Lee Barfknecht

[Pennsyhusker]

says we can expect a "bumpy ride" this year. He says he bases this on information he has gotten from various sources that it usually takes a full year to shift from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4. He also was taken aback by how nonchalant the players were about last year's embarrassment in the bowl loss.

I don't have much respect for Barfknecht nor for football journalists in general. But he does at least raise two questions that have been discussed on this board before that deserve more discussion:

1. How successful will Diaco be in the first year of the 3-4?

My view is that most of what was holding our defense back last year was lackluster coaching. I think we see a more immediate turnaround than Barfy suggests due to a better staff. The weak link is OLB. I say we will surprise at that position and be better than people think. The key will be pass coverage by the OLB. We will soon see.

2. Do we have true leaders on this team and do most players on this team truly buy into a culture of excellence?

I have no clue here and that is important. There might be a small handful of people on this board who have the pulse of the locker room and can validly advance an opinion about this. Barfy suggests that last year this was an issue. Is he right about that? If he is, what was the source of the apathy? Is it still there?

As an outsider you cannot form an opinion on this issue based on articles in the papers. They are mostly inflated, feel-good, bullshit. And in my opinion our season will rise or fall based on this issue. We do have decent talent. And we have a good coaching staff in place. But what will the attitude of the team be at the first sign of adversity?

Like it or not, this team quit last year against Iowa and Tennessee. Especially on defense. And don't give me the crap about injuries to our QB. In 94 I watched Nebraska beat a very good K State team in Manhattan with Turman as QB. Yes, yes, we do not have the overall talent of that 94 team. But I stand by my assertion that last year's team quit. Iowa had a very, very average offense last year. And they pounded it down our throats like they were playing Rice. Tennessee had more offensive talent than Iowa, but they were not world beaters by any means. And yet they looked like the most well oiled offensive machine in America against us.

I say this year will be different due to the new staff. Koolaid drinking? I don't know. We will see

 

[SeaOfRed75]

Im with you. I d rather drink Kool-aid then go along with a douche like McKewon.

 

[Pennsyhusker]

Im with you. I d rather drink Kool-aid then go along with a douche like McKewon.

Sometimes I think these writers go out of their way to be negative just to prove they aren't Sipple-like sunshine pumpers.

 

[HuskerLLM]

At the end of the year, will be interesting to see how often NU is in 3-4 and 4-3...IMO will be a more gradual transition

 

[TruHusker]

Haven't read the article so I don't know where this is coming from. He has more access than most of the rest of us.

How do you separate fact from fiction. In other words, could he be right? You call it negative but could it perhaps be the truth? Could it be some fans do not want to confront the reality of the situation? Just asking? I don't really know.

 

[yort2000]

says we can expect a "bumpy ride" this year. He says he bases this on information he has gotten from various sources that it usually takes a full year to shift from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4. He also was taken aback by how nonchalant the players were about last year's embarrassment in the bowl loss.

I don't have much respect for McKewon nor for football journalists in general. But he does at least raise two questions that have been discussed on this board before that deserve more discussion:

1. How successful will Diaco be in the first year of the 3-4?

My view is that most of what was holding our defense back last year was lackluster coaching. I think we see a more immediate turnaround than McKewon suggests due to a better staff. The weak link is OLB. I say we will surprise at that position and be better than people think. The key will be pass coverage by the OLB. We will soon see.

2. Do we have true leaders on this team and do most players on this team truly buy into a culture of excellence?

I have no clue here and that is important. There might be a small handful of people on this board who have the pulse of the locker room and can validly advance an opinion about this. McKewon suggests that last year this was an issue. Is he right about that? If he is, what was the source of the apathy? Is it still there?

As an outsider you cannot form an opinion on this issue based on articles in the papers. They are mostly inflated, feel-good, bullshit. And in my opinion our season will rise or fall based on this issue. We do have decent talent. And we have a good coaching staff in place. But what will the attitude of the team be at the first sign of adversity?

