Hey PK -- What would you say you do here?

Ricky Butler · January 25, 2021

30 minutes ago, bullet said:

Hopefully, but he hasn't done it against Big 12 offenses. Manny was the biggest thing in the SEC which was pretty vanilla on offense back then. Then he moved to the Big 12. Greg Robinson turned Manny's mess around in 2 games by simplifying the defense.

Often something unique works until the other coaches figure it out. And then it collapses.

I don’t think this is valuable insight given the context of PK’s career. Perhaps if we would have hired Zack Arnett or some other young coach.

LTtxfan · January 25, 2021

15 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

The pac12 is far from the offensive wasteland the sec was when Diaz was there. He faced leach at msu and helfrich at Oregon every year, plus games with chip Kelly at ucla, whittingham at Utah, and usc.

Choate was on Mike Leach's staff at Washington State.

PK faced Leach several times while PK was DC at Washington...

Edited January 25, 2021 by LTtxfan

perfectchaos007 · January 25, 2021

I hope Sark officially welcomes Choate to the staff tomorrow.

campcrunk · January 25, 2021

1 hour ago, Tex Pete said:

To me, he can find the necessary players out of state if he has to. That said, you just have to be able to identify the right kind of player, even if he’s playing a different position in HS. Texas has plenty of great athletes. It’s about identification and development.

People often reference how great Gary Patterson is at that. A great LB may be a HS QB or RB.

Absolutely this. There's absolutely no shortage of 6'2" to 6'4" kids with good speed playing out of position in this state. You just have to identify the traits you want, figure out how to sell a position change, and do a good job developing them. it can definitely be done - it's just that the past few Texas staffs have been a little bit... lacking in some of these areas (development in particular).

Burt Macklin · January 25, 2021

11 hours ago, Dbeasy said:

This is a fantastic thread. Thanks to Burt and others for adding real value in helping understand how the defensive will look in the fall.

I have two questions. First, how hard will it be for the defense to learn this new scheme? It seems with multiple looks it might take awhile to get it down.

Second, based on what I’ve read, recruiting should be easier because of the focus more on one gap responsibilities, and it sounds like Coburn and others need to lose some weight. What will be the impact on Mitchell and Overshown vs what they’ve been learning this past year?

PK hit the ground running at UW, so I doubt it will take too long. His defense isn’t overly complex. He’s multiple in formations for matchup purposes, but he’s asking similar things of his guys in each. He’s much more focused on fundamentals and letting his guys play. The formation stuff is more like slight tweaks on that for matchup purposes rather than entirely different schemes.

The LBs won’t be asked to do drastically different things than what Ash did, so it won’t be a huge adjustment.

2 hours ago, mantis toboggan said:

For discussion... any concerns on his defense emphasizing the lb position and what seems to be a dearth of high quality at the position year in and year out in Texas hs ranks?

is it overcome by UT getting the best every year despite the competition? Having to go national at the position? Trusting in a dc that is credited with taking quality yet lower ranked kids and developing them?

Maybe no concern if it is true that that under his scheme the true key are the standing defensive ends?

He’s not really emphasizing the LB position. 2 of the 4 are edge rushers so he’ll be recruiting high school DEs similar to how you would in a 4 man front. He’s primarily using 2 LBs most of the time, just like Ash did.

2 hours ago, bullet said:

Sounds like a Manny Diaz defense. If you don't have 1st or 2nd round LBs, the other team eats your lunch because your players are spending too much time thinking.

Nope. Not at all. He’s completely different than Manny. He focuses on fundamentals and doesn’t try to draw up exotic blitz schemes. He lets his athletes make plays. The formation stuff creates the illusion of complexity without actually creating too much complexity for the guys playing defense.

ImissWallyPryor · January 25, 2021

On 1/23/2021 at 9:40 PM, campcrunk said:

I think there's good reason to be really, really excited about PK and Choate. I don't know if this has been posted or not but here's the 2019 Montana State vs. Montana game. It looks like Choate is also a proponent of PK's 2-4-5 look but he also threw in a bunch of other formations. It looks like the ILBs run to the ball, swarm, and cover well. Based on the first quarter (I'm still watching), to my very untrained eye, they look well coached. I think they're going to make a hell of a team for us on D.

Edit: I also didn't see Montana State commit any penalties in the first quarter. That would be a very welcome change

2:24:40 for the replay of how a real man takes a Gatorade shower...with a fist pump.

LTtxfan · January 25, 2021

JBJ · January 25, 2021

9 hours ago, Burt Macklin said:

PK hit the ground running at UW, so I doubt it will take too long. His defense isn’t overly complex. He’s multiple in formations for matchup purposes, but he’s asking similar things of his guys in each. He’s much more focused on fundamentals and letting his guys play. The formation stuff is more like slight tweaks on that for matchup purposes rather than entirely different schemes.

Yeah, it's not really 3 defenses. It's a base -> nickel -> dime, they are all still built around a 3-4 scheme. Every defense has to do that.

The difference is that he's swapping a DB for a DT/SDE instead of a LB.

JBJ · January 25, 2021

A picture is worth a thousand long cats:

Wanker Bob · January 26, 2021

On 1/22/2021 at 7:46 PM, markstanco said:

These coaches fuck.

~markstanco

On 1/22/2021 at 7:49 PM, immamac said:

paging @TreatyOak we need a banner lol

Just make sure to leave room at the end of the banner to add "ing suck". Just in case

markstanco · January 26, 2021

6 hours ago, Wanker Bob said:

Just make sure to leave room at the end of the banner to add "ing suck". Just in case

Zeus · January 27, 2021

https://youtu.be/Ww12fW6e-t4

Machinator · January 27, 2021

1 minute ago, Zeus said:

https://youtu.be/Ww12fW6e-t4

Bodacious Bevo · January 27, 2021

Chip Brown had a Washington radio guy on his podcast this week to talk about PK and Choate. Dude had a ton of praise both of them and Sark. Pretty good listen. He suggested watching the 2016 Stanford game so I watched the first half (it was 30-0 once Stanford got the ball in the 3rd). Here are a couple things I noticed. A lot of it will have been covered in previous posts on the thread but some of it is specific to that game.

General stuff:

He rarely blitzes. It's mostly 4 man rushes (usually the 4 on the LOS). Dropping 8 or rushing 5 only happened a couple times each. He doesn't stunt a ton. Makes me a bit worried about our lack of edge players. Maybe the new transfers help us out there. Occasionally one of the DTs will stand up and move around on passing downs so that it's not certain which gap he's attacking.

He always has at least one safety playing super deep. He primarily plays zone but will mix in man. The MLBs are very important to defend the middle. Given our difficulties with LB zone coverage the last 3 seasons, that's not great. However last year Overshown and Mitchell were the best coverage combo since Malik and Gary Johnson so there's some hope. PK's MLBs also don't play downhill super aggressively so they are less likely to have it thrown over their heads. UW had very disruptive DTs (we do too!) and he brings secondary players into the box to help out (we have big DBs too!). I think we have the personnel to match his strategy. But I do have some worries about getting RPO'd to death.

It's difficult to see the back end of the defense on the broadcast angle but PK should match up pretty well with the current Big 12 defensive trend of dropping 7/8 into tampa 2 or quarters. I think I remember seeing some tampa 2 stuff in the 2018 Washington State game.

Stanford specific stuff:

When Stanford went with their pro style offense (12 personnel or 21 in a traditional I-formation), UW defaulted to a 3-4 tite front. When Stanford went to 11 or 20 from the shotgun, UW usually went with the 2-4-5. Multiplicity is important in the Big 12 so this is nice to see. He'll know how to line up against against the few remaining air raid offenses but he also cane take on power run teams. The big question will always be how he performs against Lincoln Riley but I don't know of any Pac-12 teams that run similar concepts to OU so we won't know until October. Stanford only ran two GT counter-ish plays that I noticed and they combined for seven yards. Nothing particularly telling for the schematic matchup.

Their offensive creativity was frankly disappointing. This was McCaffrey's final year and his production was pretty pedestrian. Big 12 offenses will do a lot more with their star gadget guys--see Vaughn, Deuce. That said, UW was clearly keyed in to CMC. The DL/OLBs all knew to watch for him. They blew up a couple screens because the DL watched CMC on their side and didn't bite when the OL let them pass. They also jammed him in the backfield with the MLBs or box DBs a couple times when he ran routes in the interior. Again, nothing mind blowing but certainly better than allowing Overshown to repeatedly get burned by the only productive player left on the KSU roster.

Edit to add: We really need Gideon to be a good coach. PK asks a lot of his safeties. It's a talented group but we're replacing a ton of snaps with Sterns and Brown leaving. Ironically I think Sterns would have been a great fit for this defense. Gideon probably has the toughest and most important job of any defensive assistant next year.

