I think the issue concerning grades is to teach the players how hard it is to be great. We saw our team last year there's no question they were playing as hard as we could. We lost 5 games by a total of 22 points. But coach Herman sees that and is pushing them harder. It's true we raised our gpa under coach Strong but the kids need to realize their new hc is a member of Mensa. Because of that I don't think he's messing around when it comes to classwork.
Winter Workouts 2017
- Thread starter Godz40Acrez
- Start date
I think the issue concerning grades is to teach the players how hard it is to be great. We saw our team last year there's no question they were playing as hard as we could. We lost 5 games by a total of 22 points. But coach Herman sees that and is pushing them harder. It's true we raised our gpa under coach Strong but the kids need to realize their new hc is a member of Mensa. Because of that I don't think he's messing around when it comes to classwork.
It's all about being trusted to take care of every little detail. If you can't be depended on to go to class, turn in homework on time, prepare for a test how can you be depended on to go to film sessions, get in position on time, or prepare for your opponent.
I look at this list and I would like to ask how in the h*ll did Pitt and OSU get on this list? FL and MI are overrated so that's four. Why is South Carolina on this list? NCS is nobody special and they'll be no match at all for Clemson so that's five. I don't know why Clemson is on this list. Auburn and South Carolina don't even belong on the same field with them. Auburn is another overrated team the little ol Big XII rolled them in the SB. They are living off the season where on a fluke they came within 20 seconds of winning a nc a few years ago. I think that makes 6.
As for the other schools. FSU, TX, and the GA schools deserve to be on this list. As a principle I don't like to talk up OK
But seriously they are playing tOSU and in Columbus. They should be on this list. During the bowl season the Big X proved they are the most overrated conference in the country, I call them the little ten, they don't deserve no roman numeral. MI is allegedly a tough game and tOSU isn't? Wth?
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Seriously guys, who do you think will be playing on the other side of the ball this season? Every new coach comes and decides to move some guys from offense to defense and vice versa. Who do you think it will be?
Todd Orlando’s Defense
Charlie Strong’s base defense at Texas was a 4-3 Under and the Longhorns would create that front in a variety of different ways from 4-3, 3-4, and of course 3-3-5 personnel packages.
Todd Orlando’s base defense is a true 3-4. Now he’ll mix and match a few different fronts and basically line up his DL wherever he thinks they’ll be needed to clog lanes, occasionally mixing in four-down looks as well, but the underlying front is three down. In particular, Orlando likes to play a 0-technique nose and two 4i-technique DEs and enjoy the benefits of having four linebackers off the ball who can play wide and off the football and move around in the backfield or on the blitz.
The other big difference from Orlando’s nominally 3-3-5 defense (that’s the package they spent the most time in at Houston) and Charlie’s is in the coverage behind it. Charlie Strong based out of single-hi safety coverages and had his DBs play a lot of man coverage outside. Todd Orlando’s base coverage is quarters and he uses single-hi coverages mostly as a changeup or for the fire zone blitzes he regularly dials up.
Quarters is a very flexible base coverage that has lots of different iterations, much like Orlando’s fronts.
One of the benefits of quarters coverage is that the defense can play two different coverages to either side of the field. Orlando uses 2-read a lot against twin receivers to the field, a pattern matching coverage that can become cover 4 or cover 2 based on the route distribution, and uses the nickel as an underneath zone/run support player.
On the boundary Orlando calls a lot of “robber” or “sky coverage” where the corner has to play deep over the receiver and the safety helps on inside routes like the post and supports the run. He’ll also mix in normal cover 2 and Tampa-2 as options for obvious passing downs.
Although we haven’t seen them in Austin in quite some time, these are all really common coverages in the Big 12. What isn’t as common is that Orlando will regularly blitz while playing quarters, a privilege afforded by the 3-4 defensive structure. Either outside linebacker or inside linebacker is liable to join the DL as the fourth pass-rusher while everyone else plays one of Orlando’s quarters calls.
Finally there are the fire zones, which were an essential component to Manny Diaz and Charlie Strong’s defenses and will remain a key piece of the puzzle for Texas moving forward.
Orlando vs the Big 12
Although the Big 12 is down nationally and doesn’t field defenses like you see in other Power-5 conferences, not even the SEC West will stress a pass defense like a round robin trip through the Big 12 can. Orlando’s first priority at Texas may be to get his linebackers up to speed in the fundamentals where they’ve lacked for the past two years, but he’ll also have to tweak his approach to survive and thrive in this league.
[V]irtually every team in this league has embraced vertical passing as a core element to their strategy. The execution level has gotten high enough that every time teams run a play like this, all of the pressure is on the defense to avoid a single mistake that could mean six points.
The teaching on the back end has to be excellent to avoid mistakes, match the routes well, and provide enough depth to play nickel and dime sub-packages and continue to do so if there are injuries. Those are tall orders and Texas really struggled in that regard this past season.