Like it or not, this team quit last year against Iowa and Tennessee. Especially on defense. And don't give me the crap about injuries to our QB. In 94 I watched Nebraska beat a very good K State team in Manhattan with Turman as QB. Yes, yes, we do not have the overall talent of that 94 team. But I stand by my assertion that last year's team quit. Iowa had a very, very average offense last year. And they pounded it down our throats like they were playing Rice. Tennessee had more offensive talent than Iowa, but they were not world beaters by any means. And yet they looked like the most well oiled offensive machine in America against us.

I say this year will be different due to the new staff. Koolaid drinking? I don't know. We will see

That was Barfy, not McKewon.

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

I don't really have much of an issue with the player's "nonchalant" attitude toward the bowl game. Learn from it and let it go. Embarrassment is a short term motivator.

I don't think there will be a gradual switch from a 4-3 to a 3-4. I think the 3-4 will be the base from day 1. However, if you have watched any ND film from when Diaco was there, you will see they run a lot of 4 man fronts. Diaco has also mentioned several times that his defense is not just a 3-4. I think people have chosen to believe he was not talking about it to be coy.

Also - as far as nonchalant from Bowl game goes, this will be a completely different team from its last game. The offense will look different, the defense will look different. I'm not sure the bowl game result is as relevant to many of the players as it is to the fans.

 

[headcard]

This particular hatchet job was from Lee B, who makes Sam look like pulitzer winner.

 

[headcard]

Just to clarify, I really don't have a problem with the 7-5 prediction, a sound case can be made (and has been by others). But his BS about DPE goofing off, etc, is beyond amateur hour. The whole article was just a collection of random dates that gave him something to bitch about. Key SR, said something I don't like. Arkansas State thinks they can beat us, that must mean we suck. blah blah blah

 

[Pennsyhusker]

Sorry... yes, this is Barfknecht and not McKewon. I have changed the title thread. Read too many articles this morning

 

[TheBeav815]

Congratulations to Dirk on no longer being the pariah at the OWH. Now the cool kids hate Sam for daring to ever say that NU might not win it all this year.

Even when it's not his article.

And yes, I do expect growing pains. They don't have a roster of upperclassmen who are 3-4 guys.

This is the same crew who couldn't get to the QB last year. They're just lined up differently. People act like a 4-3 doesn't have blitzes and a 3-4 does. It's not like they haven't tried sacking the QB.

Name a guy who is a natural OLB and is a proven, game-changing pass rusher. I'll wait. We don't have one, let alone two. We're optimistic about MLB play, but were you thrilled about what we had at MLB last year?

I'm not saying they can't be good, but I've seen this fight every. single. year. about how dare somebody say we won't "shock the world" this season. And yet the team has been average since what...2010? Longer?

 

[HBK4life]

Barfy is a closet Iowa fan who looks like a chimo. Nuff said.

 

[headcard]

Congratulations to Dirk on no longer being the pariah at the OWH. Now the cool kids hate Sam for daring to ever say that NU might not win it all this year.

Even when it's not his article.

And yes, I do expect growing pains. They don't have a roster of upperclassmen who are 3-4 guys.

This is the same crew who couldn't get to the QB last year. They're just lined up differently. People act like a 4-3 doesn't have blitzes and a 3-4 does. It's not like they haven't tried sacking the QB.

Name a guy who is a natural OLB and is a proven, game-changing pass rusher. I'll wait. We don't have one, let alone two. We're optimistic about MLB play, but were you thrilled about what we had at MLB last year?

I'm not saying they can't be good, but I've seen this fight every. single. year. about how dare somebody say we won't "shock the world" this season. And yet the team has been average since what...2010? Longer?

Did you even read his article? I don't think he actually made any of the points you are. Like I said, you can make a good case for Nebraska going 7-5, but that is not what Lee B did. Instead, he bitched about Keyshawn Senior and told how Diaco is no Kevin Steele because he hasn't broken a collarbone at practice yet.

http://www.omaha.com/huskers/footba...cle_9b5721b5-05c5-5c69-9abc-e98d9eb1186d.html

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

Congratulations to Dirk on no longer being the pariah at the OWH. Now the cool kids hate Sam for daring to ever say that NU might not win it all this year.

