You Can Stand Under Mike Archer's Umbrella Ella Ella
by Akula Wolf on Oct 12, 2009 5:10 PM EDT
11 comments
Footage filmed well before Saturday's signature victory undoubtedly played a part in the success enjoyed by Blue Devils. After the game, Lewis gushed about how the game went according to plan -- to say the least.
"I felt confident coming into this game with the game plan that Coach gave us, and they showed us exactly what we saw on film," Lewis said. "They didn't do anything differently, so I felt confident in what we had planned because I knew the plays that we had called were going to beat the coverage that they were playing."
An experienced quarterback, a predictable scheme, and poor execution. It's no wonder.
I'm going to take a look at a couple of instances where Duke's quick passing game killed the Pack's defense, and then I'm going to block this week from memory.
Duke is in an empty, five-wide set; the Pack, as usual, is playing zone--it's a cover two look that has the first level playing quarters. State brings a linebacker from the near side. All five Duke receivers run the same five-yard route.
Maddox is free off the edge but has no chance to affect the play, as Lewis has already started to throw the football. NC State's safeties recognize what's happening too slowly, but they've left too much cushion for recognition to make a big difference anyway. (Those were consistent themes throughout.)
The ball eludes NC State's only legitimate pass defense--Willie Young's arms--and the defensive back on the hash (Rashard Smith), sees what's going on before the ball is in the air but doesn't have a good angle and can't make a play on the ball.
Even so, the play should have been done right there after the five-yard completion. But horrendous tackling turns this five-yarder into a big 21-yard gain:
Too bad this isn't flag football.
Duke shows a simple I-formation twins look here. NC State brings Audi Cole off the weak side; it's still just a four man rush, though, as Leroy Burgess feigns rush and retreats into coverage.
Lewis looks immediately to the area vacated by Cole. The Duke receiver sits down like he's supposed to, State's first level defenders don't have enough time to reach the vacated area, and the safety nearest the play is still backpedaling as Lewis puts the ball in the air. Too much staring by the linebackers here and not enough haste, but they weren't going to get there regardless.
The outside receiver has taken the cornerback on this side of the field off screen and out of the play. Once again, it's easy pitch-and-catch.
0 recs |
11 comments
|
Email
Print
Comments
Yep
My only question is, if BC comes out and does the same thing, do we make any adjustments? I somehow doubt it.
Wow.
Great job on this post.
In the 2nd set of screen caps we have Leroy Burgess dropping into coverage. Who the hell is he supposed to be covering? We already have 2 linebackers in an area with no Duke players. Duke occasionally ran slant patterns in front of our linebackers but I would have preferred that we use our unoccupied linebackers to patrol the middle and light up any Was Welker-esque receivers that come across the middle. Of course maybe we needed the linebackers to handle the tight end who was running free to the inside of our corner(I think that is Justin Byers). I guess Byers was looking for the back out of the backfield or the tight end, but shouldn’t he have been a little closer to the LOS to prevent the tight end from so easily getting inside him?
Our coaches may be able to say with a straight face that they tried lots of different things. But the important thing is that they didn’t try any of the right things.
by RegularExpression on Oct 13, 2009 12:39 PM EDT reply actions
re: the burgess play
It was someone’s job, either his or one of the LBs, to slide over into the area vacated by the blitzing Audi Cole. I’m not sure if someone missed their assignment. It’s nearly impossible to say because this was an extremely quick throw on Lewis’s part. Burgess had taken like two steps back and then the ball was in the air. Often on this sort of zone blitz-type look, the end on the blitz-side drops into the flats to fill that hole, but we brought the end, and I can’t imagine it was Burgess’s job to get over there. Hard to expect the big man to do that.
For the brief period Lewis has the ball, the LBs are pretty indecisive about what they’re doing—they shade over a tad but without much purpose. So in conclusion, I have no freaking clue what was going on there, or what was supposed to be going on there.
What a dumb post
For goodness sakes, the players had everything they needed to stop the play. Fact is, you have freshmen playing in the secondary. More importantly, you have a 2nd-string LB replacing Irving. Tell me what a coach is supposed to do when he loses his starting linebacker? How are you supposed to win with one hand tied behind your back?
Even so, on the first play State had two chances to stop the play if the players had actually done their jobs. Maddox was free off the edge, and if he had paid more attention in S&C Coach Rice’s offseason ballet class, he could have somersaulted the Right Tackle and reached Lewis before he threw. As for Willie Young, he clearly needs to work harder in yoga. The time you invest in June performing the “downward dog” pays off in October. But no, he didn’t have the flexibility he needed to move his arms quickly enough to deflect Lewis’s throw. Clearly the coaches put the players in position to make the play, but at some point, as TOB says, “Kids have got to make plays. It’s not the scheme and it’s not the coaches”.
As for the 2nd play, the coaches predicated the defense on the D-Line, which is supposed to be the strength of the team. But no, the DT couldn’t figure out which hand to use to deflect the pass. As you failed to explain, he used his right hand, not his left. Again, if he had practiced the Ceccheti method of classic ballet, which had emphasized raising the weak (left) hand, he would have had the flexibility to raise that weak hand, pluck the ball out of the air, and run it in for a touchdown. But no, he didn’t feel like doing the work he needed to do during the offseason.
Coaches can lead the horses to water, but they can’t make them drink.
by ObserverCollege on Oct 14, 2009 11:17 AM EDT reply actions
What a stupid comment
Even if the tackle is immediately made in the first play, it’s an easy five yard gain. That is one of the points of the post.
As for the 2nd play, your comment regarding blocking the pass is completely asinine. Assuming the DT did not use the picture perfect technique (which I am not conceding), so what? In case your keen eye did not notice, the DT was engaged w/ a offensive lineman and his left hand was occupied at the time. In addition, any scheme that relies on a deflected pass by a DT for the success of a defensive play is almost as dumb as your comment.
That gets us to the general point of you comment. That the problem is with the players and not Archer or his scheme. Can you provide some facts/evidence that might support that claim?
What/when/where was the last Mike Archer defense that performed at a high level?
At LSU, when he was fell flat on his face after running out of Arnsparger recruits? Or perhaps it was at Kentucky, where his defense ranked in at 119 out of 119 teams?
Surely, sometime in his many years of coaching, Archer has had competent athletes.
Forget about performing at a high level, when has a Mike Archer (not Arnsparger) defense reached the heights of just ‘average’?
Oh, and I love your “I don’t understand how you’re supposed to win when you’re stuck with a 2nd-string MLB who can’t make plays” line over on the BC post. Classic, just classic.
The true level of your moronic thought comes out w/ that one. Of all the problems NC State has, QB play is not one of them.
Go troll somewhere else. There’s a lot more of your kind over here (http://northcarolina.rivals.com/). You should feel right at home.
As for the general point of you
by T Diddy F'Ziddy on Oct 14, 2009 2:24 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm with you T Diddy
In the 2nd play, 2 LB’s and 1 DT are in the same zone.(NOT GOOD) The safety on that side is 10 yards from the receiver. That equates into a minimum of 5 yards with that much cushion and if the reciever has legs he should get 8 plus yards. This is a 3 yard pass and we have 1 defender within 5 yards of the receiver. WHATTTT!!!
We are out of position and not making plays. We have better athletes than PUKE (maybe) but their unrecruited athletes played better defense then we did, at least they made tackles.
Mike Archer is a big question mark to me.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
Related FanPosts on Backing The Pack
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recent FanPosts
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recent FanPosts
FanShots
Quick hits of video, photos, quotes, chats, links and lists that you find around the web.
Recent FanShots
Certain photos copyright © 2010 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
