"he said often he'd be more aggressive if he thought he had the personnel to handle it. He obviously didn't think so most of the time"

he only had THREE FREAKING years to recruit players, what do you expect? a dennis erickson type of improvement?

one shouldn't read too much into the term "nose" when referring to DL, it's pretty standard, even for those coaches who use an even front, to refer to one of the interior tackles as a "nose" to distinguish the positions

I'll be curious to see how Vonzell McDowell does this year. I was impressed with his play last year as a Freshman. The secondary held up amazingly well, considering how little pressure we were putting on opposing quarterbacks.

This seemed especially apparent to me, in person, at the USC game. Countless times I counted 6 or 7 seconds while Booty stood around looking for a receiver, and then often finally threw it away or forced a bad pass. He had plenty of passing yards, but that much time really skews the statistics against the secondary.

...where does the projected 2008 willingham defense rank with the rest of the PAC-10...as 95% of the 2008 team are now willingham signings...

man jh, you are in a fould mood.

sitting dawg:

while i agree that the secondary often had too long to have to cover people, i disagree that they held up "amazingly well" -- far too often opposing WRs ran right past our DBs

i think vonzell is going into fall camp in the mix for playing time with the second unit

...just asking questions, boys and girls...but nobody wants to answer them...for obvious reasons...

I pray like crazy that he's not blowing smoke about being more aggressive. I'd rather have a defense flying around the field causing havoc rather than a D sitting back getting picked apart.

It seems like the recent defense philosophy has been "just don't give up the homerun." Well, that doesn't work if you're giving the QB 6 seconds to survey the field prior to a throw or a RB time to ponder where the hole will be. I believe the defense should always focus on disruption. You can't play good defense on your heels -- literally or figuratively.

I'll forgive some long plays as long as it's not due to a missed assignment or something. As long as the defense is attacking, I'm willing to make that trade. if memory serves correctly, that was one thing with our great defenses some 20 years ago. They would put the corners on an island sometimes, and get in the backfield and create chaos. The defense would take chances and really dial up the heat. I'd dearly love to see some more risk taking.

In fact, I wonder if that isn't what killed Baer's defense last year. He was so worried about making a mistake, that he played too conservatively and too tight. I'm sure that translated to his players.

No I know. I was just kidding. For the most part I agree with you. Can anyone look at the coaches in the conference and honestly say that Ty belongs in the top half?

THE DESTRUCTION OF SENNACHERIB, first published in 1815 by Lord Byron
The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold,
And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold;
And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea,
When the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee.

Like the leaves of the forest when Summer is green,
That host with their banners at sunset were seen:
Like the leaves of the forest when Autumn hath blown,
That host on the morrow lay withered and strown.

For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast,
And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed;
And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill,
And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew still!

And there lay the steed with his nostril all wide,
But through it there rolled not the breath of his pride;
And the foam of his gasping lay white on the turf,
And cold as the spray of the rock-beating surf.

And there lay the rider distorted and pale,
With the dew on his brow, and the rust on his mail:
And the tents were all silent, the banners alone,
The lances unlifted, the trumpet unblown.

And the widows of Ashur are loud in their wail,
And the idols are broke in the temple of Baal;
And the might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword,
Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord!

...jeeze...and I thought I was boring...

JH is the purveyor of the TRUTH. We are afraid to answer his questions and reveal our messiah TW is a fraud.

/sarcasm

Or, he is like a broken record that brings nothing to the table. While the majority of us are impartial on TW, we all know TW will be here for at least another year and are addressing other issues.

Remind me to never read Lord Byron again. Somebody shoot me, PLEASE!!

...then answer them...

I LOVE that poem ...

It's the source of our school colors ...

And ... it's how I'd like us to play defense ...

"All I saw was purple"

Can someone help translate "one-gap" and "two-gap" to plain english please? Thank you.

...I apologize to the distaff ...I insulted you by calling mf a girl..

to jh (Only time this fall) no one answers your questions, becuse they are not worth the effort. You can't comprehend truth, anyway.
You are irrelevant, as is ND.

ja:

a "one-gap" scheme refers to a DL having responsibility for one gap that is determined pre-snap by the defensive call; a "two-gap" means that at the snap the DL engages an OL and is responsible for the gap on either side of the OL, the DL attempts to shed the OL depending on the flow of the play

not sure if "mf" is me ... but, either way, calling anybody a girl as a means to insult is far more insulting to the misogynist who states it than the intended

BRING IT!! I would rather lose all our games 3 - 0 but see our guys flat out kill the other team than field a pansy defense and win from time to time. Defense kills and there's no way we're getting back to where we were without a mean, aggressive D flying around the football field. I am so sick and tired of giving up ground I can't stand it anymore. Listening to Donatell I have hope. Teo Nesheim, Savannah, Elisara, Stevens, Forrester, Williams and Wood can all do it. Kill 'em! Knock their freakin' heads off!! Take it back!!

gotcha. Thanks mfsthorn

Washington's Defense was mentally and physically challenged last year. Usually you see that type of defensive performance when your offense is pitiful.

That was not always the case last year. Granted, there were way to many times last year when we came out of half-time only to see our offense not make a first down for 3 or 4 series, but it didn't happen all the time.

With our age and injuries last year though, we were also forced to play Gunhein, Reffett and Te'o-Nesheim WAY, WAY to much.

Health is the key this year for our D-line to be successful. EVERY available body will be needed to overcome experience issues. Rotate eight d-linemen out there every game if we can.

Thanks for the poem, someone people may not appreciate it but I liked it.

ja - msfthorn explained it well - here's my two cents worth.

One-gap responsibility is relatively simple: the defender attacks a hole and must take care of whatever business happens there. He is expected to tackle any running back who goes through that hole, or to force the running back to move laterally into the arms of another tackler. If the offense is passing, the defender's gap is his route to the quarterback.

