Throwing This Out There

[TheColonyEagle]

So I've been thinking about the defensive scheme for the OU game.

Here's Todd Dodge, regardless of what he has to say publicly and to his team, he knows in his mind he can't match up with OU. He will be judged in the OU game not by if he wins, but how his and his team's attitude and demeanor are. His stock went up in my book because of his willingness to stick with his offensive game plan, keep teaching and using the opportunity to work on things for the upcoming season. He could have easily kept the score down (not necessarily respectable - but not pushing 80) by working on the clock. But he didn't, he stuck to his plan for the long term benefit of the team knowing it would yield short term pain.

So knowing all this ahead of time, why go in to the OU game with a bunch of double teams, stunts, whatever other defensive schemes could have been used to slow down (not stop) OU's superior athletes? Why not keep it vanilla? Get some defensive players used to the speed, the hitting, get the rust knocked off. We lose 79-10 or 49-10. We still get stomped and Todd Dodge knows he's got other responsibilities for the remainder of the season.

NOW

Here's SMU. Are they going to look at SLC game film as the OU staff reportedly did and prepare to play against THAT defense? If our coaching staff is smart (and I hope they are) they are wanting that to happen so we can change it up on SMU. If SMU is thinking along the same lines I am, what do they prepare for? There has to be some sort of mystery there. From the looks of the SMU/Tech game, Willis can sometimes seem confused and frustrated. Will we have some suprises in store? Will we see some creativity? Perhaps the defensive strategy used in the OU game was a short term decision use for long term gain. The apparent LACK of strategy WAS the strategy?

I am really curious to see how our defense comes out Saturday and I am expecting to see different alignments. Dodge knows that if we look good and beat SMU, the OU game will be forgotten.

[island eagle]

So I've been thinking about the defensive scheme for the OU game.

Here's Todd Dodge, regardless of what he has to say publicly and to his team, he knows in his mind he can't match up with OU. He will be judged in the OU game not by if he wins, but how his and his team's attitude and demeanor are. His stock went up in my book because of his willingness to stick with his offensive game plan, keep teaching and using the opportunity to work on things for the upcoming season. He could have easily kept the score down (not necessarily respectable - but not pushing 80) by working on the clock. But he didn't, he stuck to his plan for the long term benefit of the team knowing it would yield short term pain.

So knowing all this ahead of time, why go in to the OU game with a bunch of double teams, stunts, whatever other defensive schemes could have been used to slow down (not stop) OU's superior athletes? Why not keep it vanilla? Get some defensive players used to the speed, the hitting, get the rust knocked off. We lose 79-10 or 49-10. We still get stomped and Todd Dodge knows he's got other responsibilities for the remainder of the season.

NOW

Here's SMU. Are they going to look at SLC game film as the OU staff reportedly did and prepare to play against THAT defense? If our coaching staff is smart (and I hope they are) they are wanting that to happen so we can change it up on SMU. If SMU is thinking along the same lines I am, what do they prepare for? There has to be some sort of mystery there. From the looks of the SMU/Tech game, Willis can sometimes seem confused and frustrated. Will we have some suprises in store? Will we see some creativity? Perhaps the defensive strategy used in the OU game was a short term decision use for long term gain. The apparent LACK of strategy WAS the strategy?

I am really curious to see how our defense comes out Saturday and I am expecting to see different alignments. Dodge knows that if we look good and beat SMU, the OU game will be forgotten.

Your point might be valid, but if we don't develop double-team, stunting and the ability to disguise our defensive schemes soon, we won't be competitive at all this year. In my mind, they should have worked on that during the OU game, if they are planning to use them....and they better if they want to play 1-A football.

[Stan R]

so... I guess it's kinda like if Chuck Norris was getting scissor kicked in the nuts time after time but it isn't part of his gameplan to defend the groin area, he just takes the punishment because he knows it will make him an even more lethal killing machine?

[TheColonyEagle]

so... I guess it's kinda like if Chuck Norris was getting scissor kicked in the nuts time after time but it isn't part of his gameplan to defend the groin area, he just takes the punishment because he knows it will make him an even more lethal killing machine?

Exactly!

[GoMeanGreen1999]

so... I guess it's kinda like if Chuck Norris was getting scissor kicked in the nuts time after time but it isn't part of his gameplan to defend the groin area, he just takes the punishment because he knows it will make him an even more lethal killing machine?

Classic.

[SHOSS]

so... I guess it's kinda like if Chuck Norris was getting scissor kicked in the nuts time after time but it isn't part of his gameplan to defend the groin area, he just takes the punishment because he knows it will make him an even more lethal killing machine?

This is without a doubt the best analogy I've ever seen on this board....

[greenminer]

pretty funny how we've come full circle to that approach, or at least those that are defending Dodge and his journey.

It's definitely a tough pill to swallow: we want to one day compete with them and say "football is football give everything you've got to win the game!", and then have to sit here and realize our savior has come in and - contrary to what he told us - used the first game as a paycheck/evaluation game.

Right now all I can add is that I'll suck it up and bite my lip, because we need time/room to grow into this new system.

[TheColonyEagle]

That's the thing. I didn't say don't play hard or "just try to get out without any major injury." and I didn't say "for OOC games" in general. I don't think they went into it with that mindset. Of course he's going to say "we're going in there to win." I didn't think they took the mindset of we're going to get a paycheck and get out of town. I think the players were told to go out there and line up with kids their same age and and see what they're made of. In my opinion, if we would have played that game at the end of the season instead to the start, we would have seen something different from our gameplan.

I said use the game as a chance to get everyone accustomed to the speed, see what kind of kids you have in a game situation. As far as scheme goes, we could have had 15 defenders on the field against OU's 11 and we still wouldn't have been able to stop them.

I don't know if Dodge is a true genius or not, but maybe he and his coaches are smarter than we think. (or maybe I hope so) I just can't for the life of me, believe that our defensive coordinator really thought that defensive scheme is one to use all season. Maybe he wanted to see what kind of kids he had? I don't know, but I really think (or hope) that SMU cannot go into this game thinking they are going to face that same defense.

[Got5onIt]

so... I guess it's kinda like if Chuck Norris was getting scissor kicked in the nuts time after time but it isn't part of his gameplan to defend the groin area, he just takes the punishment because he knows it will make him an even more lethal killing machine?

If Mr.T is doing the scissor kicking, all bets are off.

[pollock]

So we've already gone from assuming that the OU debacle was all part of Dodge's scheme to laughing at the irony that it's pretty much the same as Dickey's philosophy...

I'm not even sold that it was part of the scheme. I just think we had no defensive scheme at all and got smoked.

[Got5onIt]

I just think we had no defensive scheme at all and got smoked.

Agreed.

The truth hurts too much, doesn't it?

[pollock]

Agreed.

The truth hurts too much, doesn't it?

It sure does. But hey, I'd like to be wrong on this one.