how about a bend every once in a while but don't break defense. The bend don't break is great if you are putting up lots of points. But if you aren't, your defense is getting tired because they are on the field all game, and you will eventually break, or in our case the SEC officials will break us. Riley Cooper, Bama.......
Bend but dont break is not a philosophy for DI schools...its just a saying or an excuse. Nobody tries to have a defense like that - and our defense certainly gave up a few huge plays last year. Chavis would love to stop the run at will and force three and outs. I think the defense will smother less talented teams with their speed and will struggle against teams that run the ball downhill. However, I think they will force a lot of turnovers and will be a solid group overall.
I don't think you can completely separate the game in two in my opinion. Sure, you can have a great offense/defense (see Sean Payton's Saints before Greg Williams) and a poor to mediocre counterpart, but most of the time successful programs have complementary O's and D's that thrive off one another. A run heavy offense may require a defense that is stingy with yardage as well as points just to maintain field position and time of possession. On the other hand, a pass first approach may only need their D to keep points off the board and create possessions with turnovers to win ball games. Football is a game of synergy and balance in all phases of the game, from gameplanning to personnel. LSU needs both to climb the mountain again.
Bama is going to be weak in D-backfield; therefore, LSU may have a stronger Defense than Bama. They lost a starter in the spring with tore achelles. Don't know if you have had one - they are a mother to rehab and it takes about 9 months before you can really work it. Most coaches say you want the strength of your D to be either in D-Backfield or the D-Line, not LB (it doesn't hurt here if one of the other two). LSU strength is the D-Backs.
Well, we kinda do..... No team gets the "bend, don't break" mantra from the press more than Iowa. Norm Parker has been asked specifically about his "bend, don't break" philosophy and he always responds with "what's that?" Parker calls his philosophy "position defense". Paraphrasing his thoughts: We're gonna keep the ball in front of us, stop the run, and discourage deep routes. If the opposing team is willing to take the short stuff and they can execute it 12 times in a row without screwing up, we'll reward them with a field goal attempt.... and my favorite... "we don't blitz as an intregal part of our scheme because I don't know how to teach it." So, in a way, although "bend, don't break" isn't an official name that coaches call their scheme, the philosophy of "position defense" has many of the elements of what we think of as bend, don't break.
Exactly. Every defense "bends" and gives up yardage, some more than others. Emphasis on "not breaking" is the key here and I like it. Big plays kill a team and give up points. I like a defense that is stingy on points, no matter what yardage they surrender.
I delved into the LSU numbers again this morning and found this to be curious... and actually it supports Legacy's position from his comments. The fact that LSU only got off 771 plays while opponents ran 910 plays is certainly out of character for most LSU teams. It also strikes me as odd that the D only got 18 "turnovers gained" being on the field so much. 18 turnovers gained against 910 plays is a ratio of 1 turnover every 50 plays. The national average is a turnover every 37 plays. Ohio State forced a t/o every 23 plays. In the SEC, Bama forced a t/o every 27 plays, followed by Mississippi State with one every 30 plays. Only Georgia had a worse t/o versus plays run ratio than LSU (a staggering one t/o for every 72 plays... I see why they say "ugh" a lot) I'm not sure this means you should have blitzed more (Iowa seldom blitzes and we forced a t/o every 28 plays), but it probably has a lot to do with your front four not being disruptive enough to force more errors. In the games I watched that seemed to be the case (for whatever that's worth...)
We could get no 4-man pass rush at all, the linemen just didn't measure up. And even when we brought a backer, he would often be picked up. Chavis likes quicker linebackers and will will have a couple of speedsters there this year. Maybe the blitz will get through, but the front four has to get better penetration and pressure the quarterback this year.
Absolutely. With this type of upfront penetration, and pressure from the middle and outside our D should be able to disrupt the rhythm and timing of opposing QBs, and be able to get more run plays stuffed for either only short yardage or loss of yardage. You are right in that we simply didn't have the players last year to do this, so allowing teams to move the ball, giving up yardage, but not allowing teams to break open big plays or scoring was possibly the only attach Chavis could use. With players that have speed and size to be able to create this pressure the D should be able to create more 3 and outs, and more T.O's, allowing the O more opportunities and giving themselves some necessary rest to keep themselves less tired at the end of games. Of course this is predicated on the O actually being able to do their part and keep drives sustained instead of going 3 and outs all of the time themselves.:geaux: :tigereye: :LSU231: :milesmic:
