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whatshouldicareabout
Member Posts: 12,439
Bold denotes freshman.
QB
Morris
RB
Pleasant
McGrew
Newton
Davis
WR
Bynum
Jones
Nucua
Odunze
McMillan
Chin
TE
Westover
Otton
Redman
OL
Curne
Bainivalu
Kirkland
Ale
Wattenburger
Fautanu
Luciano
DL
Taimani
Bronson
Bandes
Tuitele
OLB
Bowman
Tupuola-Fetui
Smalls
ILB
Sirmon
Ulofoshio
Heimuli
Tuputala
McDonald
Tafisi
Fowler
DB
Molden
Cook
Taylor
Turner
McDuffie
Gordon
Hampton
McKinney
Irvin
Williams
Specialists
Horn
Porter
Henry
Green
Thoughts:
There is a profound lack of depth in the middle, evidenced by only 4 DL and 3 OLB playing. Really surprised by the lack of bodies there since those are the most heavily rotated position groups. I thought they could've brought in a third DL in the 2nd half against OSU to counter their dependence on the run game, but the coaches were reluctant to go beyond those 4.
The ILB participation includes players who were only in on special teams, but it still shows how dependent we are on freshman in the front 7. The D will need to rely on the secondary to help with the run D, but Cook was invisible last night (2 assisted tackles), and Molden and McDuffie can't be everywhere.
Losing Levi, Tryon, Latu, and Tuli from last year is devastating.
QB
Morris
RB
Pleasant
McGrew
Newton
Davis
WR
Bynum
Jones
Nucua
Odunze
McMillan
Chin
TE
Westover
Otton
Redman
OL
Curne
Bainivalu
Kirkland
Ale
Wattenburger
Fautanu
Luciano
DL
Taimani
Bronson
Bandes
Tuitele
OLB
Bowman
Tupuola-Fetui
Smalls
ILB
Sirmon
Ulofoshio
Heimuli
Tuputala
McDonald
Tafisi
Fowler
DB
Molden
Cook
Taylor
Turner
McDuffie
Gordon
Hampton
McKinney
Irvin
Williams
Specialists
Horn
Porter
Henry
Green
Thoughts:
There is a profound lack of depth in the middle, evidenced by only 4 DL and 3 OLB playing. Really surprised by the lack of bodies there since those are the most heavily rotated position groups. I thought they could've brought in a third DL in the 2nd half against OSU to counter their dependence on the run game, but the coaches were reluctant to go beyond those 4.
The ILB participation includes players who were only in on special teams, but it still shows how dependent we are on freshman in the front 7. The D will need to rely on the secondary to help with the run D, but Cook was invisible last night (2 assisted tackles), and Molden and McDuffie can't be everywhere.
Losing Levi, Tryon, Latu, and Tuli from last year is devastating.
Comments
Dawgs in the 2018 and 2019 recruiting classes got 6 of the top rated DT's on the West Coast + Ngalu... I'm not sure it's bad recruiting as much as it's bad coaching or them just not living up to the hype. Who knows... maybe they were overrated. It's incredible to me that a guy like Tuitele can be one of the top recruits at the position in the country and some shitter like Josiah Bronson gets to keep going out there sucking ass.
I just get the feeling there's a lack of identity on the defense over the last couple years... I feel like Death Row actually meant something. There was an attitude guys like Budda, King, Gaines, Vea, BBK, Victor carried as a unit on the field that doesn't exist w. this current batch of Huskies.
Tuli is a huge loss as he’s by far our best DT. I doubt we are very good, but I can still LIPO. It was one game. The part that bothered me the most is that we still have way closer games than they should be.
The WR’s are fucking horrible.
If Latu is truly out for the "season," this team is truly fucked, as neither Smalls or McDonald looked even remotely ready.
I'm with everyone else on the bewilderment as to how bad the DL has performed. For two years straight, UW vacuumed up nearly all of the DL talent out west. There's no excuse for that line to not dominate, yet there they are getting pushed around by Beavis. I guess I got so spoiled by seeing lower rated guys like Gaines and Jaylen Johnson being studs, higher rated guys like Qualls and Onwuzurike living up to their billing, and even guys like Tani Tupou coming good after development that it seems inconceivable to strike out with so much talent available.
