what can we expect from the defense this season ?

[tbonezone]

twice we gave up 40+ points last year. twice the opponents hit 50+ . louisville hit 62 and of course pitt 76.
not a recipe for success. was it personnel or our schemes ? and which might improve vastly this year to deflate these outrageous numbers ? cheer squads everywhere are getting jacked doing pushups game day.

 

[Chris02M]

we should have better/more experienced players playing in the secondary in year 2 of tampa 2 so i would expect to give up less big plays against our peer teams

 

[sdhall01]

twice we gave up 40+ points last year. twice the opponents hit 50+ . louisville hit 62 and of course pitt 76.
not a recipe for success. was it personnel or our schemes ? and which might improve vastly this year to deflate these outrageous numbers ? cheer squads everywhere are getting jacked doing pushups game day.

I think (hope) our secondary will be, more or less, unrecognizable. While our D-Line is likely going to struggle a bit, it should be at least a bit better because it cannot possibly be worse. Also, if we can establish a running game, then we should have fewer three and outs. That should help too.

 

[TheCusian]

twice we gave up 40+ points last year. twice the opponents hit 50+ . louisville hit 62 and of course pitt 76.
not a recipe for success. was it personnel or our schemes ? and which might improve vastly this year to deflate these outrageous numbers ? cheer squads everywhere are getting jacked doing pushups game day.

Overall? Better. Not good enough, but better.
But we should probably re-calibrate our expectations of what a good Syracuse defense will look like. Comparing how many points a Babers D gives up to a Shafer D will probably leave a lot of folks wondering what the hell is happening.

The stat to watch on both sides of the ball is Points per possession. When Dino says he wants Golden State basketball on the field, he's saying "we're going to try to play good D, but what we believe is that we'll score more points, quicker than you. We can be more efficient on O than you can be anywhere on the field"

 

[blizz]

I think integrating all the new faces will be a challenge, especially in the secondary, but I think the level of play will increase...significantly. I think our problems last year were a combination of youth and complete change in terms of scheme philosophy. Losing Clark, Nelson, and Williams has me less bullish...but I think we've added quite a bit of depth at a number of positions. If any of those adds are true upgrades remains to be seen. But I think the odds are good that 1 or 2 will turn out to be major. I expect to see Barry play a significant role as a 3rd down pass rush specialist. If we can get more out of him this year it's gravy. I'm a bit put off that Butler and Guthrie have been here since the spring and still remain 2nd string on the depth chart, but there is still quite a bit to play out. I'm anxious to see Bear, Coleman, and Black in action, as well as Josh Allen and Barry, a lot hinges on how those guys perform and the level of play they are able to sustain. If the front four can be disruptive I'm confident this group of linebackers will clean house. Despite all the shortcomings on D last year, that group was pretty solid.

 

[RF2044]

Honestly, I think any measure of improvement all depends on whether we'll have a better pass rush. Most of the other elements are there for this defense to be "better," although TheCusian hits the nail in the head about what to expect. Depth is better than last year at every defensive positional unit, except DT.

 

[SoBristol]

3 big elements in a better defense:

1. Brian Ward has a year under his belt, against ACC teams. He added an experienced assistant to coach the DEs -- Steve Stannard, who has more experience as a DC than Ward.

2. A year in S&C for the rising sophomores, specifically Coleman, Black & Williams in the DL, and Foster at one of the safety spots. We likely do not have to rely on true frosh, as happened in 2016.

3. A lot of returning players with starting experience (missing only Clark at NT and Winfield at one of the CB spots), plus 3 grad transfers and 4 jucos. It will be a bigger, deeper, more experienced defense than 2016 -- and compared to any defense we have had since 2012-13. Consider that Austin Valdez (an all-MAC player under Dino in 2015) supplements Franklin and Bennett to give us senior experience at all 3 LB positions. The two grad transfers at CB plus Cordy give us 4th and 5th year players for the secondary. The DL is still young (though Slayton and Samuels are 4th year players), but the depth is there to have a decent rotation. In short, every unit is in better shape than 2016. Much better.