Where Orlando could have a leg up on the rest of the league is his ability to execute rule #5 – Don’t give the QB all day to throw – at a high level. However, if you have DL that are hard for OL to keep their hands on and blitzing linebackers that can come like a ton of bricks off the edges or inside, you can disrupt the whole process by not allowing the QB to see the routes or get a good ball off cleanly.
Don’t be shocked if Orlando decides to tweak his scheme to get as much pass-rushing on the field as possible in order to create leeway for his young secondary. One such route would be taking a DE off the field and creating a 2-4-5 nickel package. That would allow Texas to play both Malcolm Roach and Breckyn Hager on either edge and bring even greater variety with their blitzes.
Texas hired a good defensive coach in Todd Orlando and the success they’ve had in their secondary amidst serious turnover suggests that his assistants Jason Washington and Craig Naivar are very worthy additions as well. If they can get a young defensive backfield up to speed on fundamentals in this scheme, they may find that they have the tools and support from the offense to adjust to the Big 12 and even offer a clinic on how to play defense in this league.
[Much more of this article at IT]
Thanks for this it's very informative for a fan like me. I can't wait to watch Todd Orlando against the Big XII defenses. I saw his defenses against top notch offenses like FSU, OK, and LV. The LV game really impressed me they flat out shut down Heisman winner Lamar Jackson that night. It's easy to say in February but I think if Tom Herman is the coach I think he is, if Todd Orlando turns out to be the dc I think he can be we could dominate the Big XII the way Stoops has and I may not even take that long. Imo, every Big XII dc is stealing from his employer. I mean we were all frustrated with Vance Bedford but he wasn't any worse than the other dc's.
Looks like they are working hard. Most importantly, it looks like there is a lot of competition.
E$PN ranks Big 12 teams by QB and RB groups....
QB
1. ou: Snowflake Mayfield might be the top returning quarterback in college football. He's twice finished in the top five of the Heisman Trophy voting and broke the FBS passing efficiency season record last season. The Sooners have depth behind him, too, with Austin Kendall and former Texas A&M transfer Kyler Murray both returning.
2. Oklahoma State: With 28 career starts, Mason Rudolph will enter 2017 as one of the most experienced passers in the country. Among quarterbacks who also threw for 4,000 yards last season, Rudolph threw the fewest interceptions (four).
3. Kansas State: Jesse Ertz was among the most improved players in the Big 12 during the second half of last season as he quietly finished third in the league in QBR. Ertz was the only Big 12 QB to rush for more than 1,000 yards last season, as well.
4. TCU: If [Kenny Hill] can find consistency, Hill has the talent to be among the top quarterbacks in the league. The future of the position is in good shape, with TCU signing ESPN 300 dual-threat QB Shawn Robinson last week.
5. Texas: Shane Buechele's freshman season got off to an incredible start as he torched Notre Dame in his first career game. But Buechele faded down the stretch in conference play as Texas failed to reach a bowl, leading to Charlie Strong's firing. Buechele might still be Texas' QB of the future. But he'll have to prove it by beating out Austin native Sam Ehlinger, who was one of the country's top QB signees last week.
6. West Virginia: This ranking... will hinge on Will Grier being the same quarterback he was those first six games as a freshman at Florida. After backing up Skyler Howard last season, Chris Chugunov figures to be the favorite... to do the same behind Grier this fall.
7. Bailor: Zach Smith struggled last year as a freshman but he had a breakout performance in Bailor's bowl game in the rout of Boise State. The QB battle between Smith and Arizona transfer Anu Solomon will be one of the more interesting ones in the conference.
8. Texas Tech: [T]he reins of the Tech air raid will be handed over to Nic Shimonek. The Iowa transfer shined in his lone significant action last season, throwing four second-half touchdowns in a victory over Kansas.
9. Iowa State: After taking over the starting spot from Joel Lanning, Jacob Park played well, throwing 12 touchdowns to just five interceptions. Back as well, Lanning gives Iowa State an experienced backup and a change-of-pace, run-first option behind center.
10. Kansas: The Jayhawks... are in better shape at quarterback than they have been in some time. Carter Stanley gave the offense a spark after taking over... late in the season. But the one to watch will be former Washington State QB Peyton Bender, who arrives in Lawrence as the No. 3 juco QB in the country.
RB
1. West Virginia: Justin Crawford is the Big 12's leading returning rusher after a 1,184-yard junior season that earned Offensive Newcomer of the Year honors. Kennedy McKoy was one of the conference's more productive freshman backs in 2016 and Martell Pettaway showed his potential.
2. TCU: No returning Big 12 running back put up more total yards from scrimmage than Kyle Hicks. His production (1,459 total yards, 14 TDs), versatility and leadership are invaluable for the Frogs. The return of Shaun Nixon gives their offense a serious boost.
3. Bailor: Lost in Bailor's late-season swoon was all the attention Terence Williams should've earned. He rumbled for 1,048 yards and 11 TDs as a sophomore.
