Can Diaco Solve The Missing Middle?

[FaithInIrish Forever 5,570]

After reviewing things and taking a self imposed breather because of 100+ straight days with a post I'm still vexed in trying to figure out how to solve the problem I feel Plagues our 2013 defense the most. The problem is the missing middle of our pass defense

 

Once Occupied by Manti Teo and Zeke Motta or Harrison Smith, the linebacker and safety level are now in transition. At Safety, I feel we have talent but little or no experience. At linebacker beyond Deeb and Grace I'm very concerned. Fox and Calabrese shared a position for a reason. Both players had enough liabilities not to be starters

 

I mean the answer is time and reps for the safeties. I don't have an answer at linebacker. We're short as it is losing Spond. If Spond were playing he would be our Mike right now. Jaylon would have still played Dog, Carlo and Foxy would split Will like they have for two years and Spond probably would have been the Mike, moving inside as a vocal leader and calling the defense.

 

As it is right now we win first and sometimes second down but then on 3rd and 5 we give up a middle comeback route at the sticks, just as the line prepares to sack the QB.

 

I guess I'd put Grace in the middle and platoon Carlo and Foxy again. Manti had so many interceptions on Stick routes(short comebacks) last year. His improved pass coverage skills were a major reason our defense went from slightly above average to elite last year. The drop back in defense can be mostly tied to the pass coverage in the middle. Its Diaco's Job to figure this out and its the players job to execute.

 

What are your solutions to the missing middle of our pass defense?

[Fifth Horseman 0]

I don't know the intricacies as well as some, but I really think it comes down to fundamentals in pass coverage as well as leadership and knowing where to be. The guys on the Rivals podcast discussed the fact that while Grace is undoubtedly a better athlete than Fox/Calabrese, his unfamiliarity sometimes puts him at a disadvantage. That said, he can sometimes make up for that with raw athleticism.

 

The frustrating part comes from the lack of a real vocal presence on D, which is precisely what Teo was. He made those around him better- not purely from a rah-rah standpoint, but by truly knowing how to diagnose the defense and understanding what they were trying to do. I know a kid who played lineman for Navy and I asked him about Teo the year we curb-stomped them (the year after they beat us at Soldier Field) and his exact words were, "It was like he knew exactly what we were going to do on every play." I don't think there's anyone with that same football IQ in the middle of our D, which is typically where you see leaders emerge.

[zemaniak 105]

Did i mention a whole wall of my mancave is dedicated to Te'o?

 

I've said it since i joined, BEST player bar none at ND , since.... Well, hell, i'm not even sure who i would consider better!

 

Damn catfishing incident....damn you to hell

[echo88 74]

Did i mention a whole wall of my mancave is dedicated to Te'o?

 

I've said it since i joined, BEST player bar none at ND , since.... Well, hell, i'm not even sure who i would consider better!

 

Damn catfishing incident....damn you to hell

 

Not sure if you caught it, but MSN Sports actually ran an article today about it being the anniversary of Manti's girlfriend's death. We really are the most click-inducing college football team on the planet if that constitutes national news.

[REMND 0]

I do think that Grace will take over at Mike. Grace just needs reps in game conditions to get his reads down. That is the biggest solution.

 

I still think Counsell will get a chance at Will next year so I want to start cross training him there. That might be another solution.

 

In the future, Randolph looks like a dog to me. Deeb and Martini are definitely a Will or Mike. Bonner and Yeargin might be. We just need to keep seeking that Teo like ringer.

 

Drue and Jaylon Johnson are considered ILBs and they are the most likely candidates to committ. I don't believe either one is Teo like.

 

Safety just needs experience for now. I feel pretty good about the safeties with three or more years of eligibility. Farley, Shumate, Barratti and Redfield looks awfully good. We might get Juju. Safety looks to be in good shape now and in the future.

 

Game experience should improve our up the middle pass defense this year. Grace is the Key right now. I feel pretty good about the Collinsworth, Farley and Shumate group although they should have more to give us.

[nd1baby 0]

Diaco without Manti appears to be nothing.

