Colorado State University Athletics
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Defense out to tackle a flaw from 2018
8/19/2019 10:00:00 AM | Football
Rams swarmed better than in initial scrimmage
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – While the issue may have been a target of spring practice, it doesn't mean Colorado State's defense tackled it entirely in those 15 extra sessions.
The Rams were not a good tackling team a season ago, missing 118 over the course of a 12-game schedule. No, nearly 10 a game is not good, and the fact it led to a series of chunk plays for the opposition (24.1 percent of plays gained 10 yards or more) made it more taxing.
After two scrimmages, head coach Mike Bobo has seen progress, and even if perfection may never be achieved, he'd like to see his Rams get closer.
"I think we're tackling well," he said late Friday night. "We're not tackling as well as I would like yet, but I think we're tackling well. I think a little bit of it has to do with some bad angles by some young guys in the secondary, causing some missed tackles. Up front and in the linebacker area, I think we're doing a pretty good job of tackling, but it's just some missed tackles by some angles more than anything, but we're improving on that."
A sign of progress came from Friday night, where the unit created four turnovers. Most of them involved more than one defender being active on the play, and a swarming mentality was more the norm than in the scrimmage a week prior.
Defensive lineman Devin Phillips points to angles being a primary culprit in 2018, too, but he feels they are closing in on the problem with each tackling circuit they do in practice. More to the point, he feels the technique has improved across the board, allowing for better contact and drive.
"I want to say whether it's thud or tackling, players are actually focusing on the actual thud, setting their feet, wrapping up and running through the ball carrier," he said. "When we're in different drills, like teach periods or individual, we're actually seeing people perform the tackles and try to just focus on tackling better."
The system defensive coordinator John Jancek brought to the program took a bit longer for the players to get comfortable with than any of them anticipated.
As the Rams head into their second season, linebacker Max McDonald can see a better understanding starting to take hold, enabling the primary goal of a defender, which is getting a ball carrier to the ground.
"I think one big change last year to this year for a lot of us, being in the right place to make a tackle is affected a lot by how well you know the playbook and where you have to be on a play," he said. "If you're slow to react to what an offense is doing and you don't really know where to be, you're going to be out of position to make a tackle and it's going to be a lot more difficult for you. If you can read, know the playbook and react quickly, you're going to be in the right spot to make a tackle and finish through the tackle."
All the technique in the world won't help finish the task, McDonald said, if a defender is not in the right position. Being a step shy, even slow, leads to lunging and arm attempts, most of which accomplished collegiate player can turn into a whiff.
And, he continued, all the practice time in the world won't make a lick of difference if a player doesn't comprehend the task at hand. Sometimes that requires a question or two after the final period of practice. The two components have to work hand in hand.
"It was technique, and actually executing the tackle itself, but absolutely, it's getting in the playbook of a pretty complicated system, and I don't think enough guys understood how much extra time outside of practice and meetings you had to put in to understand the system," McDonald said. "If you have a question, you have to go ask your coach.
"Asking those little things, you can see it before happens, which lets you be in the right spot to make that tackle. As a whole unit, everybody is doing a better job of that."
The Rams were not a good tackling team a season ago, missing 118 over the course of a 12-game schedule. No, nearly 10 a game is not good, and the fact it led to a series of chunk plays for the opposition (24.1 percent of plays gained 10 yards or more) made it more taxing.
After two scrimmages, head coach Mike Bobo has seen progress, and even if perfection may never be achieved, he'd like to see his Rams get closer.
"I think we're tackling well," he said late Friday night. "We're not tackling as well as I would like yet, but I think we're tackling well. I think a little bit of it has to do with some bad angles by some young guys in the secondary, causing some missed tackles. Up front and in the linebacker area, I think we're doing a pretty good job of tackling, but it's just some missed tackles by some angles more than anything, but we're improving on that."
A sign of progress came from Friday night, where the unit created four turnovers. Most of them involved more than one defender being active on the play, and a swarming mentality was more the norm than in the scrimmage a week prior.
Defensive lineman Devin Phillips points to angles being a primary culprit in 2018, too, but he feels they are closing in on the problem with each tackling circuit they do in practice. More to the point, he feels the technique has improved across the board, allowing for better contact and drive.
"I want to say whether it's thud or tackling, players are actually focusing on the actual thud, setting their feet, wrapping up and running through the ball carrier," he said. "When we're in different drills, like teach periods or individual, we're actually seeing people perform the tackles and try to just focus on tackling better."
The system defensive coordinator John Jancek brought to the program took a bit longer for the players to get comfortable with than any of them anticipated.
As the Rams head into their second season, linebacker Max McDonald can see a better understanding starting to take hold, enabling the primary goal of a defender, which is getting a ball carrier to the ground.
"I think one big change last year to this year for a lot of us, being in the right place to make a tackle is affected a lot by how well you know the playbook and where you have to be on a play," he said. "If you're slow to react to what an offense is doing and you don't really know where to be, you're going to be out of position to make a tackle and it's going to be a lot more difficult for you. If you can read, know the playbook and react quickly, you're going to be in the right spot to make a tackle and finish through the tackle."
All the technique in the world won't help finish the task, McDonald said, if a defender is not in the right position. Being a step shy, even slow, leads to lunging and arm attempts, most of which accomplished collegiate player can turn into a whiff.
And, he continued, all the practice time in the world won't make a lick of difference if a player doesn't comprehend the task at hand. Sometimes that requires a question or two after the final period of practice. The two components have to work hand in hand.
"It was technique, and actually executing the tackle itself, but absolutely, it's getting in the playbook of a pretty complicated system, and I don't think enough guys understood how much extra time outside of practice and meetings you had to put in to understand the system," McDonald said. "If you have a question, you have to go ask your coach.
"Asking those little things, you can see it before happens, which lets you be in the right spot to make that tackle. As a whole unit, everybody is doing a better job of that."
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