Grobe on defending the triple option

[Pantone4515]

"When you get to see it once a year or twice a year, it's almost like stealing," Grobe said. "You've got two or three days and no matter what the coaches know, can you get the kids to understand that stuff in a matter of two or three days, and the answer is no. There's no way to do it. It's almost like you're in a boxing match but one guy is wearing boxing gloves and the other guy isn't. It's just a really tough thing to prepare for. Our issue getting ready for Navy is speed of the game.

"Because we've faced it a couple of times, we've gotten to the point now where our players understand what we would like for them to do, and it looks pretty good against the scout team, but once the bowl is kicked off Saturday morning at 11 o'clock, the speed of the game is what makes it so hard."

 

[cajunjacket]

"When you get to see it once a year or twice a year, it's almost like stealing," Grobe said. "You've got two or three days and no matter what the coaches know, can you get the kids to understand that stuff in a matter of two or three days, and the answer is no. There's no way to do it. It's almost like you're in a boxing match but one guy is wearing boxing gloves and the other guy isn't. It's just a really tough thing to prepare for. Our issue getting ready for Navy is speed of the game.

"Because we've faced it a couple of times, we've gotten to the point now where our players understand what we would like for them to do, and it looks pretty good against the scout team, but once the bowl is kicked off Saturday morning at 11 o'clock, the speed of the game is what makes it so hard."

This is always good to hear again.

 

[Rodzilla]

I hope WFU can win, but I hope it doesn't start a bunch of talk about how the option can never work except when a team only has a week to prepare for it.

 

[GT_LUVER]

I hope WFU can win, but I hope it doesn't start a bunch of talk about how the option can never work except when a team only has a week to prepare for it.

UGA had more than a week and after we rack up 600 yards rushing on LSU nobody will be saying the option cant work!!!

 

[GTCrew]

The outcome of this game may have an effect on our confidence going into the matchup with them next year.

With limited data points, we have done fine against teams with great athletes on D and fine where we overpowered weaker athletes. The defenses that have done best against us UVA, VT, BC, and UNC are more built with a mix of good athletes and good football players.

Wake is like that.

 

[JacketDan]

The defenses that have done best against us UVA, VT, BC, and UNC are more built with a mix of good athletes and good football players.

VT and BC were very early in the season so I'm not sure how much you can use those. We also put up 387 yards against VT.

UVA did hold us under 300 yards, but also coughed up the ball 3 times and the defense couldn't get off of the field. For UNC we beat them in every category, except passing, but had another 3 TO's and couldn't put the ball into the end zone or hit a field goal.

Even with BC we had a bunch of TO's. I don't think any team this year has stopped us as much as we've stopped ourselves and that includes the games where our interior o-line looked terrible.

 

[Yellow_Jacket]

I hope Navy dominates them!

 

[JWE37]

Wake wins in a wild shootout. Wake lost 24-17 with 6 turnovers when they played Navy. However, Navy did not have their starting QB I recall.

 

[GTCrew]

VT and BC were very early in the season so I'm not sure how much you can use those. We also put up 387 yards against VT.

UVA did hold us under 300 yards, but also coughed up the ball 3 times and the defense couldn't get off of the field. For UNC we beat them in every category, except passing, but had another 3 TO's and couldn't put the ball into the end zone or hit a field goal.

Even with BC we had a bunch of TO's. I don't think any team this year has stopped us as much as we've stopped ourselves and that includes the games where our interior o-line looked terrible.

Are the turnovers a coincidence? I have read that the best way to defend is to not worry about giving up yardage 4-5 yards at a time and just focus on forcing us to use a lot of plays to get to the end zone. I tend to agree that that would be my plan if i had to defend this.

Our numbers seemed totally unrelated to the star status or pro potential of the defenses we faced.

 

[swampsting]

Miami had a couple of extra days to get ready, too.
How'd that work out, Coach Shannon?

 

[JacketDan]

Are the turnovers a coincidence?

Against UVA we fumbled two snaps.
UNC was a muffed point on a fair catch and one solid defensive play.

So I still put it under we beat ourselves more than other teams beat us this year.

I have read that the best way to defend is to not worry about giving up yardage 4-5 yards at a time and just focus on forcing us to use a lot of plays to get to the end zone. I tend to agree that that would be my plan if i had to defend this.

