DC Brown talks UConn defense

[Carl Spackler]

Sio Moore is a beast. I think most of us would agree to that, but to me, Sio Moore 2010 was better than Sio Moore 2011. I wanted him closer to the line and in the backfield making plays like 2010, not covering the slot receiver all day as he did in 2011.

OK - here's another way I look at things. Football is the ultimate chess game. Offensive football is about creating and moving the ball into open space. Defensive football is about limiting open space, and clogging up the mechanisms for getting the ball into open space.

I might be wrong, I might be right about how I see this, but regardless, it's just an opinion based on what I see from teh stands over the years. IN Edsall's defense, like many similar successful defensive systems, it was very, very rigid. The LB positions lined up as bishops on the board. Moving diagonally up and down the board with very specific limitations and responsibilies. Moving into their run fits behind the DL on runs, and dropping back into zones in pass coverage. Defensive linemen were the rooks/pawns, moving vertically, and horizontally and attackign diagnonally in close quarters. The backside of teh defense were the knights - they needed to make combination type moves to fill the spaces on the field. No queens allowed in Edsall defense.

In DB's and Pasqualoni's defenses, the LB position is pretty much like putting 3 or 4 queens out there on the chess board, when they're playing the best they can be. The attack and clog up sapce in all direction up and down the board. Defensive lineman are more of dedicated rooks, attacking vertically into the blockers and blockign scheme rather than having to go diagonally liek those pawns in close quarters, and the DB's are going to be more like bishops and knights with wide areas of overlapping space to account for. Much more fluid and dynamic approach to defense.

Each approach has it's pluses and minuses depending on personnel, game plans, and opponents.

Bottom line is that on any given play from scrimmage, the offense can have up to 5 players coming across that line of scrimmage into space. The defense needs to identify them, and account for them, and LB is a position where you play both the run and the pass. Moore, is a good player, and has plenty of room to improve this year, and I think has the size speed and intangibles to play at the next level, as long as he can really start to grasp the concepts of space on teh field, and get in the film room and really start to be able to read what offenses are doing when it comes to the options as to where that ball is going to go on any given play.

He's got a lot of time and room to grow and I still think he's going to have a monster year. Got to put in the work though. It's not happening if the work isn't there - right now - from everybody.

 

[huskysupporter]

Sio was our best LB by far. No LB should ever cover a slot receiver except in a zone. So, that's not knock against him. He got great downfield drops against TE's, he played the pass very well when the impossible was not asked of him.

For a guy that's usually all over the field, he had a tendency to disappear in a few games. That leads me to believe that Sio's only problem was Sio. Not sure if it was a effort or injury issue but he was inconsistent. He should be a 100 tackle player.

He did not play the pass well. And I completely agree, Sio's only problem is Sio. People jumped all over Edsall when he said Sio had to be more disciplined, but he was spot on. He looks in the backfield too long on pass plays, takes false steps, and takes some bad angles. With that said, he is the most athletic linebacker on the team and has made huge plays the last 2 years. But he has to gain consistency. And stay disciplined.

I love what I saw of Smallwood last year and thought he was by far the most consistent backer. Underrated blitzer, and stout tackler.

 

[huskysupporter]

And it cannot be said enough how vital the D Line was to the # 3 run defense ranking. Talk about an amazing group of players, and it was not just the starters. They maintained their responsibilities and held the point of attack very well. Stephen and Wirth played great when they were in, and Teddy Jennings has a non stop motor. I love watching him play. And I had written off Jesse Joseph for the 2011 season after his injury, but he looked great as well. Losing a likely 1st/2nd round pick in Reyes, and a very good starter in Martin hurts, but I don't think there will be a steep drop off in D Line play. The key is finding someone to play behind Wirth and Stephen.

 

[bmayuc]

He did not play the pass well. And I completely agree, Sio's only problem is Sio. People jumped all over Edsall when he said Sio had to be more disciplined, but he was spot on. He looks in the backfield too long on pass plays, takes false steps, and takes some bad angles. With that said, he is the most athletic linebacker on the team and has made huge plays the last 2 years. But he has to gain consistency. And stay disciplined.

I love what I saw of Smallwood last year and thought he was by far the most consistent backer. Underrated blitzer, and stout tackler.

He was playing against slot receivers! I think the point here is that he is SO good against the pass that our coaches thought he would be able to hold up against the slot man and keep a bigger body on the field to play the run. In my mind this was a miscalculation(took away sio's strength near the LOS making plays and tired him out running him all over the field). But for a LB, i thought he was still very good in pass coverage. This was a coaching judgement error IMO, not a player failure.

 

[Carl Spackler]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with putting a LB in coverage against a Y receiver in an offensive formation. It happens all the time.
There isn't a linebacker in the world that's going to be expected to run with an offensive split end all over the field in single coverage as a desired part of any defensive scheme. If it happens, that's usually when the offense has found a mismatch, and if the QB has time, look out. A LB in pass defense way down field from scrimmage, is not what you want as a defense.

The problems come, when the help that's supposed to be over the top, isn't there, and/or the LB fails to do anything to get that receiver off their route comign off the LOS. Most of the time last year, when there was a problem with a LB in coverage, it was the LB failing to get into coverage at scrimmage, or not having deep help ready.

Our defensive secondary was learning an entirely different way of playing the game last season, than what has been done for a long time. They'll need to be better this year.

If they can, we'll see more sacks and more INT's.

 

[bmayuc]

He's long and extremely athletic, so I'm sure he can do that too...

He's a rush OLB. I watched his tape his lateral movement did not look like his strenght, but rather his use of leverage/speed off the edge.

We'll see!

 

[FAIRTIDES]

They did not play like beasts last year. Linebacking play was a real weak point for the defense.

Wonder if Brown would consider standing up Trevardo full time and making it a true 3-4?

Stephen at NT, Teddy Jennings, Jesse Joseph, and Ryan Wirth rotating at ends. Sio Moore, Smallwood at Middle Backer, Trevardo at one OLB, and put the other one up for grabs.

I'm no expert and I'm probably missing something fundamental about LB play, but isn't it difficult to be number three(3) in rushing defense with poor LB play?

 

[PolisHusky]

I'm also on the bandwagon with trying osiecki at fb. He seems like he likes to wedge through the weak point in a line and take on whoever comes through. Maybe he can add a little meanness to that position like Sherman Tank.

 

[huskysupporter]

I'm no expert and I'm probably missing something fundamental about LB play, but isn't it difficult to be number three(3) in rushing defense with poor LB play?

Nit at all. When the defensive line creates zero space for a running back, and he is bottled up, the linebacker can just clean up. And Smallwood played very well against the run.

The linebacker play was sub par last year. And it wasn't just the fact they had to cover slot receivers. Sio was maddeningly inconsistent in run defense and pass coverage. Johnson struggled as well. Smallwood had a nice season against the run. Wasn't asked to cover too much.

 

[huskysupporter]

He was playing against slot receivers! I think the point here is that he is SO good against the pass that our coaches thought he would be able to hold up against the slot man and keep a bigger body on the field to play the run. In my mind this was a miscalculation(took away sio's strength near the LOS making plays and tired him out running him all over the field). But for a LB, i thought he was still very good in pass coverage. This was a coaching judgement error IMO, not a player failure.

It wasn't just his coverage against slot receivers. He was very inconsistent. He is extremely talented, fast, and can lay people out in the run game. Thats not the issue. The issue is being in the right position consistently. He has the chance to be special if he corrects those things.