4. Oklahoma State: The most productive freshman running back in college football last season was Justice Hill. He was truly the Cowboys' missing piece on offense. Hill needs some help, though, after three seniors graduated.
5. Texas: When Chris Warren III gets 100 percent healthy from the season-ending knee injury he suffered, the 250-pounder will be one of the Big 12's most dangerous running backs. The question is who will back him up? Kyle Porter, Kirk Johnson and ESPN 300 signee Toneil Carter will compete this spring, and Tom Herman called Daniel Young the steal of their recruiting class.
6. Kansas State: If Alex Barnes can become the Wildcats' consistent leader at running back, they'll move up this list. He averaged 7.9 yards per carry and produced two 100-yard games to end his redshirt freshman year, but Barnes received more than 10 carries in a game just once in 2016.
7. Iowa State: If Mike Warren gets back to playing like he did in 2015, the Cyclones have all they need for a potent run game. Warren has a lot to prove after a disappointing sophomore season, and David Montgomery and Kene Nwangwu will keep pushing him.
8. ou: Abdul Adams, Rodney Anderson, Trey Sermon, Marcelias Sutton, Kennedy Brooks. One or more of these guys will be the Sooners' next big star at running back, and several others need to make significant contributions in 2017. Sermon and Sutton coming in as midyear enrollees ensures OU will have some fierce competition in spring ball.
9. Texas Tech: Da'Leon Ward came on late in the season as a true freshman, which was encouraging, but here's the problem: Ward, Demarcus Felton and Justin Stockton combined to average 78 rushing yards per game last year. [P]erhaps junior college transfer Desmond Nisby can become the power back the Red Raiders lack.
10. Kansas: Incoming signees Octavius Matthews (E$PN's No. 1 ranked juco RB) and Dominic Williams have an opportunity to make a serious impact right away for the Jayhawks. They'll compete with Taylor Martin and Khalil Herbert, who played limited roles in 2016, as well as former Arkansas transfer Denzell Evans.
QB
1. ou: Snowflake Mayfield might be the top returning quarterback in college football. He's twice finished in the top five of the Heisman Trophy voting and broke the FBS passing efficiency season record last season. The Sooners have depth behind him, too, with Austin Kendall and former Texas A&M transfer Kyler Murray both returning.
2. Oklahoma State: With 28 career starts, Mason Rudolph will enter 2017 as one of the most experienced passers in the country. Among quarterbacks who also threw for 4,000 yards last season, Rudolph threw the fewest interceptions (four).
3. Kansas State: Jesse Ertz was among the most improved players in the Big 12 during the second half of last season as he quietly finished third in the league in QBR. Ertz was the only Big 12 QB to rush for more than 1,000 yards last season, as well.
4. TCU: If [Kenny Hill] can find consistency, Hill has the talent to be among the top quarterbacks in the league. The future of the position is in good shape, with TCU signing ESPN 300 dual-threat QB Shawn Robinson last week.
5. Texas: Shane Buechele's freshman season got off to an incredible start as he torched Notre Dame in his first career game. But Buechele faded down the stretch in conference play as Texas failed to reach a bowl, leading to Charlie Strong's firing. Buechele might still be Texas' QB of the future. But he'll have to prove it by beating out Austin native Sam Ehlinger, who was one of the country's top QB signees last week.
6. West Virginia: This ranking... will hinge on Will Grier being the same quarterback he was those first six games as a freshman at Florida. After backing up Skyler Howard last season, Chris Chugunov figures to be the favorite... to do the same behind Grier this fall.
7. Bailor: Zach Smith struggled last year as a freshman but he had a breakout performance in Bailor's bowl game in the rout of Boise State. The QB battle between Smith and Arizona transfer Anu Solomon will be one of the more interesting ones in the conference.
8. Texas Tech: [T]he reins of the Tech air raid will be handed over to Nic Shimonek. The Iowa transfer shined in his lone significant action last season, throwing four second-half touchdowns in a victory over Kansas.
9. Iowa State: After taking over the starting spot from Joel Lanning, Jacob Park played well, throwing 12 touchdowns to just five interceptions. Back as well, Lanning gives Iowa State an experienced backup and a change-of-pace, run-first option behind center.
10. Kansas: The Jayhawks... are in better shape at quarterback than they have been in some time. Carter Stanley gave the offense a spark after taking over... late in the season. But the one to watch will be former Washington State QB Peyton Bender, who arrives in Lawrence as the No. 3 juco QB in the country.
RB
1. West Virginia: Justin Crawford is the Big 12's leading returning rusher after a 1,184-yard junior season that earned Offensive Newcomer of the Year honors. Kennedy McKoy was one of the conference's more productive freshman backs in 2016 and Martell Pettaway showed his potential.
2. TCU: No returning Big 12 running back put up more total yards from scrimmage than Kyle Hicks. His production (1,459 total yards, 14 TDs), versatility and leadership are invaluable for the Frogs. The return of Shaun Nixon gives their offense a serious boost.
