Mike West

It's a shock to watch a complete collapse of a team that looks strangely similar to Penn State's last year. I can't figure out how Lanning lost this group, but he has. He has looked worried most of this year. And it would have been a very eerie version of the Ducks versus Them documentary/propaganda piece this time had OBD won the game. I'll support this team until my cold dead hands lose their grip in death.

Don't worry Log H. I am sure you're echoeing many thoughts and feelings. We have to adjust our expectations...lots

I still support my Beloved Ducks. I have tonse this train wreck before I comment. One thing is certain, train is off the tracks. Whatever derailed it is a massive undertaking to get it back to "standard" at this point.

I haven't seen the game. So I don't know what is going on. Six points on offense is an indication there is something seriously off with this group of players. Obviously the offensive line is a massive weakness. Of course the coaches are responsible as well, but clearly the defense is keeping this game from looking worse than the abysmal performance we are witnessing. Never would I imagine an Oregon offense incapable of scoring a touchdown this day and age.

And that is why you don't pay players $50M. This is 1973vpeedornancw level Ducks we're looking at.

I don't think this is a Hampton issue. I am barely scratching the surface. Trust me, this has been a problem for Lanning's entire tenure. For instance, the very first play of the Rose Bowl Ohio State introduced a play that directly exploited Lupoi's strategy. It was deliberate. It took advantage of tendencies. It took advantage of natural coverage conflicts inherent in Lanning and Lupoi's scheme. It was only the beginning because Chip correctly diagnosed everything OBD would do in most situations. In other words, this is a fundamental issue teams have been drawing up to take advantage of what Oregon presented "naturally".

I would agree if Cover 1 didn't leave a an area of coverage that is akin to covering all of North America given the way our Safeties cover. The issue is the CBs have to cover the entire field, and that was a weakness OBD exposed themselves in the Spring Game this year. That group is elite, but nobody can cover each type of deep route when the area they have to cover to their right and left. I agree with mixing coverages. That lowers predictability. That has been a problem for years frankly.

That's what we're here for. Running the ball is UCLA's strength. The Bruins really don't have much team speed, and they have struggled early against all four of the opponents they faced. It is why I am not concerned about this game. I wanted to cover some fundamental issues in the area that is killing us the most. There are flaws defending the run, just not as much a concern this week because I don't believe UCLA has the kind of talent to threaten OBD in this game. I also believe bringing another defender in the box completely solves most of the issues defending both types of attack. It also presents more problems with pass coverage given the issues I discussed above.

Good morning everyone. I want to share a concept with you that is both bad news and good news. Let me explain the bad news first. I believe the players are confused about the concepts they are being taught. This isn’t a direct criticism of the coaches in my view because offenses are way ahead of defenses at this point (in my opinion). Let me explain. Back in Ancient Times, when pharaohs weren’t mummies yet (that is when us old geezers were playing football), Cornerbacks and Safeties had simple rules for coverages. Cornerbacks would cover guys until they passed off coverage to Safeties. Or both would double team receivers. When a Safety helped in middle of the field, he would look for Post Patterns, Deep Seam Patterns and Dig routes (the old school version of a Down and In). When he helped cover the sidelines, he looked for Fade Patterns, Corner Routes, or Post Corner Routes. Most Coverage Packages were simple: Cover 2- two deep Safeties and 2 Cornerbacks that would cover short routes outside. Linebackers would cover the short middle. In Cover 2, the Safeties must look for both deep middle and deep sideline routes. Or Cover 4-in which all four of those positions covered 4 zones deep. Three defenders would cover the short middle and outside. Zone coverages emphasizes taking the short routes away so the Quarterback must look further downfield to complete a pass. Of course, Man Coverage existed, which was every defender was responsible for a Receiver. Safeties always prioritize preventing anyone from running past them as a general rule of thumb. It appears the Safeties are horrible at man-to-man coverage. That explains why Lanning has them 18,000 yards from the line of scrimmage. Which leads me to believe I have figured out why OBD present every team a Grand Canyon to pillage at will. I am going to show you one play. It is a key play in the Boise State game on their very first drive. OBD failed on this play. But here is the good news. The coverage they tried to execute works very well for the personnel on our team. First, I want to show you my amateur version of Sports Center. It describes what Oregon’s strategy is on the play. It is showing Cover 3-three deep safeties and the Linebackers and Cornerbacks blanketing the short middle and outside routes. Now that we witnessed the high school version of “ I want to be in media”, let me explain why this can be good news for Our Beloved Ducks. Brandon Finney and Iffy Obidebwu are lockdown Corners that are flat out hard to beat. Finney is so good, they were putting him at Nickel to cover the fast slot receivers. When run properly, Cover 3 solves most of OBD’s cover issues. It shuts down the middle routes (the dig routes in particular-where wide receivers run horizontally to the middle of the field). If the Linebackers find and cover guys they are supposed to instead of looking at the QB, the short middle of the field is no longer an issue. But the coverage can be converted easily to Cover 4 post snap-which is even better. Just about every type of deep route is covered because Cover 4 Zone can be designed as a Matchup Zone-which is essentially Man coverage. That fits perfectly with Iffy and Finney’s excellent coverage skills. The challenge is the Safeties aren’t taught proper coverage skills. In this case, rules. They are positioned too far off the line of scrimmage pre snap, and they don’t seem to know which guys they should be covering. Hence, in the play I showed, Finney runs to the middle of the field instead of covering the deep third (the sideline) like he was supposed to. This is so common, I believe Offensive Coordinators are simply sending receivers to areas they know the Safeties won’t cover. I showed a pretty amateur description of Cover 3. I apologize for that as I am trying learn how to properly diagram plays and concepts in video format. I want to be able to show what the coverage is, and the types of coverages that would suit OBD. So please bear with me. Once I get up to speed, I can show you some awesome stuff. In any event, Lanning’s doctor visits will require a reboot. Which, as David Marsh has pointed out, may require a new set of coaches. We will have to wait and see about that. The good news in my opinion is this is a fairly simple challenge to solve if going back to basics becomes a priority. As usual, I look forward to your comments.

