DawgSpeare, reason for starting a new thread was because I did not want to hi-jack your thread first off, second, thought that this might open up defensive philosophies from folks that should and do understand more than most of us.
One of the glaring problems that I have witnessed with our defense has been the way we cover wideouts and others of course. Having watched 4/3 defenses that perform as designed, UGA's 4/3 has caused me pause for thought.
My main problem in the recent past is how our CB's play so far off of the receivers on the line of scrimmage. There of course can be reasons for that, lack of talent or trying to prevent the long gain. Can't have linebackers trying to cover the space between line of scrimmage and the CB consistently. That is where a Tebow will kill you, and does.
One thing I do know about the 4/3 is that if the CB can get just a small amount of pressure on the receiver, it causes the QB a certain amount of problems. For the most part, it gives the defensive ends and the overall pass rush that added second or so. That is huge when the QB is looking for 4 or 5 seconds to sort out primary and secondary receivers. Big time difference in 3 or 4 seconds compared to 5.
Glad to see Brandon Smith link up with the GOOD GUYS. He is the perfect example of speed that is needed for our defense. He is not that big, but big enough to make a huge difference in covering folks using the 4/3 defense and giving the DE's that very important second.
Must say this. . . . .whether it is coaching or lack of talent, if it is corrected, this 2009 team can be in my opinion better than 2008. I get tired sometimes of hearing how we have a top 5 or top 10 recruiting class, and then see some of the mistakes that are made by a team that should not be taken to task like we were by Alabama and Florida this past season.
Below I am posting a link that some might find interesting. It gives a lot of insight into the type of defense that UGA is running. Sorry for the length of the thread . . . just a 68 year old soon to be 69 that loves UGA football. Peace to all.
www.trojanfootballanalysis.com/43_under_blitz_schemes.html