3. Bailor: Lost in Bailor's late-season swoon was all the attention Terence Williams should've earned. He rumbled for 1,048 yards and 11 TDs as a sophomore.
4. Oklahoma State: The most productive freshman running back in college football last season was Justice Hill. He was truly the Cowboys' missing piece on offense. Hill needs some help, though, after three seniors graduated.
5. Texas: When Chris Warren III gets 100 percent healthy from the season-ending knee injury he suffered, the 250-pounder will be one of the Big 12's most dangerous running backs. The question is who will back him up? Kyle Porter, Kirk Johnson and ESPN 300 signee Toneil Carter will compete this spring, and Tom Herman called Daniel Young the steal of their recruiting class.
6. Kansas State: If Alex Barnes can become the Wildcats' consistent leader at running back, they'll move up this list. He averaged 7.9 yards per carry and produced two 100-yard games to end his redshirt freshman year, but Barnes received more than 10 carries in a game just once in 2016.
7. Iowa State: If Mike Warren gets back to playing like he did in 2015, the Cyclones have all they need for a potent run game. Warren has a lot to prove after a disappointing sophomore season, and David Montgomery and Kene Nwangwu will keep pushing him.
8. ou: Abdul Adams, Rodney Anderson, Trey Sermon, Marcelias Sutton, Kennedy Brooks. One or more of these guys will be the Sooners' next big star at running back, and several others need to make significant contributions in 2017. Sermon and Sutton coming in as midyear enrollees ensures OU will have some fierce competition in spring ball.
9. Texas Tech: Da'Leon Ward came on late in the season as a true freshman, which was encouraging, but here's the problem: Ward, Demarcus Felton and Justin Stockton combined to average 78 rushing yards per game last year. [P]erhaps junior college transfer Desmond Nisby can become the power back the Red Raiders lack.
10. Kansas: Incoming signees Octavius Matthews (E$PN's No. 1 ranked juco RB) and Dominic Williams have an opportunity to make a serious impact right away for the Jayhawks. They'll compete with Taylor Martin and Khalil Herbert, who played limited roles in 2016, as well as former Arkansas transfer Denzell Evans.
BM has already had two concussions and I can't stress enough that he is one more concussion away from retirement.
True that but one thing I've noticed in today's college football is that concussions is one thing they can not ignore. He had two six weeks apart in the 2015 season. One more and no doctor in OK no matter how much he loves sooner fb, will clear him to play, it would destroy his credibility with his peers.
You know bubba2023, you can let a fb player play when he does serious physical damage to another human being negative public relations be damned.
But, when he gets hurt they get all concerned and care about his safety, and mental health. Think about that.
Tom Herman Aint Messing Around
Spoke to a source regarding coach Tom Herman’s demeanor in practice this week and it sounds like any honeymoon period is over. I’m told Herman has been extremely involved in the coaching and extremely intense this week. To put it very mildly, he’s been challenging the manhood of the players and, again to put it mildly, demanding that they step up to that challenge…sometimes make such ‘requests’ with some colorful language. The source said that one player actually had the guts to miss a class…that didn’t go well. “After what happened to him, the players were pretty much like, we’re never missing a class.”
[TFB]
Spoke to a source regarding coach Tom Herman’s demeanor in practice this week and it sounds like any honeymoon period is over. I’m told Herman has been extremely involved in the coaching and extremely intense this week. To put it very mildly, he’s been challenging the manhood of the players and, again to put it mildly, demanding that they step up to that challenge…sometimes make such ‘requests’ with some colorful language. The source said that one player actually had the guts to miss a class…that didn’t go well. “After what happened to him, the players were pretty much like, we’re never missing a class.”
[TFB]
I read somewhere that a WR was jogging in a drill and Herman came over...ignored the WR and ate the ass out of the coach.....
Thats great news to me....that will pay off in the end.
Thats great news to me....that will pay off in the end.
This is an excellent discussion by the IT guys. They first talk about the offensive fits from the current roster for coming Herman-O; then they finish by focusing on the new class and all of its "fits" for both the new O and D.
Okay, I'm ready to fire The Hermanator. He's hired the best and brightest media minds (supposedly) and they're giving me zippo info about the Winter Workouts. Even the media aren't reporting anything but 2018 recruiting. 20stinking18 RECRUITING! The players aren't even tweeting about their workouts! This is unprecedented.
The Longhorn Football world isn't revolving around me anymore and I'm enraged! I've just got one thing to say to Tommy Boy....
The Longhorn Football world isn't revolving around me anymore and I'm enraged! I've just got one thing to say to Tommy Boy....
Okay, here's the latest video but it doesn't help much.
Rebuilding DBU
[T]he Orlando defense is built primarily around quarters coverages. The advantages of playing two-deep coverages these days can be found in the versatility of these coverages to adjust to different strengths and weaknesses from either the offense or defensive personnel as well as in the post-snap flexibility that comes from having a safety on either hash to react to the play.
