Rick,
Continued
You know basketball. Basketball defense is changing to defend the 3-point basket that nearly every team now has shooters to make them.
When you defend the 3 you give the offense more opportunities for 2’s. I see KK is recruiting guys who can leap and who can defend the rim. Without these type guys you are just giving away layups. Football is the same way. Defend the run heavily and you give up the pass. Back off the LOS to defend the pass and you give up the run. When we go to what used to work, I can just about guarantee a good OC will take advantage of what you are doing. Same thing the opposite way.
How you disguise you offensive and defensive intent is critical. Wolfpack recruits are getting to be better athletes. That and their intelligence bodes well for NC State.
Fedora is, and I hate to say this, a brilliant offensive mind. When he came to UNC as HC and chose a defense, he went with the 4-2-5 probably thinking it was the better defense to defend the evolving offenses. A good offensive man would or should know.
When his defense failed to be effective, he blamed his DC, fired him and hired Gene Chizik who went with the 4-3-3 he knew. What was not taken into consideration is that Jimmies and Joes are needed for any defense to be truly effective. Somehow or another the holes defensive personnel weren’t up to the task. The arrangements and schemes didn’t cover the lack of talent.
Many, including some on this board, say that the Wolfpack 4-2-5 is Doeren’s defense and Hux is just doing what DD tells him to do. I doubt that for a number of reasons. Primary reason is personality of Doeren and his character. Doeren has said things about the discussions he and Hux have had and reveals his respect for Hux.
Defense today is assignment football. Do your assignment. If one doesn’t, the defense fails. Occasionally you will see a glaring mistake made by a defensive player on a very good team. When that occurs it is a very good chance that somebody blew an assignment. Offenses shift, put people in motion etc. to cause defensive player to have to make decision and make mistakes.
D
This is more than you, Rick, asked for but I’ve had fun spelling out my thoughts on the evolution of defenses. The same is true of offenses. Drinkwitz is the next generation of OC’s. If he was doing the same thing he learned 5 or 10 years ago, he would be behind the curve.
With all the thinking and innovation going on, it’s still the Jimmies and Joes that make the real difference. Position coaches like Ledford and Nielsen coach and train the men in the trenches. Ledford is our run game coordinator and as such is designing the blocking schemes.
The “Stretch Play” is today’s bread and butter play. It IMO is nothing more than an off tackle play with a blocking scheme that gives defenses fits. The runner has more choices than just off-tackle which further makes life difficult for defenses. We are back to position defense. One player out of position can be very costly.
