Mullen and Manny

[engie]

naw man, you got me, I misread thinking 2014.

for the conspiracy theorists keeping score, '10 Diaz = 1st YR and '13 Collins' = 1st YR....maybe Mullen had not had time to break them down enough to inflict his defensive will on the coaching staff in the first year of said Defensive coaches tenure?

How do you explain us playing so completely passively on D vs bama and olemiss in 2014? Someone said Collins was busy playing video games in a prior thread, or I am assuming that was a video game as I had never heard of it. I guess it was a time sink of some sort that kept him from prepping a suitable defense? That is a peculiar excuse, but an explanation none the less? Maybe it was that?

I've thought the same thing at times, but I'm not running with any more conspiracy theories. I find it more likely that we built up a year worth of data for teams to review and formulate gameplans all offseason, and then the next year they knew how to attack us. Maybe our defensive coaches failed to adjust or self scout/add new wrinkles to overcome that. Especially easy when you don't mix coverages and blitzes any better than our last 2 DCs have. I thought we played good defense vs Bama this year sans the one drive at the end of the game. 335 total yards. Dak hurt us in that game. Ole Miss is a whole different accumulation of different conspiracy theories.

[Dawgcentral]

I haven't seen any definitive evidence that Mullen is dictating the schemes and play calling on Defense, other than the hiring of a coordinator with a philosophy of which he agrees.

If there is no evidence, all of this seems to be pure speculation. Which is fine, but it is what it is.

[blacklistedbully]

The problem I have and have been clear about, is this idea that the bad defense has been Mullen's doing and meddling while the good defenses were only because he was letting the DC do there job. There is absolutely no evidence that this is the case and yet people want to propagate this conspiracy theory. Even in Manny's remarks he mentions how the scheme and terminology is pretty much the same as what HE installed in 2010. Not Dan. But Manny. The point is the logic is flawed if you don't also comprehend that without further evidence it could have been Mullen trying to keep the defense together and that's why Collins is not longer here. That makes as much sense. I don't agree with that either but you can't fault that statement because it using the same type of thought process with no real evidence. Just like people trying to make out he is too mean for people to work with and that's why DC were leaving. Haven't seen that so much since a previous DC just rejoined the fold.

That's not what I recall him saying. I believe he said, "much of the terminology is the same as they used in 2010". That's a far cry from, "the scheme being the same".

[yjnkdawg]

That's not what I recall him saying. I believe he said, "much of the terminology is the same as they used in 2010". That's a far cry from, "the scheme being the same".

+1 and and I don't think we have seen an actual Manny Diaz type scheme, since he left.

[defiantdog]

Our DL and LB's need to get in shape for Manny's defense. I remember him standing up DLs and rotating LB's up and down the line prior to the snap to throw the qb off. Also, what happened to Collins this year? Last year, he used to run all types of different schemes. I remember he had 8 DBs in on one play during the Egg Bowl last year. This year, we just looked vanilla.

[Todd4State]

Dan has been quoted as saying "we will run the same defense that we have always run". That's a vague statement. He could be talking about a 4-3, which is what every DC we have ever had has run. It may be that Manny is just more creative than the other DC's that we have had within the same scheme. Just like Bill Walsh was a lot more creative and effective with the West Coast Offense than Sylvester Croom was. Same scheme, but a different guy calling the shots makes a BIG difference.

I would imagine that Dan does get pissed when he sees the defense doing poorly and probably does say something about it. I suspect that's when he interferes. I hope it's that he wants someone that he feels like he DOESN'T have to interfere with. And that most likely is Manny.

[I seen it dawg]

Whoever the hell changed our defensive philosophy or playcalling or whatever after the LSU, Auburn, AM stretch needs to be fired. Maybe that has been handled already who knows.

NO ONE is truly stopping offenses anymore like 15 years ago so people can stop comparing or wishing it will happen. In today's game the best you can hope for is creating turnovers and TfL and hope to keep your opponent under 20. Manny brings that defense here if he has the ability to run what he ran last year. He has the players.

If he is allowed or decides or whatever to run his defense from last year at Tech we are going to be really good on defense. We are going to give up some big plays because it's just what happens in his style but teams are going to score anyway. His defense can keep teams under 20. If we aren't blitzing, running games, moving guys all over the place, and playing aggressive man then Manny was not hired to do what Manny does. And we all will have our definite answer as to whether Mullen exerts too much stupidity into the defense.

[Churchill]

Well I hope he`s "intellectual" enough to keep his defense from getting nick named. These silly little drummed up dipshit nick names (I.E. psycho defense) do nothing but make your look like a damn fool the first time you under perform. Just strap it up, lay your ears back and tackle like you were taught all the way back from pee wee ball and let the folks you kicked the shit out of name you.

