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Sour Notes December 16, 2022
It has been some time since I
observed a CYO high school basketball game, where I cringed at just about every
turn. Coaching for all those years allows you to break through to the
meat. Turnovers, poor passing skills, a pure lack of rebounds, driving the
net like a duck ... in short ... lost opportunity after lost
opportunity.
Then, set aside from the action, I spoke with a head coach of the team that was
running that tournament to ask how her teams were doing? That overall assessment
lead to this statement. "After all ... it's just about having
fun", with a broad smile on her face. That was repeated 3 times as my
skin crawled".
No! It is never been about "Having Fun". Everything has
always analogous to the pure rhythm & the deep overlay within music and what
I was seeing was sour note after sour note. Unfortunately, these
coaches either can't or don't see it ... or worse yet ... they are too close to
it.
You see, my very thought would not be to just let it slide but instead it would
be to lead. As I walked by these players, the temptation of opening my
mouth by instructing each & every one of them ... right on the spot ... was
an overwhelming force. It would start with, "You didn't just lose
this game ... You just wasted opportunity after opportunity". One by
one, the observations would have been shared to open their train of thought
where they could work to resolve it all while they lie awake in bed some day
down the road.
"Did you realize that when you drove the net, your teams best opportunity
was actually behind you? Why did you set up into a passive position when
we needed you to move your feet to angle your best opportunity to follow that
shot as the importance of rebounds can be the most important statistic that we
can avail? Exactly when has s a side arm sky hook ever been acceptable as
a way to pass the ball? Do you realize your talent & that your passive
posture throughout the game isn't helping anyone except to feed an obtuse level
of fear within you?
As for time, if I had chose to unleash myself ... it would have happened at that
very moment. It is a fallacy that change cannot come
instantaneously. When they discuss all the time & effort put into this
2022 3-4 defense where that it is too late to change everything, that statement
serves only one purpose which is to ensure an outcome. Change can occur in
an instant.
If the 1970's & 80's taught us anything it would be that Dan Fouts & Air
Coryell could not overcome a flawed defensive concept. So to will it be
impossible for Kevin O'Connell to win it all unless he immediately changes this
teams approach to this game. His offensive genius cannot overcome absolute
stupidity.
So what can be said about our present defensive personnel and more importantly
... what would Mike Zimmer have done with this group. Sure, in a season of
17 games you would see Danielle Hunter drop into coverage on occasion which
would also apply to Za'Darius Smith but neither would be full time line backers
in coverage. Hunter got to 50 sacks faster than any person ever so ask
yourself what form of tea would make you think that it would be a good idea to
take away his primary skill & put it into coverage. Is Mike Zimmer now
chuckling over this insanity? Zimmer understood the absolute value of pass
rushing to disrupt the passers rhythms. Was it not a wise man that said
that to beat these Minnesota Viking you don't need to sack Kirk Cousins ... all
you need to do is disrupt him from his game. In other words, it is the
application of constant pressure & the disruption of flow that can defeat
any quarterback ... even Tom Brady. Both New York Giants Super Bowl
victories over the so called goat resulted from Tommy Boys continual
disruptions.
In 2021, Mike Zimmer missed the playoffs by one game but he was missing his most
valuable defensive asset ... Danielle Hunter, where both Spielman & Zimmer
traded mid season to acquire another defensive end ... which blew up in their
faces. No! Mike Zimmer would have died for this defensive personnel
group. Harrison Phillips & Dalvin Thomlinson would have been used
extensively early to stop the run. After securing a lead Zimmer would have
unleashed Za'Darius Smith, Danielle Hunter, D.J. Wonnum & Patrick Jones,
lined up everywhere along the line.
To stop the run, Zimmer would have used three linebackers with both Brian
Asamoah II & Eric Kendricks primarily in coverage having Hick's patrol the
middle to tackle anything that moved. In coverage, Hick would have been
replaced by Metellus at Free Safety (deep coverage as he is easily a liability
in down low zone coverage), moving Harrison Smith to strong safety adding his
run stopping & blitzing threat into the box, thereby shifting Bynum
primarily into slot coverage. Bynum has a great deal more potential in
slot coverage ... does Sullivan even register in the hopes of slowing down an
offensive threat?
One thing is for certain. When you see Danielle Hunter or Za'Darius Smith
in coverage with a skill player advancing the ball down the field in front of
them then you know that you've gone from Zimmer trying to confuse the offense on
occasion to shift the rushing scheme to a completely different ordeal.
Your allowing every quarterback to rely on a continual mismatch where any
substandard quarterback can see which one is rushing & which is in
coverage. To compensate, the defense shifts its coverage in the hopes of
covering the obvious weakness. By voiding one area to cover that weakness,
a completely different opportunity opens deep down the field. Since the
rush is easily identified, that substandard quarterback has all the time that he
needs to get that ball down the field, since there is little or no
disruption.
A child can see these flaws like seeing the nose upon his face.
The Viking Ghost Writer
http://MyVikingBlood.org
Date: December 16, 2022
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