 

[Trueblue25]

Just someone please hit the QB

 

[nzm136]

Overall? Better. Not good enough, but better.
But we should probably re-calibrate our expectations of what a good Syracuse defense will look like. Comparing how many points a Babers D gives up to a Shafer D will probably leave a lot of folks wondering what the hell is happening.

The stat to watch on both sides of the ball is Points per possession. When Dino says he wants Golden State basketball on the field, he's saying "we're going to try to play good D, but what we believe is that we'll score more points, quicker than you. We can be more efficient on O than you can be anywhere on the field"

The last point is the issue. Our offense isn't especially efficient yet, and it wears down our defense.

I think that the o should be better this season, which will help the defense. Additionally, the defense should be better in and of itself.

The biggest storyline this season will be on the recruiting trail. This year will be make or break.

 

[cusefan88]

They just have to be good enough to win a shootout.

 

[TheCusian]

The last point is the issue. Our offense isn't especially efficient yet, and it wears down our defense.

I think that the o should be better this season, which will help the defense. Additionally, the defense should be better in and of itself.

The biggest storyline this season will be on the recruiting trail. This year will be make or break.

Yeah - agree on all points.

If we can improve on D and then hit the Babers 2nd year effeciency bump on O, we can compete with all but 2-3 teams on the schedule. That and hopefully a bowl can be the momentum we need to keep the arrow pointing up in recruiting.

 

[SoBristol]

Babers 2nd year at BGSU -- defense also improved in points and yardage allowed (with Ward coming in as DC), even though he had to replace 5 graduating starters from prior year. Brought in one grad transfer to stabilize the secondary.

On offense, Babers made a big efficiency bump in his year 2, having the advantage of having everyone back, and the return from injury of his #1 QB who was out in game 2 of the prior season. SU is likely to make a big bump, if it can replace Etta-Tawo's contribution.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

They just have to be good enough to win a shootout.

That's the answer.

 

[PAcuse]

Simple answer: Improvement
How much? Depends on how well the transfers can pick up the system and how our depth holds up along the D-Line. Linebackers will be our strength for sure.

 

[Ish88888]

twice we gave up 40+ points last year. twice the opponents hit 50+ . louisville hit 62 and of course pitt 76.
not a recipe for success. was it personnel or our schemes ? and which might improve vastly this year to deflate these outrageous numbers ? cheer squads everywhere are getting jacked doing pushups game day.

There is no place, no direction to go , but to improve. Our defense was embarrassing last year and alot of the same Shafer personel from 2015 was playing on defense. Learning the T2 defensive scheme is a big endeavor. Thus, the kids did a 180 schematically. Also, its way more passive than shafers schemes asking for man coverage on the outside with 2 safeties over the top. Less blitzing , more lbs in coverage and thus, a huge premium on front 4 pressure. A pro scheme and i am not convinced it can work on the p5 level. Need pro quality cbs and backers that can hit and cover in space...and...pro level DEs that can pressure off the edge. It asks alot of college players. We will be better, better understanding of scheme with some added secondary talent.

 

[TheCusian]

If you want to understand where our D is headed, re-watch the VaTech victory. It was probably our best performance on D vs FBS (and it looked and felt like a shootout). But we had some pressure, a timely fumble recovery, and the D was playing with a lead for most of the game. But - the INT in the end zone was the play that really points to the future.

Evans was freaking out because we had a lead, at home, and it was feeling like he needed to score because the defense wasn't holding as well as they are used to. He made a bad pass when he needed it most.

Why play zone? Pressure from playing behind means you're a college QB throwing more than you're used to against a D you don't see a ton of.

If the secondary can get better via talent and understanding the scheme - you'll see a jump in INT. We had 10 last year to put us at #68 nationally. I bet we'll see 16-18 which will put us in the top 20. (BGSU had 20 2 years ago, good for #8.)

 

[Finwad32]

Domination... That's what we can expect.

 

[blizz]

If you want to understand where our D is headed, re-watch the VaTech victory. It was probably our best performance on D vs FBS (and it looked and felt like a shootout). But we had some pressure, a timely fumble recovery, and the D was playing with a lead for most of the game. But - the INT in the end zone was the play that really points to the future.