Some personnel thoughts:

I was really high on BJ Foster after his freshman year but soured over the last two years. He wasn't a fit for Ash but the more I watch of PK, the more I think he's going to bounce back next year. Budda Baker was the boundary safety in this game and he was all over. BJ is not the second coming of Baker, but his ability to play in the box and on the LOS makes me think PK will love him. PK has a ton of unique pieces to work with in the secondary and I trust him to put them together right.

Another quick take that is much hotter... Juwan Mitchell could be good at one of those OLB spots. He's physical and can take on blockers. The big question with him is always mental--would he have the discipline to set the edge and decision-making ability when he's put in spots of conflict like screens or option plays. But I could see something like Bimage / Coburn / Collins / Mitchell with Ford / Overshown behind them (without counting in the transfers).

Edit to add: We really need Gideon to be a good coach. PK asks a ton of his safeties. We have a talented group but we're replacing a ton of snaps with Sterns and Brown leaving. Ironically I think Sterns would be a good fit for this defense. Gideon probably has the toughest and most important job of any assistant next year.

Edited January 27, 2021 by Bodacious Bevo
adding

LTtxfan · January 27, 2021

Mitchell concerns me if he is supposed to set an edge -- saw him avoid contact a lot last season.

Is BJ ever gonna get his shoulder right?? Had high hopes, but damn he always seems to get nicked up and then struggle with tackling...

Bodacious Bevo · January 27, 2021

20 minutes ago, LTtxfan said:

Mitchell concerns me if he is supposed to set an edge -- saw him avoid contact a lot last season.

Is BJ ever gonna get his shoulder right?? Had high hopes, but damn he always seems to get nicked up and then struggle with tackling...

Pretty much every non-DL player on this defense has some kind of 'but.' Mitchell is aggressive and physical but sometimes he avoids contact. BJ plays fast and attacks downhill but he misses tackles and is bound to hurt himself or a teammate. Overshown is rangy and puts himself in position to make plays but too often he can't finish. So I totally get both of your points. At this point in the offseason I'm just brainstorming where all our guys could fit. Some of the ideas will be good but some will be bad.

LTtxfan · January 27, 2021

2 minutes ago, Bodacious Bevo said:

Pretty much every non-DL player on this defense has some kind of 'but.' Mitchell is aggressive and physical but sometimes he avoids contact. BJ plays fast and attacks downhill but he misses tackles and is bound to hurt himself or a teammate. Overshown is rangy and puts himself in position to make plays but too often he can't finish. So I totally get both of your points. At this point in the offseason I'm just brainstorming where all our guys could fit. Some of the ideas will be good but some will be bad.

Enjoyed your analysis and discussion. Curious to see how PK chooses to use the current personnel for corner, safety and NB.

Hard to see Adimora stay at NB though...

Burt Macklin · January 27, 2021

1 hour ago, Bodacious Bevo said:

Chip Brown had a Washington radio guy on his podcast this week to talk about PK and Choate. Dude had a ton of praise both of them and Sark. Pretty good listen. He suggested watching the 2016 Stanford game so I watched the first half (it was 30-0 once Stanford got the ball in the 3rd). Here are a couple things I noticed. A lot of it will have been covered in previous posts on the thread but some of it is specific to that game.

General stuff:

He rarely blitzes. It's mostly 4 man rushes (usually the 4 on the LOS). Dropping 8 or rushing 5 only happened a couple times each. He doesn't stunt a ton. Makes me a bit worried about our lack of edge players. Maybe the new transfers help us out there. Occasionally one of the DTs will stand up and move around on passing downs so that it's not certain which gap he's attacking.

He always has at least one safety playing super deep. He primarily plays zone but will mix in man. The MLBs are very important to defend the middle. Given our difficulties with LB zone coverage the last 3 seasons, that's not great. However last year Overshown and Mitchell were the best coverage combo since Malik and Gary Johnson so there's some hope. PK's MLBs also don't play downhill super aggressively so they are less likely to have it thrown over their heads. UW had very disruptive DTs (we do too!) and he brings secondary players into the box to help out (we have big DBs too!). I think we have the personnel to match his strategy. But I do have some worries about getting RPO'd to death.

It's difficult to see the back end of the defense on the broadcast angle but PK should match up pretty well with the current Big 12 defensive trend of dropping 7/8 into tampa 2 or quarters. I think I remember seeing some tampa 2 stuff in the 2018 Washington State game.

Stanford specific stuff:

When Stanford went with their pro style offense (12 personnel or 21 in a traditional I-formation), UW defaulted to a 3-4 tite front. When Stanford went to 11 or 20 from the shotgun, UW usually went with the 2-4-5. Multiplicity is important in the Big 12 so this is nice to see. He'll know how to line up against against the few remaining air raid offenses but he also cane take on power run teams. The big question will always be how he performs against Lincoln Riley but I don't know of any Pac-12 teams that run similar concepts to OU so we won't know until October. Stanford only ran two GT counter-ish plays that I noticed and they combined for seven yards. Nothing particularly telling for the schematic matchup.

Their offensive creativity was frankly disappointing. This was McCaffrey's final year and his production was pretty pedestrian. Big 12 offenses will do a lot more with their star gadget guys--see Vaughn, Deuce. That said, UW was clearly keyed in to CMC. The DL/OLBs all knew to watch for him. They blew up a couple screens because the DL watched CMC on their side and didn't bite when the OL let them pass. They also jammed him in the backfield with the MLBs or box DBs a couple times when he ran routes in the interior. Again, nothing mind blowing but certainly better than allowing Overshown to repeatedly get burned by the only productive player left on the KSU roster.

Edit to add: We really need Gideon to be a good coach. PK asks a lot of his safeties. It's a talented group but we're replacing a ton of snaps with Sterns and Brown leaving. Ironically I think Sterns would have been a great fit for this defense. Gideon probably has the toughest and most important job of any defensive assistant next year.

Some personnel thoughts:

I was really high on BJ Foster after his freshman year but soured over the last two years. He wasn't a fit for Ash but the more I watch of PK, the more I think he's going to bounce back next year. Budda Baker was the boundary safety in this game and he was all over. BJ is not the second coming of Baker, but his ability to play in the box and on the LOS makes me think PK will love him. PK has a ton of unique pieces to work with in the secondary and I trust him to put them together right.

Another quick take that is much hotter... Juwan Mitchell could be good at one of those OLB spots. He's physical and can take on blockers. The big question with him is always mental--would he have the discipline to set the edge and decision-making ability when he's put in spots of conflict like screens or option plays. But I could see something like Bimage / Coburn / Collins / Mitchell with Ford / Overshown behind them (without counting in the transfers).

Edit to add: We really need Gideon to be a good coach. PK asks a ton of his safeties. We have a talented group but we're replacing a ton of snaps with Sterns and Brown leaving. Ironically I think Sterns would be a good fit for this defense. Gideon probably has the toughest and most important job of any assistant next year.

Good stuff in here, but I don’t see any way Mitchell plays OLB. He’s too short to be taking on an OT every play and hold the edge and he’s never really shown any pass rush ability. I think it’s close to a guarantee that Bimage is one of our starting OLBs and then you have Jones/Thornton/Obie/Dorbah fighting for the other spot and backup snaps.

Hmmm · January 28, 2021

We have so much talent at DT. Coburn, Sweat, and Collins will all play inside. Then, you have tweeners like Ojomo and Broughton. I don’t know how we’ll feed them all.

Reese Bennett · January 28, 2021

21 minutes ago, Hmmm said:

We have so much talent at DT. Coburn, Sweat, and Collins will all play inside. Then, you have tweeners like Ojomo and Broughton. I don’t know how we’ll feed them all.

We need to quit feeding Sweat until he drops at least 30 lbs.

LTtxfan · January 30, 2021

Edited January 30, 2021 by LTtxfan

Somnio · January 30, 2021

Would it be incorrect to say that in PK's 2-4-5 defense one could switch to a 4-2-5 with no change in personnel? Is his defense essentially a 4-2-5, just with the DEs standing up a bit off the LOS therefore they are now considered LBs?

satyanash · January 30, 2021

(Ian Boyd) Inside the gameplan: Pete Kwiatkowski's defense

Quote

With the hire of Montana State head coach Jeff Choate as inside linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator, Steve Sarkisian’s staff is now complete. There are some helpful breadcrumbs in some of the title designations and known pay scales to deduce how this staff is going to work together and what the philosophy and approach will be on defense.

Choate has worked with Pete Kwiatkowski in the past, both at Boise State working with the linebackers and then at Washington helping with the defensive line and special teams. The timing of his hire, coming off the heels of Mike Stoops reports and then a resounding backlash to those reports, suggests Choate is Pete’s guy. A brief glimpse at Montana State film reveals some schematic simpatico as well.

