Saturday, September 26, 2009

Different Opponent, Same Swiss Cheese Defense

Wisconsin 38, Michigan State 30

When you go on the road and score 30 points you should win football games. Period! But when you don't know what an adjustment is or how/when to make one, you will keep getting beaten. All spring and fall the kool-aid was handed out. The strength of this team will be it's defense, they remarked. The strength of this defense will be it's back seven, they said. The linebackers and defensive backs are better than they have been our first two season, they casually mentioned. Well guess what its not. These guys are constantly getting beat, constantly being put in awful situations. That is on the coaches. That is on defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi. When a team lines up exclusively with four and five wide receivers he continues to play his base 4-3 with a linebacker covering a slot receiver. When a team loses its best and biggest wide receiver he refuses to roll his coverages to the other side and to another really good receiver. Instead he calls corner blitzes and leaves that receiver in one-on-one coverage with a sophomore safety, easy touchdown every time. Well now you're 0-3, and no, wins against 1-AA schools don't count. They contribute to the problems because you do not know what you have because the team you played cannot compete with you. Now you have your in-state rival coming in, oh by the way, they are 4-0. They also run an offense, the spread, that Narduzzi and Company have not shown they can stop, at least not this year. And now you've got every college football talking-head and a large chunk of your fan base uttering that phrase that was supposedly gone...Same Old Spartans.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Coming soon....

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