Even when it's not his article.

And yes, I do expect growing pains. They don't have a roster of upperclassmen who are 3-4 guys.

This is the same crew who couldn't get to the QB last year. They're just lined up differently. People act like a 4-3 doesn't have blitzes and a 3-4 does. It's not like they haven't tried sacking the QB.

Name a guy who is a natural OLB and is a proven, game-changing pass rusher. I'll wait. We don't have one, let alone two. We're optimistic about MLB play, but were you thrilled about what we had at MLB last year?

I'm not saying they can't be good, but I've seen this fight every. single. year. about how dare somebody say we won't "shock the world" this season. And yet the team has been average since what...2010? Longer?

I have made a distinction between putting pressure on the passer and blitzing in a 3-4 and a 4-3. The biggest difference is in the disguise and deception. In a 4-3, the front 4 are going to be rushing almost every time in a pass situation. If you blitz a linebacker or safety you will be sending 5 and dropping 6 in coverage. If you blitz a LB and drop a lineman into coverage the deception may be there but you aren't creating mismatches with numbers. In a 3-4, you can send any 1 of 4 linebackers in addition to the 3 linemen. So even without "blitzing" and still sending 4 there is an advantage in disguise. If you decide to send 5, then you are in even better position for disguise and deception with how and who you blitz.

 

[Pennsyhusker]

Haven't read the article so I don't know where this is coming from. He has more access than most of the rest of us.

How do you separate fact from fiction. In other words, could he be right? You call it negative but could it perhaps be the truth? Could it be some fans do not want to confront the reality of the situation? Just asking? I don't really know.

I have zero issue with a negative assessment of our prospects this year. Who knows how this year will play out? And we have been mediocre for so long, being more negative than positive has a decent pedigree to it at this point.

But I do expect journalists with the World Herald to back up their view with something more credible than what we have here. This reads like a negative Nellie post by a drunk fan after a bad game... full of emotion but with little rationale. Add to that the fact that Barfy has a history of doing this and you get why I don't like it.

I still think though that the questions it raises are valid. Hence the thread with its two questions

 

[Truehuskerfan]

All I need to see is that it's from Lee Barfknecht to know it's not worth my time to even read. He has a job at the World-Herald for one reason, and that's to be the contrarian when it comes to the Huskers. Always been that way, and it will never change.

 

[Pennsyhusker]

I have made a distinction between putting pressure on the passer and blitzing in a 3-4 and a 4-3. The biggest difference is in the disguise and deception. In a 4-3, the front 4 are going to be rushing almost every time in a pass situation. If you blitz a linebacker or safety you will be sending 5 and dropping 6 in coverage. If you blitz a LB and drop a lineman into coverage the deception may be there but you aren't creating mismatches with numbers. In a 3-4, you can send any 1 of 4 linebackers in addition to the 3 linemen. So even without "blitzing" and still sending 4 there is an advantage in disguise. If you decide to send 5, then you are in even better position for disguise and deception with how and who you blitz.

I like this. I read something similar to this last week as well. This gives me hope we will be better in the switch to the 3-4 in getting to the QB

 

[headcard]

All I need to see is that it's from Lee Barfknecht to know it's not worth my time to even read. He has a job at the World-Herald for one reason, and that's to be the contrarian when it comes to the Huskers. Always been that way, and it will never change.

But he's so bad at it. It should be easy: untested QB, new DC, loss of Jones, lack of depth at certain positions. But instead we get DPE didn't cry after the bowl game and Keyshawn Sr will let his son smoke weed when he's 30. WTF is that?

 

[headcard]

Plus we will be in an even front alot too. Davis can slide down and play DT and Alex Davis can put a hand on the ground, it doesn't have to be as big of transition as some are making it out to be.

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

I like this. I read something similar to this last week as well. This gives me hope we will be better in the switch to the 3-4 in getting to the QB

I will point out that I am not calling for 50 sacks by the team this year because I don't think Nebraska will do that. But I will say there will be increased pressure on the QB. I also don't think that because the front 4 didn't get huge pressure last year is necessarily relevant. If your scheme relies on beating guys 1 on 1 with minimal blitzes as was the case last year you have to have skilled pass rushers in your front 4. With the deception and disguise of an odd man front you can get pressure without the necessity of being a skilled pass rusher.