Well, well... Wasn't it Mr. FishDuck that first to suggested recruiting experienced QBs out of the portal? Good call Charles. Rookies don't qualify. Ever.

Guaranteed Contracts? Really? There is a specific reason we start experienced QBs. It's called potential will get me fired. Why are teams paying kids who don't even understand the game millions of dollars? They aren't selling tickets. And correct me if I'm wrong, I haven't seen a freshman QB win a Natty this Century. That's because coaches are way ahead of any freshman stepping foot on a football field. These schools are acting as foolish as NFL teams. Money Ball. It's time to start acting like the Patriots and the Steelers. They always make the playoffs, they pay players like the employees they are, and their cultures breed excellence. Kinda sick of entitled athletes thinking they can create a whole ecosystem and generate the kind of demand to pay their salaries by themselves.

I could go on one of my soliloquies. I won't. If Bob Chesney was USC's coach, we would have lost to the Trojans. Fortunately, Chesney has the talent the level of Purdue, Maryland, Rutgers and Cal. So for me, this is about fundamental, proper use of technique to win this game. It's time to go back to those basics and instilling a mentality that OBD lack: an Assassin's attitude. This should be week one creating that kind of team. Strategy and scheme are secondary in my opinion. And yes, I will drop a piece about that before Saturday.

Awesome comments. I keep writing Shakespearean soliloquies. So I'll try to be brief... Lanning's schemes worked against lessor talented and equal teams so much he didn't have to adjust. In the playoffs-both years- Cignetti and Day's adjusted and exploited those schemes. Boise State and Oklahoma State fed off what they saw in the playoffs. Misfiring in two games out of 26 the past two years wasn't cause for concern. I believe the complacency this year came from confirmation bias. The staff hadn't recognized each team wasn't "giving OBD time to execute" because those teams diagnosed how to take away our previous advantages. Three consecutive games told Lanning all he needed to know about what is going to work moving forward. Credit to him for being willing to adjust.