However that versatility generally comes from having CBs that can play on an island at times and the flexibility depends on having safeties that can react accurately and quickly to what happens after the snap. Here are the five DB roles that Orlando relied on at Houston over the last few years and what they call for from the players.
Cornerback
After studying multiple games from both 2015 and 2016 I haven’t found any formational consistency to how Orlando likes to line up his cornerbacks. [M]y conclusion is that every cornerback on the roster needs to be as complete a player as possible, capable of defending vertical routes without help over the top as well as supporting the run as a force player on the edge.
Generally quarters coverage provides help for the cornerback on inside routes like the curl, post, or dig (though not necessarily) but it can also frequently leave him to handle the fade, hitch, out, or comeback by his lonesome. Cornerbacks need to be able to play WRs without getting beat deep down the sideline and ideally they can do so without conceding too much of a cushion.
Nickel
Orlando does play his outside linebackers as field and boundary (for the most part) and so the nickel is basically an outside linebacker who happens to be responsible for covering a ton of space. He needs to be able to play the edge against the run but to do so while covering some real distances.
However, Orlando also makes heavy use of fire zone blitzes in his defense, which ask the coverage players to play matchup zone/man defense on the various receivers. While these blitzes often involve the nickel as a blitzer, they more frequently ask him to cover the slot WR in man coverage, so this player needs to be pretty solid in coverage.
With all of those considerations in mind your nickel ends up needing to be a very versatile DB who’s effective against the run, smart enough to handle a lot of differing assignments (some of which require very quick reactions), and skilled enough to handle being isolated in coverage.
Boundary safety
Because this safety is closer to the box and the action this is often a playmaking position in a quarters defense. The boundary safety has less range to cover on most snaps than the field safety so he needn’t necessarily be as fast and athletic but he’s more likely to have run fits in the box so he does need to be sturdier and plenty physical.
His proximity to the box means he can at times even blitz the edge but his most frequent tasks are playing over the boundary inside WR, serving as an extra run defender, playing as a deep half or deep middle zone defender, and playing as a “robber” on the inside. Obviously having a few years in the program to learn all that is invaluable.
Field safety
Tom Herman recently identified this guy as one of the two most important positions on defense because they have to set the call for the coverage based on the opponent’s formation. He might have added that they’re also responsible for adjusting to everything that happens after the snap and making sure everything goes alright while simultaneously navigating a lot of grass.
The field safety is going to spend most of his time either playing over the top and closing on the ball or else dropping down in man coverage to replace a blitzing nickel. [T]his safety position benefits from having a defender with real coverage savvy and the athleticism to make open field tackles.
Dime back
Orlando also likes to play some six DB sub-packages that remove the boundary outside linebacker and replace him with another DB that can play man coverage on a slot or blitz the edge. They used a safety in the role a year ago, which makes the most sense. The idea is just to upgrade the speed at the position and to get more coverage ability on the field so that, if facing four or five receivers on the field together, the defense can more credibly disguise where blitzes are coming from.
If you insist on leaving defenders out there that can’t cover any of the WRs on the field then the offense is going to more easily diagnose what you’re doing. So in such moments, Orlando would often roll with the dime package and move one of his better safeties into the dime role while playing a back-up at safety.
Filling the roles
Kris Boyd had a pretty solid 2016 with 48 tackles, five pass break-ups, two forced fumbles, and a game-sealing interception. He was perhaps at his best playing cover 2 and helping out against the run and for that reason would be the no. 1 contender at the boundary spot if Texas were to use a “field” and “boundary” corner.
The other spot will be determined by a major showdown between Holton Hill, Davante Davis, and John Bonney. For all of the flak he caught [from Godz40acres in 2015 and the first half of 2016], Bonney ended up leading the team last year with nine pass break-ups and did a credible job of staying on top of routes last year and closing to make plays on the ball or tackles. Holton Hill is probably the most skilled CB on the team in terms of being left on an island outside but he’ll need to prove he’s worthy of trust. Davante Davis crumbled last year in the midst of the catastrophe that was the Texas defense but he’s generally been the most reliable of this whole bunch, combining some of Hill’s length and athleticism with Bonney’s assignment-sound play.
Because they are savvy with assignments and reliable tacklers, if Davante Davis or John Bonney lose out on the starting corner position it’s possible that they’ll be cross-trained or moved over to field safety where Texas will have great need of range and coverage ability. Last year they played DeShon Elliott in that space some and he was good when helping P.J. Locke to bracket slot receivers but inconsistent when trying to nail down the different assignments.
Brandon Jones is the best athlete to fill the field safety role because of his tremendous athleticism that could see him play most any position in the secondary. He’d also bring some value-add in his ability to drop down into the box from the far hash.
We mentioned earlier that nickel has a similar need for a versatile and veteran DB but young P.J. Locke seems to have this role sewn up thanks to his physical and heady play.
