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Pitt's Defense next year...

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raleighpanther

Junior
Apr 26, 2012
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OK, the board has been dead for awhile, so I see if I can get a football discussion going, talking about our D going forward.

We have a new coaching staff on D. A REAL one for a change. Given the improvement in our coaches experience, talent and smarts, we should expect our defense to be better next year. The question is how, and by how much?

Regardless of individual talent, Pitt's biggest weakness last year was missed assignments due to confusion. Narduzzi talks repeatedly about making players play smarter and faster by making sure they know exactly what their assignments are. Even if no players improve individually, our D should be more effective overall just by having players knowing what the hell they're supposed to be doing.

There are places where we have talent, and where we have talent gaps. How will the coaches deal with this? Will they run schemes designed to hide our talent weaknesses? If we have little talent at DE, will they go with what is essentially a 3-4 on a lot of plays to get more talented players on the field rather than going with the best 2 DEs when neither may be very good?

I think we have talent in several spots:
DBs: Adding Whitehead and Howard to the corner spots seriously upgrades the talent there. Maddox has talent too, and should be bigger, stronger, and better in year two. The other recruit from FL, Henderson, could surprise right away.
Getting Mitchell back at safety helps the position since that is where he belongs. I think Amara will be very good. Webb and Stocker round out the top 4, making it pretty solid.
If this staff is as talented as we expect, they should be able to turn the DBs into a very effective unit going forward.

Moving to the front seven, things drop off.
The LBs may be better with time than some might think. In addition to the two recruits, Mckee and Brightwell, the redshirt freshman are the type of players that Narduzzi likes at LB. Folston and Davis are both fast and athletic. Folston is bigger, but Davis is really fast. Watch their film and you'll see that they all explode to the ball carrier when making a tackle. None of them have any experience, but I think the staff has some talented young guys to work with that suit their needs, so in time, these guys could play really well. Grigsby has one year left, and he also has the speed at the outside that they look for.

Inside, there is experience, with Galambos and Bam, and Wirginis appears to have more talent than either. The three way competition will be good for the position, and they should be ok.

At DE, wow, here is where we all want to look away. If Blair puts on more weight, and with good coaching, he could be pretty good. And the JUCO better be able to come in and contribute right away. Can Price stay healthy and play up to his potential? I'm not holding my breath.
The tackles are experienced, and they should be adequate.

All starting positions should be wide open. It will really be interesting to watch what develops on D, who emerges, who gets shifted to new positions, what types of schemes they will deploy given the talent that they have to work with.

Thoughts?
 
I expect that, even with some key personnel losses, we will see a better defensive product on the field this fall. It will take a while for the players to get comfortable with the new system and calls, but I suspect we'll find out quickly that our defensive shortcomings had a lot more to do with the coaching than with the personnel. Narduzzi knows what he;s doing, House didn't have a clue. This D will look a lot different than last year's.

Matt House was a piker. I can't believe he got another DC job right from Pitt. I didn't see that happening.
 
Yeah, Narduzzi should be able to somewhat cover up some weaknesses on defense that House was unable to do. This may be more obvious on game day with adjustments.

Preparing is one part of coaching; adjusting during game day is another animal.
 
This team has more questions than answers on defense. Anyway you slice it, it's a new system and this is still the same D-Line that stood up and played paddy cake with most teams. There can be some improvement, but I wouldn't expect any wholesale transformations.

I do expect to see a lot of Bam, Grigsby and Wirginis or Davis in the starting line up. Galambos is a depth guy to me. If he starts, its a sign that the other guys aren't that good either. It's going to be exciting to see the strides. Render and Blair are the hope up front. It's time for some others to step up and play. KK, Jarrett and Soto have been pretty disappointing from a production stand point. They came in with some size and hype and that all stopped when they walked on the field. Time to show or go.

