How does defense compare to your preseason expectations?
- Thread starter ChiTownLion
- Start date
Hmmm....lets see. For the most part, very good and exceeded expectations. Where they didn't:
- 4Q of Appy State, tOSU, Sparty (pass on UM)
- Catching Interceptions
- Recovering Fumbles
Just my opinion: the defense has suffered late in games when the offense didn't come through early.
Given that the defense lost 8 starters and there were serious question marks at LB and the depth at DT, I was expecting some drop off in performance of the defense, especially in the first half of the season. It's been disappointing to see the play of the LB's at times, but the future looks bright with the experience that Parsons, Brooks and others are getting. But the DT depth development does not look to be progressing as I had expected. I had higher hopes for Shelton, Jordan and Hansard, and thought that Barber and Mustopher were talented enough to also make an impact. Although these 5 backups will likely get better and could still be the nucleus of a great future DT rotation, they have collectively not been as good as I expected them to be so far this year. Outside of Givens and Windsor it seems few plays have been made by the DT's.
From what I have seen the DB's, even after losing all 4 starters, seem to have put together the best position group performance on the defense. The CB's have played pretty well and it seems that Reid is playing better each week. The young talent including TCF and D.Johnson have played pretty well and the future of the CB position looks good, although Amani's size will be tough to replace.
The Safety's have not played as well, but Tayor has played pretty well, and Sutherland seems to be coming along well. Scott has disappointed, as he has not seemed to progress as the season has gone along, with blown assignments and mental errors, and with decent run defense at the expense of giving up way too many big pass plays.
I was probably expecting too much from the Defense given the turnover and lack of depth and experience in the trenches....... The Defense should improve next year with only Scott, Amani and Farmer moving on. Amani will be missed, but with another year to develop the young Safety's and LB's those positions should improve. And unless there are defections the DL should have everyone back, stronger and more mature. It would be great if CJF could have gotten a commit from at DT that could play and contribute as a true freshman but that seems remote at this point. And a DE that could come in and make an impact, Harrison, seems like a long shot at this point as well.
From what I have seen the DB's, even after losing all 4 starters, seem to have put together the best position group performance on the defense. The CB's have played pretty well and it seems that Reid is playing better each week. The young talent including TCF and D.Johnson have played pretty well and the future of the CB position looks good, although Amani's size will be tough to replace.
The Safety's have not played as well, but Tayor has played pretty well, and Sutherland seems to be coming along well. Scott has disappointed, as he has not seemed to progress as the season has gone along, with blown assignments and mental errors, and with decent run defense at the expense of giving up way too many big pass plays.
I was probably expecting too much from the Defense given the turnover and lack of depth and experience in the trenches....... The Defense should improve next year with only Scott, Amani and Farmer moving on. Amani will be missed, but with another year to develop the young Safety's and LB's those positions should improve. And unless there are defections the DL should have everyone back, stronger and more mature. It would be great if CJF could have gotten a commit from at DT that could play and contribute as a true freshman but that seems remote at this point. And a DE that could come in and make an impact, Harrison, seems like a long shot at this point as well.
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Slightly worse. I was very concerned about LB and DT depth. Farmer is worse than I thought and I might have expected too much from Parsons. DT starters are about as expected but depth is worse than expected with injuries to Hansard and Jordan. I thought the one saving grace was at DE but Buchholz and Brown retired and Simmons has been slow to develop.
I'm really disappointed in our secondary play (except for #26 and #17), especially considering that a majority of the players are all "Franklin Recruits".
#29: Shouldn't be playing a down. Understandably slow because of his knee injury, but what's more concerning is his "out of position" play. Completely lost on most every pass play as to where he should be on the field. And he's a Senior.
#4: Was an impact player early in his career, but now is just nothing other than a "nomadic Safety" with a preference to stop the run, but in the process, gets repeatedly burned by deep route running receivers. Why is that?
#5: Can't and won't tackle worth a shyt.
#38: I thought this guy was supposed to be Mr. Western Pennsylvania Football Greatness. Instead I've witnessed nothing other than an slow slug, incapable of being able to keep up with, let alone cover, an opposing WR who is marginally faster.
In conclusion, I'm at a loss as to what Franklin sees when he is "recruiting". Artificially inflated stars per the recruiting services? That's my opinion.
All that considered, PSU's DE's have all been outstanding. Our DT's (a position noticeably neglected by Franklin lo these many years) have also played really well considering that they have no real backups.
I was "on the border" with Franklin since he was hired, and have soured since, but I've now seen enough to conclude that he's "not all that and a bag of chips" and he's certainly not the individual to restore PSU greatness on a repeated basis.