 

[HuskerLLM]

I don't really have much of an issue with the player's "nonchalant" attitude toward the bowl game. Learn from it and let it go. Embarrassment is a short term motivator.

I don't think there will be a gradual switch from a 4-3 to a 3-4. I think the 3-4 will be the base from day 1. However, if you have watched any ND film from when Diaco was there, you will see they run a lot of 4 man fronts. Diaco has also mentioned several times that his defense is not just a 3-4. I think people have chosen to believe he was not talking about it to be coy.

Also - as far as nonchalant from Bowl game goes, this will be a completely different team from its last game. The offense will look different, the defense will look different. I'm not sure the bowl game result is as relevant to many of the players as it is to the fans.

You described what I meant by gradual...maybe word should be exclusive

 

[TheBeav815]

Boys, we've seen this movie before right here in Chicago. "Ohhhh Vic Fangio ohhhh 3-4 ohhhh look out NFL." They were better, but they still weren't great. As the old saying goes...it's the Jimmies and Joes.

 

[Iwillnotpostdrunk....]

Hey guys, hope your having a great day. Friendly reminder, Iowa fans are very excited about you going to a 3-4 and focusing on a "pro-style" passing game and fast receivers. You are building the opposite or what we had with Greg Davis. Fast athletic defense that will cover well but have questions in the trenches and pairing that with a passing game offense... sounds great on paper, right? How well will it work when it's 10 degrees outside? As a follow up, we went power D with a quick passing offense and the team never had an identity. Wisconsin makes the 3-4 work (though the coaching changes are starting to catch up) because they seem to always have tough, tough linebackers and huge O-line that can play a clock control offense. I think what you guys are going to find is 1) you will look like world beaters in Sept. 2) Against "fast teams" (Indiana, NW, Ohio St. Or in a Dome) you guys will be solid. The meat grinders, (Iowa, mich st, wiscy) are going to be rough and you are pairing it with a QB these "Slow" teams don't have to worry about taking the ball down and running 80 yards a la T.Mart, Thorson, every qb osu has had in the last 15 years, etc. It will be fun to see your transition and like always I hope you guys beat Wiscy.


.000

 

[nebcountry]

I read the article, and I'll respond to your questions Pennsyhusker. But first, I didn't really like the article, too disjointed in my opinion.

1. How successful will Diaco be in the first year of the 3-4?
I think we'll be okay, mostly because of what I'll call the enthusiasm factor (it's really just coaching). High energy and accountability appear to be (to me) what Diaco brings as the intangibles that will help our D the most. Some people perform at a much higher level when they know they're being watched closely, there's expectations, and they'll get a face-to-face if expectations aren't met. Hopefully the players will internalize the expectations and be willing to "share" these expectations with other players that don't buy in as much.

So where's the concern. Blown assignments, and they almost always hurt. Different formations, blocking schemes, players in motion where it's looking different on the field than it did on "paper". A scout team can only do so much to help with preparation.

2. Do we have true leaders on this team and do most players on this team truly buy into a culture of excellence?
I agree with Barfknecht that "Average teams are led by coaches. Players lead great teams." BUT, it has to START with the coaches. Coaches have to be more then technique experts. Nate Gerry's shouldn't happen, never, never, never. See my answer to 1. above, the intangibles that Diaco brings to the D is what is exactly missing from a Mike Riley led team.

There are people out here in the real world that hire life coaches. These life coaches are supposed to help people reach their potential by convincing them to do things they can already do, but are held back by anxiety, fear of failure, etc. These life coaches are an offshoot of athletic coaches. So, there's no reason for an athletic coach to say he has a team of adults that can self motivate.

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

Boys, we've seen this movie before right here in Chicago. "Ohhhh Vic Fangio ohhhh 3-4 ohhhh look out NFL." They were better, but they still weren't great. As the old saying goes...it's the Jimmies and Joes.

