Ruffin McNeill...New DC
- Thread starter Senior Sooner
- Start date
I do not foresee any improvement by the defense through the remainder of the season, regardless of who is plugged in as interim DC.
Riley and Castiglione have a lot of work ahead this coming off season. It may take this season and next season to undo the damage rendered by Mike Stoops, starting with recruiting.
Riley and Castiglione have a lot of work ahead this coming off season. It may take this season and next season to undo the damage rendered by Mike Stoops, starting with recruiting.
I agree but I do expect to see a new attitude.
Riley is everyone's up and coming young coach. Let's see how he responds by getting a capable and proven defensive coordinator. One who can bring an "attitude" along with him.
I foresee him bringing our opposing PPG average down from 27 to about 24.
Heck, that's enough to be 6-0 instead of 5-1.
There really doesn't need to be a massive turn around in the defense to make a huge difference though. Heck the Texas game they just needed a couple more stops in the first 3 Qtrs and OU wins the game.
But I do agree that the real changes are gonna be after the year. No way do I think Ruffin stays the permanent DC. .
Ruffin and Riley are clearly Tech buddies...so not sure that Ruffin gets replaced by permanent DC. Seems to be a ton of chaos in the defense ranks. And clearly there are position coaches in there not worth a crap. The overhaul needs to be complete and well planned. This should have gone down last January. Now we are severely behind positive courses of action with some more ominous offenses before us. Hope the players respond with a bang and not a fizzle.
I think Ruffin will simplify the defense. Right now there are WAY to many1 or 2 position react, schemes. Just play base assignment, be it man or zone. Get these kids out of their head and just play fundamentally sound D.
Anything will be an improvement over what we've seen from Mike. We can't get any worse in red zone defense, and I doubt we get any worse on 3rd down. The plays that cost us the game on Saturday were the times we had Texas 3rd and 20 and then gave up 18 or 19 yards on 3rd down.
Whatever happens for the remainder of the season, at least Mike is gone. Damn, that took forever. My best hope is that the defense shows up with a bad attitude.
I honestly at this point don't know how the players viewed Stoops. I know a couple of guys spoke up in his behalf, but I've not seen a lot. Will they be happy about his firing and be more inspired? Will they kinda give up on this season? Not real sure what to expect. I kinda get the feeling that he did not have overwhelming support from his guys
That was extremely troubling to see two 3rd and 20’s go to 4th and two and then converted. This after Jack In Box wastes two valuable time outs. It was openly obvious that we were going to yield in a bad way to the shorthorns...and not make much needed stops. Plus add on that disturbing locker room tension. It was a doomed game. The offense should never have to dictate play based on defensive failure.
I foresee him bringing our opposing PPG average down from 27 to about 24.
Heck, that's enough to be 6-0 instead of 5-1.
LMAO. And true!
I think we will find out how the players feel when we see how they respond against TCU.
I would be content in knowing all D positions were sent back to the basics of tackling low and wrapping up - with all arm tackles up at the ball carrier's shoulder pads resulting in running the stadium steps.
Should that get mastered, we can then move on to the algebra of gap assignment and containment, with DBs trained to turn and look for the ball once in a blue moon.
Scheming for the opponent's best player (like spying Ehlinger all game long) - I dare not dream that big.
We need to offer Grinch 1.5 million in the off season... other than Ruff, let him pick his staff.
Could work unless he was brought in to push out Schiano (see Mike Stoops and Brent Venables).
Grinch is an Ohio boy and with one of the elite programs in the country. I don’t see him leaving Ohio State for the same job at OU unless the money was big, and I don’t see OU paying anything near $1.3M much less $1.5. But maybe $1.2.
That would be a $400k raise or $600k within a year from leaving Washington State. How many assistants can double their salary within 12 months?Word is slowly coming out that there was a physical altercation in the locker room at half-time between Mikey and a player.
Geez. I wonder why Lincoln didn’t just accept Mike’s offer to resign after the game? This sounds like Mike lost it. What a train wreak that must have been.
He is not a play caller at tOSU.Grinch is an Ohio boy and with one of the elite programs in the country. I don’t see him leaving Ohio State for the same job at OU unless the money was big, and I don’t see OU paying anything near $1.3M much less $1.5. But maybe $1.2.
Not trying to blindly defend Riley, but I don't think accepting a resignation offer directly after an emotional loss is appropriate even if the end result is known. At least make the guy come back after emotions have cooled and have as much of a cordial conversation about it as possible. Save some face too.
Grinch is an Ohio boy and with one of the elite programs in the country. I don’t see him leaving Ohio State for the same job at OU unless the money was big, and I don’t see OU paying anything near $1.3M much less $1.5. But maybe $1.2.
Venables left Oklahoma for a job at Clemson, so program history can be overcome. Who knows what the relationship is like between Schiano and Grinch? Maybe sole DC and a nice raise would be enough for Grinch.
JCon, Mike Stoops returning as CO-DC had more to do with Brent leaving. I’m happy for him and his $1.7M at Clemson. But I really don’t think he would have left OU if we had paid him what Mike was making and been THE DC without having Mike on staff. JMO.