If the front 4 can't put some heat on the QB it's going to be hard to hold man coverage at the corners. Ultimately it comes down to what these kids are doing right now. What are they putting in their mouth. How hard are they going in the weight room or on the practice field. Are they putting in the film room and playbook time? We'll see when the ball get's snapped.
 
No offense to you zap, but one of my pet peeves with fans is when they talk about coaches failing to "adjust". It is highly overrated. Teams lose because they:

A. Poor execution - that is a lack of preparation

B. The other team has better players.

Failing to make "adjustments" is a very small part of whether a team wins or loses. The other team makes adjustments as well. If a QB has all day to throw the football, then the adjustment for the defense is to blitz. If the other team makes the adjustment to pick up the blitz, then it comes down to which team can execute better or who has the better players.

People act as if all a coach has to do is "adjust" and like magic they'll win the game. Charlie Weis believed he was a miracle worker. All he had to do was to adjust to what the other side was doing and BOOM, he would win because he believed he had a decided schematic advantage... Sorry Charlie. Your teams lost because they couldn't execute and were ill prepared on game day. PEP: Preparation. Execution and Players = WINS.
 
it's not a matter of "covering up weaknesses", its a matter of Narduzzi having a completely different and much more effective scheme. What I'm saying is our players weren't the primary problem, their coach and his scheme were the real problems.
 
I think the DBs as a unit will be very good - although they may not appear that way during games if we can't get any sort of a pass-rush.

The DLine looks to be very average at best. Given what we saw last year, it's probably asking too much that they all of the sudden start putting pressure on the QB, but if they can just hold their own in the run game, that should be enough to keep us in most games.

The real wild-card is the LB unit.. Who starts? Who breaks out? Does experience rule the day? Athletic ability?
I really don't know what to expect out of them, but frankly, however they perform as a unit - I expect that to be how good our defense is as a whole.. I think the weakness on the DLine and strength at the DBs pretty much cancel each other out..

Another thing to consider (unfortunately).. A lot of the MichSt guys were saying not to expect a whole lot from the defense the first couple years.. That it's apparently pretty tough to master, and that as of now, most of the MichSt defensive starters have been with the program for 3+ years.. I guess we'll see..
 
raleighpanther,

Thank you for the post...

I would love to see some 3-4 stuff, but college teams don't seem to have enough practice time for multiple defensive formations (unless we go to it on a full time basis, which I wouldn't mind seeing). As is painfully obvious, our success will depend on whether we can get a pass rush -- from anyone.

I have high hopes for Dintino on the inside, but he will only be a red-shirt frosh. Soto looks to me like he has shown he's an inside player rather than a DE. On the outside, Blair better stay healthy and hopefully somebody like Shane Roy can make some plays.

Can't wait for spring ball to get some Pitt Panther FB news...

Go Pitt.
 
One big caveat on the Mich. St. perspective: the change they remember from the prior year to Narduzzi's first year did not involve a handoff from a Matt House led defensive staff. Their prior staff was not incompetent.

On the DL issue, I too don't think our D-line on its own will suddenly be good at getting pressure on the QB. But that doesn't mean that we won't be bringing pressure as a team, since Narduzzi's defense scheme is different and is much more aggressive. The LBs may be the ones bringing the pressure. If the D line can hold its own against the run and do enough to absorb lineman on pass plays, the pressure can come from fast LBers, which we have.
 
Major, I too have high hopes for Dintino. He has a first step off the line that no one other lineman on the team has. Don't want to do the AD comparison, but the guy is quick (and big).
 
I agree that the defense should improve somewhat just by avoiding the incredible number of blown assignments.

I also think our DB's have a chance to be pretty good, particularly if Narduzzi truly opens all the starting positions and let's the best man win (yes I'm talking about Mr Pitts).

LB's will be a real unknown. I think we have some potential with some of the young guys, but how they'll perform is totally up in the air. I'd love to have either Bradley or Wirgiris challenge Galambos for the starting MLB. I really think we need someone in the middle who will attack and won't be making tons of tackles 8-10 years downfield.