I think part of it is just being so light in the box all the time, but I'm seriously starting to wonder if there are issues in the S&C/rhino cum program. Players just haven't been developing like they used to, and this goes back a couple years.
I just went back and watched OSU's "hot knife through butter" first offensive scoring drive. Starts at 3:44 in this video:
1st and 10. Bronson, Tuitele, Smalls left to right, Simon and Ulo behind. At the snap, Sirmon immediately fills a gap away from the play side, taking himself completely out of the play. Let's hope this is an ill-timed run blitz. Bronson does nothing special but nothing wrong and is away from the play side. Tuitele takes a double team and holds his ground, so good from him. Smalls gets double teamed and totally fucking rocked, fails to disengage when the ballcarrier runs right behind him. With Smalls so out of position, Ulo fills his gap and is now too far inside and shielded from the runner by three bodies. Molden--I love this guy as a defensive back, but this is a major theme with him in run defense--gets completely erased by the slot receiver, can't shed the block, and Jefferson has a nice little 17 yard gain.
2nd and 3. This one's on Kwiatkowski. The boundary side is also the weak side of the formation, yet that's where they loaded up, with Ulofoshio moved up on the line. To make matters worse, the whole line slants to the boundary at the snap, with ZTF giving up contain and shooting an inside gap. With just about everybody taking themselves out of the play, the right guard is free to move to the second level and erase Sirmon. The tight end just has to take Molden out, and it's a cakewalk. None of the Husky defenders seem to be able to avoid being blocked, with Sirmon and Molden pretty low on even that scale, so this play goes about how you'd think.
3rd and 2. Beavis comes out in 11 personnel, spread to run. Huskies doom themselves with a conservative base nickel defense. Bronson and Taimani hold their ground fine, all things considered. ZTF does the impossible and quickly sheds his blocker, but then misses an ankle tackle. Sirmon blazes into the backfield to accomplish absolutely nothing except not be there when the runner squirts out right to where he used to be standing. Don't mind the aggressiveness, but don't whiff the tackle if you're going to blaze in like that.
2nd and 5. 11 personnel again, but this time a safety (Turner) is moved into the box. McDonald, Bowman, Taimani, Bronson, Ulofoshio left to right. At the snap, the entire DL does it's job. Bowman quickly sheds an attempted cut block, Taimani and Bronson both get a ton of penetration, forcing the run inside. Ulofoshio gets doubleteamed and therefore blasted out of the play. Then three players doom it: Bowman easily defeats his block on then whifs on the tackle. Turner, completely free because of Ulo's doubleteam, runs to the boundary and takes himself completely out of the play, effectively blocking himself, and then there's my whipping boy Sirmon. He has an acre of space in which to avoid being erased by a stumbling CENTER, but he decides he'd rather be blocked. Nice hustle by McDonald, actually, to make a touchdown saving tackle, not that it mattered much three plays later.
I don't know. It's still disappointing that these highly rated D-linemen aren't just beasting through doubleteams and making plays--or at least affecting plays in ways that make it easy on the second level players, but there are bigger problems than just the DL. Familiar problems to anybody that was watching last year. There is still a massive, gaping hole right in the middle of the defense, and Kwat is struggling to scheme around it. Safety play in run defense also leaves a lot to be desired, not helped by having safeties 18 yards deep on nearly every play. With a QB that can sling it, that's defensible. Saturday night, it made no fucking sense and was basically a big neon sign that read, "Please run it down our throat!"
We also played a lot of deep safeties, even in the 2nd half, even when it was abundantly clear that Gebbia's range was 10 yards at most. Even when it's apparent that the opponent is going to run, we rarely bring both safeties up closer to the box, which can be really frustrating to watch.
The thing about Sirmon that gets me is that I don't expect him to have amazing athleticism, but given his pedigree, I do expect him to understand the game really well. Unfortunately his play on field keeps showing below average athleticism and average (at best) play IQ. Maybe I'm just missing it, but that's not a recipe for success. I'd give my left nut for a BBK or an Azeem in the middle of this defense.
