Rashawn Parker

[Steve]

That's all fine and dandy if th emiddle of your line is solid. Ours isn't so our Lineback are constantly filling middle gaps. They are not available to contin IMO. Our Dends are usually set pretty wide. While I will somewhat agree that containment shouldn't be the only priority, our Dends constantly run by linebackers. If there is a sweep run toward you you absolutely cannot let it get outside of you. You have to make them cut it up and let one of the backers fill.

I'm not sure what defense you are watching, but it isn't the defense that ISU runs unless you are going back to the old Okie 5-2 from the 70's. In a 4-3, the DE's do not line up wide. Especially the strong side DE as he lines up inside the TE on the OT. The back side DE also lines up on the OT. Once again, he is looking at the C gap while holding his ground and not getting pushed out wide to open up the B gap. He is usually only checking the D gap for plays like boots and reverses.

I agree that the player who has force responsibility can not let the play get outside of them. The issue is that the force is almost never the DE as they have other more important responsibilities. The force is either a LB or S. If anyone has ever had a coach tell them otherwise, I would hope that they were simply behind the times and still trying to run either a 5-2 or a 5-3 defense.

 

[Wesley]

This week against UNI the DEs will have their hands full with their speedsters. Note that Marcus Farley is not naming his starter qb yet.

 

[brett108]

Sorry, but once again we are not talking about jr high style football. Wally uses a 4-3 alignment. Study any well coached 4-3 from the better high schools up to and including the NFL. You will find that the DE's are often not even aligned to be able to cover the D or E gaps. The reason is that they first and foremost have to control the C gap and then help with the B gap if possible. As was previously mentioned, LB's and DB's almost always are responsible for the D/E gaps.

There are many good online sites that provide an overview of these concepts. The attached link is one such source.

Inside the playbook: Cover 3 | National Football Post

You throw me a link to a cover 3? That is a terrible example, because you are not controlling the edge with the DE because you are bringing another guy up into the box. If you ran a cover 3 consistently, you would be murdered(as evidence in our games). The best teams that run a 4-3 do indeed control the edge with the DE. This allows the action to funnel into the LBs, and shutting down the running game becomes very possible with 7 guys. Our DEs can't do this, so we have to bring up players to even have a shot at attacking the run. Iowa controlled the edge with their 4 down linemen, and our running game went nowhere.

You are correct in that we do run a cover 3 most of the time. But if you asked Wally, I bet he wishes we didn't have to. During a running down, I would rather have my DE funnel things into the LBs, which control far less field if the DE keeps contain. We frankly don't have CBs that can beat blocks and be the help on the edge.

 

[brett108]

I don't buy into that whole prototypical hype. If you look at some of the premier DE's in the NFL over the years, short ones and skinny ones have both been successful. I seriously doubt if Dwight Freeney is 6 feet tall, and Jason Taylor never has played at more than 250-255, yet both are All-pro players. So I'm pretty sure a 5-11 250 lb DE can make it in college football. It's all about quickness and leverage.

But you have a great point about recruiting wrestlers. I LOVE recruiting wrestlers and also basketball players because wrestlers understand leverage, and basketball players understand moving your feet to block from setting screens and have great hands. We should be finding all of these kids we can because they tend to fly under the radar (which means we can recruit them) and often develop into great players.

I may have attributed too many of Parker's problems to size, you are right. The frustrating thing with Parker is that he was very good as a freshman and sophmore(he controlled his side, not a lot of pressure, but he did know his assignments). Injuries appear to have really taken their toll on him, though, and he is no longer the same player he was.

 

[clonetil01]

Considering our personel, would it not make more sense for us to play a 3-4 or a 3-3-5? I understand we aren't loaded at LB either but it allows us to play bigger guys on the ends and us our two biggest DL as our NT, that way they can sub more. Also, it would allow us to move Parker into an OLB/DE role like the overside OLBs that the Steelers have. One other thing is it seems like you have a lot more blizting options and looks for the oppostition to prepare for. Plus, it seems a heck of a lot harder to recruit true DLine men that it is to find LBs and big safties.

 

[dualthreat]

we go over this time and time again. you don't use less players where you are weak. Allotting fewer players to the D-line would weaken our already weak rush defense immensely. If we had just 3 total stud D-linemen and no one else- then ya a 3-4 could work in theory.

 

[Tre4ISU]

I'm not sure what defense you are watching, but it isn't the defense that ISU runs unless you are going back to the old Okie 5-2 from the 70's. In a 4-3, the DE's do not line up wide. Especially the strong side DE as he lines up inside the TE on the OT. The back side DE also lines up on the OT. Once again, he is looking at the C gap while holding his ground and not getting pushed out wide to open up the B gap. He is usually only checking the D gap for plays like boots and reverses.

I agree that the player who has force responsibility can not let the play get outside of them. The issue is that the force is almost never the DE as they have other more important responsibilities. The force is either a LB or S. If anyone has ever had a coach tell them otherwise, I would hope that they were simply behind the times and still trying to run either a 5-2 or a 5-3 defense.

Next time watch and see where our ends line up. Compared to a lot of 4-3's they are plenty wide. I don't know why and I'm not saying it's wrong.

I would like someone to explain to me how in the hell we are going to ever put a linebacker or a safety in position to contain and ever stop anything up the middle. It will not happen with the guys we currently have.

I would also ask what is more important in an outside run play of any sort than making sure the back doesn't get to the edge? I can't think of anything. Ideally, sure we would love tosend our Dends up the field, but our personnel in the middle of the field doesn't allow that. If you need evidence just go look at the KSU game. We got trampled through the middle all day.

 

[Wesley]

How come do we run to fill lanes and the running backs just turn and go to other holes? We have run past the runner several times. It is like we do not see the ball carrier.