Pro football has 32 teams made up of the elite of the elite. Not quite the same as 130 FBS teams.

There are examples of college teams switching to a 3-4 and having success. Everyone's favorite example of how it's supposed to be done, Wisconsin, had s successful switch to a 3-4 in year one. I am told their talent level isn't all that good, it's just development.

 

[Pennsyhusker]

Boys, we've seen this movie before right here in Chicago. "Ohhhh Vic Fangio ohhhh 3-4 ohhhh look out NFL." They were better, but they still weren't great. As the old saying goes...it's the Jimmies and Joes.

I agree about not overhyping this. But I don't think anyone on here is being delusional or saying we are going to have a "great" defense this year. But I do think we will be better. Heck, the mere addition of three new defensive coaches and the shit canning of Banker will make us better no matter what scheme we are running

 

[Pennsyhusker]

I read the article, and I'll respond to your questions Pennsyhusker. But first, I didn't really like the article, too disjointed in my opinion.

1. How successful will Diaco be in the first year of the 3-4?
I think we'll be okay, mostly because of what I'll call the enthusiasm factor (it's really just coaching). High energy and accountability appear to be (to me) what Diaco brings as the intangibles that will help our D the most. Some people perform at a much higher level when they know they're being watched closely, there's expectations, and they'll get a face-to-face if expectations aren't met. Hopefully the players will internalize the expectations and be willing to "share" these expectations with other players that don't buy in as much.

So where's the concern. Blown assignments, and they almost always hurt. Different formations, blocking schemes, players in motion where it's looking different on the field than it did on "paper". A scout team can only do so much to help with preparation.

2. Do we have true leaders on this team and do most players on this team truly buy into a culture of excellence?
I agree with Barfknecht that "Average teams are led by coaches. Players lead great teams." BUT, it has to START with the coaches. Coaches have to be more then technique experts. Nate Gerry's shouldn't happen, never, never, never. See my answer to 1. above, the intangibles that Diaco brings to the D is what is exactly missing from a Mike Riley led team.

There are people out here in the real world that hire life coaches. These life coaches are supposed to help people reach their potential by convincing them to do things they can already do, but are held back by anxiety, fear of failure, etc. These life coaches are an offshoot of athletic coaches. So, there's no reason for an athletic coach to say he has a team of adults that can self motivate.

Thanks for this. I agree with your assessment

 

[Truehuskerfan]

Personally, I think too much is made of the 3-4 and what it brings that is better. In fact, I don't really know that it's the switch to the 3-4 per se that has people excited. I think it's Bob Diaco and his style and intensity that people are excited about which is completely different than we had with Banker. I don't think we brought in Diaco because he runs the 3-4 and we wanted to make a change that way, I think we brought him in because of his good track record as a Defensive Coordinator and it just so happened that the 3-4 was the kind of defense he runs.

 

[ridge22]

Personally I think you will see a lot of good and bad with the new 3-4. I do think the new defense will cause some confusion, but I could go both ways. We may have some big busts that lead to big plays, but hopefully it can lead to an improved TO ratio. If you can get that to +.5 a game in TO it will cover up a lot of warts.

As far as the kids quitting and having a leadership problem. You have to remember that losing a teammate like Foltz had to be a pretty big emotional toll for this team to deal with. I know we say a lot on this board that how could you not get fired up for a game and how can you just quit on a game. I really think as big of an impact the Sam Foltz had on this team, losing him in the way that they did and right before fall camp, a lot of these kids probably realized that life is short and by the end of the year I would guess many of them were emotionally drained. Especially the seniors and upper class men who had to deal with that, the whole coaching change and the grind of it. There really wasn't much time for them to grieve and deal with those emotional scars. Every week was a constant reminder, that is a lot to put on a 18-22 year old kid.

 

[grayhairedfreak]

I've heard Damon Benning say many times your hatred of losing has to virtually exceed your joy of winning. I don't claim to be a psychologist and I don't play one on TV, but it seems a long time since we've had a bunch of guys (players and coaches) that hated losing so much they'd do whatever it took to correct the problems so they didn't feel that way again. Hope this is the year that mentality turns the corner.

