It's amazing what having a penetrating defensive line can do.

[Bamabuzzard]

I'm sure most of you watched the SEC CG and watched Nick Fairley and Auburn's DL continually getting penetration on the Gamecocks offense. If you're watching the Big 12 game you're seeing the same thing.

The old school coaches are right. The game of football is won at the LOS. Auburn has probably the worst secondary I've seen in years. Yet when it counts their DL can cause havoc in the backfield. Nebraska's defense is now becoming known for having dominating DL'men. I was really, really expecting Big Josh Chapman to emerge as a dominant DL'man this season being behind Cody last season. Especially seeing how physically strong he is.

Having a penetrating DL just changes the game. Teams are almost stuck in the mud as to what they can do against you. I hope this is one of the things (along with the OL) that DRASTICALLY gets better in 2011.

 

[BamaMoon]

Yes Sir!!! If we know this is a priority, we can be sure that CNS is going to address it in recruiting, 4th quarter program, spring practice and fall camp.

 

[Crimson Pig]

Absolutely. It was fun to watch QBs try to throw knowing they had Mt. Cody breathing down their necks. Forcing them out of their comfort zone was, in my opinion, one of our biggest reasons for success. Now combine that with the speed we had in Arenas coming on the blitz off the corner. And then our NFL Caliber LB. Defense wins championships, ladies and gentlemen.

 

[NatchezTider]

with the 3-4 defense, it is imperative to have a dominant noseguard that requires a double-team block on every play. bama's defensive front this year was slightly above average, due in large part, to not having that sort of NG.

 

[Tidewith13]

It does not matter what level you are playing, High School to Pro's, if you cannot win at the LOS you will not win ballgames. Even if you have all the talent in the world at the skill position, if you do not have time to give them the ball you will not win. Proven fact. The trenches are where games are won.

 

[BamaEarl]

Totally agree. Scam is a phenom, but so is Nick Fairley. He does not get the hype of Scam, but he's probably not far off, in terms of game-changing ability. For anyone who's gritted their teeth and watched the barn this year, you know Fairley has single-handedly saved them in at least 3-4 games. He can take over a game from the DT spot. I think the only team I saw really shut him down was Petrino and the Hogs and no surprise, they put up 43pts against the boogs. Thats essentially what their defense looks like when Fairley isn't body-slamming the QB every other series - they're awful.

Its not like we didn't know losing Mt Cody wasn't going to be a big deal. Its no secret, they key to a dominant 3-4 is the NG. We'll always have a good-very good defense under CNS, but to return to dominance will probably require a return to dominant play at the NG spot.

 

[Bama By Birth]

I can't believe it's almost 3:00 a.m. and I'm trying my 1st post. Can't sleep- dog's barking.I sat in Fulton County Stadium and watched the Falcons rush 3 and lose a playoff game to the Dallas Cowboys with less than 2 minutes left in the game. Any decent QB will pick you apart if he has enough time. There are not too many better than McElroy when he has time to choose and throw. Believe me, I'm not an X's and O's guy when it comes to football- the last I played was pee wee in Mobile, Ala. But I can observe that when we don't hurry ANY QB we play against, they will march down the field. But again, that's true with any team not just BAMA. We didn't have a Javier Arenas like last year that could line up on the line and make the QB ask himself- is he coming or not?

Don't know why I chose this topic as my 1st post. I didn't want to jump in the Mega-thread- that would just be rude! But I do know that our sacks seemed down this year and QB pressure also.

OK, I'm rambling now! Very quite in person but Dad was a political writer for the Montgomery newspaper- maybe that's why I enjoy beating on the keyboard.

Thanks for letting me join and throw my $0.05 in (inflation, you know).

One final thing- I thought I had gotten rid of all hatred inside of me after 56 years on this planet. I found out during the Iron Bowl I still have one issue that gnaws at me-that other school. After cutting loose with a tirade that Chevy Chase in Christmas Vacation would have been proud of- I had to apologize to my 16 and 13 year old daughters. They said they understood we took them to a game in Tuscaloosa this year and they get ridiculed in school- we're in Bull Dog country) but I swear they look at me different after going off on the TV.

P.S.- I have great admiration and trust in Earl. I will deeply enjoy the demise of that other school. I hope the only blue and orange flags I will see on cars will have a swimmer or diver on it. Roll Tide my brothers and sisters!

 

[10Bama54]

Totally agree. Scam is a phenom, but so is Nick Fairley. He does not get the hype of Scam, but he's probably not far off, in terms of game-changing ability. For anyone who's gritted their teeth and watched the barn this year, you know Fairley has single-handedly saved them in at least 3-4 games. He can take over a game from the DT spot. I think the only team I saw really shut him down was Petrino and the Hogs and no surprise, they put up 43pts against the boogs. Thats essentially what their defense looks like when Fairley isn't body-slamming the QB every other series - they're awful.

Its not like we didn't know losing Mt Cody wasn't going to be a big deal. Its no secret, they key to a dominant 3-4 is the NG. We'll always have a good-very good defense under CNS, but to return to dominance will probably require a return to dominant play at the NG spot.

Fairley is the reason we lost the IB. If it hadn't been for him, our offense would have scored before the half and that may have been all we needed. Newton threw the passes and got the points but if we could have moved the ball 2nd half then it wouldn't have mattered.

