Struggles for Offense/Defense and How to Fix It

[LTtxfan 49245]

16 minutes ago, El Hornarino said:

Fickell was there even longer than that, and had the misfortune of getting to be the interim in 2011.  Probably nearly anybody could field a defense better than what we have now though.  As for Urbs, the defense trended upward from 2012 through 2016.  I think the jump in 2014 had more to do with the returning starters on defense... like the whole DL of Spence, Bennett, Washington and Bosa. *shrug*.

Thanks.   Here's a post about Fickell & Ash from @WhatTheBuck on the "Next Texas Coach" thread

"Fickell is an elite coach. He appears to be set in his career as a head coach. He's not walking through that door. He and Ash worked really well together at tOSU. Fickell is a first class LB coach and his responsibilities dealt with the front seven and stopping the run (with help from Larry Johnson who is as good of a DL coach as anyone in the country). Ash was in charge of the back end and was an enormous step up from when Everett Withers held that job. His DBs played press man coverage and shut down opposing receivers. And actually turned and looked for the ball when covering their man. If there was an opening, I'd welcome him back to the staff in a heartbeat." 

[dcar00 14261]

38 minutes ago, LTtxfan said:

Curious why you are so definitive in your belief that Chris Ash would not be a good DC hire??

He seemed to do a good job at both Wisconsin and ohio state as a DC...

he can't be any worse than 3rd and Orlando and he runs a 4-3 which I think is easier to convert to 3-3-5/4-2-5 when necessary but lets just say that there isn't much evidence that he can deal with the types of O he will see in this league.  Big Ten is not the Big 12 when it comes to O.  I'm also afraid this becomes a Co-DC thing with Orlando.  I don't like that at all.

I'd rather Herman do an actual search than hire a guy who stopped his O once and happened to get fired this year from Rutgers.

Herman gets one more shot at this IMO and he better hit the mark. This feels very reactionary and that's not good.

 

[C-Man 27230]

12 minutes ago, dcar00 said:

he can't be any worse than 3rd and Orlando and he runs a 4-3 which I think is easier to convert to 3-3-5/4-2-5 when necessary but lets just say that there isn't much evidence that he can deal with the types of O he will see in this league.  Big Ten is not the Big 12 when it comes to O.  I'm also afraid this becomes a Co-DC thing with Orlando.  I don't like that at all.

I'd rather Herman do an actual search than hire a guy who stopped his O once and happened to get fired this year from Rutgers.

Herman gets one more shot at this IMO and he better hit the mark. This feels very reactionary and that's not good.

 

I think I'd see it more as Orlando is gone and Ash is interim through the end of the season just like Riley did with Stoops-McNeil at OU last year.

[LTtxfan 49245]

11 minutes ago, C-Man said:

I think I'd see it more as Orlando is gone and Ash is interim through the end of the season just like Riley did with Stoops-McNeil at OU last year.

Can't see Ash accepting an interim DC role.  If Herman goes that route Naivar would become the interim DC and maybe Huff agrees to handle coaching the safeties for the remainder of the season. 

(From what's been posted earlier in Surly, Huff may enjoy his free time too much to consider becoming a permanent asst coach)

 

[gecko 1104]

Will this help? I hope this helps. Please tell me this helps.

[Rhinotx 500]

1 hour ago, gecko said:

 

 

Will this help? I hope this helps. Please tell me this helps.

 

Question is if the defense players should be playing or not. Are they really healed or are they going to re-injure themselves before Iowa State. 

[NoName 16354]

5 hours ago, LTtxfan said:

actually think that Chris Ash might be a good DC hire for Texas.  He did a great job for Urban at ohio state.  I like that Ash has a strong background at DB coaching and believe a stronger back end of the Texas Defense will really help turn things around.  

Not that this is shocking but that all but guarantees a major shake up with the Texas defensive staff

Would give you 3 guys whose focus is on DB (Naivar, Washington, Ash) + Giles at DL 

As far as I know Ash has never coached anything other than DBs?

Not that that necessarily is terrible but Naivar and Washington are probably 2 of your best recruiters.

Texas almost has to make changes this offseason between the terrible Def/Off balance, the fact that they have a bunch of dead weight on staff (take your pick of Mehringer, Meekins, Warehime plus some think Drayton count here) and the fact that Texas has pretty consistently ignored special teams during Herman's time here.

overall, not a bad thing - just hate to lose both Naivar and Washington honestly. 

[Skyline 325]

4 hours ago, dcar00 said:

if he goes with Ash this will end badly.  Urban did a great job for Urban and I think most of that was Fickell anyway.  you can't really know what TCU did unless you can see an all 22.  we did abandon the run yet again after a good first half.  the game plan was vanilla as it gets and Patterson beat his ass in the second half.

