let's look at the top 10 defenses and offenses

[Millhouse]

There are some head scratchers in the top 10 defense. Penn State Michigan Stanford are not good teams. Clemson, blah. UCF, blah. Washington State is the only bad team in the top 10 in offense.



Defense
Clemson
Wisconsin
Penn State
UCF
Alabama
Stanford
Louisville
Michigan State
Michigan
Mississippi

Offense
Baylor
Marshall
East Carolina
TCU
Oregon
Washington State
Michigan State
Boise State
Mississippi State
Ohio State

 

[javadoc]

Probably some selection bias in there, as usual. Defense looks good if you play a bunch of offensive schmoes. I wonder how many spots we boost our opponents' defensive rankings.

 

[Millhouse]

Probably some selection bias in there, as usual. Defense looks good if you play a bunch of offensive schmoes. I wonder how many spots we boost our opponents' defensive rankings.

if you play a bunch of schmoes, you should have a better record than a lot of those teams in the top ten

sucking on offense makes your defense look better than it is. i think it can be more about your own offense than other team's

we shouldn't hang our hat on being top 40 defense.

 

[TheCusian]

if you play a bunch of schmoes, you should have a better record than a lot of those teams in the top ten sucking on offense makes your defense look better than it is. i think it can be more about your own offense than other team's we shouldn't hang our hat on being top 40 defense.

Sigh.

How about we have top 40 in both? Where would that put us?

No one is arguing that having a horrid offense and a great defense is the way to a great season.

I bring up the defense because there is simply not a lot of good things to say otherwise. If our offense was just in the top 60 this season, we'd be bowling.

It's like the tired "are we a basketball school or a football school?" - why can't it be both?

 

[Millhouse]

Sigh.

How about we have top 40 in both? Where would that put us?

No one is arguing that having a horrid offense and a great defense is the way to a great season.

I bring up the defense because there is simply not a lot of good things to say otherwise. If our offense was just in the top 60 this season, we'd be bowling.

It's like the tired "are we a basketball school or a football school?" - why can't it be both?

there are only 9 teams that are top 40 in both offense and defense.

Baylor
Marshall
East Carolina
Michigan State
Ohio State
Wisconsin
Alabama
Appalachian State
Georgia

Hey what kind of offense does Baylor Marshall and East Carolina run? I thought those teams play no defense?

We can be like those teams or we can hope to become a giant state school with 50 billion football crazed alumni

Appalachian St still kinda sucks, their numbers come from being in the worthless sun belt

 

[TheCusian]

there are only 9 teams that are top 40 in both offense and defense.

Baylor
Marshall
East Carolina
Michigan State
Ohio State
Wisconsin
Alabama
Appalachian State
Georgia

Hey what kind of offense does Baylor Marshall and East Carolina run? I thought those teams play no defense?

We can be like those teams or we can hope to become a giant state school with 50 billion football crazed alumni

Appalachian St still kinda sucks, their numbers come from being in the worthless sun belt

Dude. I'm an advocate for your "Leach" inspired O in the dome. Would be awesome.

It's just a fools errand this offseason. It's Lester's show and maybe he'll be a revelation? That's all we got until the end of next season. As scary as that may be. I'm just choosing to hope for the best.

I also would prefer having a great O vs a great D. But I don't think thats a choice we need to make.

 

[Millhouse]

Dude. I'm an advocate for your "Leach" inspired O in the dome. Would be awesome.

It's just a fools errand this offseason. It's Lester's show and maybe he'll be a revelation? That's all we got until the end of next season. As scary as that may be. I'm just choosing to hope for the best.

I also would prefer having a great O vs a great D. But I don't think thats a choice we need to make.

only 9 teams being top 40 in both seems to indicate that there are some tradeoffs and choices you need to make

you either need to be a factory or you need to light teams up and force them into getting away from what they really want to do on offense.

 

[TheCusian]

only 9 teams being top 40 in both seems to indicate that there are some tradeoffs and choices you need to make

you either need to be a factory or you need to light teams up and force them into getting away from what they really want to do on offense.

Why though? Makes no sense. Is that much dependent on the HC experience/bent? Is it recruiting - moving all your elite players to one side of the ball (seems dumb).

 

[javadoc]

only 9 teams being top 40 in both seems to indicate that there are some tradeoffs and choices you need to make

you either need to be a factory or you need to light teams up and force them into getting away from what they really want to do on offense.

Let's demote Shafer back to DC, let him choose his defensive assistants, and let a new HC choose the offensive staff.

 

[Millhouse]

Why though? Makes no sense. Is that much dependent on the HC experience/bent? Is it recruiting - moving all your elite players to one side of the ball (seems dumb).

there's only so much money to spend on coaches. your head coach isn't going to be great at coaching everything.

what's best for your defense is to practice against a jack of all trades offense. what's best for your offense is to be simple and repeat the same things over and over. the factories can be great on offense on talent alone and give their defense a jack of all trades offense to practice against.

teams like us need to do whatever it takes to score and hope for the best on defense with turnovers and havoc.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

teams like us need to do whatever it takes to score and hope for the best on defense with turnovers and havoc.

I agree with this 9000000%.

 

[CIL]

we've moved from beating the dead horse to straight up necrophelia.

 

[Millhouse]

we've moved from beating the dead horse to straight up necrophelia.

?

i thought it was interesting that some top 10 defenses are having such ordinary years overall

you'd think that football is zero sum and gaining yards and stopping yards would be equivalent

at least this year it looks like something else is going on with how your own offense relates to your own defense

thought it was interesting.