[nd1989 216]

After watching the game again (I was at the game and didn't have the advantage of seeing a top down view), but I was surprised at our defense coverage on passing downs.

 

It looked like, when we blitzed, that we were playing a coverage zone. It ooked like we were letting the passes underneath get completed and then tackling.

 

I always thought when you blitzed you played man, and covered tight, because the pass was going to come out in 1-2 seconds.

 

just very odd defense.

[JTennant 290]

Remember guys, it took Manti until his senior season to be any good in pass D.

 

He always seemed a step or two away in his pass drops from being in the right place.

[REMND 0]

Remember guys, it took Manti until his senior season to be any good in pass D.

 

He always seemed a step or two away in his pass drops from being in the right place.

 

That was the area in his game where the experts said he needed to improve. He did with a 7 interception year. Very impressive.

 

It is only two games into the season but you can tell that we need more from Mike LB and the safeties. Replacing Teo and Motta is going to take the season.

[Fifth Horseman 0]

Diaco without Manti appears to be nothing.

 

This seems a bit dramatic. I agree that Manti probably made him look better, but to state he's nothing based on one game is pretty heavy.

[IrishFan33 0]

It always helps to have a field general like Manti on the field but were gonna find out how good Bobby really is this year... so far he has 2 bad games on him....

[Rockets Revenge 0]

It always helps to have a field general like Manti on the field but were gonna find out how good Bobby really is this year... so far he has 2 bad games on him....

 

2 bad games? Temple only scored 6 points. I think some folks might be overreacting......a little.

[IrishFan33 0]

2 bad games? Temple only scored 6 points. I think some folks might be overreacting......a little.

 

Go back and acually watch that game... that's were the problems started...

 

Temple Should have scored another 14 on us, they just kept dropping balls

[IrishFan33 0]

2 bad games? Temple only scored 6 points. I think some folks might be overreacting......a little.

 

Oh my bad his last 3 games have been called horribly... Alabama spanked him so bad i heard he's still sitting on padding...

[nd1989 216]

Don't think Bob is on any "Next Up" lists anymore.

[JTennant 290]

Oh my bad his last 3 games have been called horribly... Alabama spanked him so bad i heard he's still sitting on padding...

 

He put his linebackers and safeties in good positions to make plays, and they missed tackles in the hole. Go back and watch the "film" lolol.

[IrishFan33 0]

He put his linebackers and safeties in good positions to make plays, and they missed tackles in the hole. Go back and watch the "film" lolol.

 

I've watched it plenty... did we miss tackles, of course, but he didnt adjust well either...

kept trying the defense that got him through the year and Saben was ready for it.... Saben saw his weakneses and drilled him

[Frankus 210]

I do not think there is a quick solution this year to the "missing middle" and I am worried about our recruiting at inside linebacker.

 

I watched last years UM-ND again and it was amazing how quick both Manti and Motta were getting to the ball. Of course, they were both had tons of experience, so their instincts helped them.

 

 

I like Grace, but he does not have the kind of athletic ability that Manti had. You can see it in the way he moves his feet. To be a very effective ILB, you need to be able to be very nimble in traffic. I think Grace will improve with experience which will help his instincts, but I don't think he'll ever be as good as Manti.

 

I think Shumate has more speed than Motta, but his lack of experience is hurting him. So, he's playing slow. He'll get better, but I bet Redfield pushes him down the line. Redfield looks to me to be a faster version of Motta. Collinsworth hasn't shown me much. He's Ok, but I don't think he'll ever get drafted like Motta did.

 

I do not like our inside linebacker recruiting. It is the most vulnerable position group. If we're going to get back into being a perennial power, we have to get the Manti Teo's- national recruits- at ILB and we have not gotten guys like Manti.

[Frankus 210]

Diaco without Manti appears to be nothing.

 

We miss KLM, Motta and Spond also. Lots of talent and experience there that is gone along with Manti.

[JTennant 290]

I've watched it plenty... did we miss tackles, of course, but he didnt adjust well either...

kept trying the defense that got him through the year and Saben was ready for it.... Saben saw his weakneses and drilled him

 

For the sake of not wanting to sound like parseghian... Why would Diaco draw up wholesale scheme changes? I dont care what you call on defense, it wont work if your guys cant tackle. There seems to be an overwhelming amount of posters on this board who think everything can be fixed on a dry erase board.

