10 Comments

  1. Philly Frog

    Ian:

    With the high-pace offenses in this conference, don’t you think that Rhule will likely dial back on the zone blitzing?

    There are a ton of hybrid slot RBs who drool at the prospect.

    This ain’t the AAC.

    • ianaboyd

      No, he’ll bring the blitzes as much as he can. Works great if you have disruptive players up front, which much of the B12 lacks. How do you think TCU led the league in sacks last year, btw?

      • Philly Frog

        Given our mediocre interior DL I presumed we did pretty well in coverage sacks (tee-vee doesn’t give you the full field). Did not notice that we did that much blitzing at all.

        Disruptive talents aside, if you’re dogging early against the hurry-up you’re taking a fair amount of risk against these conference offenses where almost everyone has length on the edges and 4.4 waterbugs in the middle.

        • ianaboyd

          West Virginia has been one of the better Ds over the last two years and have done so with even more aggressive blitzing than what Rhule has done, often bringing six or seven. The good Charlie Strong D fire-zoned, TCU fire-zoned a lot last year, OSU fire zones, K-State fire zones…it’s pretty standard procedure.

          It can be just as risky to sit back and try to hang on against B12 offenses as it is to try and attack them and force the QB to make a read. You have to field players that can force hurried decisions and prevent the QB from having a clean and easy pocket to throw from though.

          • Philly Frog

            I seem to recall that Gary has become far less dog-happy on standard downs than he was, say, ten years ago.

            But in the best tradition of college football fandom I have zero evidence to back up that assertion.

          • ianaboyd

            There were definitely games last year where TCU was bringing Fire zones early and often. OU and Baylor, for instance.

  2. Philly Frog

    We may be splitting hairs (hares? heirs?) here.

    When you drop a DE and bring another guy to the LOS at the snap, I don’t call that a blitz. To me, a blitz is bringing more than four guys.

    Frog backers tend to be guys that can execute a delayed fire zone when a lane flashes open and the coverage fits allow for a release. We had a guy in 2014 that made his bones with that move.

    Anyway, if Rhule can routinely bring 5 on standard downs in this conference and survive, then more power to him.

    • ianaboyd

      Frogs brought five-man blitzes in front of single-high coverage pretty often though, that’s what I’m saying.

      • Philly Frog

        I defer to your DVR.

        Thanks for your stuff, Ian.

        Philly

        PS: This is an interesting time to watch college football in Texas, with the coaching changes this year in Austin and Waco. Next year may bring similar changes in Lubbock and Collie Station. I doubt that all Frogs fully appreciate what a great run of stability we’ve enjoyed.

        • ianaboyd

          “You don’t know what you’ve got, till it’s gone.”

          I think the next phase of Patterson-era TCU is going to be good, perhaps the best. He’s just gotta get the balance right on offense and with practice to get back to the level of defense they were playing before the Air Raid. Also he has to find another QB, but I think he’s done so with Robinson.

          Lubbock and College Station are probably changing. Phillip Montgomery and Chad Morris are the names I hear for each respective program. Be nice to get the veer and shoot back in the Big 12 and it belongs out in West Texas more than anywhere else, imo. I do hear that Sumlin has stabilized some staff issues in College Station so maybe he surprises and comes back for more, Morris has to win more to steal his job, also.

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