I agree with you Solar. The defense has a long way to go. But I believe it requires an honest assessment of what to do with the talent that fits football. Not schemes, but simple Xs and Os. Perich is a speed demon. So is Jackson. Both of the run everywhere but the ball. Everywhere. How can that be? And why?For me, its no longer teach what everyone else does in the scheme-its teach those two to go to specific areas run or pass. Not find the ball carrier, simply run to the damn C Gap Jackson, and maybe let's design ten to eleven blitz packages to exploit all that speed Koi has and put him in the damn box. I'll have to diagram this for everyone. I smell a transition back to fundamental, old school football going on. Formations that blow up counter blocking and edge zone schemes. And I for one have always believed you shut the edge down completely-both sides. Everything must be a fight in a phone booth. And that exploits the natural advantages every guy on the defensive line much better than read and react. My opinion of course. But I have been paying attention. Teams are designing packages that flood run zones with blockers, in some very creative manners. Five at the line of scrimmage (set 1) and three linebackers bolstering an above average four guys on the defensive line (set 2) shuts it all down in my opinion. And compels OCs to throw the ball. And that is where solving the puzzle of pass coverage rules and packages must be redesigned. Because the Safeties and Linebackers are everywhere but where they should be. Again, I have to show what I am talking about. It would be much better to diagram it in video, but I suck at it. It is something I must develop (and learn how to be CONCISE which I am terrible at). So bear with me, I have seen it a couple of times out of Hampton, but it was against tight formations. My concept must handle multiple schemes. And I have seen it done with less talent. I will try this week to get something out there for you-but please be patient. What I am describing is something I am sensing and I have to find more evidence before I declare as a paradigm shift on defense (they won't do this lol-but when you see it you'll understand why it might work). One last thing: I think the QBs have been deluged with the need to protect the ball. It may explain why they both are missing deep passes downfield. They are being instructed to be efficient, not explosive. And Ironically, Mehringer is dialing up packages that are springing our explosive WRs downfield. I'll have to show that too. Eventually.

Man, #72 rushing when the overwhelming number of teams ahead of them played way more FCS and gutted G6 teams. Not an accurate picture of reality IMHO. Look at Penn State. Getting rocked tonight. Look at Michigan State. Who is Nebraska really? You don't know until conference play. Rutgers and Maryland consistently beat up G6 teams and get pummeled in conference play. That said, I looked back to the beginning of the year after we got obliterated. We were all shocked. This is the same team practically. Sans a very solid group of defensive lineman that left because the starters stayed. Looking at Max Browne's take had me thinking basic coverage rules have been thrown out the window all over college football. Safeties are all over the map, and sometimes 30 yards from the line of scrimmage. That's ridiculous. Safeties are supposed to shut down deep routes first, dig routes next. I rarely see a safety in position to stop a dig route when deep routes are not an issue. That is criminal in my book. Furthermore, I watched a lot of Mint Defenses this week. They are ALL getting shredded. OCs are directly attacking every weakness the Mint provides. All of them. It is the equivalent to everyone figuring out Chip's Zone Read Offense. My opinion of course. I believe the Mint is trashing basic coverage concepts. I also believe OCs have discovered exactly how to manipulate number advantages to gash the system when they run the ball. The system is nearly ten years old. It should not be a surprise. Is it any wonder talent deficient teams like Iowa still hold teams to 20 points per game with a more traditional defense? Including elite teams? It shouldn't. They focus on shutting down the running game, and take their chances against lethal passing teams. This is exact why I have been advocating placing this 5 guys at the line of scrimmage on defense. Sure, the risk of 7 in the box against a bunch of gazelles is a risk. How is Iowa getting it done with "much less talent"? Give a talented guy a task, let him cook. Force him to find solutions. On offense I am flustered. But this team is scoring points looking awfully disjointed. That is a good problem to have. Again, scheme is my issue. We're way too predictable in my opinion. And when your OL isn't functioning as you want it to, do something different damn it. It is not that hard to figure out. Our OL looked much better against USC. I see problems fundamentally. Guys are standing instead of keeping their pads low. Some of that is lack of quickness, some of it is pure basic flaws. I also didn't have a problem with putting six lineman on the field. Often. It worked. And just to be stupid, I have no problem teaching one of them how to catch a ball. It would be hysterical watching a 300 pound guy running after a checkdown catch. I'd pay 500 dollars to see that all game. We do want we want to do instead of looking at what people give us and go after it like our lives depend on it. If you can't dominate a team, take their dominance away. For example, if chip simply passes the ball on Auburn he smokes them. Football is basic. Teams are doing too many exotic things. The elite guys are chewing that nonsense up. Guys play harder when they're successful. They don't when they think too much. Or they experience "same as it ever was" repeatedly and are unsuccessful. That is what I believe OBD are right now. They're trying to get too cute. Just line up and punch guys. Not literally, but make people feel pain. You do that with simple stuff. You don't have to think, you just have to hit. That has been lost on this team. I have already said it, business as usual must go. Doing the same thing that isn't producing the results you want isn't smart. It's stubborn. That's not a knock on Lanning for me. He STILL gets this team to win when they aren't matching what elite teams do. It's only when he faces the elite that he has problems. So he just needs to grow into being more elite. That requires looking at what they do and starting to attack it appropriately. That's it

A fun topic because Lincoln Riley is truly a genius at strategy on offense. Me thinks a LOT of people hate Lincoln Riley. All over the football world.