PSU's defense is emblematic of the shortcomings of Coach Franklin. He refuses to hire competent positional coaches because he’s threatened by “peer competency". In short, the Emperor doesn't really want anyone around him that will his expose his many coaching flaws and overshadow him in the process.
It's Rhule Time.
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I mistyped a “2” instead of a “3”. Sue me for my numerical transgression. My typo has since been corrected.The Caped Crusader never disappoints
But thinking FR DE Jason Owen (#28) is hurting the team due to his lack of coverage skills is an unprecedented beauty.
Thanks for paying attention to detail.
I was "on the border" with Franklin since he as hired, and have soured since, but I've now seen enough to conclude that he's "not all that and a bag of chips" and he's certainly not the individual to restore PSU greatness on a repeated basis.
Who cares what an ahole like you thinks. You have an obvious agenda and it's tiring
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Don’t agree at all with your player assessments but I do agree with your conclusion.I'm really disappointed in our secondary play (except for #26 and #17), especially considering that a large majority of the players are all "Franklin Recruits".
#29: Shouldn't be playing a down. Understandably slow because of his knee injury, what's more concerning is his "out of position" play. Completely lost on most every pass play as to where he should be on the field. And he's a Senior.
#4: Was an impact player early in his career, but now is just nothing other than a "nomadic safety" with a preference to stop the run, but in the process, gets repeatedly burned by deep route running receivers. Why is that?
#5: Can't and won't tackle worth a shyt.
#38: I thought this guy was supposed to be Mr. Western Pennsylvania Football Greatness. Instead I've witnessed nothing other than an slow slug, incapable of being able to keep up with, let alone cover, an opposing WR who is marginally faster.
In conclusion, I'm at a loss as to what Franklin sees when he is "recruiting". Artificially inflated stars per the recruiting services? That's my opinion.
All that considered, PSU's DE's have all been outstanding. Our DT's (a position noticeably neglected by Franklin lo these many years) have also played well considering that they have no real backups.
I was "on the border" with Franklin since he as hired, and have soured since, but I've now seen enough to conclude that he's "not all that and a bag of chips" and he's certainly not the individual to restore PSU greatness on a repeated basis.
PSU's defense is emblematic of the shortcomings of Coach Franklin. He refuses to hire competent positional coaches because he "threatened by peer competency". In short, the Emperor doesn't really want anyone around him that will his expose his many coaching flaws.
It's Rhule Time.
I thought coming into the season, the defense was a year away. That hasn't changed
I had high expectations for Buchholz and he retired. Miller has just been good, not great. Gross Matos has been a real bright spot. I was hoping Bowen would contribute. I feel bad for Farmer, because he still seems like he's not sure what to do. Reid is playing well now, better than at the beginning of the year. Taylor is doing well. I expected more out of Simmons. The interior has been a too soft.
I guess I'd have to say that while the defense has improved some as the season has progressed, I'm a little disappointed.
I thought the defense would struggle when the season started. Then when the defensive line had the setbacks it did I thought the defense would be flat out bad. Overall, it has exceeded my expectations by quite a bit. Linebacker play absolutely has to improve drastically next year.
Actually surprised a bit with the front 7 exceeding some expectations. I figured they'd be soft up the middle and have held their own. But no surprise #4, while a great ST player is lead footed and is out of place repeatedly on the back end. Man if we could just get a ball hawking playmaking safety for once to go with a hard hitter like Allen last year or how Sutherland will be it would cover up a ton of deficiencies. Too bad Isheem Young is an idiot.
This unit really only real loss is AO next year, unless there are any unexpected defections. I expect a huge improvement with YGM leading the way at end, Micah leading the way at backer and Reid getting back to himself and better another year removed from injury. DT rotations should be healthier and LB will be much deeper and more talented/experienced. Safety will be key.
This unit really only real loss is AO next year, unless there are any unexpected defections. I expect a huge improvement with YGM leading the way at end, Micah leading the way at backer and Reid getting back to himself and better another year removed from injury. DT rotations should be healthier and LB will be much deeper and more talented/experienced. Safety will be key.
@NittanyOpp
After watching the Steelers game tonight, they got a sure tackling saftey back from IR that plays up at the line of scrimmage and it made a ton of difference on the defense. Their first few games looked like a PSU game with missed tackles. I think Marcus Allen was a big loss this year. He erased a lot of mistakes on defense the past couple of years.
After watching the Steelers game tonight, they got a sure tackling saftey back from IR that plays up at the line of scrimmage and it made a ton of difference on the defense. Their first few games looked like a PSU game with missed tackles. I think Marcus Allen was a big loss this year. He erased a lot of mistakes on defense the past couple of years.