Evans was freaking out because we had a lead, at home, and it was feeling like he needed to score because the defense wasn't holding as well as they are used to. He made a bad pass when he needed it most.

Why play zone? Pressure from playing behind means you're a college QB throwing more than you're used to against a D you don't see a ton of.

If the secondary can get better via talent and understanding the scheme - you'll see a jump in INT. We had 10 last year to put us at #68 nationally. I bet we'll see 16-18 which will put us in the top 20. (BGSU had 20 2 years ago, good for #8.)

Just want to add to this: Who made that crucial interception? None other than the slow, undersized, talentless, incapable Rodney Williams.

Skill set! Yes size, and speed are great (they never hurt), but I'll take someone who can lock down an area versus someone who can lockdown a target any day.

 

[Chip]

We need to stay healthy as much as possible, and give up less big play TDs. They go hand in hand. Add Cordy back to last year's team and some of those big play TDs don't happen.

The D was actually pretty good when backed against the goal line. But you don't get that opportunity when the opponent scores from their 30.

As Cusian said, we'll be better, but not great. We need to get used to that. Our strategy will be to outscore opponents. It's real and it's magnificent.

 

[TheCusian]

Just want to add to this: Who made that crucial interception? None other than the slow, undersized, talentless, incapable Rodney Williams.

Skill set! Yes size, and speed are great (they never hurt), but I'll take someone who can lock down an area versus someone who can lockdown a target any day.

Agreed. I like the underdog as much as the next guy.

But I think Dino is after size, speed and "lockdown on a target" for our S. Crucial in the defense we run.

 

[bigmike]

Just want to add to this: Who made that crucial interception? None other than the slow, undersized, talentless, incapable Rodney Williams.

Skill set! Yes size, and speed are great (they never hurt), but I'll take someone who can lock down an area versus someone who can lockdown a target any day.

Yes, but to paraphrase Pete Carril former Princeton basketball coach - fast players get where they are going faster than slow players, and big fast players are my favorites.

 

[IthacaMatt]

The last point is the issue. Our offense isn't especially efficient yet, and it wears down our defense.

I think that the o should be better this season, which will help the defense. Additionally, the defense should be better in and of itself.

The biggest storyline this season will be on the recruiting trail. This year will be make or break.

One of my big concerns with this offense is the officials, and the strategic cramping, etc., of opponents in games last year. The officials have to be ready for the snap of the ball, and they have to call bullsht on these fake injuries to slow down the game.

 

[nzm136]

One of my big concerns with this offense is the officials, and the strategic cramping, etc., of opponents in games last year. The officials have to be ready for the snap of the ball, and they have to call bullsht on these fake injuries to slow down the game.

My big concern is that this offense is designed to dominate teams where we have a talent advantage, but the high frequency makes us more likely to get dominated where we have a talent disadvantage.

It leads to injuries (which necessitates depth), fatigue (which necessitates depth), and a high number of possessions (which minimizes the impact of random chance). We absolutely need to produce enough highlights this year to bring our recruiting to the next level.

And if we want our defense to have a prayer, the offense must get substantially more efficient. They need to score to keep the pressure off the defense, and they need to have sustained drives to keep the other defense on the field while our D rests.

The good news is that our offense should start gelling this year, which should make it more consistent. Also, we have a high-visibility schedule, year of producing highlights under our belts (and hopefully the start of a reputation), and our staff should have some connections. Net net, we have a real opportunity to bring in s T40 class (we're currently #58 in Rivals and #49 in Scout).

 

[JLine]

Your guess is as good as mine now. We need those in the secondary to be able to locate the ball, and knock it down. So many big plays that could have been avoided. Gonna need some surprises on the DL to stop the run. I think we improve, but the offense is gonna have to be faster, and minimal field goals. More TDs.

Hopefully some of the younger guys can step up. I think they can do well enough for us to score enough to win. More turnovers, sacks, tackles for loss, and 3rd and longs that we don't give up would be great.

 

[SWC75]

If you think about it, the defense faced the same problems as the offense- more size, speed, talent and depth needed and learning a totally different scheme than they were recruited for. Babers gave us a schedule for the offense - the 4th to the 6th game of the second seasons. You have to wonder why he had no schedule for the defense.