Dline is a real headache. Our DT's are adequate at best. Not horrible, but there are no Aaron Donalds in that group. DE's are really weak until proven otherwise. Blair has potential, but needs to bulk up to play the run better. Soto was awful last year. Price may help, but hasn't been on the field much. The rest are a real crap shoot.

The bottom line is I expect the defense to be slightly better just due to coaching. Our DB's can play but the real question will be pressuring the QB. I don't care how good your DB's are, if you give your opponent days to throw, they will eventually find open receivers. In order to improve significantly, we need to generate much more pass rush.

Cruzer
 
Originally posted by thebadby2:
it's not a matter of "covering up weaknesses", its a matter of Narduzzi having a completely different and much more effective scheme. What I'm saying is our players weren't the primary problem, their coach and his scheme were the real problems.
Click to expand...
For me, this is absolutely the most intriguing thing that I'll be looking forward to seeing: how differently may many of the same players on defense play under the new staff as compared to how they played under the old one? Physically. Fundamentally. Positionally. Technique-wise. Maybe most importantly of all: production-wise.

A prime example: Pitt was very deficient in terms of generating an effective pass rush last year. Will this staff be able to improve the D in that area without what appears to be much of a major or clearly significant influx of new talent at DE?

Can they teach, coach and scheme well enough to enable the Panthers to be able to, at least at key times, disguise and time up some blitzes that can produce the needed results to try to assist the D-line to rush the passer and maybe bring a different and less predictable approach? Maybe try to incorporate some zone blitz elements?
 
Narduzzi's defense starts with the CBs. They have to be physical at the line of scrimmage, they have to be able to lock up the WRs at the snap of the ball and keep them from getting into their routes. That disrupts the timing and spacing of the passing game. Secondly, the corners have to be able to man cover. If the corners can do these two things, it frees up the front 7 to do all kinds of stuff. Duzzi likes his LBs to play downhill too-they will attack the running game in the gaps as opposed to letting the plays come to them.

I expect Pitts and Galambos to look like completely different players this year. I expect Whitehead to play immediately at CB. There will be a lot of competition among the DBs. As a rule, Duzzi favors the kinds of long, rangy corners that can play physical at the LOS and not give up size and strength to the outside receivers.

It all hinges on those corners-Duzzi asks a lot of them, and his track record of putting them into the NFL first round speaks for itself.

This post was edited on 2/18 9:52 AM by thebadby2
 
Im calling for a great year from L. Pitts.. Yes, I said it and I welcome all criticism from the board for such a comment.. The press coverage that Duzzi likes will be perfect for Pitts.. Im telling you, he will benefit from this change more than anyone.. He is a player that likes to play underneath a WR and make up the difference rather than play "soft" coverage."
 
Everyone is excited about where our D is headed, and I am too. However, for this first year I am going to be really interested to see how our Offense does. Duzz clearly knows D. We need a talent infusion in certain positions. Unfortunately, even the best secondary looks exposed when forced to defend too long because the DLine isnt getting a push. I hope for improvement, but my expectations are certainly tempered.

Our Offense should be pretty good unless Boyd gets hurt. RB depth, OLine depth, (some) QB depth, and a great WR. Duzz has been quoted as saying he wants to let Chaney run the O, but may have his hands on the O his first couple of years. We dont really know what that means. I also think that if the O is successful, it will be important to keep Chaney, since Duzz is a defensive guy. Dont want a Matt House O Coordinator situation. We have talent, what can the Defensive head coach do with it? I expect (and hope for) good things.
 
The interesting thing for me on D will be seeing how the staff tries to generate a pass rush. As we learned the past two years under House, you can't get to the QB rushing 4 unless you are really talented up front. We're not, and that's OK, as long as the staff blitzes some more and is more aggressive.
 
Meister,

That used to drive me crazy, too, and I used to shake my head when people said it. However, over the past several seasons of watching Pitt, there are usually a few calls that could be made that could influence a game. Think about how many close games we have had - and lost - where we failed to be able to stop a team that had less talent than us.