The boundary safety spot will probably be where Jason Hall makes his senior stand though his experience alone might get him in the mix at the field safety position. He was listed at 6-3, 216 last year and could thus be as likely to end up at LB as he was at field safety but it’s just hard to beat experience. The boundary spot should balance Hall’s safety experience and larger size but if not then Elliott, Jones, or young Chris Brown could prove to be intimidating presences those slots.
The... depth chart for the secondary would then be best translated as follows:
- CB: Davante Davis or Holton Hill
- CB: Kris Boyd/John Bonney
- Nickel: PJ Locke/Chris Brown
- Boundary safety: Jason Hall/DeShon Elliott
- Field safety: Brandon Jones/DeShon Elliott
- Dime back: Jason Hall
[IT]
Core Values Don't Change
During Herman’s speech at the Texas High School Coaches Association Coaches Leadership Summit on Friday, a photo was taken of a slide that featured some of the program’s core values.
Herman’s values for how players will conduct themselves in the Texas program are the same as Strong’s.
-- Honesty
-- Treat Women with Respect
-- No Drugs
-- No Stealing
-- No Weapons
[247]
During Herman’s speech at the Texas High School Coaches Association Coaches Leadership Summit on Friday, a photo was taken of a slide that featured some of the program’s core values.
Herman’s values for how players will conduct themselves in the Texas program are the same as Strong’s.
-- Honesty
-- Treat Women with Respect
-- No Drugs
-- No Stealing
-- No Weapons
[247]
Tight End: noun, Football.
1. an offensive player positioned at one extremity of the line directly beside a tackle, used as both a blocker and a pass receiver.
2. a phantom offensive player at the University of Texas since 2008.
After targeting the tight ends six times for six catches in 2016, the Texas Longhorns will use the position in a much more complete manner under new head coach Tom Herman this season.
In fact, it’s one of the most important positions on offense, including in the passing game.
“We think that position is probably as hard — or maybe complex is the right word — as the quarterback in this offense,” Herman said on National Signing Day. “We need an extremely versatile guy that can split out on the slot, put his hand on the ground, block a defensive end, and one that can motion in the back field and become a fullback or H-back of sorts. So it is a critical role in our offense."
Herman has two main running plays in his “smash-mouth spread” offense — the inside zone and the power. The inside zone can be run two ways, as a true inside zone, with the tight end on the line of scrimmage, double teaming with the tackle, then working to the second and third levels, or as a split zone, with the tight end kicking out the backside end or outside linebacker. Either way, the tight end’s block is crucial to the success of this play.
The tight end also serves as a kick out or lead blocker on the power play that Herman loves to run. This play is run as a counter play with motion to the outside of the formation and as a true run play. It can be versatile, run with the quarterback or a running back, and has a variety of read and run-pass options that can accompany it. It’s also pretty useless if there is no tight end/H-back to execute the required blocks on your roster.
Since the head coach mentioned that one of the current scholarship tight ends is currently dealing with an injury — likely senior Andrew Beck — that may only leave Peyton Aucoin for the spring.
An experienced in-line blocker in high school, the New Orleans native didn’t show much ability in the passing game at Brother Martin, in part because he paired with a receiving tight end in Irvin Smith.
So during the spring, Herman won’t have much to work with and could entertain a possible position change. Demarco Boyd anyone? The former Gilmer standout demonstrated his ability to play running back in high school and could be used primarily as a fullback/move blocker at H-back.
If not, Herman will have to make due with walk ons.
Then there’s the pass-catching portion of the tight end responsibilities in Tom Herman’s offense. In addition to serving as blockers in max-protection looks, the position will also get a chance to run some pop passes, stretch the seam, and serve as targets in play-action situations.
Most importantly for an offense that struggled in the red zone last year, it will also split tight ends out and run fades or corner routes to take advantages of mismatches.
[BON]
1. an offensive player positioned at one extremity of the line directly beside a tackle, used as both a blocker and a pass receiver.
2. a phantom offensive player at the University of Texas since 2008.
After targeting the tight ends six times for six catches in 2016, the Texas Longhorns will use the position in a much more complete manner under new head coach Tom Herman this season.
In fact, it’s one of the most important positions on offense, including in the passing game.
“We think that position is probably as hard — or maybe complex is the right word — as the quarterback in this offense,” Herman said on National Signing Day. “We need an extremely versatile guy that can split out on the slot, put his hand on the ground, block a defensive end, and one that can motion in the back field and become a fullback or H-back of sorts. So it is a critical role in our offense."
Herman has two main running plays in his “smash-mouth spread” offense — the inside zone and the power. The inside zone can be run two ways, as a true inside zone, with the tight end on the line of scrimmage, double teaming with the tackle, then working to the second and third levels, or as a split zone, with the tight end kicking out the backside end or outside linebacker. Either way, the tight end’s block is crucial to the success of this play.
