The concept of "shadowing" is a lost art here

It wasn't any of the big plays by MJD that cost us, it was the inability to shadow MJD to make it HARDER for him to even get the ball in the first place.

I am at a loss as to how MJD was allowed to sneak out of the backfield and into open space without getting a defender in his grill right off the snap.

Richard Smith, or someone on the defensive coaching staff, was asleep today.

Forget trying to blame "This play," or "That play."

Richard Smith has shown an inability to play smart defense. He's a rah-rah! go-getter who has made a name for himself as a crazy character who gets his D energized...and then we see (A) DBs 8 yards off WRs on short yardage plays, (B) D line players who overrun the play almost every single time, getting burned on the same stupid screen or RB dump pass, and (C) Practically zero "exotic" blitzes that confuse QBs.

There's nobody to blame here but Richard Smith--He's why the D gets burned, he's why the D gets tired (because they get burned so much), and he's the reason MJD and Vince Young and other playmakers do what they do to us.

We are GREAT at stopping the interior run, but our outer containment is awful, and we got exploited BIG TIME today...partly because the D line on pass plays are motoring up field and past the play itself. There's a whole lot of field left open for guys like MJD to do damage.

It's time this team went after a true, legitimate defensive coordinator and paid them almost head coach money to rectify this persistent problem since this team was established.

It also wouldn't be bad to learn how to effectively defend a SCREEN PASS. It's obvious that teams see that we can't defend a simple thing as a screen pass and they exploit the hell out of us. Just because we can't execute one doesn't mean that every other team in the NFL can't.

gpshafer_1976 said:

It wasn't any of the big plays by MJD that cost us, it was the inability to shadow MJD to make it HARDER for him to even get the ball in the first place.

I am at a loss as to how MJD was allowed to sneak out of the backfield and into open space without getting a defender in his grill right off the snap.

Richard Smith, or someone on the defensive coaching staff, was asleep today.

Forget trying to blame "This play," or "That play."

Richard Smith has shown an inability to play smart defense. He's a rah-rah! go-getter who has made a name for himself as a crazy character who gets his D energized...and then we see (A) DBs 8 yards off WRs on short yardage plays, (B) D line players who overrun the play almost every single time, getting burned on the same stupid screen or RB dump pass, and (C) Practically zero "exotic" blitzes that confuse QBs.

There's nobody to blame here but Richard Smith--He's why the D gets burned, he's why the D gets tired (because they get burned so much), and he's the reason MJD and Vince Young and other playmakers do what they do to us.

We are GREAT at stopping the interior run, but our outer containment is awful, and we got exploited BIG TIME today...partly because the D line on pass plays are motoring up field and past the play itself. There's a whole lot of field left open for guys like MJD to do damage.

It's time this team went after a true, legitimate defensive coordinator and paid them almost head coach money to rectify this persistent problem since this team was established.

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i agree.i started a thread a few days ago called the vanilla defense.i pretty much got ate up.they have no creativity at all,seems like they got a handfull of plays and thats it.

Gene Chizik is floundering at ISU.

He took two different college teams (Auburn and Texas, correct?) and made their defenses the No. 1 ranked defense. Did it with Auburn and then went to Texas and did it there in his first year at TU.

He was an outside shot for the head coach job (here) two years ago, but I would like him to get here fast. Help him buy out his ISU contract, pay the guy comparable money as to what he made at ISU, and help him pack and move to Houston.

We need someone who knows what they are doing. I have never been sold on Richard Smith. Never. No matter how it was spun, I always had THIS feeling--the feeling we had today, and for the past 4 weeks too--the feeling of us never really being "in the game" defensively.

Kubiak knows his stuff, for the most part (between the 20s, at least), on offense...but it's not the same feeling on the D side of the ball here in Houston.

We have a guy who, I am afraid, is way past his prime and doesn't know how to effectively craft and implement a true defensive gameplan. You either have it, or you don't.

Maybe defensive coordinators and running backs are all hiding out in the same cabin in Canada somewhere...because we cannot find either of them.

I don't think he's the greatest coach...

But I also think a lot of the Vanilla play-calling has to do with his personnel

real said:

I don't think he's the greatest coach...

But I also think a lot of the Vanilla play-calling has to do with his personnel

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A Pro Bowl-caliber middle linebacker, a Pro Bowl cornerback, and an entire D-line of ALL first-round draft picks? What the hell is wrong with his personnel???

DerekLee1 said:

What the hell is wrong with his personnel???

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Nothing...

Our D-line gets after the passer, Our LB's are instinctive and are always around the ball making plays and our DB's stick to recievers like glue..

You're right...We have so much talent that it's only logical that it's the scheme...

If our front four cannot put any consistent pressure on the QB, the rest of our defense is ineffective.

I'm not a fan of Richard Smith, but if we cannot perform basic football concepts like controlling the trenches instead of being owned, it doesn't matter what plays get called in.

Face it, we got beat by a better team on all fronts. We might barely be a .500 team, while the Jags will most likely be a wildcard contender this year.

real said:

I don't think he's the greatest coach...

But I also think a lot of the Vanilla play-calling has to do with his personnel

Click to expand...

All of these great defenses just plug in their draft picks...

It is the system that makes a defense great and a coach implements that.

(sigh)

It's the coaches. No, it's the players. No, it's the scheme. No, it's the system. No, it was the officials. No, it was the playcalling.

Do I take it that we lost yesterday?

Oh, but Marcus, it's not that we lost, it's HOW we lost!

Oh, OK!!

When we have an offense that can still move the ball without Andre Johnson, and then we have a defense stacked with Dunta, DeMeco, Mario, Amobi and other rotated D-linemen (Travis Johnson, Maddox, Weaver, Kalu) to keep the line fresh...please don't tell me it's the personnel.

Who else do we need to get on defense before anyone will stop and consider that Richard Smith juuuuuust might be sinking this ship? Is an entire roster of Pro-Bowlers needed at every position?

Kubiak has done wonders with the offense (sans the RZ playcalling) in spite of the absence of AJ, JJ, Mathis, and a running back.

But our defense looks lost.

A d-line cannot man the fort all by itself for most of the game, and it looks as if Smith is trying to make the d-line do all the dirty work.

Remember what Kubiak said at the start of camp: "We want to take away one aspect of our opponent's game--The run--and make them one-dimensional..."

Well, you guys are doing a great job of letting the LBs hang out and worry about the run and forcing the d-line to do the heavy lifting.

Our LBs and DBs need to be involved more as it relates to blitzing and confusing the opponent's QB. All I see is a bull-rush by the four d-linemen and then maybe a half-hearted LB trying to blitz way too late.

We need more firepower on defense, I'll agree to that. But the defensive strategy is not looking (to me) to be the best or the brightest over the past two years.

Like I said: If Richard Smith was the best we could do two years ago, then I guess I'll buy what McNair is selling....what other choice do I have?

D-coordinators and running backs must be hiding out in the same cabin in the woods...because we can't find either of them.

We found a gem at HC, and pretty good match at QB.

But the DC, to me, is not comparable. Kubiak has handled the offense and turned it around very well, but he can't logistically call defenses. But I'd just about name DeMeco or Dunta as honorary DC right now.

(Sigh)

Give it about two or three more games, and the "Fire Richard Smith NOW" threads will be in full action around here. It's not going to change overnight. Especially with the low sacks and low interceptions. This is Fangio Part II.