Choate’s title at Texas is co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, Pete Kwiatkowski is defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach, Terry Joseph is defensive pass game coordinator and “secondary” coach, and Bo Davis and Blake Gideon are assigned “defensive line” and “safeties.” It seems obvious enough Joseph will have some real say in what sorts of coverages and techniques the Longhorns use on defense, Kwiatkowski will oversee the overall unit, and Bo Davis and Blake Gideon are probably going to be asked to do some volume recruiting. Joseph has a rep for being a worker on the recruiting trail but Choate and Kwiatkowski do not. They reached this level by coaching up players once they’ve made it to campus.

We’ve already discussed some of how Terry Joseph’s pass defense worked at Notre Dame and what Steve Sarkisian saw on film when he studied the Irish and how they approach defending the RPO spread. This week we’ll break down the other side, how Kwiatkowski likes to handle the run game and rushing the passer.

Pete Kwiatkowski’s 3-down front

It's becoming difficult these days to differentiate between 3-down and 4-down defenses. Kwiatkowski’s fronts at Washington were definitely 3-down in personnel but they played a variety of fronts and techniques. There were a few consistent themes to his fronts from year to year. They had six main positions in the nickel front.

Field end: This guy was typically a big, high-motor technician who was often asked to be a VERY versatile hybrid. Sometimes he’d be in a 4i-technique, other times standing up on the edge like an outside linebacker. Ryan Bowman held this position down for several years. He was a 6-0, 265 pound former walk-on with a lot of power and motor. In the 2016 playoffs against Alabama the Huskies used the 6-5, 340-pound Vita Vea as the field end and stood him up on the edge at times like a 3-4 outside linebacker.

Some of their field ends were pretty effective pass-rushers and used as such, some of them were more on the run-stopping side of things. In 2020 they played Zion Tupuola-Fetui here and because of his pass-rushing prowess got into more of their 2-4 looks that allowed him to stand up on the edge. He rewarded them with seven sacks in four games. The 2-4 moniker is deceiving though. He could just as easily slide inside to a 4i-technique on another snap and was a bigger guy, designating him as a linebacker is questionable. There were times when the Huskies played with two true linebackers as stand-up ends and other times when those “linebackers” were guys like Tupuola-Fetui or Bowman.

Nose/defensive tackle: The Huskies and Kwiatkowski have a rep for using “two nose tackles” at a time, which isn’t completely wrong but not totally accurate either. Their 3-technique defensive tackles often applied some two-gapping techniques akin to what Chris Ash was asking of Ta’Quon Graham last season but this sort of technique doesn’t necessarily preclude a pass-rush. Ask anyone who faced Nebraska in 2009 or 2010 when Ndamukong Suh and Jared Crick were putting up double-digit sack seasons in a similar scheme.

The nose tackle would get a variety of tasks, often in a zero-technique, sometimes standing up the center as a two-gapper and other times slanting and taking gaps. The 3-technique would slant and loop some. He’d also stand-up guards and do some two-gapping work. The Huskies often used some tite fronts in which the field end and 3-technique tackle would play as 4i-techniques with a jack linebacker on either perimeter.

They could upsize or downsize to use two jack linebackers and three defensive linemen, two jack linebackers and two defensive linemen, one jack linebacker and two defensive linemen, or zero jack linebackers and three defensive linemen. The specifics of the techniques and fronts used tended to change with the season’s roster and the week’s opponent. All of their fronts used defensive linemen to cancel out interior gaps and cover up the linebackers or push the pocket for the featured pass-rushing weapon…

Jack linebacker: This is the featured pass-rusher in the defense and really a true linebacker despite the occasional 4-down look of the defense. They’d have this player box in runs on the edge like a sam linebacker in an old school 4-3 Under defense. I haven’t seen him spill a block yet and they regularly drop into coverage or stunt inside. In both of the following examples, the Huskies box in plays run off tackle with pullers and use a safety to come clean up from depth.

The goal is to force the ball into congested space where the tackles are creating a pileup. Within the scrum inside the box it's harder for ball carriers to find the space to have two-way go's so they can evade tacklers. Without space to work in, they'd be easier targets for the linebackers and safeties. The Huskies are playing with two jack linebackers in the 2-4-5 front in these clips. Both of these guys are boxing in the edge since they're both true jack linebackers, were one of them a defensive lineman he might spill the ball instead. Spilling the ball means stepping inside when pulls are coming and blowing up the block while trying to encourage the ballcarrier to run wide to the perimeter.

Kwiatkowski could be flexible about how his jacks looked. When they arrived they inherited Hau’oli Kikaha, a 6-3, 246 pounder who was coming off a 12.5 sack season in 2013. In year one with Kwiatkowski before going to the NFL, Kikaha had a remarkable 19 sacks. No one since has matched those numbers. In 2019 they played a guy named Joe Tryon at the jack position who was 6-5, 262 pounds and recorded eight sacks. Their 2016 playoff defense featured 6-4, 230 pound Psalm Wooching at jack (six sacks) unless Alabama was in heavier personnel in which case 6-3, 286 pound Jaylen Johnson was lined up there.

Middle/weakside linebacker: Ben Burr-Kirven is the most famous player to man the middle linebacker position for the Kwiatkowski Huskies. BBK measured in at the combine at 6-0, 230 pounds and was lighter for most of his time in Seattle. He ran a 4.56 40 with a 4.09 shuttle, which helped explain how he’d managed to make 176 tackles as a senior in 2018. Both of the Huskies’ linebacker positions tended to be smaller, box safety types like BBK. The size and technical skill of Kwiatkowski’s defensive line covered them up nicely and he’d mix in some different fronts and slants to help the linebackers run to the football and work at favorable angles.

There wasn’t a huge difference for these two positions except the weakside linebacker usually had the jack outside of him while the middle linebacker would have the nickel or strong safety and there was less space into the boundary outside of the weakside linebacker than for the middle linebacker. As the Big 12 knows well, if the middle linebacker is aligned to the field he tends to have to work in more space than the weakside linebacker and Kwiatkowski would choose his linebackers accordingly.

Philosophically, the Husky fronts remind me of the way Bill Belichik schemes his defense. On a down to down basis they’re more interested in controlling space and angles in the box than trying to shoot guys after the quarterback. They’ll take the longer, more careful path to get to the passer and maintain discipline in their lanes, a useful habit for facing mobile quarterbacks in the spread offense. When it’s time to get after the quarterback, they’d mix in some stunts and twists to help their athletes (the jack in particular) get after it.

In those 2016 playoffs, freshman Jalen Hurts completed 7-14 passes against them for just 57 yards and was nearly picked on his first attempt. On the ground he had 19 carries for 50 yards, which includes three sacks by the Huskies, and zero touchdowns. Alabama won the game 24-7 because running back Bo Scarborough got loose for a couple of long runs and the Tide pick-six’d Washington quarterback Jake Browning.

Imagining the 2021 Longhorns in a Kwiatkowski front

Some aspects of building a year one defense will be an easier task for Kwiatkowski than it would have been for Chris Ash. In 2020 Ash was inheriting the ideal defensive end who was otherwise being wasted in Joseph Ossai along with several really promising defensive tackles. For 2021 his preferred 4-down structure was going to be up against it trying to fill the void left by Ossai. Kwiatkowski has shown a commitment to setting and rushing the edge which will help the Longhorns recruit top pass-rushers in the future, but he’s also worked regularly with D-lines involving a lot of big kids of the sort Orlando was stockpiling.

Additionally, his system puts less on the jack as a down lineman than Ash's system, which expands the pool of potential candidates to fill hole left by Ossai's departure. Texas was trying to snatch up as many defensive ends in the 2021 class as possible and the new staff has maintained that approach, but having an abundance of positionally flexible big men is more of an opportunity than a challenge for Kwiatkowski.

There’s a few obvious fits here for the Longhorns. Keondre Coburn and T’Vondre Sweat are interior guys who can handle two-gapping from the nose or 3-technique and push the pocket on passing downs. Moro Ojomo played a lot of strongside end last season and has played inside as well. DeMarvion Overshown is exactly the sort of athlete the Huskies would try to field at middle linebacker while Juwan Mitchell probably slides into the boundary/weakside linebacker spot and evades future targeting from Texas Tech.

The two biggest questions concern Alfred Collins and the jack linebacker position. Collins could play a lot of positions on this defensive line. His athleticism is pretty freakish for his size and Kwiatkowksi demonstrated he’s not a slave to height and weight norms at various positions when he had 6-5, 340-pound Vita Vea standing up in a 9-technique against Alabama. Check out Collins doing work here on a looping stunt against Colorado:

You can also see Moro Ojomo isn’t out of place on the edge as a defensive end in this clip. Chris Ash tended to manufacture pressure last season with twists and stunts, making use of the D-line’s overall athleticism while mitigating the lack of particular edge-rushing skill. Kwiatkowski will do likewise, the question is where he sees Collins as being most disruptive. He could play field defensive end and put some of Texas’ defensive ends on the bench while Coburn and Sweat hold things down inside, he could be a gap-taking nose, or he could continue to develop as a 3-technique.

