Rating the SEC- Total Defense

[Coach34]

1. Alabama- It's rare that a team that loses 9 starters could possibly lead a conference in defense. Bama will take a step back to the pack, but when all is said and done, the best defensive coach in the country will have them as 1 or 2 in the SEC. Saban's success is built of defense, and this year will be no exception.

2. Florida- tons of talent but a new DC. Breaking in new LB'ers will be key for this defense.

3. SC- solid group returns to last season's good defense. Replace Norwood and all will be good in Columbia

4. Auburn- veteran group returns to the Plains

5. LSU- has 3 of the best defensive players in the SEC starting for them. Will be solid again in 2010. Don't throw at Pat Peterson

6. State- solid front and an improved secondary makes State bowl-bound in 2010

7. Mississippi- the better the Secondary plays, the better this D will be. Good front 7

8. Tennessee- Some talent left for Dooley, 3rd new system in as many years

9. Georgia- this is where Richt is losing ground. He could have his 1st losing record in the SEC if this bunch doesnt improve

10. Arkansas- SEC's worst defense last year in conference games only. Expect some shootouts in 2010

11. Kentucky- this should be good enough to get Joker his 2 SEC wins and a bowl

12. Vandy- back where they belong in Nashville

 

[bulldogbaja]

out of our offense and not enough out of the defense. On offense we have a QB who through his first two seasons literally could not hit the broad side of a barn. On the touchdown pass to Bumphis, he even said he was trying to throw it to someone else. He is not smart enough to read defenses that well. He doesn't have the read-option benefit that defenses tended to key in on Dixon. And, now people are expecting him to overnight become an SEC-caliper QB? Meanwhile, we did lose the best RB in the SEC. I am a believer that others (I think Connor) will step up, but it's still a solid step back.

Meanwhile we have a very solid D-line. I think it's comparable to just about anybody in the league. We have a future NFL player in KJ Wright and a solid, fast Chris White at LB. I don't know how the DBs will turn out with all the shuffling, but there's obviously some talent there.

Bottom line- Mullen is obviously a great offensive coach, but this season, like every single season in MSU history, we will win games through will on defense.

 

[bonedaddy401]

Wooly Bully

 

[57stratdawg]

I could see us finishing as high as 3rd or 4th, but sliding as far as 9th or 10th.

I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little worried about our new DC. I love the aggressivness he brings, but the thought of some of our Secondary being one on one worries me, especially when you consider the quality of WRs we'll play this year.

UGA - AJ Green might be the best WR in the country
LSU - Always loaded at WR.
Bama - Julio Jones will have a much better year
UF - I'm sure they'll have someone badass too

State's front 7 is very solid, but I think OM's is a little better.

 

[coach66]

into every game with the mind set that if we play well we can win that game. We haven't been there in a long time.

 

[Irondawg]

You also have to take into account how good are the QB's that are throwing into that coverage and how much pressure they'll be under.

The QB stable in the SEC isn't full of 1st round draft picks other than Mallet so if we bring the heat more often I think we can have some success. Most QB's lose a ton of accuracy when they know they're about to be hit.

 

[Coach34]

There are definitely valid concerns about the QB position. But follow me here:

1. You can't deny we have one of the top running QB's in the nation. He was 17th in rushing last season at the QB position in limited carries. And half of the people ahead of him graduated. So, in my mind, that's a strength. And I promise you this- the read-option will be just fine with whichever RB is in the game. The read-options basic success is that the offense outnumbers the defense at the point of attack- that's why all these college and even pro teams are trying to implement it in their offense.

2. Relf almost never has to make any check-offs. Mullen, Hud, and Koenning are calling the plays once we get to the LOS and getting a look at the defense. We will be in "check-with-me" mode pretty much all season

3. Reading the defense? We will run lots of quick screens, QB draws, and such...and because of the Spread and how effective we are running the ball, we force the defense into a certain alignment. All Relf has to figure out is if they are in man or zone. And 80% of his dropback passes will only have one read for him to make. In no way, shape, or form are we running a "touchdown or check-down" West Coast Offense in which the QB has all these reads. If Relf can see where blitzers are coming from and make the some correct throws on those plays, we will be just fine.

Defensively, we should be coached better and should be better all around. But you have to remember that a 6th ranked SEC defense is usually a top 30-35 defense in the nation. And that would make us pretty damn good.

 

[Hector.sixpack]

and Ole Miss up ahead of us. Other than that I think you've got it spot on. The thing about Auburn is that their defense gave up less than 20 pts a game for almost decade until last year, then it jumped to 27.5. That's a huge step backward- and while Chizik was a good DC, his defenses at Iowa State and Auburn have all been pretty bad. Not to mention their DC now Roof (i think) doesn't have a very good resume. I actually can't believe he's still on staff. Plus, a fast paced game (Malzahn's offense) usually means the defense gives up more too. I'm not sure why. Chizik did well recruiting this year- but I'm still not sold he's a good coach. I think Malzahn is though.

Ole Miss has had good defenses for two years and will continue that this year.

 

[rebelrouseri]

Plus, a fast paced game (Malzahn's offense) usually means the defense
gives up more too. I'm not sure why.

A no huddle quick score offense does not give its defense as much time to rest on the sideline and they also end up giving the other offense more opportunities to be on the field and score.

 

[bulldogbaja]

If Relf can see where blitzers are coming from and make the some correct throws on those plays, we will be just fine.

That's EXACTLY what I'm worried about.
And yes, I was very impressed by his running ability. He has a very quick first step and deceptive top speed. But last year Dixon was so good at the play fake that defenses would often tackle him 5 or more yards downfield, while Relf had the ball the whole time.

 

[patdog]

He won't just leave our secondary one-on-one if they can't get the job done. A good example is the New Orleans Bowl last year. His defense gave up some big plays in the first quarter, then he made some adjustments and they completely shut USM down for the last three quarters and won the game easily.