Middle of the Defense

[Jsievers24]

If we can't get some players ready to play next year then everyone should be fired. Even Chris Williams.

 

[Wesley]

I love how everyone is blaming the coaches, calling for peoples heads to roll. Does anyone even stop to realize the reason that our defense was so bad this year has nothing to do with Wally, Shane, or Paul...or any other coach for that matter?

Take a look at the depth chart for the WVU game and you can figure out why our defense was so bad this year. How many upper classmen do you see in the middle of the defense, including DT, NG, Mike LB, and safeties?

Two. Two frickin' upper classmen on the 2 deeps up the middle, and both are at safety.

Oh wait, here is where all of the "arm chair coaches" chime in and say "It's the coaches' fault because they didn't recruit well enough." Is it the coaches' fault that Coe couldn't show up to a meeting on time, and that Irving got busted during Veishea? Is it the coaches' fault that Krick left the team and didn't want to play anymore? Rhoads made call to Jensen to get him back on the team. What if that call was never made? How bad would we look?


I know I'll probably get flamed for this, but I am not blaming the coaches for what went down on the field with that much inexperience up the middle on defense.

I blame the coaches for 2011 and 2012 zeros for recruiting. Even Farley had a plan to recruit local boys that grew to play.

 

[CYphyllis]

I love how everyone is blaming the coaches, calling for peoples heads to roll. Does anyone even stop to realize the reason that our defense was so bad this year has nothing to do with Wally, Shane, or Paul...or any other coach for that matter?

Take a look at the depth chart for the WVU game and you can figure out why our defense was so bad this year. How many upper classmen do you see in the middle of the defense, including DT, NG, Mike LB, and safeties?

Two. Two frickin' upper classmen on the 2 deeps up the middle, and both are at safety.

Oh wait, here is where all of the "arm chair coaches" chime in and say "It's the coaches' fault because they didn't recruit well enough." Is it the coaches' fault that Coe couldn't show up to a meeting on time, and that Irving got busted during Veishea? Is it the coaches' fault that Krick left the team and didn't want to play anymore? Rhoads made call to Jensen to get him back on the team. What if that call was never made? How bad would we look?


I know I'll probably get flamed for this, but I am not blaming the coaches for what went down on the field with that much inexperience up the middle on defense.

 

[InAWord]

Last ISU coach (before Rhoads) to have 4 consecutive seasons of at least 5 wins? Clay Stapleton 1959-62.

I guess if you set the bar low enough you can be happy. Embrace the suck!

 

[Wesley]

That's not what I'm saying. A few of those losing seasons were due to a lame duck offensive staff...which he fixed this spring. That was his mistake, but he atoned for it by hiring Mangino and crew. I'm just saying that I don't feel the need to hang the inexperience of our defense around the coaches necks and use it as a noose.

Now he needs a new defense staff.

 

[cycloneworld]

An additional issue is at the end of the day we are still in Ames, IA. We all love it, but it's not necessarily a hot spot for entertainment, warm weather, and what ever else recruits are looking for.

While this is true, I see it as more of a crutch to fall back on when we are losing. Ever been to Manhattan, KS or Waco, TX?

 

[VeloClone]

I guess if you set the bar low enough you can be happy. Embrace the suck!

Doing something that hasn't been done in 50 years at a school should buy a coach a little good will to get through a couple of bad seasons. I'm not advocating for it to be carte blanche.

 

[bigsag]

Unfortunately, our present LBacking group would be inadequate for Missouri Valley football (let alone Big 12 football).

 

[uro cy]

Unfortunately, you are about a month too late.

Perhaps not, he could be on to something. It might just be time for a zombie coach.

 

[VeloClone]

Perhaps not, he could be on to something. It might just be time for a zombie coach.

Taken

Brains!!!

 

[Gossamer]

Not saying you are wrong, but being constantly out of position/looking unprepared IS a coaching issue. You can make up for the lack of talent with fundamentals, and Paul himself has talked about the lack of fundementals.

yup...teams went through us like **** through a goose...and that is more indicative of a fundamentally unsound team.