It’s not just a question of where Collins does the most damage either, the field end position has been such a hybrid tool in the Kwiatkowski toolbox the next question is whether Moro Ojomo, Jacoby Jones, Reese Leitao, and Marqez Bimage offer enough to feature the position. Collins may be the best option or perhaps Vernon Broughton makes a leap and takes over at this position or owns a timeshare with Ojomo.

Finally there’s jack linebacker. Kwiatkowski does a lot of favors for this spot, often pairing the jack on the boundary with a 4i-technique or a 3-technique defensive lineman, rarely asking him to spill pullers, and frequently stunting him into gaps rather than allowing him to be a stationary target for pass protection. There wasn’t anyone on the Longhorn roster clearly worthy of this favored treatment when the new staff arrived.

Jacoby Jones could maybe get action here, Jett Bush did little in a similar role last season as Ossai’s back-up, and there’s speculation Bimage could rejuvenate his career here after previously bulking up to play more like a strongside end. The staff was obviously unconvinced and two of their earliest moves have been adding jack linebackers Ray Thornton from LSU and Ovie Oghoufo from Notre Dame.

Both of these guys are tweeners who are lighter and athletic (Thornton is 6-3, 230 and Oghoufo 6-3, 240) but most comfortable coming downhill rather than working backward and forward in space as inside linebackers. They’re also both too small to be featured prominently trying to control gaps in a 4-down scheme. LSU converted to a 4-down scheme last season and Notre Dame has been in the 4-3 Under since hiring Mike Elko back in 2017. Both Thornton and Oghoufo have faced diminishing returns trying to find a prominent role amidst those adjustments.

For the 2021 Longhorns, there’s a lot of size and athleticism inside to protect guys like Overshown or Thornton/Oghoufu from getting caught for being undersized and to help set them up to go be disruptive athletes. If both end up taking off in this role maybe we will see a true 2-4-5 scheme in Austin next season, I'm guessing the staff will just be happy to get one Big 12 contender-caliber jack out of these additions.

There’s a lot of options for the new staff to explore and we could see many different schematic approaches as they work out how to create a whole greater than the sum of the parts up front. One thing is for certain, they’ll be looking to control the box very carefully and efficiently in order to protect the secondary and force spread offenses to work in limited space.

LTtxfan · January 30, 2021

Good Stuff... Thanks @satyanash

Butch Had Not · January 30, 2021

LTtxfan · February 3, 2021

https://247sports.com/player/david-abiara-46079770/

JBJ · February 3, 2021

Here's a play from one of the articles posted that shows a feigned blitz pressure that I think is typical.

Washington is in Dime, Buck formation (nose tackle over center and ends outside). The two ILBs are mugging the guards. Dime back is also showing pressure on the outside.

Here's the play, more below:

LTtxfan · February 3, 2021

How does PK's defense compare to what tcu runs ??

Fico · February 3, 2021

5 minutes ago, LTtxfan said:

How does PK's defense compare to what tcu runs ??

JBJ · February 3, 2021

The offense sees a makeshift Bear front. Most teams would choose to 4-man slide against a nose, but a Bear look makes them play it 5v5. BBK is spying the RB this play, but prevents a sliding guard because of the look.

QB "correctly" identifies the BS and not the Dime as the threat. The safety would have to cover for an extra blitzer, so the RB can play the safety to a corner blitz or then to a Dime blitz. It looks like an easy hot completion if the Dime were to blitz either way, and the QB doesn't let the Dime bother him one bit. There is no blitzer, but the RB is effectively taken out of the playside pressure.

So the guard and RB twiddle thumbs while the boundary DE gets a 1v1, and the field side gets a 3v3.

Here is what the offense sees before the snap:

Edited February 3, 2021 by JBJ

JBJ · February 3, 2021

The play has the nose tackle initiate contact then loop outside (this is also common with PK - contact before stunt). While the LB and End rush the interior. Honestly, the center has the hardest job on this play, but makes it work. The other matchups are all losses.

It's a pretty good job of only rushing 4, loading it to one side, but using a pressure look to keep the protection honest. They are rushing 4 against 6 and playing two high safeties, but the look allows them to get a series of 1v1s that challenge the OL. Plus BBK gets to delay rush unopposed. They get quick interior pressure, a hit on the QB, and an interception.

JBJ · February 3, 2021

Small correction: the RB does, in fact, glance at the Dime off the snap before checking the safety.

Bodacious Bevo · February 5, 2021

Found a youtube channel with a bunch of 10-25 minute super cuts of UW's defense

Looks like it has all of 2016 and 2017 with one game from 2015

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuRFC47U-XpoDiXK5N_4dSg/videos

There's also cuts of 2008 Texas defense vs Tech and 2017 Texas defense vs USC if you just really hate yourself

LTtxfan · February 13, 2021

Glad PK's not gonna make big changes to the defensive scheme right away....

IT Team Notes:

*On Friday (today) players will begin working on the basics of install. As we reported last week, the defensive staff doesn’t want to start from scratch, more so they’d like to build on what’s in place. This extends to personnel, at least in the beginning. We haven’t heard of any major changes yet, i.e., Chris Adimora is still at nickel (at least for the time being). This is just a logical starting point and nothing should be read into how things will look by the end of spring ball.

*With the defensive front being multiple, there are effectively three positions to coach: Jack/X OLB, interior d-line, and defensive end. The X is basically the Jack at the other end of the line to the boundary. Jacoby Jones has been working with the Jacks/X’s.

*There remains a ton of excitement within the program, but that’s not just centered around the new staff. These guys want to get back to football in general. There’s a team-wide sense of ”spring football can’t get here fast enough.”

Thanks for IT stuff @Machinator

Burt Macklin · February 13, 2021

On 2/5/2021 at 9:05 AM, Bodacious Bevo said:

Found a youtube channel with a bunch of 10-25 minute super cuts of UW's defense

Looks like it has all of 2016 and 2017 with one game from 2015

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuRFC47U-XpoDiXK5N_4dSg/videos

There's also cuts of 2008 Texas defense vs Tech and 2017 Texas defense vs USC if you just really hate yourself

That’s some good shit. Bookmarked for when I get offseason withdrawals.

LTtxfan · February 19, 2021

FCB

The Insider: Why new Texas DC is 'an understated assassin'

https://247sports.com/college/texas/LongFormArticle/The-Insider-Why-new-Texas-DC-is-an-understated-assassin-161118189/

Behind paywall -- anybody got this??

SIAP

pacman · February 19, 2021

IT summary of PK at a recent coaching clinic

Spoiler

PK AT THE LONE STAR CLINIC

This sounds like a place rawb gets his “Sunday morning checkups” but really it’s an online gathering of high school coaches talking shop. They were joined recently joined by Pete Kwiatkowski. Here is a comprehensive summary.

#####

Pete Kwiatkowski is a very detailed dude, very big on fundamentals much like Chris Ash was in his presentation last year when he came to Texas. He talked a lot about the way he teaches pass rush and tackling and also a little on how he likes to structure his fronts, including against spread teams like he'll face in the Big 12.

Kwiatkowski also broke down his process for scheming up his fronts and gameplanning opponents. They were a base 3-4 defense at Washington but rarely used it. Usually they played a "nickel front" which for them was more four-down with the "Jack linebacker" as the field side/strongside defensive end and the "X linebacker" as the weakside end/outside linebacker. He said they liked for both of those guys to be in the 6-2+ and 260-pound range but it rarely works out like that. They normally install the defense with the Jack to the field and X to the boundary but after install they'll get more flexible and move guys around based on gameplanning.

He said they'd do the gameplanning on Sunday and Monday and then work through stopping the run and situational work throughout the week. He will have the gameplan ready early to guide practice but spend the week watching more film on offensive coordinators to get a feel for how they call plays and attack defenses during a game. He also noted he doesn't like to have too many auto-checks against certain offensive formations or motions. He wants to be able to send in a call and have all his players feel confident about it. If you start using auto-checks then teams start to know what you're in and can catch you in a bad spot. His new boss Steve Sarkisian has a lot of film proving that's true.

He also puts a big emphasis on red zone defense and gameplanning for those moments with packages and calls. He'll match up with whatever the offense wants to do. As an example, he's had goal line packages with six defensive linemen and a single cornerback if they need to check an offense in a jumbo set.

Those details mostly came in Q&A.

