Now time to focus on other UConn positional battles (J. Fuller)

[huskymedic]

http://runwayramblings.blogspot.com/2014/08/now-time-to-focus-on-other-uconn.html

 

[ScottBonz]

Should I even read it? No way he can write and article without full access. Right?

 

[SAMCRO]

In summary, based on what he's seen this camp he's expecting big things from McCombs and Phillips on O this year.

 

[uconn34]

Not a bad article, superior to Dez but that isn't a big compliment.

 

[Stinger92860]

2 receiver sets has me a bit concerned about the double teams Geremy is going to see in every game. They are going to néed a TE or TB to release to keep the pass defense honest.

 

[gioff23]

If you were a DC, wouldn't you double up GD every opportunity - no matter how many WRs we thru at you?

Fuller keeps hinting that Bloom, as a 2d TE who can catch and create matchup issues at 6'7", is the 3rd option.

When thinking of our O, remember these quotes from the head man

• we want to impose our will on the opponent
• you can win a game if your D gives up 300 yds in passing; you can't win a game giving up 300 yards rushing

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

Well you can double Davis, and that's fine, but if you're seeing a lot of two-TE sets, that's gonna limit your option to put 8 guys in the box against the run. It's all gotta come from somewhere. If the O is showing a lot of power running with two TE's, you may not be able to afford another corner to double Davis.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

I don't know. I'll just wait to see what they actually do in the games.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Well you can double Davis, and that's fine, but if you're seeing a lot of two-TE sets, that's gonna limit your option to put 8 guys in the box against the run. It's all gotta come from somewhere. If the O is showing a lot of power running with two TE's, you may not be able to afford another corner to double Davis.

What?


Double TE sets force a defense to move away from a standard strong side / weak side gap control. Rotating or collapsing the coverage shell to double a split end route or to bring up run support has nothing to do with it. The double TE formations make the DL and LB have to react and think more.

 

[Carl Spackler]

I don't know. I'll just wait to see what they actually do in the games.

I agree Jimmy. I'm hopeful that with our QB's now, an offensive line under Foley tutelage again and our backfield and ends that we can get to a point we havent been in a decade.

The simple thing about football is that an offense always has a fundamental advantage over defense. The simple advantage is that the offense knows their play call at the line of scrimmage and the defense does not. The entire game from practice and preparation to game day is a test of imposing your will that builds from that simple thing at the line of scrimmage.

Edsall after the Orlovsky years moved to an offense that voluntarily gave up that simple advantage. There was no guesswork needed by a defense against us from 2006 thru 2010. It was line up and see if you can stop our run and occasional play action pass. The thing about that is that it is fine if you have the horses to do it, but Edsall's program did not recruit well enough (or he simply chose not to) develop the passing attack on top of the running game. An offense that can impose itself on a D when they know what is coming but can also be diverse enough to force a defense to guess is deadly. To compete at a national level, we need to build an offense like that. That is the lesson of the Oklahoma v. UCONN game 3 1/2 years ago now. The defense, kicking game phases, we know that and have done it. I'm looking forward to seeing that again, but most of all, I want to see our offense be able to play and have success using that basic natural advantage. It all starts with the center and QB exchange.

 

[Carl Spackler]

2 receiver sets has me a bit concerned about the double teams Geremy is going to see in every game. They are going to néed a TE or TB to release to keep the pass defense honest.

No idea how the current defensive coaches (and we got one that was real good safety) and the QB coache teaches, but I can say that this you are pointing out is not a WR v CB battle. It is a QB v safety battle mentally. Way back I was taught to build thought progressions from a concept 'middle field open' or 'middle field closed'. Same concepts that the QB is looking at from his side of the line and the safety (s) are coordinating the defense from the back on their side. From there its a simple matter of counting, understanding alignments and spacing and the winner of the QB v safety battle will be the one that either finds open space for the ball or closes down the open space the offense can go with the ball.

It is entirely possible that if Geremy Davis at the X is going to draw coverage rotations, whoever the Z and Y(TE's) are, will have balls coming there way all day long. Davis may not have the kind of season he had last, but that wont diminish what he is capable of at the next level at all. The few people that actually watched Cochran at the end of last season, he can find and anticipate the spaces. Just needs time, which comes from a running game successful and guys that can block up front.

Edit FYI Don brown defense was so effective because the entire chaotic mess in appearance was actually a very well thought out plan to completely disrupt any effective progression of reading the defense by a QB while still maintaining disciplined gap control in run defense. The defense was so effective top 10 in the country because he had 2 corner backs that could maintain single coverage and edge gap control in run. Both are in the NFL now. The other 9 players on D could line up anywhere as long as it was a disciplined gap control against the run and generate pass rush from anywhere and confuse the QB. It was a fun defense to watch. Edsall's D worked but we're boring. I WOULD take boring and winning in a hear bear by the way.