 

[AMarner32]

I'm not trying to say Irving and Coe wouldn't have made a difference, because they absolutely would have, but I don't think losing two defensive linemen is the reason for having arguably the worst defense in all of FBS. There have been huge running lanes for opposing RB's and that's mostly on the DLine, but our LB's have been so far out of position and can't even tackle when they ARE in position, I don't know if it would make much of a difference to have Irving and Coe on the team. Have we had any attrition at LB? I don't think so, yet that is a point of incredible weakness for this team.

 

[LutherBlue]

Recruiting is on the coaches. We've had high attrition because we've had to roll the dice on a number of guys. Everyone knew Rodney Coe and Pompey were high risk. Coe was a head case or he would have been at Iowa. Pompey was an academic risk. We had the DL who flaked out and went to NW Missouri when he was slated to be a starter here. Irving had -- I'll say it nicely -- terrible judgment. If memory serves, Krick was a walk-on and ISU probably got more out of him while he was playing than it ever could have expected. We have also had attrition at LB. Our JUCO savior at LB (Harris) wasn't ready to play.

Who brought those guys to campus? The coaching staff, of course. Why did they do it? Because they know they can't get enough talent here otherwise. It's not bad luck, it's a foreseeable outcome.

 

[Cycsk]

There were plenty of injuries at wide receiver this year and if we wouldn't have had the depth we had we would have complained about why we didn't have more of them. I know we need more lineman on both sides of the ball. Can anyone tell me how we attract those players to Ames with or without CPR. If We offer and Alabama or Texas or Oklahoma etc. offer who is going to win that battle. I am more concerned about player development because that is the area that we have the best chance, not in bringing in 5 star linemen.

Having a coach that wants to stay (rather than expecting him to go somewhere else in a few years) would seem to me to be a significant recruitment advantage that Rhoads has . . . unless you all run him out of town. I think Rhoads is a good coach. And I think he wants to be here. And I like his recent hires for the coaching staff.

 

[Rick]

Last year all anybody could say was how the defense let the offense down every game and they got tired and couldnt keep up with potent offenses. Saturday TOP was 3-2 in our favor and we still got whacked. I think Wally has lost the touch in coming up with a game plan after the first

 

[Wesley]

Having a coach that wants to stay (rather than expecting him to go somewhere else in a few years) would seem to me to be a significant recruitment advantage that Rhoads has . . . unless you all run him out of town. I think Rhoads is a good coach. And I think he wants to be here. And I like his recent hires for the coaching staff.

Two wins a season will run him out of town. It is on him.

 

[lakeliving]

IMO it is too bad that CPR did not have the current staff 3 years ago. It would have helped with recruiting and game day management. Also likely that Charlie Rodgers would still be here too.

 

[isucy86]

Coach Rhoads got his job at ISU because he made his mark on defense. He should be an elite mind on the X's and O's and be a keen evaluator of talent. That is why I am at such a loss on why our defense has struggled over the past 3 years and is getting worse. The OP laments the bad luck we have experienced with player defections. I could understand that take if CPR was early in his tenure at ISU. We have a coach who is in his 6th year. If he had the vision required of a head coach, our team wouldn't be devistated when guys leave or are injured.

 

[ClonesFTW]

There are a couple LB's at NW
Missouri St that are literally bigger and faster than most of our LB core.

Edit: DJ Gnader at NWMS - 6'2 225 and ran a 10.7 100m dash in high school. Do we have a single guy like that?

 

[Wesley]

There are a couple LB's at NW
Missouri St that are literally bigger and faster than most of our LB core.

Edit: DJ Gnader at NWMS - 6'2 225 and ran a 10.7 100m dash in high school. Do we have a single guy like that?

Little Ferch is the only one that is fast. Miller was pretty good coming off the ball, but he is sidelined for his career.