 

[anon_umk0ifu6vj6zi]

says we can expect a "bumpy ride" this year. He says he bases this on information he has gotten from various sources that it usually takes a full year to shift from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4. He also was taken aback by how nonchalant the players were about last year's embarrassment in the bowl loss.

I don't have much respect for Barfknecht nor for football journalists in general. But he does at least raise two questions that have been discussed on this board before that deserve more discussion:

1. How successful will Diaco be in the first year of the 3-4?

My view is that most of what was holding our defense back last year was lackluster coaching. I think we see a more immediate turnaround than Barfy suggests due to a better staff. The weak link is OLB. I say we will surprise at that position and be better than people think. The key will be pass coverage by the OLB. We will soon see.

2. Do we have true leaders on this team and do most players on this team truly buy into a culture of excellence?

I have no clue here and that is important. There might be a small handful of people on this board who have the pulse of the locker room and can validly advance an opinion about this. Barfy suggests that last year this was an issue. Is he right about that? If he is, what was the source of the apathy? Is it still there?

As an outsider you cannot form an opinion on this issue based on articles in the papers. They are mostly inflated, feel-good, bullshit. And in my opinion our season will rise or fall based on this issue. We do have decent talent. And we have a good coaching staff in place. But what will the attitude of the team be at the first sign of adversity?

Like it or not, this team quit last year against Iowa and Tennessee. Especially on defense. And don't give me the crap about injuries to our QB. In 94 I watched Nebraska beat a very good K State team in Manhattan with Turman as QB. Yes, yes, we do not have the overall talent of that 94 team. But I stand by my assertion that last year's team quit. Iowa had a very, very average offense last year. And they pounded it down our throats like they were playing Rice. Tennessee had more offensive talent than Iowa, but they were not world beaters by any means. And yet they looked like the most well oiled offensive machine in America against us.

I say this year will be different due to the new staff. Koolaid drinking? I don't know. We will see

Like always, Barfy and his supposed "sources" are as credible as a box of shit. His claims about the hoops program show that.
He could be right on this, but let's not pretend he has any actual proof.

 

[hddude55]

Im with you. I d rather drink Kool-aid then go along with a douche like McKewon.

Those of you who are old as dirt like me probably remember Sam posting here years ago before he worked for OWH. I recall his opinions were highly regarded for the most part. But now he seems to be regarded as a fool. Perhaps an oldtimer or two could explain the change?

Wow, how confusing. I thought I was posting to a Sam bashfest and now the title has been changed to another writer. Oh well, OWH hate seems to be the general topic.

 

[Harry Caray]

Typical Fake News from Barfknecht. The fact that a few players weren't crying after a meaningless bowl game has no bearing on this season. Tanner Lee will provide much better leadership on offense, and you know Diaco won't put up with any crap on defense.

And the marijuana part was even more ridiculous. Many retired players smoke it to relieve the pain of playing a bruising sport for 10-20 years. Would you rather they become addicted to opoids?

 

[dinglefritz]

Typical Fake News from Barfknecht. The fact that a few players weren't crying after a meaningless bowl game has no bearing on this season. Tanner Lee will provide much better leadership on offense, and you know Diaco won't put up with any crap on defense.

Not a completely meaningless bowl game but one that we should have expected to get killed in considering our QB situation. IMO the appearance of apathy by the players probably was in part due to their expectations given all of our injuries on offense. I'll give em the benefit of the doubt.

 

[Truehuskerfan]

As far as the kids quitting and having a leadership problem. You have to remember that losing a teammate like Foltz had to be a pretty big emotional toll for this team to deal with. I know we say a lot on this board that how could you not get fired up for a game and how can you just quit on a game. I really think as big of an impact the Sam Foltz had on this team, losing him in the way that they did and right before fall camp, a lot of these kids probably realized that life is short and by the end of the year I would guess many of them were emotionally drained. Especially the seniors and upper class men who had to deal with that, the whole coaching change and the grind of it. There really wasn't much time for them to grieve and deal with those emotional scars. Every week was a constant reminder, that is a lot to put on a 18-22 year old kid.