[Coach34]

We didn't play passively against Bama this year. Why do people keep saying that? We shut them down for large stretches in that game. .

Thats what I'm wondering? Bama had just over 300 yards of offense and punted 7 times.

Fredo had over 530 yards of offense.

One of these is not like the other

[Dawgface]

For whatever reason, we just didn't look the same on D at the end. Earlier we seemed to be more aggressive and ganged tackled better. Perhaps it was just the match ups we had. I don't know.

[GTHOM]

For whatever reason, we just didn't look the same on D at the end. Earlier we seemed to be more aggressive and ganged tackled better. Perhaps it was just the match ups we had. I don't know.

Hell no we didnt look the same. Dan Mullen's ass got so tight he had us change. When are people going to understand this? I mean i dont have actual physical evidence of this happening but damn folks put 2 and 2 together. Mullen did not do a good job down the stretch this year, collins didnt, our team didnt nobody did. Ten wins is great but the whole ''best season in school history'' crap needs to stop. I dont want the best year ever to be losing the 3 biggest games of the year in piss poor fashion looking totally unprepared and totally unmotivated.

[Really Clark?]

Hell no we didnt look the same. Dan Mullen's ass got so tight he had us change. When are people going to understand this? I mean i dont have actual physical evidence of this happening but damn folks put 2 and 2 together. Mullen did not do a good job down the stretch this year, collins didnt, our team didnt nobody did. Ten wins is great but the whole ''best season in school history'' crap needs to stop. I dont want the best year ever to be losing the 3 biggest games of the year in piss poor fashion looking totally unprepared and totally unmotivated.

Good grief. Your 2 and 2 has just as much chance of equaling -10 without evidence. There are a ton of other theories just as plausible as yours. Let's name some: the players got tight because of the ranking, both the players and coaches just got tight, the players didn't execute as well, the opposition had more time to see what we were doing, competition was better (Bama and UM defenses two of the best we faced), our defense played two of it's best games of the year the last half of the season (Bama and Arkansas) but the loss gave them a let down losing that edge, Dak got tight, Dak was hurt more than we thought, Heisman and NFL thoughts got to him, the players got out of rhythm, the play calling got out of rhythm, injuries, Collins game plans were lacking at the end or opposition was able to get a good read, the overall fatigue of the defense (played almost as many plays in 13 games as NFL teams do in 16), the overall fatigue of the team (takes time to build up to that stamina like Oregon and others have done) etc. And probably the most realistic theory and the one I subcribe to, it was more than likely a combination of all of these things. There was no one thing that caused the issues.

Do we hate that they could not get it turned around, sure but every year in high school, college, and pros you see teams peak too early and teams play their best late and sometimes (although it's the most rare) teams play great all year. Who is playing in the title game? It appears it's the two teams who are playing the best right now but early in the year they were not. And believe it or not that may or may not have a thing to do with coaching. 99% of the time its a combination of things. But to make your theory stick you have to take all of it as a whole. That includes the Bama and Arkansas and Vandy (although they suck) games and realize that those were three of the BEST defensive performances of the year as well. Re-watch that Bama game. Beside one series in the second half that was the best half of defense we played all year, IMO.

[yjnkdawg]

LA Tech was No 1 in the nation. last year, on averaging where their offense started from. That is an aggressive type defense and not one who keeps the plays in front of them (bend don't break) type. Even if you are rated highly in preventing scoring touchdowns once a team enters the red zone, and you do make a stop, they usually kick a field goal or your offense has 80 to 90 yards to go to the endzone. I really think that when they say the same type defensive philosophy, they are referring primarily to the terminology of relentless effort. I may be wrong, but that's my thinking. Diaz's scheming is all kind of things to confuse the quarterback, blitzes, fake blitzes, with the main thing getting him out of his comfort zone and putting him on the ground, as well. The OM game reminded me of just the opposite when MSU played Bama at Birminghham and Dave Marler was our quarterback. He was injured and was not mobile, similar to Bo, and had to stay in a shotgun formation and could pass or hand off only. I know for a fact that the Bama players were told to kill him (put him out of the game), because their coaches knew if Marler was out, we were done for sure. They hit him every opportunity they could and some were cheap shots, as well. I think if we had had Manny's defensive scheming that OM and Bama and even GA Tech could have been a different story this past season. Our defense was too predictable and vanilla. Being that said, a lot less predictable in the Bama game (seemed to be have been better defensive preparation and scheming). Any way, I'm hopefully looking forward to Diaz coming in and evaluating players and putting them in a postion to succeed and utilizing their strengths.