defense

[snoop hawgy hawg]

Do you think the new popularity of the spread offense in the SEC has decreased the need for big bruising linebackers on defense? Should we focus on great d-line and DB's and have our linebackers be more of a nickle package? Thoughts?

[Hogs run wild]

the game of football is ever changing. one team is always looking to out maneuver the other. i remember back in the old SWC days, when Houston ran the run-and-shoot. our LBs were too slow back then for that type of offense, but was suited for the run oriented type offenses most teams had back then. i think we held our own against those types of offenses. on the flip side, today's finesse teams have to prepare for our bruising run oriented offense. i like what we're doing on the Hill.

[Ragnar Hogbrok]

Our offense is designed to punish the smaller linebackers teams are recruiting to stop the spread. It's why we are dangerous to every team. We are the anomaly with our running based offense.

[LRRandy]

Our offense is designed to punish the smaller linebackers teams are recruiting to stop the spread. It's why we are dangerous to every team. We are the anomaly with our running based offense.

Navy and Georgia Tech have offenses that teams lament not having enough time to prepare for. Is Arkansas in that conversation?

[Ragnar Hogbrok]

Navy and Georgia Tech have offenses that teams lament not having enough time to prepare for. Is Arkansas in that conversation?

I hope so. We'll see this season. Not necessarily a time to prepare issue but a lack of appropriate sized personnel.

[LRRandy]

I hope so. We'll see this season. Not necessarily a time to prepare issue but a lack of appropriate sized personnel.

agreed. The angle of fewer teams playing power run offense could indeed be an advantage for the Razorbacks.

[Hoggish1]

Today's DBs and LBs need to be rangy, run well and be sure tacklers, regardless of their playing weight. 

[Paul]

When our OL gets to the 2nd level, smaller LB's get mashed!

[Exit Pursued by a Boar]

In a three-game stretch Ohio State manhandled a power running Wisconsin team, beat an Alabama team built for the run but adapting to a quicker-hitting pass-oriented offense going away, and dominated a HUNH spread team in Oregon.  While they'll always have higher rated recruits than we'll have, I'd say that proves you can have a defense ready to take on all comers. 

EFBAB

[snoot hoggy hog]

Nice name

[Bacon_Bitz]

yes we have to play more nickel against a lot of teams now (Toledo, Tech, A&M, Auburn, Ole Mi$$) but what Robb Smith figured out last year halfway through is that he's got enough corners (Dean, Toliver, Collins, Ramirez, even KRich) and safeties (Gaines, Liddell, Coley) that he can trust to man up against receivers in these spread formations, and he's got a solid do-your-part-filling-gaps basic plan in the front 7/6 to keep the defense stout. So I think we will see some success on D against spread teams this year and I trust Smith to come up with a solid scheme/game plan for each week to give us a chance to be successful.

[ZERO]

Navy and Georgia Tech have offenses that teams lament not having enough time to prepare for. Is Arkansas in that conversation?

Georgia Tech greatly intrigues me. Paul Johnson is a unique coach and he runs a unique offense. However, he's never had high levels of success two years in a row. He's entering his eighth year at Tech, and I think it's going to be telling as to what the future looks like under him. Last year they went 11-3, absolutely dominated a very good SEC team in their Bowl, and finished #8. In between his last good year, which was 10-3 and #13, his teams finished 6-7, 8-5, 7-7, and 7-6 before finally turning another corner.

I'm not exactly sure what my point is here, haha. I think it's to say that I don't necessarily find Navy and Georgia Tech to be appealing comparisons. The fact that their offenses are "different" and a bit of a hassle to prepare for hasn't really them in the long run if you look at their records, it's just a reason they can feel like they have an identity. Although I do think that there are plenty of differences between us and them, we're going to need better results to cut it in the SEC.

[hawginbigd1]

Do you think the new popularity of the spread offense in the SEC has decreased the need for big bruising linebackers on defense? Should we focus on great d-line and DB's and have our linebackers be more of a nickle package? Thoughts?

Just like the spread is taking over, more teams are going with more basic 4-2-5 and 3-3-5 sets to defend it. We are a 4-3 team, however we have been in a 4-2-5 about 70% of the time. So are we really a 4-3 team? I think this a reason Ramirez and Greenlaw may contribute a lot this year.

[BRHogfan]

I think the phrase that Bielema said was "You can't learn how to be tough in a week" and that's what he wants to instill in his team is toughness.

I imagine if you were facing a spread offense, and you felt like your guys in the box weren't fast enough to cover those teams, you would start changing your formation and bringing in more small guys and less big guys, but you don't see a team pulling in more cornerbacks to cover the spread rushing attack of your Auburns etc.

Like all of football, the spread is really just trying to put more and more guys in a place where the defense has less guys.  So with coaching and game film,  you learn teams tendencies.  When we had a lot of success last season, you could see our guys (and CBB talked about this on his film room) calling out the plays the other team was about to use. 

The other thing I'll say is we live in the era where the Defensive End is one of the most athletic guys on the field.