I think this is a factor that too many people haven't considered or just disregard. I remember before the season last year there was some discussion on how a team handles a tragedy like that, and the consensus from people who have experienced something similar was that it's actually not as bad early in the season because the emotion of wanting to win for your friend and teammate is there, but it tends to wear on you as the season goes on because it's hard to sustain that kind of emotion for an entire season. Add the key injuries to the mix, and I think the team was just worn out emotionally by season's end. I think the key game was Wisconsin-coming so close and not being able to win at the end I think really took a lot out of those guys. If we were able to win that game, I think things go differently-we probably don't win at Ohio State, but I don't think we get blown out like we did and we play better at Iowa too.

 

[Tuco Ramirez]

I have made a distinction between putting pressure on the passer and blitzing in a 3-4 and a 4-3. The biggest difference is in the disguise and deception. In a 4-3, the front 4 are going to be rushing almost every time in a pass situation. If you blitz a linebacker or safety you will be sending 5 and dropping 6 in coverage. If you blitz a LB and drop a lineman into coverage the deception may be there but you aren't creating mismatches with numbers. In a 3-4, you can send any 1 of 4 linebackers in addition to the 3 linemen. So even without "blitzing" and still sending 4 there is an advantage in disguise. If you decide to send 5, then you are in even better position for disguise and deception with how and who you blitz.

But are you really "sending" the three linemen? My understanding is that their main responsibility is to tie-up the offensive linemen and subsequently play a lot of two-gap responsibility. Unless you can absolutely man-handle your opponent in Suh-like fashion, it's really hard to get much pressure with that kind of an assignment.
I don't know how well the defense will do or whether our sack numbers will be up from last year. One prediction I made months ago: posters will bitch about the "lack of production" from the three d-linemen, without really understanding what their role is.

 

[Toms Wife]

Sam, Barfy, Sipple...what is up with these guys bringing these assessments two weeks before the season. The only thing I can think of is they need to write contrarian stuff to increase their readership.

 

[HBK4life]

Sam, Barfy, Sipple...what is up with these guys bringing these assessments two weeks before the season. The only thing I can think of is they need to write contrarian stuff to increase their readership.

You should see if they are hiring Tom.

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

But are you really "sending" the three linemen? My understanding is that their main responsibility is to tie-up the offensive linemen and subsequently play a lot of two-gap responsibility. Unless you can absolutely man-handle your opponent in Suh-like fashion, it's really hard to get much pressure with that kind of an assignment.
I don't know how well the defense will do or whether our sack numbers will be up from last year. One prediction I made months ago: posters will bitch about the "lack of production" from the three d-linemen, without really understanding what their role is.

Where the front 3 will get pressure is when the line call to adjust, for the 4th rusher, is incorrect. The two gap is a run responsibility. Once they recognize pass, their responsibilities adjust. When they are in a 3 man front, in passing situations, I would say that a 4th guy will come a vast majority of the time and that is technically not a blitz.

 

[inWV]

On Diaco and the 3-4 - Riley canned a long time assistant due to lack of performance. Riley is partial to the 3-4. Diaco was available and was considered to be a proven defensive coaching commodity. Two of the past three coaching changes of relevance to our defense (Pelini 1 and 2) produced a substantial uptick in performance with many of the same players. A change in coaching scenery, especially to a guy who is passionate about players playing well, can produce better results. What I want to know is whether Diaco's scheme, when executed, will lessen the probability of the big running play. Think NW's QB, and the simple pitch play of Iowa/Wisconsin.
On the offense - We go as far as the Oline can take us. I think our QB and other skill players are good enough to get yards and points. Can the Oline take not just one but two notches up in performance? That is the question and it won't be answered partially until the Oregon game.
The intangibles are up to the players. If we made just one more play per game against Wisconsin the past two years, we win both of those games. Can we show up and actually play against Iowa at the level they are playing.
There is something to hating losing more than loving winning. Saban seems to be a joyless winner. But he wins.
Not reading Barfnecht's drivel.