He's trying to win by protecting his shitty D with methodical O.  and once we get down one score he doubles down.  now he faces a coach he hasn't faced before.  this is going to be ugly, I've seen this movie before.  our D is going to get torched.  we can't stop pass or QB run and this has been going on for 2 years.

the playcalling at the goal line against TCU when we needed a TD was ridiculous. 

The run game has now started off hot against two opponents, and then they've adjusted at half time to stop the run. Texas coaches haven't done anything to change it up, and then they throw their hands up and abandon the run game altogether. They're either not capable or not willing to make adjustments. Super K said OU was also surprised at the lack of adjustments from the Texas O. 

[Jkwellborn 6708]

Not that this is shocking but that all but guarantees a major shake up with the Texas defensive staff
Would give you 3 guys whose focus is on DB (Naivar, Washington, Ash) + Giles at DL 
As far as I know Ash has never coached anything other than DBs?
Not that that necessarily is terrible but Naivar and Washington are probably 2 of your best recruiters.
Texas almost has to make changes this offseason between the terrible Def/Off balance, the fact that they have a bunch of dead weight on staff (take your pick of Mehringer, Meekins, Warehime plus some think Drayton count here) and the fact that Texas has pretty consistently ignored special teams during Herman's time here.
overall, not a bad thing - just hate to lose both Naivar and Washington honestly. 

Fuck that. Hire coaches that can coach. The results on the field and draft day will start to recruit the players too.

[BornOrange1955 77]

I have zero idea about what assistant coaches elsewhere would be a good hire here. No idea. I don't even know the head coaches' names at Tech or KSU, or Rice or La Tech. So many others.I keep hearing this Mehringer guy on our staff is horrible, a cancer, etc but I have no idea why. But I digress.

I think some of TCU's better play in the second half was their players got more confident and flat out made some plays. My theory on Ehlinger is that he thinks we have to score every time we have the ball or we will lose so he forces some throws.

But, hell, I don't know.

[dcar00 14261]

44 minutes ago, Rhinotx said:

Question is if the defense players should be playing or not. Are they really healed or are they going to re-injure themselves before Iowa State. 

it doesn't matter because it is win or go home at this point I believe.  not sure about the tie breakers but if OU beats Baylor and we go 4-0 I think we are in the Big 12 champ game.

[NoName 16354]

3 hours ago, LTtxfan said:

Can't see Ash accepting an interim DC role.  If Herman goes that route Naivar would become the interim DC and maybe Huff agrees to handle coaching the safeties for the remainder of the season. 

(From what's been posted earlier in Surly, Huff may enjoy his free time too much to consider becoming a permanent asst coach)

 

here is his offset provisions per NJ.com, sounds like it is a full offset of his salary. which means there is very little rush for him to take a position somewhere and zero reason for him to take the interim DC role. 

 

Spoiler

 

. Now that Ash is fired, he is “required to exert reasonable efforts to secure other employment consistent with [his] background, skills and experience," according to his contract. Once Ash gets a new job, “Rutgers shall immediately be entitled to offset the remaining post-termination pay by the income [Ash] earns in the new employment position.”

What that means? Say Ash gets hired as the defensive coordinator at another Power 5 program in December and he signs a contract that pays him $500,000 for the 2020 season/contract year. That would mean Rutgers would only need to pay him $1.9 million next year, because that figure plus the salary for his new position amounts to the $2.4 million he was scheduled to make at Rutgers.

Rutgers will likely recoup some of Ash’s buyout through salary offsets. But Ash could take time off or take a low-paying job, which would force Rutgers to pay out close to or the full compensation.

 

 

I really think Huff is a pipe dream totally and completely at this point. If the bump Naivar (who I agree is the most likely interim DC if they make a change) they have to bring on someone who has some experience coaching LBs - AFAIK none of the current staff or analysts have any history of coaching LBs.

Quality Control coaches per the staff directory:

• Andre Coleman (offense)
• Kyle Coats (defense)
• Dillon Fedora (offense I assume?)
• Larry Fedora (offense)
• Casey Horny (special teams)
• Paul Williams (defense)

Williams has only coached DBs

Kyle Coats is an interesting story and I had no clue he was on staff.

Assistant at D3 Trinity University (Special Teams and OLBs), spent 4 years at Hardin Simmons (ST coordinator, DBs), was hired at D3 ETBU to be their Defensive Coordinator and LB coach (press release link) and was there for a short time before joining Texas in July 2017 and has been on staff ever since. Pretty young dude it looks like, early 30s.

Just to be clear here, if they boot Orlando and promote Naivar the only guy they have on staff who has had an actual position coaching linebackers is Kyle Coats.

