With the portal and additions we are making, I suspect we are going to, at minimum, tweak the 335 to line one of our bigger LBs on the line standing up. Just seems we are going that way.
Thoughts on next year?
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Agree. Remember A few years ago all the close games we lost? Huge improvement.
I appreciate these comments, one counter I do have is that 90% or greater of the players lined up against ISU won't ever sniff the NFL and at least 1/2 are average to below average players (We don't play UT and OU anymore).
I totally understand your description and the shortcomings of lining up in the wide 9 but what I want to know is how the Vikings are #2 in the NFL against the run, when their two rush ends are usually outside the tackle and TE? Is it just that Minnesota's edge are just the good versus the other elite humans in the NFL?
We haven't had a hard time recruiting D linemen? Dom Orange, TO, yes he left but after what, 4 years? McDonald, Lima, etc... we've recruited linemen fine for this scheme.
Some dudes don't want to play in a 4 man front and rather play in a 3 man. Otherwise would like to be the other way around. Some edge rushers want to stand up, others are fine putting their hands in the ground. Some D tackles want to be Warren Sapp and don't want to two gap, etc...
point is its like life. No matter what the scheme, some guys are always going to say "no, I want to Play like X and you want me to play like D"
Just like we might have receivers who don't like the fact that we only use 2, maybe 3 at a time and don't throw it 55 times a game or we ... whatever. Kids are always going to go where they feel like the system is what they want and you are never ever going to be making everyone happy. Cause guess what, say you go to a 4-2-5. Ok, fine, whatever.
Then the kid might say "well, yeah, you run a 4 man front but so does Texas and they offered me too so peace out". So this idea that changing the front makes it easier to recruit D linemen... not so much.
I assume we are after another RB as well?? Sama may be a good candidate to look elsewhere/transfer out and we can bring in someone more able to run between the tackles. Abu should be in a system where his athletic ability in space can be more featured. Is Dylan Lee likely ready for RB2/3?
Now, if Mouser wants to get the RB's more involved in the passing game.. I would love to see Sama featured in that kind of a system, he can make a defender miss on the edge and break big plays.
Now, if Mouser wants to get the RB's more involved in the passing game.. I would love to see Sama featured in that kind of a system, he can make a defender miss on the edge and break big plays.
I don’t see Sama leaving. I think his talents can be used more as a receiving back and jet sweep type like we did with Noel. We can work with him during the off season and make those adjustments.
He was out at the slot vs. UCF but that didn't seem to stick even though he had a couple of catches that night.
Cause most teams don't run the ball in the NFL that well.
Detroit Lions - 144 yards
49ers - Mason, 102 yards
Cardinals =154 yards
Falcons- 158 yards
Packers (190 yards) dived by two = 85.0
Vikings rush defense and bottom 3rd or bottom half teams played is half or slightly over half their schedule.. I'm not saying their rush defense is bad, but you've played a healthy number of teams that can't run the ball. And have struggled other than against the Packers against teams who can.
Lions, 49ers, Cardinals and Falcons combined to average 139.5 yards a game. Those are teams that are more predominantly run heavy.
Jets (31st)
Seattle (30th)
Jacksonville (26th)
Bears (25th) (Twice)
Rams (23rd)
Giants (22nd)
Texans (21st)
Titans (15th)
Even taking in the Packers games, that comes out to 124.6 yards rushing given up per game by Minnesota. That would make them rank 19th in the NFL against the run so bottom half of the league. Adding the colts game is in 116.5 yards per game. Mason obviously is the backup for the 49ers.
So, stats can lie until you look at who you played and when. Take Iowa State's secondary. It was great. IT was really good. But against quarterbacks that I'd say were above average or better...in terms of their ability to throw the ball.
Tech (loss)
Arizona State (loss)
Baylor (win)
Daniels played well, so I guess technically you could count Kansas but I didn't.
And Ward... we won, yes, but its weird in that he elected not to play in the 2nd half
So if you count those two games, we went 2-3 against teams with average to above average college quarterbacks. And went 9-0 against everyone else. We still had an amazing season. And that break down is true for most every team. But that's the danger in saying we were this or we were that.
Army won the award for the best OL in the nation. Could that OL hold up against an SEC, Big 10, Big 12 schedule and still be considered the best in the nation? Probably not.
