Colby was not a fan favorite either. Can someone who understands football better than I describe the similarities and differences between the schemes of Colby, Hankwitz, and O’Neil? Didn’t Fitz and O’Neil learn from Coach Colby?
Jim ONeil vs Greg Colby
- Thread starter SadCatFan22
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I honestly don't know how much of it is the schemes and how much of it is the players. We lost some studs from that 2020 team who aren't easy to replace. And we all love Hank, but there were some stinkers under him, too (Wrigley vs. Illinois, for example).
Maybe JON needs to go, but the mob is also calling for a scapegoat and JON seems to be the sacrifice that they demand. I think the team has some problems right now that can't be blamed on JON.
Maybe JON needs to go, but the mob is also calling for a scapegoat and JON seems to be the sacrifice that they demand. I think the team has some problems right now that can't be blamed on JON.
I defended JON for a while citing many of your arguments. However I think it’s clear regardless of talent that the coaches aren’t helping these guys. JON was hired to coach these guys defense and right now he’s not getting the job done.
It’s very possible that both the players and coaching are bad. Ultimately that falls on Fitz.
In fact all the available evidence suggests that JON has zero experience improving defensive performance over his watch, nor fielding anything remotely resembling a respectable defense as an OC at any level of the game.
What we are seeing really shouldn't be surprising to anyone. Based on the empirical evidence, it would be quite a shock to see our defense perform at any level resembling what we were accustomed to under Hankwitz or Vanderlinden.
I have NO idea if this is correct..but it is what I am thinking,,,,that JONS defense is predicated on disguise and then aggressiveness...Fitz is conservative....So we will never know for sure...unless JON has TOTAL control of personnel, concept and play calling w/o Fitz having a hand in the whole thing
A) does aggressiveness mean "running around to the wrong place"? And B) the only disguise I'm seeing is fans saying "dis guy's an imbecile"
I have trouble faulting loyalty. It is a virtue I greatly admire. I seem to recall us bemoaning the lack of loyalty of Colter, Joseph, Barnett, et al. Loyalty for me but not for thee.
Do you remember how Jerry Brown was the sacrificial lamb who didn't know anything about coaching defensive backs and MUST be fired until he got a couple of really good defensive backs and all of the sudden was a genius who everyone loved watching dance in the locker room after games?
JON didn't make a senior leader fumble twice in opponent's territory or get a punt blocked deep in the Northwestern territory.
There have been plenty of games to complain about JON, but this is really amongst the least.
While that's true, NU did score a touchdown to take the lead 14-7 with under 10 minutes to play. And what did they do with the lead? The defense was TORCHED with a 60+ yard run to give up a touchdown. And then on Miami's final drive, the defense was gashed on run after run while Miami drained the clock, forced NU to use all its timeouts, and kicked the go-ahead field goal while leaving NU 21 seconds to work with.
On the final two drives, NU's defense failed hard.
I felt like a lot of Miami's lack of success early was their coaches' insistence on occasionally throwing the ball, even though their QB couldn't hit the ocean if he was standing on the shore. We had trouble tackling their RBs most of the game, even the one that is the size of Adam Stage. A funny thing happened when the committed to the run on the last 2 drives.
Also remember when it took a 1/3rd of a season before JB (and for that matter, the rest of the coaches) realized that the DBs were confused and didn't know what they were doing despite having 2 seasoned upperclassmen as starters (pretty sure it was the record setting Denard Robinson game for them to finally see the light)?
So while improved talent did help, so did simplifying the scheme subsequently.
If the D can't stop the run against, at best, a middling MAC team, then it's in serious trouble (just as Nebby's D couldn't stop the run against a bottom-feeder B1G team).
True. Blame the last two drives on the defense. Blame the rest of the game between those two offensive touchdown drives on the offense.
Did we go from great coverage units to sucky when we brought on Jerry Brown? We went from great to sucky defense with JON.
Which? Definitely don’t remember having great DB coverage just before brown arrived. I do remember having an excellent defense before JON here, acknowledged the great former D and announced that he planned the retain about 25% of it.
My memory fades, but IIRC, JB was DC and the unit was terrible. There was a great wailing and gnashing of teeth, like now. JB was promoted to assistant head coach and DB coach and, surprise, a guy that was a great DB and former DB coach fielded a good DB.
JON can be assistant head coach in charge of concessions
That would suggest he actually made an effort to hit someone. That's not what I recall from his performance in that game. I recall half-assed, no contact "matador" blocks on that tiny, quick DE.