What are Defenses Thinking?
Written by Sean Salisbury, Thursday September 15 2011
The great thing about my site is I can blog on anything want!
While this blog refers to the Notre Dame/Michigan game last Saturday, it also applies to the NFL as well. Where in the hell has proper technique on the field and sensible play calling gone? While I know the coaching profession is difficult and I also know how tough it is to make consistent plays in a football game, I also know that common sense has to take over – it’s not that difficult! Take Michigan, for example: four-point lead, late in the game, Notre Dame needs a touchdown to win – a field goal means nothing! I’m watching the game on Saturday thinking if I’m the defensive coordinator I have two messages for my players. One – Don’t let anybody get behind you! Two – swarm to the football! In this game, Michigan never had a chance to swarm to the ball because two things happened. One, they played man coverage, which just begs for the big play for Notre Dame’s offense; and two, the players on the field did exactly what they shouldn’t, let the wide receiver get behind the coverage, which is the No. 1 sin when you have a four-point lead.
You force Notre Dame to do something special, not invite them to do something simple. Horrible defensive play calling and awful player execution = low football IQ.
So if you are Notre Dame, you see them and raise them six more. Because Notre Dame did the same thing, as if they hadn’t learned that you force Michigan to have to play for the field goal so at least you have a chance in overtime.
But as if Michigan wasn’t dumb enough, Notre Dame became dumber.
Bad technique in the secondary and an ignorant defensive scheme allowed Michigan QB Denard Robinson to find the single coverage and put Michigan in the end zone.
If you were the Fighting Irish, you would have thought they would have learned a valuable lesson about Michigan’s poor scheme and execution on defense. But instead, their scheme and execution – or lack thereof – cost Notre Dame self-doubt, a football game and may have caused people to think about a religion change! That’s how awful Notre Dame’s last few minutes were for their program.
While both programs are rich in tradition, Michigan’s lack of common sense on defense get shoved under the carpet because of last-minute heroics by college football’s most exciting player, Denard Robinson. Michigan and Notre Dame’s fans can only hope that the defensive play calling wakes up and gives both teams a better chance in the weeks to come, but just as important is the player’s ability to understand game situations and to realize that not getting beat deep with the game on the line is what we all learned playing in the park with our buddies. If either of these teams aspires to a Top 20 ranking this year, my suggestion would be smarter football!
Sean Salisbury, former NFL quarterback and NFL analyst for ESPN, covers sports for www.playerpress.com. Follow him on Twitter @SeanUnfiltered.
Tags:
Recent Notre Dame Articles
- Rudy Actor Returns to Gridiron [VIDEO]
- ND WR Michael Floyd Has A Great Combine Weekend
- BCS Taking Its Time Discussing Playoffs
- Notre Dame Hands No.1 Syracuse First Loss
- Saturday Vs. Michigan State Do or Die for Notre Dame
- What are Defenses Thinking?
- For Notre Dame, Michigan is What Separates 'This Year' from 'Next Year'
- Tommy Rees Takes Over as ND’s Starting Quarterback
- Montana Arrested for DUI
- Minnesota-Duluth eliminates Notre Dame in Frozen Four semifinal, 4-3
Leave a comment
Not So Fast! To publish your comment, you have to login
Not Registered? Register now as it only take 20 seconds!
Click here to browse
0 comments