USC's Defense will come back to haunt them...

Been a while since, but that’s what a newborn will do.

Tampa 2 seems useless against the spread offenses we’re seeing. Seems like all teams have to do is throw that swing pass and it’s an automatic 10 yards…killed us against the Sun Devils and today.

With the RB situation, looks like we should be able to get another Thunder and Lighting combo with Tyler + Morgan/McNeal but it seems like coaches are happy sticking with Tyler as featured back. Any word on why D-Bax isn’t getting any playing time?

I can’t defend this defense. Even when we do have players in the right spaces, they often don’t make the play. During the PC era, playing soft and giving them everything underneath surrendered a lot of yards but worked because the defense often was able to generate turnovers and thus derail sustained drives. Today, Arizona had TD drives of 12, 4, 18, 6, 10, and 6 plays – we’re either surrendering big plays by not tackling underneath stuff, or we’re letting them sustain drives and not taking the ball away (I know today we had 2 picks, but for the season I think we’re still something like -5 in turnover margin). For whatever reason, we have not been able to replicate all the turnovers of those great PC defenses of 03 and 04 and have languished in that category. If you can’t create those takeaways, then you will get KILLED playing the soft zone that we do.

After Oregon and Stanford (hell, even UW and ND probably will) hang 40+ on us, how will Monte Kiffin be able to justify keeping his job? I’m normally all for giving a coach a few years to get their system in place and to get the right players for their system, but if we’re not seeing improvement by the end of the year, it will be difficult not to call for Monte’s retirement.

when you play 10 yards off on 4th and 2, even 11 All-Americans wouldn’t be in a position to make the stop. Kiff suggests taking away the big play is their priority. Fine, but you have to take some situational risks. Our best unit, the D-line is looking mediocre because QBs have their pick of receiver any time anyone gets close. Each drive is a slow death. The big plays don’t happen but they score nonetheless. The more plays it takes the more worn down our D becomes. So when that inevitable game-winning drive comes around in the fourth, we’re too gassed to have any prayer of getting the stop. I know our athletes aren’t as bad as Monte’s defense is making them look.

All teams in the NFL play the cover 2, but I know of only three teams in the NFL play the Tampa-2 as their base defense: Seattle, Chicago, Indy. These teams are combined 2-7, and not one of them will go to the playoffs.

Form what i understand, Monte was either fired from Tampa Bay or was released from his contract before he could be fired. His defenses at the end of his tenure were consistenly in the bottom half of the NFL.

NFL offenses have passed Monte by. The tampa-two is an inadequate defense for college. Monte needs to go. Period.

But there is enough talent not to be among the worst defenses in college football, which is where we will end since we just started to face offenses that can move the ball.

Perry, Harris, Robey, McDonald, Kennard, all will be playing in the NFL. Yes Robey, on special teams and in nickel situations.

Tupau and Horton probably will not be drafted because of the dearth of teams playing the Tampa 2 in the NFL. But they would start on most other college teams, if not be in the rotation. Gallipo just doesn’t have the speed or strength (the back surguries). Jury is out on Pullard and Bailey, the rest of the secondary.

Granted it is not freakish talent like where Clay Matthews didn’t even start until the fourth game of his senior year, but it not the talent of a team that looks like it will end the year worse statistically than last year, where they finished like 100th or so in pass defense.

This is not a recruiting issue. This is Monte = Fail.