 

 

 

[Sock Drawer 214]

7 minutes ago, dcar00 said:

it doesn't matter because it is win or go home at this point I believe.  not sure about the tie breakers but if OU beats Baylor and we go 4-0 I think we are in the Big 12 champ game.

And pigs are flying . . .

[NoName 16354]

18 minutes ago, Jkwellborn said:

Fuck that. Hire coaches that can coach. The results on the field and draft day will start to recruit the players too.

Naviar and Washington are good coaches and both are probably among the best coaches on staff - now in part that is because of the dead weight but they are absolutely good coaches 

[Fondren & Main 6724]

Corners seem to be getting better.  Safety play has appeared to be abominable this year.

[Sgt Hulk 13785]

Texas Offense in a nutshell.  Hand off the ball 4 yards deep to a RB who is standing still and upright.   WR screen to the edge and deep overthrown ball down the sideline. Punt.  We don’t slant. Sam stopped keeping the ball after UGA. We haven’t ran a screen pass to the RB since LSU. We haven’t ran that roll everyone on earth right and throw back left to rb play. We don’t run any wr routes at all except seems. We haven’t ran that TE screen that Sam overthrow 400 times last year that was wide open. We haven’t ran a single LJH route with any other WR.  We do zero misdirection.  I am truly convinced the entire offensive playbook is the 7 plays on sams wrist. They took number 8 off because Sam is scared to to run. 
 

problems on defense. Everyone not named Coburn doesn’t care.  In pop Warner we teach DBs to turn around to look for the ball and raise your hands to defend the pass.  At Texas they apparently say never so that ever.  They also line up 9 yards off the wr and start back peddling on the first clap so by clap 3 and ball snap they are 18 yards off. Also we rush 2 vs 6  

[Jkwellborn 6708]

Naviar and Washington are good coaches and both are probably among the best coaches on staff - now in part that is because of the dead weight but they are absolutely good coaches 

I’m not saying them specifically, but the secondary has been pretty damn question since they showed up. They might be the best of a shitty group.

[LTtxfan 49245]

This thread is cracking me up.....

[C-Man 27230]

Quote

HOUSTON — While I got ya, here are nine things and one crazy prediction:

1. Earl Campbell thinks he can fix the Longhorns. Texas’ first Heisman Trophy winner told me last week that he loves Sam Ehlinger, but he has a requirement for future Longhorn quarterbacks. “Until the University of Texas realizes you have to have a black quarterback, and nothing against Ehlinger, you got to have a talented, black quarterback,” Campbell said. “All these schools that are winning, even in the pros, have black quarterbacks. When guys are not open, something can still happen.” He mentioned Tua Tagovailoa, Vince Young, Jalen Hurts, Deshaun Watson and J.T. Barrett, who wanted to come to Texas. Campbell said he really admires Hurts and said they became close friends after the quarterback was a finalist for the Earl Campbell Award. They text each other often. “He reminds me of myself,” Earl said. “He’s a calm individual. He doesn’t get too excited and keeps it all inside. Nick Saban did all he could to kill his motivation. Jalen is one of the most classy individuals I’ve ever seen play sports. It looks like Oklahoma is going to win the Heisman a third year in a row. It looks like he’s not even running, like he’s walking.”

https://www.statesman.com/sports/20191029/bohls-campbell-thinks-he-can-fix-what-ails-texas-football?fbclid=IwAR3cSTDEi_wsR1dKWz_DJT1DNLbQ8YSf1YcVxnou2wHaIo65bdUqpnWB6xE

[JBJ 3655]

Naivar: secondary coach, coordinator experience, quarters scheme

Ash: secondary coach, coordinator experience, quarters scheme

[Jkwellborn 6708]

Who knew Earls brain had been scrambled?

[Tex Long 4401]

22 hours ago, BornOrange1955 said:

My theory on Ehlinger is that he thinks we have to score every time we have the ball or we will lose...

Your theory is correct, far's I see it.

Before the season started, Miz Long asked about our prospects. My take was that the O would be better, and the D might be as good or better... but it would be best if MensaTom could spend more time on scoring and less time on smash-mouth ball-control, because we'd likely need to plan on scoring 40+ every time. 

Unfortunately, it has turned out that we need to score 50+ to be sure of winning, while we're stuck in probably 30, maybe 40 land.

Sam is right, he does need to score every single possession. He needs to start running the plays he wants instead of the shit MensaTom and MensaTim are calling... what're they gonna do, bench him?

[Rhinotx 500]

23 hours ago, NoName said:

Naviar and Washington are good coaches and both are probably among the best coaches on staff - now in part that is because of the dead weight but they are absolutely good coaches 

Why is all the bad tackling and angles on Orlando but Naviar and Washington get a pass? It seems like that should be on position coaches and the terrible play calls on Orlando.