Defense held up well till they got exhausted due to lack of Offense's time of possession. This D can be much better if they are disciplined. D overruns plays and LB's do not line up properly and therefore they get blocked. DE's are good but they give up big runs when they blindly pursue the QB. Safeties lack anticipation and instinct. DT's are not consistent or domineering to shed a block.
D needs to make a big play on third downs, so opponents put on long drives to tire them out. Coaches must make subs to keep players fresher. #69 is a powerful player lacking in technique but keep playing him. Use #11 for blitzes. Bottom line, coaching must improve. #7 should be taken out and often. Play Brooks more.
Good defense but not good enough. A good defense wins OSU and MSU games if not Mich. game.
D needs to make a big play on third downs, so opponents put on long drives to tire them out. Coaches must make subs to keep players fresher. #69 is a powerful player lacking in technique but keep playing him. Use #11 for blitzes. Bottom line, coaching must improve. #7 should be taken out and often. Play Brooks more.
Good defense but not good enough. A good defense wins OSU and MSU games if not Mich. game.
All things considered I think they've done pretty well.
I think my expectations of LB'r play was unrealistic. I expected too much from Parsons and I
thought that Koa would be ok. Parsons has been fine and getting better, Koa has been a liability.
Losing Buckholz and Brown has been a much bigger issue than I thought it would be.
Matos has really stepped up his output in the last 3 games. Miller has been "steady". I like Shaka Toney but don't think he's a DE. (sorry JMO).
Givens has played really well and if Windsor can clean up the stupid drive continuing penalites he'll be good but depth has been an issue.
Secondary has been ok. Unlike the above poster I think that Reid has come on really strong the last 3 games and is playing well. I hope they have a tackling seminar with Castro-Fields in the off season cause he isn't very good. Scott at safety has just been ehhh.
But considering all they lost and that the Offense has done absolutely nothing to help them and
has continually put them back on the field the field I think they've done well.
That being said we still have a ways to go to be a B1G Championship type Defense.
Too many mistakes in key situations, either penalties, dropped INT's. or poor tackling.
We need a monster DT that a play making LB'r and Safety and a little more depth at DT to get there.
One of your more bizarrely reasoned posts. You should have just skipped all of the nonsense and stated that you want Matt Ruhle to be the coach.I'm really disappointed in our secondary play (except for #26 and #17), especially considering that a majority of the players are all "Franklin Recruits".
#29: Shouldn't be playing a down. Understandably slow because of his knee injury, but what's more concerning is his "out of position" play. Completely lost on most every pass play as to where he should be on the field. And he's a Senior.
#4: Was an impact player early in his career, but now is just nothing other than a "nomadic Safety" with a preference to stop the run, but in the process, gets repeatedly burned by deep route running receivers. Why is that?
#5: Can't and won't tackle worth a shyt.
#38: I thought this guy was supposed to be Mr. Western Pennsylvania Football Greatness. Instead I've witnessed nothing other than an slow slug, incapable of being able to keep up with, let alone cover, an opposing WR who is marginally faster.
In conclusion, I'm at a loss as to what Franklin sees when he is "recruiting". Artificially inflated stars per the recruiting services? That's my opinion.
All that considered, PSU's DE's have all been outstanding. Our DT's (a position noticeably neglected by Franklin lo these many years) have also played really well considering that they have no real backups.
I was "on the border" with Franklin since he was hired, and have soured since, but I've now seen enough to conclude that he's "not all that and a bag of chips" and he's certainly not the individual to restore PSU greatness on a repeated basis.
PSU's defense is emblematic of the shortcomings of Coach Franklin. He refuses to hire competent positional coaches because he’s threatened by “peer competency". In short, the Emperor doesn't really want anyone around him that will his expose his many coaching flaws and overshadow him in the process.
It's Rhule Time.
They have been good at times, they have been bad, very inconsistent and that can very well be because of the lack of depth but they are getting better week in and week out. This D is definitely going in the right direction.
Ruhle is headed to Notre Dame so I don’t know why his panties are bunched up.
They exceeded my expectations. I don't blame the loses on the D as much as I do the O. Way too many 3 and outs by the O in the fourth Q. Any D can only hold up so long.
I'm really disappointed in our secondary play (except for #26 and #17), especially considering that a majority of the players are all "Franklin Recruits".
#29: Shouldn't be playing a down. Understandably slow because of his knee injury, but what's more concerning is his "out of position" play. Completely lost on most every pass play as to where he should be on the field. And he's a Senior.