That's a very good assessment. And though I think that hurts the B1G overall, you might be correct. In terms of this year-at the beginning of the season- my thoughts were we needed to see at least 5 teams with 10 wins. And the schedule plays out well for that to happen with at least two more teams having 9 wins. So in my mind it gives the conference a huge boost towards getting 5 in the playoffs. Now that we have seen the first month and the consequences of unexpected losses, I am concerned. But it doesn't have to effect OBD as long as we keep winning. Winning 11 is an urgency issue because it takes us off the bubble. Winning 10 puts it in the hands of other people. I don't like that. We still have a chance at reaching the playoffs with 10 wins. It is a dicey prospect though without more strength from our conference brothers. But it certainly is possible.

For me, it is absolutely necessary for USC to drop kick the Fuskies. We are a bubble playoff team now, and UW losing to Minnesota did massive damage to our Strength of Schedule. USC needs to beat Indiana or Ohio State. And despite their performance to date, they have the talent to do so with both teams sliding in performance themselves. Rivalries and personal hate don't matter as much to me. Both teams need to remain prominent until we play them since the B1G's reputation is less than the SEC's.

Great take Jon!!!! You're spot on about the SEC bias. I have seen a good portion of the conference now. I, like you see slightly above average teams getting hype they can't deliver on. And they are padding each others' reputations.

This is a very good analysis. Also shows some good play from OBD OL. OBD have very similar issues on defense by the way.

I think we can handle their physicality. It takes them about 15 minutes to get into rhythm. A quick start against them is key. Also, five in the Line if scrimmage kills their offense. They don't have the dudes to block our top 8 guys ( so the combo doesn't really matter). This is a test of whether OBD defense can hold a solid team under 17 points. That's my standard for this game. That moves the needle for me- towards being capable of reaching and excelling in the playoffs. Very good take. UCLA is well coached.

Exactly... Breakdown to tackle, you know he will slide. If he doesn't, you're prepared to tackle him.

I think it's more of an insult that Mississippi didn't drop out of the top 15. They have looked horrible on defense, and Chamblis is not going to bail them out. It's all for getting 5 or 6 into the playoffs. Right now, Mississippi looks worse than OBD does on defense. The SEC is literally Georgia and everyone else. Though Florida is going to give them problems this year. I like Mississippi State's Offense. Too bad their defense is worse than Ole Miss'. That game will be a basketball score for sure(lol). The SEC still has more athletic and agile players than everybody else. That is part of it. Coaches really do have to out coach that advantage. Few have.

Agreed. Not to mention everyone knows the QB is going to slide. It's absolutely just a matter of touching him down when he does. Should be a rule in fact. The guy was trying to injure him. He was headhunting. He lunged forward, and loaded his elbow for the kill shot. And despite hitting with his shoulders, the elbow motion was for more momentum. He would have hit him with his helmet if it were allowed. It was viscous, malicious, and highly intentional. Ever since that Pitt QB faked a slide, and they changed the rules so QBs couldn't do that, it has been obvious players are trying to hurt QBs that slide. All players have to do is breakdown and wait for the slide. Then walk up and tap him on the shoulder pads. It's not even debatable. The plays when RBs and WRs make an unconventional move is when you see hits like that. That is the only time you give a defender the benefit of the doubt. And those should be a five yard penalty and an automatic first down. People are making excuses for guys to intentionally injure QBs that will always slide in the open field.

That's a pretty fair assessment. I wasn't feeling good about the tone of the game, despite Moore taking the reigns and finally running. I felt very confident Raiola was going to kill it. He showed it in the Spring, he showed it last week. I also believe Mehringer calls better plays for Raiola. They haven't figured out the best way to get Moore in rhythm. Moore is lights out when he gets out of his own head. If Moore ever relaxes, and starts going for the throat, he will be lethal. Right now that's a big if. Hope he recovers and continues to run. Though I'm sure they're going to tell him to slide ten yards away from everyone from now on.