If a coach can find something and change during a game to influence a play or two, that could Be the difference between winning and losing.
 
I don't think House is given as much credit as he should for being aggressive. Maybe not with the CBs in the WR's faces, but he blitzed LBs, safeties and corners. Being a defensive coordinator isn't rocket science and the tactics used by the most effective defenses are on tape for everyone to see.

We haven't had the DE talent to make the defense effective. Blitzing is not necessarily going to solve the problem because teams practice picking up blitzes - and when they do, you're really in a heap of trouble. You still need somebody to beat their blocker...

I don't think we see as much improvement in the defense as many on here think - until, that is, we find some mean-and-lean DEs who can get some sacks.

Go Pitt.
 
Originally posted by raleighpanther:
One big caveat on the Mich. St. perspective: the change they remember from the prior year to Narduzzi's first year did not involve a handoff from a Matt House led defensive staff. Their prior staff was not incompetent.

On the DL issue, I too don't think our D-line on its own will suddenly be good at getting pressure on the QB. But that doesn't mean that we won't be bringing pressure as a team, since Narduzzi's defense scheme is different and is much more aggressive. The LBs may be the ones bringing the pressure. If the D line can hold its own against the run and do enough to absorb lineman on pass plays, the pressure can come from fast LBers, which we have.
Click to expand...
I have to disagree with you there from MSU perspective. I think a lot of people forget how poor of team we had during the John L Smith era since we had some offensive talent (Drew Stanton, etc).

The prior OFFENSIVE staff (John L Smith, Dave Baldwin, Jeff Stoutland, Jim McElwain) was not incompetent. The defensive staff (John L Smith, Chris Smeland, and the rest of them I can't remember) was beyond incompetent.

Dantonio and Narduzzi did the best they could with what they had and got a team that went 5-7, 5-7, 4-8, to a team to 7-6, 9-4, 6-7, and 11-3. The offense ranged from decent to good on all of those teams, but the defense got in full gear in year 4. I expect Narduzzi to make gradual improvements to the defense during his time. It will take time, and the d-line, corners, and safeties are probably the most important glue guys on the defense. The pass rush reduces the cover time. The corners need to stay with the WR's. The safeties need to stop the run and pass. Trae Waynes and Darqueze Dennard get a lot of well deserved credit, but Isaiah Lewis and Trenton Robinson weren't bad either and got NFL contracts for a reason.



This post was edited on 2/18 12:02 AM by Dan from Howell
 
Its going to be funny to see the line some on this board take after our marginally talented defense inevitable gets destroyed in some games. Will they finally admit that the players are to blame or will they start to try to convince everyone that our defensive coaches suck? We shall see I guess.
 
Zeke,

Jackie Sherrill had a saying that he preached to his players. "If it it to be, it is up to me." No doubt, Aaron Donald had talent, but he was also working his ever-loving tail off. When these guys want to pay the price it's going to show on the field.

That said, I could work my tail off and never see the field but I presume that all or most of those kids have the required size speed and potential for strength and awareness to be at least decent D-1 players. If not HCPC missed a whole lot on the recruiting trail.

If these kids stink next year it's not on the coaches. It's on them. That's the wrong kind of consistent. We're only as good in this life as what we produce everyday.
 
Cruze:

1. How was wine country?
2. You will see a completely different player in Pitts this season--he will be the starter and he will be a strength of our defense--you heard it here first. Our corners will play very differently than they did under Card House. I also think Whitehead will play a ton, if not start, at the other CB. Maddox might be the odd man out as he is too small to play the position against he outside receivers the way Narduzzi schemes it. He could be reduced to nickel coverage on the slot receivers. He may also find his way to offense.
3. I think Galambos will look like a different player this year as well. In Duzzi's D he and the other LBs will be playing downhill and in the gaps, as opposed to laterally in front of the safeties like he did in House's D. He will have to be able to engage and shed blocks in the gaps to be effective. If you look at the MLBs who have played under Narduzzi, they have all been all-conference level players, and in the case of Greg Jones, a first team all-American. His scheme sets them up to succeed. If Galambos is in fact a good, tough football player--and I think he is, otherwise he wouldn't be starting from Day 1 here--he will excel in the new scheme. Of course, the D line play will have to be a lot better for the LBs to be better--and again, I think it will be.