 

[teamplayer]

Yes Sir!!! If we know this is a priority, we can be sure that CNS is going to address it in recruiting, 4th quarter program, spring practice and fall camp.

The 4th quarter program didn't seem so impressive this year.

Absolutely. It was fun to watch QBs try to throw knowing they had Mt. Cody breathing down their necks. Forcing them out of their comfort zone was, in my opinion, one of our biggest reasons for success. Now combine that with the speed we had in Arenas coming on the blitz off the corner. And then our NFL Caliber LB. Defense wins championships, ladies and gentlemen.

I am hoping that some new blood and another year of competition delivers us a much stronger d-line next year. Let the big uglies cause the disruption and the speed of our LB's clean up the mess.

 

[TommyMac]

with the 3-4 defense, it is imperative to have a dominant noseguard that requires a double-team block on every play. bama's defensive front this year was slightly above average, due in large part, to not having that sort of NG.

Maybe against the run, but not in the pass rush. I thought that would be a strength too. I figured we could alternate Chapman and Murphy at NG, thereby always having a reasonably fresh guy in the middle. Just shows what an asset Mount Cody was.

 

[Relayer]

The barn's defense would have been truly awful without Fairley. Yes, he's a dirty player. He's also an absolute beast and was routinely beating double-teams in the So Car game. A player like that is just a huge factor.

 

[GMacFan]

Auburn is a damn impressive team to watch. They have the best player in the nation, the best dual threat quarterback since Michael Vick, taking snaps. They have a road-grating offensive line and a penetrating defensive line. They have the biggest playmaker on DL since Suh last year, Fairley is a game changer. If I had to vote for Heisman right now I would vote Cam Newton first and Fairley second. Auburn is the best team in college football in the trenches on both sides of the ball. That's why they will win the BCSNCG. And btw I feel sorry for Oregon.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

It's amazing that a great DL can make up for a bad secondary but a great secondary cannot make up for a bad DL. The DL's and OL's are the most important units on each side of the ball. There's no doubt about it. I've said it before that Auburn's secondary is one of the worst coverage units I've ever seen. And I'm not saying because they are Auburn. They have an AWFUL coverage unit yet Fairley & Co are so good they can make up for it. I'm still shocked our DL'men haven't developed the way we thought. It killed us this season.

Auburn is a damn impressive team to watch. They have the best player in the nation, the best dual threat quarterback since Michael Vick, taking snaps. They have a road-grating offensive line and a penetrating defensive line. They have the biggest playmaker on DL since Suh last year, Fairley is a game changer. If I had to vote for Heisman right now I would vote Cam Newton first and Fairley second. Auburn is the best team in college football in the trenches on both sides of the ball. That's why they will win the BCSNCG. And btw I feel sorry for Oregon.

 

[MVKTR2]

The OP is so correct.

However as it relates to our defensive system, it's hard for any DL to accumulate tons of stats. In Coach's 34 scheme all 3 DL are required to gap control, not rush past the QB, and play off of blocks to make tackles. Other schemes use the DL quite differently, under coach Stallings/Oliver 34 D. In many systems one or more DL are given a one gap assignment allowing them to focus on beating blockers through the one gap to make the plays. This allows them to play away from blockers & get upfield more quickly. The LBs get the one gap assignments in our defensive scheme. Marcus Spears is the only Nick Saban defensive lineman I can ever remember putting up truly impressive numbers. It's the system and doesn't hurt these guys chances of getting to the NFL especially since that league seems to be trending toward the 34 and away from the 43 D.

Schlante & Roll Tide,
Phillip

 

[GMacFan]

It's amazing that a great DL can make up for a bad secondary but a great secondary cannot make up for a bad DL. The DL's and OL's are the most important units on each side of the ball. There's no doubt about it. I've said it before that Auburn's secondary is one of the worst coverage units I've ever seen. And I'm not saying because they are Auburn. They have an AWFUL coverage unit yet Fairley & Co are so good they can make up for it. I'm still shocked our DL'men haven't developed the way we thought. It killed us this season.

And it's the same way on offense, great skill players cannot make up for a poor offensive line. In fact I'm surprised at how close our skill players came to making up that difference. Our skill players are the best in the nation, IMO, 8, 3, 22, 4, 15. And I'm tired of hearing how MI wasn't 100%. I think every time he's been given the space he had last year he's actually looked better. Every time he gets space he's busted off forty, fifty yard runs and has actually shown better breakaway speed. And the rest of our guys are absolute playmakers, Jones is out of this world, Maze is the best "second" receiver in the nation, ditto for Hanks at third. But I'd trade them for a great OL. Hopefully next year we will make it happen, but there's gonna have to be some major butt-chewing goin' on.

 

[BamaFossil]

I'm hoping next year Chapman/Murphy/??? can be the dominating nose tackle the 3-4 needs. Given Auburn's very impressive O-Line and adequate D-Line anchored by the best NT in college football, it's no wonder they're doing so well.

Welcome Bama By Birth!

 

[GulfCoastTider]

Count me in among the old schoolers. When your big uglies are constantly knocking the slobber out of the other team's big uglies--on both sides of the ball--you are going to win championships. I don't care if you're an offensive guru like Urban Meyer and Gus Malzahn, or a defensive genius like Nick Saban and Bo Pellini. If you don't have mean, nasty and talented dudes in the trenches, you're always going to be second best. It's the way it was when this game was invented, and it's the way it is, now.