With the recruiting that the program has supposedly been successful with since Mack came to UNC, the defense is a joke. Secondary is a particular problem. Maybe they give all of that cushion to try and protect them. But there is talent back there, so that takes us back to coaching. What about Dre? Sometimes the great players aren't exactly the best coaches.
So I guess it wasn't Bateman's fault?
- Thread starter blazers
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Naz Jones was extremely talented and got drafted in the 3rd round. Clark was another good one that had offers from ACC/SEC/B1G etc. Chizik has never played press coverage with his CB's and have always had them play off as he believes in the bend but don't break and making the O methodically move down the field. This is not the first time ever that he's implemented this scheme. He wants the LB'ers to make plays. Asked a coach of a highly ranked recruit the other day why his son wasn't considering playing at UNC and he said "bc they want their LBers making all the plays, it's a crazy scheme". Chiz hasn't changed and won't change now.
Dre was a press CB and this scheme is the exact opposite. UNC fans think Dre has a big role in this program and I'm here to tell you that he's a recruiter/mentor first and is learning from the other coaches. He helps substitute guys on game day over on the sidelines and has no other control. He was a ballhawk, always had his eye on the QB and was in the WR's faces. You think he's teaching these guys to play 10 yards off, not to be physical and not to turn around?
Saw a really good quote the other day re our defense: Nobody ever lost money taking a profit. We are the easiest defense to prepare for. We don't disguise anything or do anything special. We don't get pressure. And we play off. Take what they give you for free.
Maybe that worked for Withers and Butch in 2009 but you aren't going to "out talent" or out-size teams in this offense-forward era. You need some exotic stuff plus fundamentals AND well-schooled players.
It's something how some coaches reach a certain point of their career and they just kinda are who they've kinda always been. The one knock on Longo when we hired him was his red zone offense. Worst loss of the season -- against GaTech -- 2/5 in the red zone for 10 points.
This pisses me off. Everyone was so positive about the "simplification" that was going to let players "fly around". Well it is so simple that coaches have no worry playing their bench-warmer qbs or whether to try and convert on short-distance.
Think we'll get a nice surprise this Saturday with #0 on defense. He'll help these next two games. Hoping to see more Allen and Hardy as well.
Even with cushion you can see how bad Grimes has looked compared to other players on the team. Duck recently has looked better, Marcus Allen and Cavazos had some decent moments. Is it coaching? Is it personnel decisions? Scheme? Hard to tell, but it ain't working - recruiting doesn't do you any good if they don't play up to their billling.
Outside a few special teams plays a few weeks ago he hasn't had a single snap in almost a yr. I'd love to be hopeful but do we even know if he preserved his athleticism?
I wonder if it would have been better for Grimes not to have reclassified. He doesn't really seem like he has the best attitude. Maybe another year to grow up would have helped.
Grimes was extremely physical in high school and has been the exact opposite thus far in college. He would also show up in the run game and tackle but runs away from it now.
Just getting him some reps to get his confidence back. Had a setback a few weeks ago but he's been practicing, and they'll give it a go this weekend and see what he can do -- which is about all you can do at this point.
To be fair, we kinda kneecapped ourselves from the beginning, between the Searels hire, and with Bateman's scheme being pretty complex, to the extent we needed to recruit the personnel, and it took a massive amount of preparation to implement relative to what Chizik runs. Everyone was having trouble getting lined up because we were running stacked calls on defense. It was going to take some time, and with Mack at his age, and recruiting as well we were, that probably wasn't the best fit from the start.
Had not considered that considered that angle but it makes sense. I’ve heard he was undermined and disrespected because he wasn’t a player. Guys didn’t like the system. It was also said he was coaching multiple groups to bridge coaching gaps, i.e. very over extended. I also know Mack was not going to fire him but asked Jay what it would take to improve the defense. Jay said he needed to hire some different coaches. Mack so that would not happen and they mutually parted ways. I think Mack really respected and liked Jay, but he chose his guys in the end. Bet he regrets a bit too.
Gene doesn’t like bringing pressure to avoid catastrophic plays. His gap control defense requires the Dline to engage and maintain gap discipline. Rather than penetrate the backfield to cause havoc, they are expected to hold ground and either shed blockers to make the tackle or free up the LBer to make the play. And this is where Thigpen misses the mark. He’s got some really talented guys who clean up a lot but they don’t really attack at the LOS. When they do, it’s often the wrong read. Opposing RBs get to the second level so often because LBers fail their assignments.
Duck and Grimes looked great as freshman. Time in this program seems to be killer for some players.
Except Bateman brought a ton more pressure, especially in 2019 when he had a lot of older guys that picked up the system quickly. Chazz excelled in it. I really think Bateman was building something that could have been special if he had the coaches he needed. But his defense was complex and everyone needed to be on the same page, coaches included.
We don't always do a great job keeping the backers clean either. It's harder to get upfield with someone in your lap.
We don’t really do anything well. It’s hard to place blame anywhere. We appear weak, undisciplined, poorly coached, and confused.
I knew when NCSU scored before I could get to my seat, I should have turned around and went home. There was no way we were gonna come back. We can make any QB in the country look like a Heisman candidate.
I wonder how many yards Maye would throw against us if he played at another school? I could possible set the NCAA record for yards in a game. Current record is 734.
I look at this game a little diferently than the score board. We weren't as bad as fans are saying. Bottom line, however, is you can't get to the red zone 5 times or whatever it was and only score once.
Punch in 2 more. Make the field goal instead of it being blocked and don't turn the ball over for a pick 6 or give Clemson great field position, we win.
Clemson also outcoached us in play calling.
So yeah, the scoreboard sucks. We got whipped but people act like we were just so soft and are a terrible team when in reality, there were just a few little things we needed to execute better and the coaches to adjust.
We weren't just manhandled. Turnovers, not getting it done in the red zone. That's what killed us.
Punch in 2 more. Make the field goal instead of it being blocked and don't turn the ball over for a pick 6 or give Clemson great field position, we win.
Clemson also outcoached us in play calling.
So yeah, the scoreboard sucks. We got whipped but people act like we were just so soft and are a terrible team when in reality, there were just a few little things we needed to execute better and the coaches to adjust.
We weren't just manhandled. Turnovers, not getting it done in the red zone. That's what killed us.
Me too. He needed his own coaches and they needed to make darn sure the players respect the DC. Somehow, Bateman lost the players but imo, he had the best approach.
I don’t think Bateman lost the players. He lost the coaches. I know there were some players pretty pissed when Bateman was let go. We played some of our best defensive football the last two games against Pitt and State up until the defensive collapse. Too much is made of the loss in the Mayo bowl. We didn’t want to be there. We were emotionally drained from State and the poor season. Meanwhile, USCjr was playing for their young coach and pride.
I liked Bateman's scheme. I still see people saying Chizik's scheme doesn't matter. I disagree. It obviously does. We got more pressure and the secondary was better.
Also, if you go back and look at Chizik's first stint here, we weren't great at the LOS then either.
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Offensively yes, we hurt ourselves in terms of being competitive. While we weren't bad against the run (low yards per carry for them), we were horrible pass-D and yards after catch.