For his presentation he focused on his drills and techniques for pass-rushing and tackling. The tackling stuff is much of the same rugby style techniques Chris Ash emphasized, aiming for the bottom of the numbers to the knees and shoulder tackling. His drills work to teach guys to make decisions on the fly and to avoid head-up tackles. Many of his drills also avoid having to take guys to the ground all the time in practice.

Kwiatkowski's philosophy for drills is to create second nature reactions for his players with all their techniques, both in tackling and in the pass rush. He teaches a pass rush progression in which his guys start by establishing a power rush but will choose their pass rush and know their plan by their second step based on the pass set by the offensive lineman. Again, all of his drills and teaching are designed to try and make this habitual so they aren't thinking in games.

He gets them in a sprinter stance when it's time to rush, always works on bending, and he has a bunch of NFL players he's coached he draws on for examples. The same clips he shared with us are surely being sent to recruits.

The defensive philosophy in the pass rush is oriented around containing and affecting the quarterback, when they rush three they teach the guys to contain or move the quarterback. Even though he's having them explode from their get-off he's not going to let them blow by the quarterback.

It sounds like he's going to rely on the defensive front to do a lot of work for the defense, which is a good way to go against spread teams.

Edited February 19, 2021 by pacman

Machinator · February 19, 2021

8 hours ago, LTtxfan said:

FCB

The Insider: Why new Texas DC is 'an understated assassin'

https://247sports.com/college/texas/LongFormArticle/The-Insider-Why-new-Texas-DC-is-an-understated-assassin-161118189/

Behind paywall -- anybody got this??

SIAP

Spoiler

WHY NEW TEXAS DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR IS 'AN UNDERSTATED ASSASSIN'

A source of mine with the Dallas Cowboys reached out to me this week to share thoughts on new Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski - considering Dallas drafted two of Kwiatkowski's players from Boise State - defensive ends Tyrone Crawford in 2012 and Demarcus Lawrence in 2014.

Kwiatkowski and then-Boise State linebackers coach Bob Gregory also started the recruitment of future Cowboys’ first-round draft pick linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, an elite athlete who was dominating the competition at tiny Salmon River High School in Riggins, Idaho (population 400).

In talking to sources close to Kwiatkowski, he and Gregory did a great job of evaluating Vander Esch, who was flying under college radars because he was playing eight-man football (which about 50 schools in Idaho play because of their small populations).

Boise State assistant Andy Avalos finished off Vander Esch's recruitment after Kwiatkowski and Gregory left Boise State to join Chris Petersen's staff at Washington in 2014. Vander Esch enrolled at Boise State as a preferred walk-on in 2014 and played only three seasons of college football (after redshirting as a freshman) before becoming the Cowboys' first-round pick in 2018.

“Here’s three things you need to know about PK,” said a coach who has worked with him. “He’s a great people person. He’s a great evaluator of talent, and he does a really good job of getting guys to play hard for him. That’s mostly because he does such a good job of preparing his guys and getting them in the right positions to make plays.

“His players see that he does his homework on offenses and gets them lined up right, and then they’ll do anything for him. And he’s not a yeller or screamer. He’s just a really good, smart coach - an understated assassin.”

The coach who worked with Kwiatkowski added, “In the Big 12, Gary Patterson has a reputation for changing up his defense for each opponent to try to take away what the other team does best. Pete (Kwiatkowski) is the same type of guy. Opposing teams will get new wrinkles each week. Really smart football coach.”

Kwiatkowski was the defensive coordinator at Boise State from 2010-13 under coach Chris Petersen after serving as Boise State's defensive line coach from 2006-09.

"You can count on PK's players to be really well-coached, really well prepared," the Cowboys source said. "His guys aren't going to be out there guessing. They're going to know the defense and what their role is within the defense, which allows his guys to play fast.

“Another thing you find about guys who’ve played for Pete (Kwiatkowski) is they play hard. He finds guys who love football, with a motor, who love to practice. That speaks to his ability to evaluate.”

Crawford was a 6-foot-5, 258-pound, three-star JUCO prospect at Bakersfield College when he signed with Boise State in 2010, going on to post 27 tackles for loss, including 13.5 sacks, and four forced fumbles in 2010 and 2011 in Kwiatkowski's defense.

Kwiatkowski recruited Crawford out of high school in Bakersfield, Calif., where Crawford played running back and defensive end, and helped place Crawford at Bakersfield College before bringing him to Boise State.

“Non-stop motor,” Kwiatkowski was quoted telling a former Boise State assistant about Crawford.

The former Boise State assistant gave a similar story about Kwiatkowski’s evaluation of Lawrence.

“PK loved Demarcus’ motor, and PK does a really good job in recruiting of telling guys who have a motor and love to practice that he can help develop them into big-time players. And he has the body of work to back it up.”

Lawrence was a 6-foot-3, 240-pound, three-star JUCO prospect at Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kan., Lawrence's hometown, when he signed with Boise State in 2012 after also being recruited by Kansas State, Indiana and Minnesota.

At Boise State, where Kwiatkowski told Lawrence he’d help develop him into a big-time player, Lawrence posted 34 tackles for loss, including 20 sacks, with three forced fumbles in 2012 and 2013.

The Cowboys’ source said while Dallas was evaluating Crawford, Kwiatkowski mentioned they should also keep an eye on Lawrence.

"PK's guys play tough and play physical, and he puts them in the right position to make plays and play fast," the Cowboys' source said. "He's a really good evaluator of talent. He may take a three-star guy with a great frame and a great attitude rather than the five-star guy who's already too high on himself. Texas fans will need to trust him on that stuff. Look at (Tyrone) Crawford and (Demarcus) Lawrence. Perfect examples."

Crawford, who is now 290 pounds, was a third-round draft pick of the Cowboys in 2012, signing a four-year, $2.74 million rookie contract before signing a five-year, $45 million extension in 2015. He has 25 career sacks, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries with the Cowboys.

Lawrence was a second-round draft pick of the Cowboys in 2014, signing a four-year, $5.506 million rookie contract. Lawrence played under the franchise tag in 2018, earning $17.143 million while posting 10.5 sacks, before signing a five-year, $105 million extension with Dallas in April 2019 that included a $25 million signing bonus with $65 million guaranteed.

In seven seasons in Dallas, Lawrence, who is now 265 pounds, has 69 tackles for loss, including 45.5 sacks, with 15 forced fumbles, eight fumble recoveries and one interception.

"I know some Texas fans may not be as familiar with PK," the Cowboys' source said, "but that's a hell of a hire. He helped put a lot of guys in the league while he was at Washington, too. The NFL trusts his guys."

LTtxfan · February 19, 2021

Thanks for this @Machinator

IT notes...

PK AT THE LONE STAR CLINIC

Pete Kwiatkowski is a very detailed dude, very big on fundamentals much like Chris Ash was in his presentation last year when he came to Texas. He talked a lot about the way he teaches pass rush and tackling and also a little on how he likes to structure his fronts, including against spread teams like he'll face in the Big 12.

Kwiatkowski also broke down his process for scheming up his fronts and gameplanning opponents. They were a base 3-4 defense at Washington but rarely used it. Usually they played a "nickel front" which for them was more four-down with the "Jack linebacker" as the field side/strongside defensive end and the "X linebacker" as the weakside end/outside linebacker. He said they liked for both of those guys to be in the 6-2+ and 260-pound range but it rarely works out like that. They normally install the defense with the Jack to the field and X to the boundary but after install they'll get more flexible and move guys around based on gameplanning.

He said they'd do the gameplanning on Sunday and Monday and then work through stopping the run and situational work throughout the week. He will have the gameplan ready early to guide practice but spend the week watching more film on offensive coordinators to get a feel for how they call plays and attack defenses during a game. He also noted he doesn't like to have too many auto-checks against certain offensive formations or motions. He wants to be able to send in a call and have all his players feel confident about it. If you start using auto-checks then teams start to know what you're in and can catch you in a bad spot. His new boss Steve Sarkisian has a lot of film proving that's true.

He also puts a big emphasis on red zone defense and gameplanning for those moments with packages and calls. He'll match up with whatever the offense wants to do. As an example, he's had goal line packages with six defensive linemen and a single cornerback if they need to check an offense in a jumbo set.

Those details mostly came in Q&A.

For his presentation he focused on his drills and techniques for pass-rushing and tackling. The tackling stuff is much of the same rugby style techniques Chris Ash emphasized, aiming for the bottom of the numbers to the knees and shoulder tackling. His drills work to teach guys to make decisions on the fly and to avoid head-up tackles. Many of his drills also avoid having to take guys to the ground all the time in practice.