Two-gap responsibility requires more discipline on the part of the defender. A defensive lineman may be responsible for both the A and B gaps on his side of the field ("A" gap is usually the space between the Center and the Guard, the "B" gap is between the Guard and Tackle on either side of the field but it can be between the Tackle and TE too).

His job is not so much to crash through a gap as to read the play, anticipate which gap a running back might choose, and clog it. The two-gap defender must quickly diagnose the blocking scheme to determine which of his gaps is more vulnerable.

...Thanks for the poem, someone people may not appreciate it but I liked it....

First off, this is the pac. EVERY defense is going to be giving up a few big plays. That's just the way it is.

Second, I have no reason to think that Donatell isn't going to be as aggressive as he think he can be. He isn't the kind of guy who calls plays not to lose, he calls plays to win.

And I LOVE the comment about him preferring to rotate as many players as possible. That's how you build a deep and nasty defense (see Ohio State), and that's the thing that frustrated me most last year, though I understand the logic of keeping the best guys in.

....stupid sucksky fans defending lierone...he is an evil man who deserves to be destroyed...

JH and Irishdagrave have to be the same person(or troll), look at all those *.....*. Neither of them finish a thought!! Or they teach that at ND.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOLajw24INo

A lot of people have been dsicussing the pros/cons of recruiting JC players lately on this board.

Stewart Mandel discussed some interesting cons to bringing in too many JG players in 1 year in his college mailbag. It is on page #3.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/stewart_mandel/07/29/mailbag/2.html

I think it time for some football, y'all getting a tad huffy, I don't know about the poems stuff...kind of makes me want to look over my shoulder???

JH, IDTG, etc..... Tyrone Willingham is the coach at Washington for the 2008 season and hasn't been at all involved in ND athletics for several years now. You guys are like an old boyfriend stalking the girl who dumped you because you were just a tad bit creepy. Hiding in the bushes won't help, guys! Also note that most of the coach posts on this blog come from you two and mello. I think it's time to move on. One month to real games!!!!

GO DAWGS ! I'm feeling optimistic about this season, I think we turn the corner this year. One month to game time - I'm pumped!!

"....stupid sucksky fans defending lierone...he is an evil man who deserves to be destroyed..."

ITDG - I think you misspelled that - it should have come out: "stupid Irish fans attacking Tyrone - He is a fine man who deserves to be admired."

I know South Bend actually has a newspaper (I used to deliver it when I lived in Indiana) - don't they know how to create a blog site? Perhaps they could hire an ex-Microsoft tech to set one up?

...IDdawg and Zia...you guys just don't get me...do you?...can't you see that I post the same thing over and over...because I truly care...it has nothing to do...with the fact that I am...a 34 year old ND grad...still living in the basement of my mother's house...which leads me to have a mean and vindictive spirit...but it's not my fault...it's TW's fault...somehow...but I can't remember why...anyway...I post here all the time because...I JUST WANT SOME LOVE...

Any guesses on what jh stands for?

My guess is:

juxtaposed hemorrhoids

...jumbled...heredity...?

Saban to UW after the season is over.

let's get back to duck/husky trash talked eh?

JH to answer your question:
The defense will be top 5 in the Pac-10 IMHO in 2008 b/c:
1) Improved personal: LB: Mason Foster is a stud – played great as a true frosh last year- is fast and hits; Donald Butler is healthy- our best LB was hurt last year and that was a big blow; Chris Stevens is a playmaker –who Baer never played- why? Who knows…EJ if healthy we have a top three unit…Tui, Houston provide experience and depth…Safeties: After Wells got hurt the defense really suffered last year- he is back and healthy- BUT with stud sophomores Nate and Vic A. – he may not even start- bottom line this is the best group of Safeties we have had in years. Victor will be all conference if not all American before he is done- scary hitter- 220 LBS of evil…Corners: Forrester moves from FS to corner- adds size and speed to the outside- Q-Rich is a stud RS-Freshman- big and fast. V-McDowell played well at times as a true freshman and Davenport started many games last year- four tough good corners…This is the best talent in the back 7 we have had since the mid-1990’s.
2) The D-line will be better than people think: Daniel T is all Pac-10 and a stud on the outside- he has gotten better every year and was by far the best D-lineman last year…Cameron E. is big and strong in the middle- indeed with Big Meta coming in- we are much bigger inside than in the past few years. Tyrone Duncan and Woods provide depth- Mathews, Jones, and the incoming frosh along with Daniel T bring both size and quicks outside…BUT the biggest difference is Bob’s Blog- Ed will rotate the lineman- we ran out of gas and for whatever reason Baer and Hart- being either stubborn or foolish had the same four play almost the entire game and in the fourth quarter we ran out of Gas….Indeed the defense was pretty good in the first half- but totally broke down in the third and fourth quarters…and yes JH- Ty deserves some of the blame for lack of rotation.
3) Ed D is the new DC…Ty, if he gets fired after the season – one huge reason is he stuck with Baer too long as his DC…the bend don’t break, don’t rotate players to keep them fresh, don’t play your best playmaker on D (Stevens) b/c he is a bit small, and do not attack after you get a lead is mind blowing…Ed has a different view of the world, he has better players- yes they are young- but more importantly he has a better plan than Baer (who seemingly had no plan)…that is why we will improve in 2008….

Excellent summary as usual, Rock - I couldn't have answered jh any better. By the middle of the first quarter of the Quack game, everyone will have forgotten Kent Baer and his "we're not good enough" philosophy, after Vic has taken Nate Costa's head off a couple times and Q-Rich has returned one for a TD. After that, Jake and Co. will put this one away and we will be on our way to the best season Dawg fans have seen since 2001...