Wouldn't that be the plan against any offense? I think everyone needs to move pass the "gimmick" aspect of this offense and realize that it's just a different way of trying to create favorable match-ups. Really how different is it to say "keep Dwyer to 4-5 yards a carry and stop the homeruns" than it was to say "Calvin will get his, but don't let him hit any homeruns?"

There is no great mystery to this offense and no secret to stopping it that doesn't exist for any other offense. If your defense out executes our offense and wins the one on one match-ups a majority of the time, you will stop it. Whether it's passing, running, pitching or whatever else.

 

[cyptomcat]

In addition to JacketDan's great post, there is the coach factor: CPJ. Both as offense play calls and also as the head coach, he has been getting it right.

 

[ncjacket]

The outcome of this game may have an effect on our confidence going into the matchup with them next year.

With limited data points, we have done fine against teams with great athletes on D and fine where we overpowered weaker athletes. The defenses that have done best against us UVA, VT, BC, and UNC are more built with a mix of good athletes and good football players.

Wake is like that.

Why would we care how someone plays against Navy? Duke beat Navy and it didn't help them. I think you guys overthink this. What wins games is execution and adjustments.

 

[00Burdell]

Miami had a couple of extra days to get ready, too.
How'd that work out, Coach Shannon?

That may be true but we knew a lot about Nix' offense going in and loo-... oops, never mind :laugher:

 

[GTCrew]

Why would we care how someone plays against Navy? Duke beat Navy and it didn't help them. I think you guys overthink this. What wins games is execution and adjustments.

Ummmm....

because Navy attempts to use PJ's offense?

Notice I said outcome not score or winner. The only part to watch is Navy O vs Wake D. If Wake is unable to slow them down, that could potentially indicate that we could do well. If you are really good at watching football, you might even see places where we could do better.

The opposite also has the potential to be true. If Wake shuts them down completely it might be an indicator that our O could struggle. Particularly if you know what to look for and see a disciplined defense that sheds blocks well, makes tackes and forces turnovers.

IIRC, Duke outscored Navy. We have a much better D so that is a poor approach to beating us.

 

[ncjacket]

You misunderstand. My question is why we would care how Wake does because playing us and playing Navy are quite different. We don't run the offense the same, PJ doesn't call plays the same way the Navy coaches do, our strengths are different than theirs. You suggest that how they play Navy could have an impact on our confidence. My point is that if we're worried about how they play someone else we're already in trouble. We should be confident in ourselves regardless because we know what we're doing and if we do it well it doesn't matter what they do. Now the coaches may pick up some wrinkles. But that's about it.

 

[stinger78]

Wouldn't that be the plan against any offense? I think everyone needs to move pass the "gimmick" aspect of this offense and realize that it's just a different way of trying to create favorable match-ups. Really how different is it to say "keep Dwyer to 4-5 yards a carry and stop the homeruns" than it was to say "Calvin will get his, but don't let him hit any homeruns?"

Absolutely right.

This was CJT's whole defensive premise. Namely: We put our DB's on an island and have them play 10 yards off the ball while we blitz the crap out of the QB. We will be intent on not giving up the home run in order to get multiple plays (opportunities) to create a negative play or TO. The team that can avoid negative plays and go 12 plays and score, or that can still hit the big play can beat our D.

It's the same thing with option ball as it is with run & shoot ball. You can't stop it all the time, but you can try to limit it and play for the negative play or the TO.

It's all the same, really. I've often wondered why those bigger faster super-defensive players who have made the option "obsolete" are somehow not present when a run & shoot O, or a pro-style O, steps on the field.

 

[Allen Koholic]

I don't want us to win games because it's a different offense that most teams don't have time to prepare for. I want us to win games because our execution is flawless. Most coaches are going to complain about the lack prep time, but these aren't innovative or new plays we're running. Defenses know how to defend against these plays, they just lack the discipline. But head coaches will find a way to bemoan our offense, as a way to throw their own players under the bus, rather then themselves. If they were smart, they'd say that it's hard to defend against an offense coached by Paul Johnson, rather then defend the triple options. The more I watch the team, the more I think that Paul Johnson is operating at another level.