So if you look at stats, you gotta look at the context behind the statistic, not just the statistic to get the full picture IMO
From a portal departure standpoint, portal closed Dec 28 but exception for teams participating in postseason. Those players can enter up to 5 days after their season ends, so our date to look at is 1/2 to get to without any more defections.
Then it’ll be open again for 10 days in the spring from April 16-25. You hope that is strictly guys who saw the writing on the wall in spring practice and were going to be buried on the depth chart.
So a few more days to get through and we should have a good idea of returning production/talent. Then let’s see what else we can add to this group.
Spring semester starts Jan 21, so I can assume we’d want any adds to be enrolled and a part of the team ahead of that. Next 2-3 weeks would be the timeline for any further adds that will be able to make it through spring camp
Then it’ll be open again for 10 days in the spring from April 16-25. You hope that is strictly guys who saw the writing on the wall in spring practice and were going to be buried on the depth chart.
So a few more days to get through and we should have a good idea of returning production/talent. Then let’s see what else we can add to this group.
Spring semester starts Jan 21, so I can assume we’d want any adds to be enrolled and a part of the team ahead of that. Next 2-3 weeks would be the timeline for any further adds that will be able to make it through spring camp
QB will show slight improvement. Can't get that much better. Fewer pick 6's at least.
WR will be worse. 66% of production is gone.
TE should be better.
LB will be better, but too many open issues. Slow, can't tackle. wrong pursuit angles, can't blitz, injuries.
DB will be worse. Losing a lot of talent. Freyler was the leading tackler.
DL ???? (maybe the most important group next year)
Margins will remain solid - low turnovers and penalties.
Special teams will be underutilized as usual. Few returns, blocks (Porter gone). Decent coverage.
new personnel - fairly weak in new recruits and portal transfers
Close games - we won't get as many last minute wins.
Schedule - harder.
Honestly, 7-5 record would be Ok considering everything.
WR will be worse. 66% of production is gone.
TE should be better.
LB will be better, but too many open issues. Slow, can't tackle. wrong pursuit angles, can't blitz, injuries.
DB will be worse. Losing a lot of talent. Freyler was the leading tackler.
DL ???? (maybe the most important group next year)
Margins will remain solid - low turnovers and penalties.
Special teams will be underutilized as usual. Few returns, blocks (Porter gone). Decent coverage.
new personnel - fairly weak in new recruits and portal transfers
Close games - we won't get as many last minute wins.
Schedule - harder.
Honestly, 7-5 record would be Ok considering everything.
Actually it should be 3-4-4. There is what 7-8 quality LBers that return and most of which now have many games of experience.
Which ones cover the receivers and backs in routes? None have the speed, those receivers will look like randy moss with our backers covering them. We have to have 5 DBs on the field unless we get a backer who has AJ Klein speed.
Step 1, stop the run. Not many of ISUs opponents go 5 wide. I think our LBers can generally cover most TEs and RBs out of the backfield.
See us taking a step back a bit on the win total next year. At Colorado, BYU, and Arizona State will be tough. Plus Kansas is on the schedule and we can’t seem to beat Leipold.
Not sure about BYU, but Kansas, Coloarado and Arizona St. lose a lot of their better players that hurt us this past season. Only the QB from ASU is returning, so that is a plus. No reason with what we have coming back on offense we should not win 2/3 of those games. Heck Sanders might not even be coaching at CU next season with both of this kids graduating this season and on to the NFL.
I wonder how well Deion can develop players. He didnt have to do a ton with his kids and Hunter already being really good. He has proved me wrong before but i think he will struggle next year
Even if Colorado takes a step back, that game is in Boulder, which is never easy.
You're largely getting guys that are tweeners in a 4 man front. In fact, ISU can make a living getting guys that are otherwise undervalued as DEs in a 4 man front.
Other than McDonald, who was a home run, the handful of elite 4 man front DEs that can rush the passer and hold up in the run game are going to play for the blue bloods. Everybody else is deciding if they want undersized pass rushers or bigger guys that hold up against the run. Then you're also trying to find multiple good interior guys that are tough to find in college.
It's tough because the league is getting more and more power running, which makes the 3-3-5 a bit of a disadvantage. But the 3 man front also lets ISU avoid a little more competition for guys that can fit the ISU front.
