Shake up the D-line?

[gUrthBrooks]

Can we try some other guys out at DE? Move Blair to OLB and have Luafatasaga at DE. Leki Fotu could certainly set the edge….and seems to have decent speed.  or hell, have Cody Barton play DE, one of the leading tacklers from years past…can run to the ball. 

[EagleMountainUte]

Hire a new guy from a failing byu team………………………….

[gUrthBrooks]

You mean Utah’s old D-Line coach (Tuaki) who coached Utah’s D-Line to 50 sacks a season?

[EagleMountainUte]

It is hard for me to give much credit to any defensive coach on Utah’s staff past or present. Even Scalley  who has proven himself mostly as an eye for talent. Especially when it comes to defensive backs. 

No one has really proven themselves as a great defensive mind upon leaving Utah. Maybe Gary Anderson until his meltdown. 

Pease obviously excluded as well that dude his hellava coach. 

[EagleMountainUte]

[BCSx2]

I think one reason we are getting less pressure and sacks is teams are doing a lot of quick throws against us.  Perhaps this has been their gameplan because of what our D line did to teams last year.  ASU killed us with the quick pass game.  No way to get pressure when they do a 2 step drop and quick release. 

Granted, I also realize we haven’t gotten pressure during regular passing plays.  I wonder if we are a little gun shy to dial up as many blitzes because of how much teams are going to the quick pass game, making a blitz useless. 

I also can’t figure out why our DE’s keep blowing contain assignments.  If you are the DE your job is to contain the outside guy.  If the QB is running an option up the middle the RB the DE can’t committ to the RB.  He has to assume the QB is going to keep it and be ready to bring him down.  If a DE is told that over and over then why do they keep sucking in to get the RB, leaving a wide open edge for the QB?  Let the D tackles and LB’s stop the run up the middle. 

[Onlyu]

We moved Leki out against Stanford vs. their 22/23 personnel…worked fine against power but he’ll still struggle in space against speed.  Leki played poorly on Sat…Number of missed tackles.   Cody is probably too aggressive to set the edge…he’s like a dog that chases a tennis ball…thinks about one thing in the moment.  Killing someone!  Not a bad thing in the middle but very dangerous on the edge.   Being a disciplined player and holding the edge in contain isn’t in his DNA IMO.  He just wants to bang heads by nature.  Don’t get me wrong…he’d make plays but he’d also get too far up field and provide running lanes way too often.  

Lowell has to play harder…he is eating blocks and double teams but has to want more than that.  When that happens we’ll be better outside. Fitts was the key on the edge this year…Anae will be next year.  We really needed Fitts to have a monster year which would have opened things up inside..that hasnt happened with his health. Because we can’t pressure the edge we can’t get inside pressure.  Leaves us very vanilla.  Great against power run like Stanford but puts too much pressure on the back half. Can’t get to the QB…too many passing lanes, etc.  

We needed too many things to workout this year with our youth in depth and it’s been a mixed bag.  Won’t have the same issues next year but that doesn’t say much right now.

[shakeitsugaree]

I wish I could rec this a million times

Onlyu, you continue to be the best thing on UteHub

[Onlyu]

I think moving Kavika outside would make sense…but with Chase banged up, Donovan out (1st half), Ballard out (1st half), Sunia knicked up and Barton not knowing exactly where he was after the game I don’t know who we could play at LB this week.  Can’t move Blair…need him at Saftey until at least the other two are healthy.

[rbmw263]

I like Blair at lb a lot but if he does that who plays safety? Ballard has been awful to date. I wouldn’t mind kavika at a hybrid spot but I don’t like him going against tackles every down. Especially running plays. Not sure he can set that edge