This post was edited on 2/18 10:11 AM by thebadby2
 
Originally posted by ZekeGadsonFan:
Its going to be funny to see the line some on this board take after our marginally talented defense inevitable gets destroyed in some games. Will they finally admit that the players are to blame or will they start to try to convince everyone that our defensive coaches suck? We shall see I guess.
Click to expand...
The problem was full circle with the previous both in recruiting players on defense, to develop schemes, to even just teaching fundamentals such as tackling and pursuit angles. I believe the last two will start to be corrected in year, but still an up-hill climb in terms of defensive talent that will have to purge itself and be replaced over the next few years.
 
There are guys that haven't seen the field yet that may be better than the guys that played the past two years. Whitehead, Stocker, Dintino, Brightwell, McKee, Wirginis, Davis and Folston seem to have more potential at a very young age than what we've seen on the field.
Some think that Pitts is suddenly going to blossom with new coaching and new schemes. I'm far less hopeful with guys becoming reclamation successes than I am with the development of the young guys mentioned above and future recruits.
 
First off, wine country was magnificent. Every day sunny between 75 - 79 degrees. Great wine, great weather, and some kick ass Italian food.

On to more important matters. I hope you're right about Pitts, but I remain skeptical. It's not just the scheme he played, but he seemed to lack the quickness and explosiveness to really cover in press coverage. We shall see. The good news is that I think we have alternatives if Pitts doesn't improve.

Galambos was certainly better last year. I still would like to see him make more plays at or behind the LOS. Maybe the new scheme will allow this. I was actually pretty impressed with Wirgiris. For a freshman, I thought he looked good. Either way, the competition should help.

Cruzer
 
Originally posted by ZekeGadsonFan:
Its going to be funny to see the line some on this board take after our marginally talented defense inevitable gets destroyed in some games. Will they finally admit that the players are to blame or will they start to try to convince everyone that our defensive coaches suck? We shall see I guess.
Click to expand...
I'll be surprised if your defense gets destroyed. Even when MSU had middling talent back in 07, I don't remember an opponent taking it to the Spartan defense in overwhelming fashion, even if the stats/final score may have occasionally indicated otherwise. In fact, during Narduzzi's 8 years in EL, there were only two games that the Spartan defense got taken behind the woodshed -- 09 Alabama (MSU couldn't compete up front) and 2014 Ohio State (got punched in the mouth big-time).

Now, I'm not saying Pitt won't give up a bunch a points from time to time. Like 07 MSU, I'm saying your defense will be sound and schooled in the philosophy of not beating themselves. Your lack of talent will lead to some big plays due to DBs getting beat over the top or LBs unable to make plays because they are simply not athletic/fast enough. But the opponent will have to earn it.

Pitt's defense will sell-out to stop the run and blitz like maniacs to force the QB to make plays. Narduzzi will emphasize tackling and toughness (both mental and physical). The next step will be bringing in better personnel and building depth through red-shirting until Pittsburgh football becomes a next-man-up machine that doesn't require an elite QB in order to have a great season. A winning culture will soon take shape.

That is, if Narduzzi can adapt to his new role as a general -- learning how to push the right buttons of coaches, players and media at the right times and establishing a culture of accountability throughout the program. It takes a special person to lead at a high level and get everyone going in the same direction.
 
I am not counting on it, but would not rule it out

I think he MIGHT be a match in terms of his physical qualities and Duzzi's techniques for CBs.
 
Pitt needs a 100+ tackle per year MLB. I don't believe Pitt has such a player on the roster ready to do that. Great defenses have great linebackers.
 
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