Kwiatkowski's philosophy for drills is to create second nature reactions for his players with all their techniques, both in tackling and in the pass rush. He teaches a pass rush progression in which his guys start by establishing a power rush but will choose their pass rush and know their plan by their second step based on the pass set by the offensive lineman. Again, all of his drills and teaching are designed to try and make this habitual so they aren't thinking in games.

He gets them in a sprinter stance when it's time to rush, always works on bending, and he has a bunch of NFL players he's coached he draws on for examples. The same clips he shared with us are surely being sent to recruits.

The defensive philosophy in the pass rush is oriented around containing and affecting the quarterback, when they rush three they teach the guys to contain or move the quarterback. Even though he's having them explode from their get-off he's not going to let them blow by the quarterback.

It sounds like he's going to rely on the defensive front to do a lot of work for the defense, which is a good way to go against spread teams.

Edited February 19, 2021 by LTtxfan
Damn autocorrect

pacman · February 26, 2021

siap

They have a treasure trove of insight into Coach K's defense here, https://www.uwdawgpound.com/washington-huskies-film-study-hall

in particular, as highlighted by Ian at IT

https://www.uwdawgpound.com/2018/4/9/16859732/coach-bs-breakdown-the-husky-nickel-defense-front-6

https://www.uwdawgpound.com/2018/8/30/17232588/coach-bs-breakdown-the-husky-nickel-defense-the-back-5

IT's story... Gameplan: Jack linebacker and Pete Kwiatkowski’s pass-rush

Spoiler

If there was one flaw in the Texas roster waiting for Steve Sarkisian and his staff, it was at the crucial “edge” defensive position. When Tom Herman took over in Austin it was a program strength. Todd Orlando was constantly struggling to work out what to make of a roster with multiple promising edge players Charlie Strong had found among the 3-star ranks such as Breckyn Hager, Malcolm Roach, and Charles Omenihu.

Orlando got mixed results from his efforts to fit their talents into his brand of 3-down defense while restocking the roster with bigger bodies to play as 3-4 defensive ends. When Chris Ash took over in 2020 there was one sole remaining edge talent, Joseph Ossai. Now Ossai is off to the NFL Draft leaving a roster with the bigger 3-4 ends Orlando had accumulated behind for the next coach. Immediately upon arrival, Sarkisian and his staff were trying to plug the hole with recruits like David Abiara and transfers like Ray Thornton of LSU and Ovie Oghuofo of Notre Dame.

The Washington defense under Pete Kwiatkowski was famous for using a “2-4-5” setup, listing both “defensive ends” instead as “outside linebackers” on the depth chart and playing them outside-in in the exact opposite fashion of how Orlando was using his defensive ends in the “tite front.”

Working out and understanding how exactly Kwiatkowski’s “2-4” front works has taken me essentially until this past week to truly unpack, even with this handy guide to PK’s preferred terminology for the positions in his “nickel front.” There is a unique feature to his designs and how he plays his personnel up front which are a major departure from what you typically see, particularly at the Jack position. This distinctive feature will be majorly influential on Texas’ 2021 and 2022 defenses.

Pete Kwiatkowski’s “Jack linebacker”

Can you identify the “Jack” linebacker in this formation from Washington against the Air Raid USC Trojans back in 2019?

It’s only partially a trick question, the Huskies are in a dime package in this example. Here’s another challenge…

Where’s the Jack now?

Here’s how these formations look on the chalkboard with the positions designated by letter. In the first example against USC:

The Jack is Ryan Bowman and he’s lined up in a 4i-technique with the “Dime Backer” (“D”) lined up outside of him and the middle linebacker in a normal spot behind the nose tackle. The “X-backer/defensive end” is actually subbed out here for a sixth defensive back, safety Trent McDuffie (#22). The Huskies are in a “tite front” such as those Orlando used with the Jack and a defensive tackle in 4i-techniques and the nose over the center in a 0-technique.

Here’s the second example against Utah:

The Jack is still Ryan Bowman and this time he’s aligned more like you’d expect from an outside linebacker hybrid, standing up off the edge. The X-backer this time is Joe Tryon, a 6-5, 262 pounder, and the oddly named Dime Backer is lined up like a normal weakside/will linebacker would be as the boundary side inside linebacker.

In most defensive schemes you’d consider the X-backer position to be the true edge player and pass-rusher of the unit, which raises major problems if the defensive coordinator wants to scale down to a dime package. You need at least three solid defensive linemen on the field to hold gaps in a base dime defense or else all the extra defensive backs are at risk of being run over. But then what does the edge player do? Play like an inside linebacker as Orlando attempted with Ossai, Hager, and Roach? Sit on the bench while a safety takes his place? Stays on the edge while a safety replaces an inside linebacker?

It’s a non-issue for Kwiatkowski because the Jack is both the main pass-rusher AND the strongside end asked to set the edge to the strong or wide side of the formation. In most defenses the Jack is an outside linebacker on the weak side who may drop into coverage or blitz off the edge. In Kwiatkowki’s defense that role belongs to the X-backer and when the Huskies would get into a dime sub-package they could take the X-backer off the field for a safety and not have to remove their top pass-rusher.

You see this preference play out in recruiting where Washington would prioritize finding powerful defensive ends to play on the edge with high motors and heavy hands. Ryan Bowman (6-0, 280) and Zion Tupuola-Fetui (6-3, 280) have owned the position for the last several years while X-backer has been manned by guys such as Joe Tryon (6-5, 262) or Tevis Bartlett (6-2, 234) who are built like your typical outside linebacker hybrids.

The incoming 2021 class includes a number of defenders who project as “Jack linebackers” who bring heavy hands and hard-nosed play to the edge in addition to pass rush such as David Abiara, Jordon Thomas, Barryn Sorrell, and maybe Ja’Tavion Sanders. In the meantime…

Finding a Jack in 2021

While Sarkisian made it a priority to add Ray Thornton and Ovie Oghuofo, at 6-3, 225 (Thornton) and 6-3, 240 (Oghuofo) both of them project to X-backer rather than the Jack position. It’s hard to set the edge weighing under 250 pounds and you can forget about asking one of them to ever slide inside to a 4i-technique unless they have some Hager in them. Even Hager withered away in 2018 trying to hold up inside over a full season.

Fortunately for Kwiatkowski, Todd Orlando’s recruiting strategy did leave a pair of ends behind who might project more cleanly to the Jack in Marqez Bimage (6-2, 251) and Jacoby Jones (6-4, 264). Both of these guys have played some 4i-technique under Orlando and also shown some pass-rushing ability on the edge under either Orlando or Ash.

Jones’ sole sack as a Longhorn came lined up as a 3-technique against Oklahoma State on a third and sixteen. He ran a twist with the nose into the opposite B-gap and found a crease to run through in order to bring down Spencer Sanders.

Bimage’s sole sack as a Longhorn came in 2019, beating a Texas Tech right tackle inside in a 3-man rush as the fieldside end:

Bimage’s role spelling Orlando’s ends is close to what Kwiatkowski will be looking for from his Jack. Another good example is how Omenihu was utilized on the 40 Acres, occasionally lining up inside as a 4i-technique but generally working off the edge on passing downs. Bimage and Jones were previously stuck as tweeners in between the defunct B-backer position Orlando often subbed out for a dime anyways and an ideal 4i-technique with size like Ta’Quon Graham but now they find more natural homes in Kwiatkowski’s Jack position.

Generating a pass-rush

Kwiatkowski is going to bring the sort of three and four-man pass-rushing waves I’ve been hoping to see from Texas for several years now. His Husky defenses were very famous for generating pressure without bringing more than four very often.

The Jack is the primary, full-time pass-rusher who is sent after the quarterback off the edge or on inside stunts and loops. Kwiatkowski’s nickel front then has two additional, part-time pass-rushers. The first is the X-backer, whom he uses a little like Orlando did with the B-backer to the great frustration of Texas fans, dropping into coverage as often as he rushes the edge. The difference is Orlando would drop B-backers while utilizing obvious edge-rushing talents like Hager or Omenihu in the 4i-technique where they struggled to get outside in order to turn the corner on tackles. Then Orlando would use the weakside linebacker (the Rover in Orlando’s parlance) as the fourth and primary pass-rusher, sending them on inside paths through the guards.

Kwiatkowski will bring the X-backer or use the Dime Backer (his version of the Rover) as a fourth pass-rusher and at other times he’ll bring the nickel, mike, or a safety. In some seasons the Huskies had really strong X-backers they’d bring regularly off the edge and the Jack and X-backer’s roles were hard to distinguish from one another. In other years, you’d sometimes see one of the safeties creep up the leaderboards for most sacks (usually with 3-5 sacks). The Dime Backer is also routinely brought on the blitz, although not to the same extent as Orlando’s Rovers, and Kwiatkowski uses his faster, space-erasing linebacker as the Mike rather than the Dime. In Texas’ 2018 defense it would have been Anthony Wheeler as the Dime/Rover coming on inside blitzes while Gary Johnson played clean-up as the Mike.