The tight end also serves as a kick out or lead blocker on the power play that Herman loves to run. This play is run as a counter play with motion to the outside of the formation and as a true run play. It can be versatile, run with the quarterback or a running back, and has a variety of read and run-pass options that can accompany it. It’s also pretty useless if there is no tight end/H-back to execute the required blocks on your roster.
Since the head coach mentioned that one of the current scholarship tight ends is currently dealing with an injury — likely senior Andrew Beck — that may only leave Peyton Aucoin for the spring.
An experienced in-line blocker in high school, the New Orleans native didn’t show much ability in the passing game at Brother Martin, in part because he paired with a receiving tight end in Irvin Smith.
So during the spring, Herman won’t have much to work with and could entertain a possible position change. Demarco Boyd anyone? The former Gilmer standout demonstrated his ability to play running back in high school and could be used primarily as a fullback/move blocker at H-back.
If not, Herman will have to make due with walk ons.
Then there’s the pass-catching portion of the tight end responsibilities in Tom Herman’s offense. In addition to serving as blockers in max-protection looks, the position will also get a chance to run some pop passes, stretch the seam, and serve as targets in play-action situations.
Most importantly for an offense that struggled in the red zone last year, it will also split tight ends out and run fades or corner routes to take advantages of mismatches.
[BON]
Todd Orlando & Texas Linebackers
Take 1
Take 1
How does the linebacker position change in [Todd Orlando's 3-4 base] defense and how will an emphasis on LB play work out at Texas?
The B-backer
This is Orlando’s rather lame term for the rush-backer who usually lines up to the boundary. The B-backer is a true hybrid between an outside linebacker and a DE and he may have the responsibilities of one or the other from snap to snap based on the call.
When he’s acting as an OLB he’ll basically key off the behavior of the inside receiver to his side, so if they go out into a route then he’ll collision them and then usually move into flat coverage. If they run block he’ll force the edge. When he’s acting as a DE obviously he’ll crash the edge or stunt inside in the case of a blitz as a DL would do.
The Rover
This is basically the weakside linebacker and he usually lines up to the boundary as well. The name is much more descriptive than for the “B-backer” because the Rover does a lot of different things.
On some snaps he’s basically a normal inside-backer in the 3-4 reading RB/OL flow and filling interior gaps. On others he’s more of an outside-backer playing out in the flats some and forcing the edge or picking up a slot in coverage. Then there are the frequent opportunities he gets to blitz, which he may do through any gap at any time based largely on his own strengths and the strengths of the players around him.
The Mac
The other inside-backer, he blitzes a lot as well but his secondary role is less often to serve as an outside-backer because he’s often playing to the field with a nickel and cover safety as his main adjuncts to help cover all that grass.
The Mac is going to spend a lot of time blitzing from all angles but also a lot of time reading RB/OL flow and filling creases between the tackles. He needs to be good at traditional linebacker duties like beating blocks and gap control.
[E]very player’s unique strengths factor into what Orlando can call but so do the strengths and weaknesses of his teammates. Everyone can and will blitz, but everyone has to be able to carry water when they’re the ones dropping into coverage to make it work properly.
Fitting the Texas roster into these three positions
I’ve had my own ideas about who could fit where but [now we have] knowledge about what Orlando wants to try out. Evidently this is the starting point:
- B-backer: Naashon Hughes/Jeffrey McCulloch/Erick Fowler
- Rover: Malik Jefferson/Ed Freeman
- Mac: Breckyn Hager/Anthony Wheeler
Malik at Rover obviously makes a great deal of sense. It gets him into a lot of different roles so that his athletic versatility can shine. He’ll get to blitz up the gut or on the edges with regularity in this set up.
Malik understands blitzing and was starting to embrace the idea of fighting through blocks rather than looking for something else to do if opposing OL picked up his stunt, which will be key under Herman and Orlando. He’s occasionally brilliant as an OLB and still has work to do in understanding the finer points of ILB but this is all fine, he’s only a junior this season and his various duties and extended playing time as an underclassmen is going to serve him well now.
Mac is the crucial spot, both for allowing the Malik vs Freeman battle at Rover that might not be a foregone conclusion as well as for what it means for the B-backers. I think putting Hager here may be more experimental than a long-term solution, in part because I think Hager has a lot of upside at the B-backer spot and in part because I don’t think they’ll want to keep Gary Johnson off the field for long once he arrives in the fall.
[P]laying Mac is largely about reading flow and scraping laterally before coming downhill with momentum. Hager is more of a strictly downhill player who excels at fighting through traffic, he’s not stiff moving laterally but his ability to scrape is not what makes him special and he’ll be caught in space a lot playing Mac in the Big 12.
The other interesting aspect of this depth chart is that it didn’t include Texas’ other young pass-rusher, Malcolm Roach, at the B-backer position, instead moving him down into the 4i DE spot. Roach is at his best with some space to work in and not so much when he can be engulfed by a guard. Perhaps he grows into the role but he seemed a no-brainer fit at the B-backer spot and was more comfortable dropping into coverage last year then grappling with OL.
