D Order of Operations

[Tecno]

Those here since Hall started here will remember the Hall pressers circa 2015-2018.  He laid out what the years-long plan on D was.  He didn't really say it was optional: he made it sound like all D's need to operate like this:

#1 - Stop the run
#2 - Stop the explosions
#3 - everything else

And slowly but surely Hall did just that.  First, he stopped the run once we had guys like Nevis on the roster.  #1, check.

Then he stopped the explosions, around the time Fogg, Moe, Randle, ... the ex-TOR guy whose name started with T... those guys + pressure + run stop stopped the explosions.  Got us a ton of INTs too.  #2, check.

Then he cleaned up the rest.  Then we won cups.  Makes perfect sense.  And you can see this philosophy at work on other teams too.

Younger either never learned this or doesn't care.  He's so busy with the elusive #3 that he has completely neglected #1 and #2.  And thus we totally suck, either giving up infinity runs or infinity explosions, or both.  And the times an O tries to not run and not explode, we give up the max dink & dunk (SSK), meaning we suck at all 3.

We've moved backwards.  We've achieved nothing.  The scheme is flawed.  Someone needs to remind everyone that Jedi Master Hall figured it all out 10 years ago and we need to start back at #1.  That can start in the off-season with more beef to stuff the gut and guard the edges with just 4 or 5.

Order of operations.

[Waffler]

Agree 100%. Younger and I assume MOS also are bend but don't break guys from the school of Rich Stubler. This system is archaic. Patient teams kill us. QB's are getting higher completion rates than ever. The mistake you are waiting for never comes.

What I worry is MOS and Younger are a package deal and the defense will never be fixable.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Those here since Hall started here will remember the Hall pressers circa 2015-2018.  He laid out what the years-long plan on D was.  He didn't really say it was optional: he made it sound like all D's need to operate like this:

#1 - Stop the run
#2 - Stop the explosions
#3 - everything else

And slowly but surely Hall did just that.  First, he stopped the run once we had guys like Nevis on the roster.  #1, check.

Then he stopped the explosions, around the time Fogg, Moe, Randle, ... the ex-TOR guy whose name started with T... those guys + pressure + run stop stopped the explosions.  Got us a ton of INTs too.  #2, check.

Then he cleaned up the rest.  Then we won cups.  Makes perfect sense.  And you can see this philosophy at work on other teams too.

Younger either never learned this or doesn't care.  He's so busy with the elusive #3 that he has completely neglected #1 and #2.  And thus we totally suck, either giving up infinity runs or infinity explosions, or both.  And the times an O tries to not run and not explode, we give up the max dink & dunk (SSK), meaning we suck at all 3.

We've moved backwards.  We've achieved nothing.  The scheme is flawed.  Someone needs to remind everyone that Jedi Master Hall figured it all out 10 years ago and we need to start back at #1.  That can start in the off-season with more beef to stuff the gut and guard the edges with just 4 or 5.

Order of operations.

I wish somebody would interview Hall so we could gauge his involvement, is he trying to help out or is he resentful O'Shea took his job (and pay) away and gave it to Younger? Of course he wouldn't come out and say it directly but if he exhibits a "don't care, counting the days" attitude you can usually pick up on that vibe.

Trying to recall which coordinator moved from the sideline up to the booth to get a different perspective, maybe Buck?

[Waffler]

I wish somebody would interview Hall so we could gauge his involvement, is he trying to help out or is he resentful O'Shea took his job (and pay) away and gave it to Younger? Of course he wouldn't come out and say it directly but if he exhibits a "don't care, counting the days" attitude you can usually pick up on that vibe.

Richie Hall is the kind of guy that will give his all. Was he happy about the demotion? He said and continues to say all the right things but kind of telling that he interviewed for the Ottawa DC job at the end of the first season in his new role.

[Tecno]

I wish somebody would interview Hall so we could gauge his involvement, is he trying to help out or is he resentful O'Shea took his job (and pay) away and gave it to Younger? Of course he wouldn't come out and say it directly but if he exhibits a "don't care, counting the days" attitude you can usually pick up on that vibe.

Hall always looks like he's in full-on Hall mode.  I don't think he'd slack off or stew.

Besides, I'm sure they pay him well (for his position) and find creative ways to get him more cheese.  It's not a money problem, it's a cap problem.

[Tecno]

Isn't it odd that our HC is a D guy, and it's our D that sucks most?  Usually when your coach is an O guy, your O is better, and vice versa for D.  Like Mace's D in SSK.  Or Dinwiddie and Buck's O in their cities.

Does MOS really agree with the crap Younger is proffering?  Surely it's unlike anything MOS ever used as a player.  Why wouldn't MOS want to duplicate a) what worked for him personally in TOR, and b) what worked for us in '19-'21?

Weird.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

Richie Hall was also good at looking at what an office was offense and taking something away which was the Bill Belichick mantra (and it is pretty basic football strategy). On the other hand, you've got JY who played an entire game against BCs fourth string QB (and home no less) and couldn't dent the run game when it was clear that's ALL they could do. That's been the biggest red flag of the season in a campaign where there's been red flag and red flag on defense. He's just not an effective professional coordinator.

[Tecno]

So why does mos put up with it? If he can't change the DC, surely he can change the DC scheme. MOS could have said last game, run blitz every snap in the 4th. Like maybe after Rankin's third run in a row??

And if younger disobeyed, surely the smiles and platitudes in the pressers would have been different?

I just don't get it. I've heard mos argue with Hall on the headset mid game before, but he can't influence younger right there on the sideline??

[Sir Blue and Gold]

So why does mos put up with it? If he can't change the DC, surely he can change the DC scheme. MOS could have said last game, run blitz every snap in the 4th. Like maybe after Rankin's third run in a row??

And if younger disobeyed, surely the smiles and platitudes in the pressers would have been different?

I just don't get it. I've heard mos argue with Hall on the headset mid game before, but he can't influence younger right there on the sideline??

I think to O'Shea's credit, although he's never going to say anything, the defense is playing a dramatically different style now than they were to start the year. Suspect that's come from O'Shea over the course of the season. I have no idea why they thought they could keep doing what they were doing on that side of the ball after the disaster it was in 2025 but it's probably a combination of O'Shea showing trust and confidence in his assistants and JY thinking replacing Jake Thomas was going to be the secret sauce. A gross miscalculation all the way around.

The biggest problem now is that JY has only ever done one thing well which is that drop 9 blended zone coverage type look but overwhelmingly that system has been checked by better QB play and thorough offensive coordinators who have taken the time to learn and counter it. Younger has literally shown nothing at all beyond that and we're still playing catch up and paying the cost for trying to pivot the scheme mid-season to a more traditional approach.

I can't see a world where it doesn't make sense to start fresh next year on that side of the ball other than O'Shea is stubborn and seemingly has a real blind spot for the relationships he maintains.

[Waffler]

So why does mos put up with it? If he can't change the DC, surely he can change the DC scheme. MOS could have said last game, run blitz every snap in the 4th. Like maybe after Rankin's third run in a row??

And if younger disobeyed, surely the smiles and platitudes in the pressers would have been different?

I just don't get it. I've heard mos argue with Hall on the headset mid game before, but he can't influence younger right there on the sideline??

What makes you think he was arguing with Hall and not Condell? Hall is an easy going guy, Condell the opposite, tightly wound.

A story MOS has told at least twice on the coaches show is that the ONE time he over ruled the defensive call (MOS wanted blitz) it turned into a big play for the other team. Since then he says he never tampers with what the DC calls.