For Texas in 2021, the X-backer is likely to be manned by one of the incoming transfers, Thornton or Oghuofo, neither of whom have the size or means to hold up as a Jack in this system. Both are solid pass-rushers who will likely end up serving as edge-rushers fairly often or else dropping into the boundary flat in zone coverage. Juwan Mitchell will be the heavy favorite to play the Dime Backer spot while DeMarvion Overshown’s range is put to use at the Mike.

So while the Longhorns probably won’t have a heavy-handed edge-rusher at the Jack who can make the base, 3-man rush work to its ideal, they’ll be in good shape in terms of being able to disguise and bring a fourth rusher from the X-backer, Mike, Dime Backer, safety, or nickel positions which will all have solid and experienced blitzers. There’s also Alfred Collins, who will be a force multiplier for anything Texas does and likely from a variety of alignments.

Down the road Texas is going to benefit in a major way from Kwiatkowski’s emphasis on recruiting and developing pass-rushers who can work from a 3-man front. It’s very hard to play great defense in today’s Big 12 without those solid, strongside end/edge hybrids like Ronnie Perkins, JaQuan Bailey, James Lynch, and James Lockhart who allowed their teams to affect or bring down the quarterback while dropping seven or eight into coverage.

The 2-4-5 structure is also useful for allowing the defense to bring pass-rushers in groups of three or four that can vary and come with disguise and movement, although if Texas is playing smaller bodies at both Jack and X-backer who can’t slide inside of a tight end it’ll require some adjustments on the back end in coverage.

For the last several years Texas has struggled to recruit and make the most of the state’s top pass-rushing talents. Kwiatkowski’s Jack linebacker position is going to give them a chance to blend the state’s talent with the realities of modern defense.

LTtxfan · March 4, 2021

Wishbone · March 4, 2021

3 hours ago, LTtxfan said:

Seems good.

LTtxfan · March 4, 2021

IT

Gameplan: Peso defense and the new world of cover 3

Ian Boyd Mar 4, 2021

Quote

Over the weekend, Steve Sarkisian’s staff added yet another outside linebacker transfer to the roster. This time it was a former 5-star recruit, Alabama “Jack” linebacker Ben Davis, a 6-foot-4, 250-pounder. Davis never cracked the top of the depth chart in Tuscaloosa but was solid for the Tide in mop-up duty as a boundary 9-technique who could rush the edge, stunt, or drop into coverage. Davis joins fellow newcomer outside linebackers Ray Thornton and Ovie Oghuofo on a team well stocked with big defensive linemen but short (until now) on outside linebackers.

Suddenly the Texas defensive roster includes three grad transfers at outside linebacker, two of which have only one year of eligibility remaining (Davis and Thornton), along with some returning defensive ends from the Tom Herman roster such as Marqez Bimage, Jacoby Jones, and maybe Moro Ojomo or Vernon Broughton if they don’t play inside at defensive tackle. When summer comes, the influx of transfers and freshmen will completely transform the position.

It’s not surprising Texas’ new staff would be keen to fill out the roster with greater depth of positions. New defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski had an extensive playbook at Washington in terms of the defensive fronts and packages involved, utilizing 46 and odd 3-4 defenses, even 3-4 defenses, some 3-down dime schemes, and a 2-4-5 “peso” nickel package.

Today, we’re going to talk about the peso package, which increasingly appears to be the likely “base” defense for the Longhorns in 2020. A true 2-4-5 defense with outside linebackers at either “defensive end” position has ramifications for the structure of the overall defense. If the Longhorns present a nickel package starting Ray Thornton opposite one of the other transfers, or even the bigger Jacoby Jones or Marqez Bimage, there’s a good chance this will dictate how the rest of the defense functions in order to execute the scheme.

Peso defense

The term “peso defense” is just a clever way of naming an alternate sort of nickel package using two defensive linemen, four linebackers, and five defensive backs. Instead of using the term “nickel,” which normally describes a 4-2-5 personnel package, they use the Mexican “peso” which is worth .048 American dollars…or about a nickel. Still basically a 4-2 front but just a little bit less, because those ends are both linebackers.

The 2-4-5 nickel package comes from base 3-4 defenses and is one of many efforts to maintain the fundamental advantage conferred by the 3-4 defense for the era of spread offenses. This fundamental advantage is being able to play an explosive edge player to either side of the formation and making the offense wonder and guess at which one might be rushing the quarterback on a given snap.

When an offense played a slot receiver it pushed the defense to remove one of those outside linebackers from the box and asked a typically 240+ pound pass-rusher to drop into coverage and chase 190 pound, sub 4.2 shuttle runners on timing routes. This didn’t work.

Todd Orlando’s solution to this issue was basically to teach an outside linebacker to play inside linebacker and rush an interior gap while subbing out the outside linebacker position for an extra defensive back. The Big 12 eventually had him following this formula to playing in dime with defensive backs at either outside linebacker position.

The “peso” solution is to sub out one of the defensive linemen and use the outside linebackers more consistently on the edge of the front, which requires giving up on the odd front nature in order to play a 4-down type, even front.

In a 2-4-5 the defense could theoretically play dominant edge-rushers to either side of the formation and also mix in a wide variety of stunts and four-man blitzes with either outside linebacker effectively having four options for the offense to consider every snap.

The 2-4-5 offers more flexibility in disguising and creating pressure than a 4-2-5, 3-3-5, or most any other nickel package. It’s designed to emphasize hybrid edge rushers rather than allowing the spread offense to chase them off the field by deploying weapons out on the perimeter. There’s a cost to this approach though and it materializes in run defense.

If the offense plays with a tight end they create additional gaps up front for the defense to account for, which is true for any scheme. However, if you have outside linebackers on the field who lack the size, strength, or technique to face double teams or down angles then you’re in a bit of a pickle. You cannot play a 6 or 7-technique linebacker (definitely not a 5-tech) shaded inside of a big blocking tight end if he’s not big and skilled enough to avoid getting washed down.

Additionally, if you want your outside linebackers to play as true outside linebackers, standing up with the option to drop back and positioned to set the edge, then you don’t want them lined up inside of a big tight end anyways.

But you have seven gaps up front to defend and a new inside gap to assign.

Gary Patterson’s 4-2-5 would typically play the field defensive end in a 6-technique, lined up across and inside of the tight end. He’d have a defensive back handle the edge while the five interior gaps and opposite edge would be assigned to his six-man, nickel front. Kwiatkowski could do that as well if he had a Jack who could slide inside and play as more of a true defensive end, but he may not have such a player in 2021 and he may not want to go that route anyways since he also likes to set the edge.

In that event, the defense needs to have a plan to account for an interior gap with a defensive back, most likely a safety, and thus we get into all sorts of downstream consequences for the overall structure of the defense.

The new world of cover 3

While ubiquitous across the greater college football world, Nick Saban’s famous pattern-matching cover 3 has not been particularly common in the Big 12. Texas played a very simple version of it under Charlie Strong, as did Oklahoma under Mike Stoops. Both had fairly mixed results.

Pattern-matching cover 3 was developed specifically to resolve this very problem, how to get a defensive back in position to support the run without playing pure zone. A true zone defense in the Big 12 is a nonstarter. Good quarterbacks and RPOs can shred defenders trying to balance run fits with coverage drops. You could frustrate all but the most accurate quarterbacks and eliminate some RPO difficulties with man coverage, but those schemes require elite play at both cornerback and deep safety. Match 3 defense has rules regarding who covers which receivers or which routes based on formation and assignment and generally takes the best of the cover 3 and cover 1 (man) worlds.

It all gets pretty detailed and technical in a hurry, so teams don’t typically dabble in multiple, divergent brands of pattern-matching coverage. They’ll major in match quarters or match 3 (cover 3) or include just a few versions of both. At Washington, Kwiatkowski’s defense was pretty famous for majoring VERY heavily in match 3 as opposed to having many quarters coverages in the equation. Terry Joseph’s Notre Dame defense went in the opposite direction, putting more emphasis on quarters.

The formation above could be solved by Kwiatkowski’s Washington defense playing match 3 in this fashion:

The strong/boundary safety is now dropping down to give the defense help in stopping weak side runs, having enough defenders in the box to account for all the gaps, and specifically having a defender playing with enough depth to help fit inside runs.

Kwiatkowski’s nickel was generally more of a nickel corner who’d have to play zone in wide open spaces or play man coverage on the slot receiver, depending on the formation and which type of match 3 call was made. The free and strong safety would then tend to play in space less often, unless dropping deep to serve as the post safety over the top. Free from the responsibility for turning and running with receivers, they could be bigger defenders like the tandem of JoJo McIntosh and Taylor Rapp who both played between 210 and 220 pounds.