The driving force behind these questionable-looking position changes is that the staff needs to find depth at the 4i and Mac positions, or else revamp the defensive front to a different alignment and even then they’d still need to teach more players on the roster how to play inside-backer.
Todd Orlando’s main task this coming offseason will be to train a pack of outside linebackers that were highly recruited for their athleticism to play inside linebacker and he’s apparently starting with two of Texas’ most explosive yet role-limited players in Breckyn Hager and Malik Jefferson. If he succeeds, everyone gets to blitz and have fun. If not, Texas may endure more pain on defense until they start finding players that can do the dirty work inside.
[IT]
Todd Orlando & Texas Linebackers
Take 2
Take 2
There’s no lack of options at the linebacker position for the Texas Longhorns and new defensive coordinator Todd Orlando.
The 2015 and 2016 recruiting classes both brought highly-rated players at this position to Texas with Malik Jefferson and Jeffrey McCulloch. In 2017, the nation’s No. junior college linebacker, Gary Johnson, signed with the Horns.
[M]any feel that [Jefferson] has been out of position the past two seasons, as he profiled as an outside linebacker out of high school. One of the biggest concerns with Johnson is his ability to play on this inside with his smaller stature.
The physicality of either linebacker should not be of concern in Todd Orlando’s scheme. Lets start by pointing out that Orlando’s 2016 defense featured Stephen Taylor in the Mac spot (an inside linebacker position). Taylor is listed at 6’1, 224 pounds. Taylor also managed to earn first-team all-conference honors in 2016 and was included in numerous national awards watch lists...
Another concern for Johnson is the mental responsibilities that accompany playing the Mac position in Todd Orlando’s defense. Orlando recruited Johnson, and it is my belief he recruited specifically for this position. The reason Johnson is here is to start, immediately, and to do it at inside linebacker.
With either Johnson or Jefferson playing the Mac position in 2017, it’s fair to expect similar results. The reason for this is the design of Orlando’s defense, which favors speed over size at the middle linebacker position. Orlando’s favorite scheme against the run in his multiple 3-4 defense is an “eagle” look, which covers both guards and the center with a slanted nose and a three technique.
This can change from week to week, but one thing that is consistent is that the Mac linebacker is protected in this alignment. The tackle is in a three technique, and is taught that his main responsibility is to prevent the guard from reaching the linebacker off the line of scrimmage.
The nose is taught to attack the center, preventing his ability to block at the second level. In addition, the nose’s body position (slightly less than 45 degrees slanted to the center) puts his lower half in the path of the backside guard, making it difficult for him to block the Mac.
The only block the backside guard has with a free release is a reach block on the Will, but that leaves the center man-to-man on the nose, a match up that Orlando will take all day, given the nose’s position in regards to the center.
This alignment allows for both the Will and the Mac to read the play and use their speed to outrun offensive linemen, reducing the need to take on the bigger, more physical players by the linebackers.
Against the pass, Orlando uses a variety of line stunts to open holes for the blitzing linebackers, who can run free to pressure the quarterback. These stunts, combined with a split coverage scheme will give both Jefferson and Johnson the opportunity to do what they do best — pressure the quarterback — while forcing the offensive linemen to focus on blocking big-on-big.
Now on to the outside linebackers, starting with the Rush — this is another playmaking position in Orlando’s defense. The Rush is often used as a fourth lineman in this scheme, and can either put his hand in the dirt, or play from a two-point stance.
Although many believe that this is a perfect position for Jefferson, he may be more valuable playing inside for the Longhorns, due to his leadership abilities and the fact that he will have a full spring of practice to learn the position.
[M]y favorite for this position is Breckyn Hager. This is essentially the same position as the Fox end that Hager played in 2016, from which which Hager made 65 tackles and six sacks last season.
Another potential player for this position is Malcolm Roach, but at 6’2 and 263 pounds, Roach may fit better at the defensive end position. Playing there would also allow for both Roach and Hager to be on the field as edge rushers simultaneously which could be bad news for opposing quarterbacks.
The last linebacker position to preview is the Buck [which] is a hybrid linebacker/safety... Edwin Freeman fits this position perfectly, as he played safety in high school, and has skills which could translate to this position at the collegiate level. It may also be necessary in the Big 12 conference to use a safety, like P.J. Locke or Jason Hall here, especially when Blue coverage is used, which means in nickel situations.
As you can see, the possibilities are endless for this group [Jefferson, Johnson, Hager, Freeman, Anthony Wheeler, Jeffery McCulloch, Nashon Hughes and Demarco Boyd] and the potential that each of these eight can be role players on the defense in 2017 is there. This position group should give Longhorns fans hope and something to be excited about for this coming fall.
Think the Texas defensive coordinator might be a little bit excited about coaching the most highly-regarded athletes in his coaching career, by a wide margin?
[BON]
Malik last week....
Malik and crew two days ago....
Malik and crew two days ago....
