for this week were quite weak for the LBs. Given all the talk about depth, just not seeing it. However, DL and DB depth looks decent.
To be expected IMO, all the players receiving snaps are in this position for the first time and several are young so results will be uneven.
Until Powell returns we need to keep watching for improvements week by week by this group.
This. The quality of the first two opponents probably came into Greg’s decision. I think we see Powell for the 1st Qtr and then in rotation with Walker during the game with VT.
Agree with this- even if Powell is at 90% - why take the risk in 2 games that really didn't matter. See how his backup performs and just give him almost another full month of rest.
You may be right. Time will tell but you called out a LB last year and we had 3 very good Lb's. One in the NFL. Two who you are saying we miss this year.
Last year I thought Jennings struggled outside of the triangle extensively. He got a lot better in the box, but his hips held him back getting sideline to sideline and especially on making collision on TEs and slants. Powell I thought had an elite year, and we hurt when we lost him. Toure was an elite pass rusher but at times struggled, especially early on, when playing true Mike responsibilities. Being in the 4-2-5 at times he had to play the Triangle and I never thought it was his strength. His strength was sideline to sideline and pass rush.
Right now I think we are learning still. Athletically I think we do a great job getting sideline to sideline, but in collision pass coverage we are struggling (the big TE play against Akron was an example of this). We also have not looked tremendous in the triangle yet. Multiple times LBs have gone to the wrong gap, or overplayed a direction and gotten sealed out. If I am an OC attacking our defense I am going to go right at our LBs in stretch zone or RPO. I want to make them think as much as possible. I am going to motion TEs/ H backs, I am going to show misdirection on play action, but I am going to stretch at them and look for cut back.
If Powell can come back at 90% I will feel much better about our triangle play.
I think how the game goes will dictate what Greg does with Powell. If he is ready to go and the game is tight he stays in quite a bit .
Why are you being so defensive @Yeah Baby ? Anyone can see the LBs are a notch below what took the field last year. Powell and Toure were terrific against Miami and they are missed.
The current group misses tackles, they misread plays and they make mistakes. This is hardly surprising since they are going through a learning curve and making mistakes is part of their development. But You can bet your bottom dollar, that the coaches are reviewing with them, all the mistakes @gef21 highlighted, and the kids are trying to absorb the corrections. It’s a risk going forward which can be mitigated if TP returns. I look at gefs analysis as constructive criticism.
If Powell is ready to go he is going to play a lot against VT. We will need him.
He gets very prickly at the slightest criticism of RU players. @gef21 knows his stuff, and he is very delicate in his analysis and critiques. Some fans can't handle the truth and get shouted down when glaring errors are pointed out by people who know what they are talking about. @gef21 is obviously not some yahoo fan spouting off without knowing what he is talking about.
What I like about gef is that he gives an analysis void of personal attacks. And it is more of a constructive criticism and I have no doubt, he would give the same analysis directly to a player that he writes here.
Totally agree. I thought Powell was our best defender when he was injured. Getting him back would be a HUGE boost to this squad.
I try and take all the emotion out of it. The phrase "film don't lie" is the best thing ever.
One of the things I always said about posting about players, don’t post something you wouldn’t say directly to them.
I’ve seen posts where some guys will, let’s say, criticize a player and make a stupid comment about low in or shouldn’t be d1.
Players get criticism all the time but they want facts and correction.
Agree. I thought his gate looked slightly off and he is well under traditional recovery timeframes.
I think he really locks up are our defense is he can come back and be at least 90%. I said it earlier but we are missing that dude in the middle right now. We do not have a tone setter LB yet.
Again, let the men talk. I didn't disagree or get prickly. I was probing for more info.
I agree on the learning aspect. I thought our LB's finished really strong last year. I thought Powell had a stellar year until injured. I thought Toure went from good to great as he shook the rust off. Jennings was always good . Very steady player and happy he's making a run at it in the NFL.
Appreciate your breakdowns.
AK started 1-4 with a pick. I don't buy your comments about his 3-7.
Hpwever, Raymond looks very good and I did read but not comments on your whole other thread on RB2. Injuries have a role in all of this as does opportunity. Two years ago Monangai ran for 165 yards against MSU but Brown took over the starting role and played very well. I truly hope his injuries are behind him because he can be a special player for us. Nothing wrong with 2-3 backs but Kyle is flat out playing like a beast so backups may not get many chances. I think Guerrier had a great spring game. He's also injured so Raymond has stepped up. Great for him and the team.
RB room is loaded.
Piss off, Karen. You are now man, you are whiner and a crybaby any time anybody is the slightest bit critical of a player.
Actually just starting to watch the game on replay now. The play down the seem to the RB our or the back field early in the game depicts what you were saying. One LB blitzed. The other went outside with the TE who was already well covered by Flipper. I'm sure they will correct it. I can't tell which LB was wrong because there because I don't know what the coach called but one definitely strayed from the middle. Everyone else was in man. Certainly one of the LB's would be responsible for the RB there.
Nice play call by Akron too.