It's 2020. It's been at least a decade since you could get away with a linebacker who doesn't have plus athleticism. Big guys who run 4.9 just don't cut it anymore. If this is the best on the roster, I would seriously start Myles Bryant at WIL over what we've got. Be decisive, either shed blocks or avoid them, be as fast as a tight end and able to cover sideline to sideline, make tackles. Pretty simple.
I now request you do this shit weekly. And by request I mean command.
I'm REALLY frustrated at that game. Even the beer I chose for it sucked...
DL looked weak when I was watching. I’ve never thought Taimani was very good. He was pumped in with Tuli, but Tuli was always way better.
Enjoyed that post thank you.
Clip 1: It looks like Bronson and Sirmon were almost predicting the run was going to go to the right side? Makes me think they watched film and OSU threw em off by going the other direction compared to what these sets showed? Maybe the play call on D was made with that in mind? Unless Sirmon is a total moron and Bronson thinks losing contain on the edge is a good thing... why else would they be barreling down hill immediately off the snap? Smalls got crushed on that double team but Molden has also got to shed his block right away if they're going to play him inside at the linebacker level. Ulofoshio also got caught flat footed... he's gotta diagnose the run quicker there. Honestly fantastic blocking by OSU on that play... but if Ulo and Molden get low or beat their blocks the run goes for less yardage.
Clip 2: Again... must have been the wrong play call like you said. They must have thought the play was going to the left side... Molden blitzing vacates the entire right side for a run... which tells me they thought OSU was passing and Molden was going to come for a blindside hit on a pass they thought was going left? I think we're finding the one thing Molden might not be very good at... shedding blocks in the run game. Why does Sirmon just decide to engage with the blocker? He shuffles his feet straight into the guy... run around him dummy... that should be an easy block to get around. Yeah not much to say on this one other than the defense was aligned horribly... they predicted one thing and got something completely different. That said, this play is showing me a trend... instead of meeting the OL straight on, squaring up and holding ground... they're losing their anchor really early in the play... both DL on the left side of the line (where the run went) rush the inside gap and are immediately stood up and spun around. There's no contain... they're just wiped right out of the play from the whistle. Gotta hold your ground.
Clip 3: Bronson provides a perfect example of what I'm talking it about when it comes to losing your early leverage. He loses his balance, stands up straight and the OL makes him do a full 360. That's not going to get us anywhere. Taimani gets blown into next year... is also straight up... a DT shouldn't be in position to make a tackle 4 yards down the field... ever... he's gotta win that battle. Ulo also loses 3-4 yards on a block. Zion makes a nice play here like you mention and just misses the tackle... but there's a clear hole for Sirmon... HE. IS. SO. SLOW. The fuck is he doing? Please get another LB in there. Then there's Ryan Bowman... who just won't graduate. Way to hold the edge bud... only got knocked 3 feet off his spot well outside the play. Molden once again super tentative to get in there and make a play in the run game.
Clip 4: Taimani was fantastic on this play. Really the only true win against the block on these 4 clips. Bronson penetrates the gap... and then what? Was he expecting the run to go outside? The OL almost baited him to go there... HOLD YOUR GROUND. Unless it's a pass play... what do these DL think they're accomplishing penetrating gaps to the outside of a play? His penetration led to a big hole that formed in the area he vacated. Bowman with the big wiff and Ulo gets blown 3-4 yards back on a double team.
Final Thought: HOLD YOUR GROUND. Maintain your balance, anchor the OL you're up against and stop conceding yardage backward. That's really all this boils down to... they were getting their asses kicked right at the snap and lost contain everywhere.
And in Molden's defense, look at the clips above, and this seems to be a roster-wide technique issue. It's weird seeing people "two-gapping" seven yards downfield. I like seeing a defensive tackle engage, lock out, and disengage to fill a gap. A linebacker or safety? Don't fucking engage in the first place. Don't let the blocker get hands on your body. Just watch Sirmon in the second clip above: He had Cook to the boundary side gap. It would have been safe to cheat inside and try getting past that blocker. Instead he engages straight up with a guy who outweighs him by 80 pounds.