#4: Was an impact player early in his career, but now is just nothing other than a "nomadic Safety" with a preference to stop the run, but in the process, gets repeatedly burned by deep route running receivers. Why is that?
#5: Can't and won't tackle worth a shyt.
#38: I thought this guy was supposed to be Mr. Western Pennsylvania Football Greatness. Instead I've witnessed nothing other than an slow slug, incapable of being able to keep up with, let alone cover, an opposing WR who is marginally faster.
In conclusion, I'm at a loss as to what Franklin sees when he is "recruiting". Artificially inflated stars per the recruiting services? That's my opinion.
All that considered, PSU's DE's have all been outstanding. Our DT's (a position noticeably neglected by Franklin lo these many years) have also played really well considering that they have no real backups.
I was "on the border" with Franklin since he was hired, and have soured since, but I've now seen enough to conclude that he's "not all that and a bag of chips" and he's certainly not the individual to restore PSU greatness on a repeated basis.
PSU's defense is emblematic of the shortcomings of Coach Franklin. He refuses to hire competent positional coaches because he’s threatened by “peer competency". In short, the Emperor doesn't really want anyone around him that will his expose his many coaching flaws and overshadow him in the process.
It's Rhule Time.
That's quite a list. But do any of our DBs weld?
The defense has me optimistic. Actually feel bad for these guys having had little help this year. They certainly have played well enough to have the team at 9-0 with just a normal offense in these loses. Replacing that many starters, having a true freshman at 2nd team DT after the injuries hit that group hard. Having to move a guard from offense. Things haven’t exactly been smooth sailing for this group and they have really performed solidly outside of a couple quarters. 7 has been disappointing but he is gone and most of this group returns and gets stronger. I like our D going forward.
when we lost Ryan Bucholtz, Torrence Brown and Manny Bowen, i thought we were in trouble. given the loss of those players, the defense developed beyond my expectations.
Parsons has saved a relatively weak LB corps. Johnson, Farmer just aren't that good. Brooks, Parsons or Luketa should take over at MLB next year. Parsons has been a stud.
Front 4 play has been good, esp given all they lost. YGM and Miller have been very good, Windsor has really come on in the last month. I thought Givens may become a superstar this year, he has been good but not a stud.
A little disappointed in back 4 play. Omari has been good all year but Reid and TCF have struggle mightily at times, esp. in tackling. Taylor and Scott have been serviceable. Not sure what role Wade has going forward?
IMHO, future is VERY bright for this defensive group. A lot of young talent.
Front 4 play has been good, esp given all they lost. YGM and Miller have been very good, Windsor has really come on in the last month. I thought Givens may become a superstar this year, he has been good but not a stud.
A little disappointed in back 4 play. Omari has been good all year but Reid and TCF have struggle mightily at times, esp. in tackling. Taylor and Scott have been serviceable. Not sure what role Wade has going forward?
IMHO, future is VERY bright for this defensive group. A lot of young talent.
They have far exceeded my expectations. They have undergone something of a trial by fire and the fire has refined them.
Sadly, and somewhat unexpectedly, the same has not happened with the offense. While having Trace has been a huge leadership benefit, it is almost like the rest of the offense has looked to him instead of themselves.
Sadly, and somewhat unexpectedly, the same has not happened with the offense. While having Trace has been a huge leadership benefit, it is almost like the rest of the offense has looked to him instead of themselves.
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I' say 8-1. I still pin the OSU loss on them. OSU gets the ball at its own 4 and they go through it in a flash.
Considering the key injury losses b4 season, better than expected as a good unit. Micah count on late and John Reid getting closer to returning to form. YGM really developing. Will need to play well Saturday unless Trace plays much better.
That's my opinion, in a nutshell. My pre-season expectations were based on those 3 playing.. imo, this defense could have been pretty damned good (that said, i thought Farmer would be MUCH better... perhaps capitalizing "much" is a bad idea as i just read professors are encouraged not to cap assignments as it might scare students into failure... but i digress lol).
Anyway, the loss of those 3 and subsequent less than stellar performance of 7 and 29 (and Reid has stepped up the past 3 games) had me worried we were in deep stuff... but without the help of a ball control offense and in spite of making some young kid stupid mistakes (hello Mister "no helmet" Miller), these guys have really been inspirational and I really am looking forward to next year's version.
They seem maybe just a step or 2 from being a real force.
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anon_1eeb2b426hv3y
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That doesn’t make much sense in light of the JoMo hire and experience. And support and credit he have to him and the friends he usher out for underperformance. Some like CJF and some (incl. you) don’t. Fair enough. Plenty of legit things to criticize if one wants to but that insecurity isn’t one of them.