Such an alignment fits well with the Texas personnel for 2021. The Longhorns now have three high level cornerbacks in Josh Thompson, D’Shawn Jamison, and McNeese State transfer Darion Dunn, at least two of which (Thompson and Jamison) project well to the nickel position. Then the two returning starting “safeties” include the versatile and rangy B.J. Foster and the bigger Chris Adimora who spent last season hanging around the box. Adimora makes more than a little sense as a strong safety who drops down into the run fit from time to time while Foster has more athleticism and experience playing in the deep field or matching slot receivers now and again when the nickel blitzes.

It’s worth pausing to note the nature of Kwiatkowski’s defensive structure tends to increase the linebackers’ share of tackles because they can pursue the ball and key the running back or the tight end while leaving behind gaps for the strong safety to then account for in the fit. One of the two inside linebackers (the Mike and the Dime backer) accounted for the team’s leading tackler in five of seven years at Washington under Kwiatkowski, between those two positions you could almost always account for two of the top three tacklers in a given year.

For instance, if the offense ran a standard split zone play at this formation with pass options attached for the quarterback:

The strong safety and nickel are able to sit in the passing windows while the linebackers track the tight end and back’s paths to find the football. If the glance RPO is a real threat the strong safety may have to hang in the window before arriving as a plus one in the run game but hesitation is the defense’s friend against option concepts. If the strong safety can create hesitation from the quarterback and running back, the potential paths for the running back decrease and the overall defense can start to recognize what’s happening and get hats to the ball.

In this case, the glance route also faces man coverage from the cornerback, forcing an exact throw with a safety potentially sitting in the window. Many a quarterback will just avoid the risk and hope his running back can find some room to work in before the strong safety arrives to erase any possible space.

The design of this system isn’t to create a “Roy-backer” like Oklahoma’s Roy Williams but to use the safeties as a release valve to free up the linebackers to make the plays.

After RPOs, the other pressing question is how match 3 works against some of the Big 12’s nastier passing concepts. We’ll dive into the weaknesses of match 3 over the course of the offseason but there are a few particular areas to note. One trouble spot from the weak rotation seen above which puts the strong safety near the box is the requirement for the Mike linebacker to be able to handle himself in space to the opposite side of the formation. Texas is in great shape here though with DeMarvion Overshown.

Another concern with an embrace of match 3 defense is the need for the nickel to be able to man up slot receivers. On a slot fade route with the receiver breaking outside there will be occasions in which the nickel has some manner of help over the top and occasions in which he’ll need to turn and run without it.

Washington had some NFL players in their nickel position, including Budda Baker and Myles Bryant, who were both scrappy but sub 6-0 and very quick in a shuttle drill. All of Texas’ three main cornerbacks figure to be quick-moving athletes but D’Shawn Jamison may have the best change of direction whereas Josh Thompson and Darion Dunn are obvious fits as cover 3 cornerbacks.

Texas still has a lot of big defensive linemen on campus and Kwiatkowski does have 3-man fronts in his playbook, but they’ve been shaping the roster to potentially lean on a Peso nickel package, which has traditionally been his answer to Big 12 type offenses in the past. If the Peso is Kwiatkowski’s main solution in 2021, it will have other ramifications for the shaping of the greater defense. Fortunately for the Longhorns, many of those adjustments make sense for the roster.

https://insidetexas.com/gameplan-peso-defense-and-the-new-world-of-cover-3/

Tex-19 · March 9, 2021

On 3/3/2021 at 8:16 PM, LTtxfan said:

I feel like these stats didn't get enough love on here. Top 15 defense 8 out of 10 years?? Is there anyone else who can claim that? If we can field consistent top 15 Ds with Sark's offense, watch the F out.

Also, 14 1st/2nd rounders in 10 years with Boise/UW level talent is very impressive

LTtxfan · March 10, 2021

16 minutes ago, Tex-19 said:

I feel like these stats didn't get enough love on here. Top 15 defense 8 out of 10 years?? Is there anyone else who can claim that? If we can field consistent top 15 Ds with Sark's offense, watch the F out.

Also, 14 1st/2nd rounders in 10 years with Boise/UW level talent is very impressive

Getting both PK and Choate, I believe SARK fell into two better coaches than his original choices.

Can't wait to see PK's defense this year -- might be a lot better than most expect

LTtxfan · March 13, 2021

Behind 247 Paywall...

The Insider: Installation of the offense and defense under Sark has begun

VIP By FUCK CHIP BROWN

Mar 11, 2021

Machinator · March 13, 2021

5 minutes ago, LTtxfan said:

Behind 247 Paywall...

The Insider: Installation of the offense and defense under Sark has begun

VIP By FUCK CHIP BROWN

Mar 11, 2021

I posted it in the offseason thread.

Edited March 13, 2021 by Machinator

Sal · March 13, 2021

Post less and read more @LTtxfan

LTtxfan · March 13, 2021

53 minutes ago, LTtxfan said:

Behind 247 Paywall...

The Insider: Installation of the offense and defense under Sark has begun

VIP By FUCK CHIP BROWN

Thx TARS...

FCB: "On defense, sources continue to tell Horns247 things will “mirror” what we saw on defense from the Longhorns in 2020.

“PK (Pete Kwiatkowski) isn’t going to reinvent things,” a team source told Horns247. “There is talent and numbers on the defensive line. The goal is to get your best 11 on the field. That’s why you’ll see the defense mirror last year.”

GETTING TO KNOW ‘THE CHOATER’

We’ve written in the INSIDER recently about how Pete Kwiatkowski is “an understated assassin,” according to some peers.

We’ve also written that Kwiatkowski is the ice while UT co-defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach Jeff Choate is the fire in a fire-and-ice combination that has quickly gotten the attention of Longhorns’ players.

So, let’s spend a little time getting to know “The Choater,” as he is known to close friends and colleagues.

By now, you probably know Choate was the head coach at Montana State, reaching the FCS semifinals in 2019, after serving as a long-time assistant with Kwiatkowski under Chris Petersen at Boise State and Washington.

To put the Choater into context, I spoke with Mansfield Timberview head coach James Brown, who got to know Choate back in 2007.

That’s when Brown was coaching at Fort Bend Kempner in the Houston area and Choate was an assistant coach at Boise State recruiting Kempner safety George Iloka, who would go on to Boise and then an eight-year career in the NFL with the Bengals and Vikings.

“The first thing you notice about The Choater is his energy,” Brown said. “He really connects with people and draws them in, which makes him a phenomenal recruiter.

“Then, as I got to know him during his time recruiting George (Iloka), you see how organized he is and what a great teacher he is.

“Just from a first-impression standpoint, he offered to take time with our staff at Kempner on the white board and would answer any questions our staff had. Trust me, as a high school coach, you appreciate that stuff.”

Iloka was a January/early enrollee at Boise State, and Brown remembers getting a call from Choate saying, “It’s Day One of workouts, and your boy (Iloka) is here, curled up in the fetal position after puking and throwing up.”

Iloka played in every game his freshman year at Boise State at the age of 17 and was the youngest player in the Western Athletic Conference in 2008 (totaling 62 tackles and four interceptions as a freshman. He finished at Boise with 231 tackles, 13.5 sacks and seven interceptions and was all-conference as a senior).

“Jeff took the time to call me and let me know how George was doing,” Brown said. “He’s not a guy who’s going to baby a player or babysit a player, he’s a guy who is going to help young men take the next step in football and in life.”

Now, Choate will be giving Brown updates on Hullaby, who should challenge for playing time this season at linebacker for Texas.

“There are classroom coaches and get-em-on-the grass coaches,” Brown said. “The Choater definitely lives to coach on the grass.

“He really gets guys to buy in, and with his energy, it’s like he’s 28 years old. He loves the game. He’s passionate about the things he does, and the way he coaches, his kids are going to play hard for him all the time.

“I’m glad Choater is in the state of Texas. I think Sark has done a really good job of surrounding himself with the right guys. Jeff Banks is maybe the best special teams coach in the country.”

With Pete (Kwiatkowski) and Choater getting back together from their days at Washington and Boise State, I think that’s really going to help the communication on that side of the football and bring guys together - both staff and kid-wise.

“Sark obviously has a great mind offensively. So, I think they’ve put themselves in a really good position. Heck, there’s probably six future head coaches on that staff. I think the kids are buying in and really enjoy the transparency of the guys who are there right now.”

Zeus · March 13, 2021

Man I just hope D'Shawn Jamison shows out. He should be a 1st rounder, and with those return skills he's gonna hopefully make a big splash this year.

Get some heat on that Albino kid for OU and stop that stupid fucking GT counter they run every single fucking year.

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