 

Wholesale philosophy changes are warranted when your teams display a failure to execute on a regular basis, but that was just a one game aberration last season.

 

Regarding your comment about this season... Well you may just be onto something. We stink and there is no hiding it.

[hawaiiirish 62]

My advice is to run the BEST DEFENSE EVER INVENTED---the 5-2-5---of course there is one little problem with that scheme---

 

I doubt we will see a defensive performance like 2012 for a long long time.

 

 

We have some potential stars on defense---but we are never going to be one of those defenses that ends up putting 6 or 7 of its starters into the sunday league.

 

We will have a mix of stars & solids--with an occasional lemon-----but it will be many years before we ever hold team to ten points a game again---

 

I do think though that when you have some weaknesses in personel, scheme can become an important element of mitigating them in some games.

 

The middle of this team NEEDS MORE GRACE/REDFIELD/ SHUMATE ---& less carlo/fox & Farley

 

that's not likely to happen soon---but I think its inevitable as the year goes on.

 

aloha's

[nd1989 216]

I don't think it's about scheme change. I think it's about good old fashion COACHING. I think maybe it's something we haven't been doing well recently.

 

I was reading how BK stated the coaches are more involved this week, not assuming the players know everything. WHAT????? Why wouldn't you be more involved at the start of camp???

 

We just need to coach better. Like how to recognize receivers coming in your zone and then covering them. You need to GO TO THE PLAYER in your zone. You just don't stand there. Your zone is big, you need to go to the player. Hello, McFly???

 

One of my MI friends stated, did we know Gallon was on MI team. He was wide-*** open every time. OMG!!!! Can't we cover at all?????

 

Elliot, Diaco, Kerry all need a little talking too I think....

[FaithInIrish Forever 5,570]

I liked Councell to ILB. I think he'd be better in pass coverage then Carlo. I guess you could drop like John Turner down from Safety to be a back up Dog backer

 

As much as I respect Fox and Carlo as 5th year seniors who value the program, I don't think their is a coverage where having both of them on the field can work. Please prove me wrong Danny and Carlo.

 

Scheme wise as ND1989 points out ND is throwing everything but the kitchen sink out there, zone, man, blitzing from man, zone blitz, overload blitz etc. But Diaco is finding out like Tenuta did success is usually driven by players not plays

 

I dislike bringing up Alex Anzalone. but his skillset might have fixed this. Wish I had never watched his film.

 

Safety as many of you said is growing and we just have to live with it.

 

How well Diaco can patch this will impact first downs, yardage, and ultimately points given up. As Frankus points out its pretty important long term as well.

 

We'll have to wait and see...

[nd1989 216]

I liked Councell to ILB. I think he'd be better in pass coverage then Carlo. I guess you could drop like John Turner down from Safety to be a back up Dog backer

 

As much as I respect Fox and Carlo as 5th year seniors who value the program, I don't think their is a coverage where having both of them on the field can work. Please prove me wrong Danny and Carlo.

 

Scheme wise as ND1989 points out ND is throwing everything but the kitchen sink out there, zone, man, blitzing from man, zone blitz, overload blitz etc. But Diaco is finding out like Tenuta did success is usually driven by players not plays

 

I dislike bringing up Alex Anzalone. but his skillset might have fixed this. Wish I had never watched his film.

 

Safety as many of you said is growing and we just have to live with it.

 

How well Diaco can patch this will impact first downs, yardage, and ultimately points given up. As Frankus points out its pretty important long term as well.

 

We'll have to wait and see...

 

Faith, I understand and agree with the whole skillset point. but for crissake, why can't they be taught two things:

 

1) In man coverage, as a defender you are in their hip pocket when there's a blitz.

2) when in zone, if a receiver enters your zone, you go to his hip.

 

then as a coach, yo throw different situations at them and see if they do it. Then, again as a coach, you do it over and over again, and don't accept mediocrity.

 

What is so difficult?

 

This reminds me of not practicing the JUMP BALL two years ago.