I'm not saying that Mike getting into a fist fight with a team member was appropriate ...... but you gotta admit they played a little better in the second half. LOL
I think he did well at WSU, in a relatively pass happy league, improved defensive rankings each year, and was in the 20’s each for turnovers. I think I read his defense was based on speed. I would think LR could easily pick up the phone and call Leach for some insight. If there is a match, unless Schiano is out the door, at face value it looks like a good match. Schiano may be a coordinator the rest of his career after the Tennessee debacle (I.e. not leaving OSU). Maybe I over estimate what the DC job at OU today is worth, but If the money is right, I don’t think he could turn it down. And make no mistake if LR thinks he is worth it and he is worth it the money should be paid. We are saving how much each year with LR being the OC? OU don’t screw up doing the right thing by doing the wrong thing (e.g. Ruffin, not pony up on good young DC, etc).
The bottom line is that they apparently showed more fight at halftime than they ever did during the game.
Per the Riley presser, a number of the players took it bad before this am practice. There's a process of healing that'll need to occur. But I do think the defense improves this season. I also do not believe that Ruffin remains the DC.
Our defensive play in the 4th quarter was more about the Whorns going conservative than about OU's defense playing better. Texas went conservative and we stopped them 3 times in a row. We tie up the game. Texas gets out of their conservative mode and drive down the field on the last possession the same way they did in the first half. Score - game over.
I admit I wasn’t always pleased with Brent, but I never, ever wanted him to leave OU, and when he did predicted that would hurt the program. Bob allowing Mike to come back was a big mistake especially knowing that Mike wasn’t that much sought after by major programs. I may be wrong but didn’t he interview with both LSU and Ohio State before signing on again??
I don’t care who you put coaching the defense, until you recruit better defensive players nothing will change! I’m sorry but a coach that was the DC at tech is damn sure not the answer. Have to have better players. Especially on the D line!
I agree that we need better players but OU needs and deserves to have a top knotch DC also. Getting better players along will not get us the defense to win another national championship. Mike did everything but come right out and admit he was over his head coaching in the B12 during his interview with Dusty.
Red Bull Venables found his comfortable niche in Clemson with less volatile spread offenses in ACC. Jack In Box just could never really figure out Big 12 as time went on. Then when he got blasted for going hog wild with blitzes, he went into his turtle shell and his adjustments and schemes flat out stunk. The key take away to Sooners D must get more consistent pressure on QB. As has been said often, the DBs need to turn and get a play on the damn ball.
Brent V is a front 7 guy. Both Mike and Bobo are back 7 guys. Brent got tired of fighting both Bob and Bobo. Plus he grew into a better defensive guy then both Bob and Bobo. Then add, Brent is better at sniffing out talent at LB then either Stoops. And of course he played LB, something neither Stoops played.
Bob and Mike will take a chance on a DB way before they will take a chance on a Dlinemen.
Right now it's just important to simplify the defense and let players play. They were fundamentally sound, playing in a vanilla D, against FAU and UCLA. The huge problems didn't come until we opened the play book against ISU. If you have to think about what to do, then you don't know. Way to many one or two position react schemes. That's a DB, LB, Dline having to adjust on the fly, depending upon what one or two position do.
A DB pushes the outside edge, if the DE crashes the edge but the LB has to slid over to fill the gap. But the LB doesn't so now he has to think, instead of play. That does not come naturally and takes 100's of reps to flow. Then they are thinking and not playing just the fundamentals. ie tackling, or void fill.
Just look at Bolton sack, The DE gets manhandle and Bolton is suppose to gap or void fill. He went for the void and the DE, getting manhandled, that took away the Texass screen. So he gave up void and went for the sack. That was a busted play on the D. That wasn't a delayed blitz but an out and out busted play on our D, that we just got lucky. He's a 5th year senior so that experience, might have helped but he had a clear path and sat for an extra second, before he committed. We got lucky.
Bob and Mike will take a chance on a DB way before they will take a chance on a Dlinemen.
Right now it's just important to simplify the defense and let players play. They were fundamentally sound, playing in a vanilla D, against FAU and UCLA. The huge problems didn't come until we opened the play book against ISU. If you have to think about what to do, then you don't know. Way to many one or two position react schemes. That's a DB, LB, Dline having to adjust on the fly, depending upon what one or two position do.
A DB pushes the outside edge, if the DE crashes the edge but the LB has to slid over to fill the gap. But the LB doesn't so now he has to think, instead of play. That does not come naturally and takes 100's of reps to flow. Then they are thinking and not playing just the fundamentals. ie tackling, or void fill.
Just look at Bolton sack, The DE gets manhandle and Bolton is suppose to gap or void fill. He went for the void and the DE, getting manhandled, that took away the Texass screen. So he gave up void and went for the sack. That was a busted play on the D. That wasn't a delayed blitz but an out and out busted play on our D, that we just got lucky. He's a 5th year senior so that experience, might have helped but he had a clear path and sat for an extra second, before he committed. We got lucky.
I’m not saying you’re wrong, but that was way too much for me to comprehend, man. Far out!!
I agree but it is getting better ... Thompson... he’s hurt redmon is back, Perkins is a stud... gallimore and Bledsoe are good when they wanna be... it is turning for the better and if we get Golding it’ll be trending uphill