We have been lit up for an awful lot of points this season .... outside of missing two starting LBs and a starting DB, and a downgrade at MLB has anything else changed on our defense?

Last year we strippped the ball with great regularity ... now I am wondering if we are putting the same energy into our tackling .... but how could that have changed?

Is our ball hawking turnover producing coming back when we get our D starters back?

That is what will make us champions I think....

Just now, JuranBoldenRules said:

Knox has no clue against the pass, doesn't have coverage instincts.  He's a ball chaser and as a result he gets sucked into the line and taken right out of the play a lot.  Rare to see a play where Wild doesn't end up right at the ball, whether it's at the line of scrimmage in his gap or 80 yards away across the field.  Don't see that in Knox.

I would agree with the instinct part. Loffler seems to have it, so if only he was a bit heavier...

3 hours ago, tracker said:

Whence cometh this information that Hurl playeth suchly?

Frometh the blight of the tuber. 

11 hours ago, 17to85 said:

errrrrr.

Ritchie Hall has been a bend but don't break coach his entire career. That means that lots of yards are given up. 

I mean this nonsense about the MLB, it should have been obvious when Wild had few tackles when he played in the middle, or when Bass had few tackles when he played in the middle. But no we'll blame Hurl for everything. 

Wally Buono features his MLB, he lets them make all the plays, Ritchie Hall not so much. 

This argument makes total sense... aside from the fact that Bass was top ten in the league for tackles last year.  But I guess that's because he was in the wrong gap... right?

 

Bass > Hurl, and it's not even close.

Saying Hurl is absorbing blocks at the los is just another way of saying that he can't shed blocks at the los to make a tackle, which is what a MLB is supposed to do.

Bass isn't having a great year in Ottawa... only 3 more tackles than Sam Hurl, and Hurl has an INT while Bass has not forced any turnovers.

9 hours ago, pigseye said:

Bass > Hurl, and it's not even close.

Saying Hurl is absorbing blocks at the los is just another way of saying that he can't shed blocks at the los to make a tackle, which is what a MLB is supposed to do.

I've seen Hurl season after season, at the snap, running into the other team's O line... as soon as he makes contact he  stops moving, or gets pushed sideways or backwards. or just falls down.

Not saying he's no good, I'm just saying that having him rush the passer up the middle does not work. It's actually comical how useless it appears to be. Maybe it's getting something done.

Bring in Antoine Winfield to teach tackling!

Pete Bersich, former NFL player/coach says that the American college players are the least ready to play Pro Football, that they've ever been. He can explain this pretty clearly too.

Edited August 2, 20178 yr by Mark F

52 minutes ago, Mark F said:

I've seen Hurl season after season, at the snap, running into the other team's O line... as soon as he makes contact he  stops moving, or gets pushed sideways or backwards. or just falls down.

Not saying he's no good, I'm just saying that having him rush the passer up the middle does not work. It's actually comical how useless it appears to be. Maybe it's getting something done.

Bring in Antoine Winfield to teach tackling!

Pete Bersich, former NFL player/coach says that the American college players are the least ready to play Pro Football, that they've ever been. He can explain this pretty clearly too.

That's all you can ask Hurl to do though since he isn't athletic enough to cover side line to side line or drop into pass coverage. If he did, we'd be in a lot more trouble than we are now.

16 hours ago, tracker said:

Whence cometh this information that Hurl playeth suchly?

coaches show on monday.  O'shea went into details of what Hurl's responsibilities are and what hes supposed to be doing as our MLB.  Says he plays a position designed to free up the other 2 LBs to make plays by engaging or "mugging" the O-lineman.. he said it was the exact same position he played mainly as an MLB, does not allow for covering one's self in glory as it really reduces tackling numbers, etc etc but he says Hurl (and himself) doesn't care about the stats.

1 hour ago, Mark F said:

I've seen Hurl season after season, at the snap, running into the other team's O line... as soon as he makes contact he  stops moving, or gets pushed sideways or backwards. or just falls down.

Not saying he's no good, I'm just saying that having him rush the passer up the middle does not work. It's actually comical how useless it appears to be. Maybe it's getting something done.

Bring in Antoine Winfield to teach tackling!

Pete Bersich, former NFL player/coach says that the American college players are the least ready to play Pro Football, that they've ever been. He can explain this pretty clearly too.

as mentioned earlier.. thats his job, its by design.  when he "runs into the o-line" hes doing it deliberately to engage the o-linemen in blocks so they can't block up the other LBs. 

 

So, comical to you or not, its what the defense wants him to do.

wow people are getting testy, and the team has a winning record. yikes.

spuds, I accept that that's what  they want him to do.

Probably works great.

 

Edited August 2, 20178 yr by Mark F

19 minutes ago, Mark F said:

wow people are getting testy, and the team has a winning record. yikes.

spuds, I accept that that's what  they want him to do.

Probably works great.

 

Not getting testy, its just one of my biggest pet peeves when people are insinuating some fault or failure when they don't know what the actual reasoning is for something.   Its been that way with our MLB for the last 2-3 seasons.. everyone gets this misconception in their head that ALL MLBS need to be the main tackling player on the defense and if they are not then we have a massive failure on our defense and its the end of days, etc etc.   If we want to assign blame, sure go ahead and assign some but aim it accordingly.. is he slow? sure.   out of position? No.  is the the best tackler on our team? No. Does he do it adequately enough? ya, I think so.. he made some last game contrary to popular belief.

 

Now id put the blame on Halls shoulders for trying to run this complicated scheme still with all the injuries to our LBs and backend.