Mike Stoops Comments on the D

[SoonerKnight]

“We’d love to dominate. But that’s out the window."

“Holding people to 17 or 10 points in this league, that’s just not realistic.”

The quotes were tweeted from Jake trotter.

Found this info on another board. Found it interesting since the D is a big concern. I can see his point with the offenses in the BigXII-II but what about K-State and how they were able to limit us and other teams last year? What about TCU having a pretty good D? Is this a lack of trying? Or is he being a realists?

[Breadburner]

Our best defense in this league is ball control.....!!!

[achiro]

Our best defense in this league is ball control.....!!!

Yep, that's the biggest reason KState was able to keep the scores lower some

[stoops the eternal pimp]

But look at what he did in 2000!..

[8timechamps]

I've read several places that folks are upset over Mike's comments. Why? He's speaking the truth.

In the Big XII, consistently being able to hold teams to 10-17 points is not realistic. As Breadburner said, the only way to keep the score down is ball control.

[Breadburner]

K State did a great job until Baylor....

[EatLeadCommie]

OU and TT are responsible for making the league the offensive monster that it is. We may have to change offensive philosophies a bit to get it back to being a defensive conference. But with Briles, Holgerson, and Gundy in this conference, that is unlikely.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

It's unlikely and who would want to suffer through the 6-7 win seasons we would go through in making that change?

[JLEW1818]

Is keeping the opponent under 40 points too much to ask though?

[achiro]

Is keeping the opponent under 40 points too much to ask though?

No but odds are that days of OU defense being in the top ten of whatever are pretty slim.

[landrun]

I appreciate the heads up. He's letting us know that they're still going to be giving up 500+ yards on defense every other game again this year. I guess they don't want to break something that has become an OU tradition under Stoops. They're confessing they don't know what they're doing and don't know how to coach defense in a game that has long since passed them by.

As far as no one being able to stop a Big XII offense, I just laugh. Florida held us to 14 points when we had the best offense in NCAA history. In short, we ran into a team that has coach that knows how to coach and figured out how stop a big bad Big XII offense - unlike our coaches who have been trying to figure it out for years now.

I don't know why some OU fans think our defense will be any better when we couldn't stop teams with 2 and 3 star players while we had 4 and 5 star players. Now that we have a solid 3*** defense, I don't see how anyone would think we would be better.

I'm looking forward to the season starting. But I have lost all faith in Bob Stoops. I hope he proves me wrong. I lost faith a couple of years ago but have still gone ahead and put on my crimson colored glasses and tried to be positive. Not this year. I've decided to be realistic and hope Stoops can surprise me. But I ain't counting on it.

[SoCalBigRed]

Wake me, at kickoff.

[8timechamps]

I appreciate the heads up. He's letting us know that they're still going to be giving up 500+ yards on defense every other game again this year. I guess they don't want to break something that has become an OU tradition under Stoops. They're confessing they don't know what they're doing and don't know how to coach defense in a game that has long since passed them by.

As far as no one being able to stop a Big XII offense, I just laugh. Florida held us to 14 points when we had the best offense in NCAA history. In short, we ran into a team that has coach that knows how to coach and figured out how stop a big bad Big XII offense - unlike our coaches who have been trying to figure it out for years now.

I don't know why some OU fans think our defense will be any better when we couldn't stop teams with 2 and 3 star players while we had 4 and 5 star players. Now that we have a solid 3*** defense, I don't see how anyone would think we would be better.

I'm looking forward to the season starting. But I have lost all faith in Bob Stoops. I hope he proves me wrong. I lost faith a couple of years ago but have still gone ahead and put on my crimson colored glasses and tried to be positive. Not this year. I've decided to be realistic and hope Stoops can surprise me. But I ain't counting on it.

There's a big difference in playing a Big XII offense after a month of preparation versus only having a week to prepare. Ask Alabama.

As for this season, I hope you're wrong too, but there are a ton of unknowns.

[JLEW1818]

Would Bama compete in this conference?

[8timechamps]

Would Bama compete in this conference?

We both know they would, but I doubt they would be quite as successful.

[Curly Bill]

We both know they would, but I doubt they would be quite as successful.

Based on what?

[SoonerKnight]

We both know they would, but I doubt they would be quite as successful.

Based on what?

Based on they could not beat the aggies. Also, based on the fact that their D would get tired as well!

[8timechamps]

Based on what?

Pretty much what Knight said above.

When teams have had time to scheme and prepare for Big XII offenses, they've succeeded in containing them. When teams only have the typical week between games, it's not so cut and dry. I used Bama as an example as they were the best SEC team to play what was basically a effective Big XII offense, and they only had a week to prepare. In that game, Bama struggled with the same things that all Big XII teams have difficulties with, when playing the better Big XII offenses.

I know Bama has had serious studs at LB for the past few years, but anytime you're asking you LB to cover a slot guy or H-back out of the spread, there's going to be a mismatch more times than not. Then there's the "being accountable" for the run game. Very hard to do when the offense you are playing is slinging the ball all over the field, and allowing no chance for substitutions.

I'm not saying Bama would suddenly go 4-8 their first year in the league. But, I do think they would struggle to maintain their success (unless/until they adopted a similar offense).

The reason Saban came out against the up-tempo style is because he saw the writing on the wall first hand. He doesn't want his league to become a spread 'em out, 45-40 final score type of league.

[Curly Bill]

I don't see it. I know what aTm did to em last year, but I think by and large Alabama would kick hell out of the Big 12.

[PLaw]

I would be happy if the D could hold the opponent to less than 24. Puts a lot of pressure on the O knowing you have score 4 td's to have a shot at winning. As they used to say, the best D is a good O.

Bummer

[PujolsFan]

Another thing that hurts the OU offense (or Big XII in general) is the timing issues that happen. When you're Offense doesn't play for 30-40 days (as in the BCS Bowl game delays) in a game situation that really hurts the timing the QB and Receivers have. Now, couple that with a good D and good coaches who have over a month to plan for 1 game, then those combinations are not good for the Offensive side of the ball.

One of my biggest pet peeves is the huge delay between the end of the regular season / Conf Champ games... to the BCS Bowl games.

[thecrimsoncrusader]

K State did a great job until Baylor....

Klein wasn't quite the same after banging his head hard in the OSU game and that showed up both in the TCU and Baylor games. He was "out of it" and that's why it looked like Baylor could inexplicably play defense for the first time since the Mike Singletary days. And I say that with all due disrespect to Baylor.

[thecrimsoncrusader]

Another thing that hurts the OU offense (or Big XII in general) is the timing issues that happen. When you're Offense doesn't play for 30-40 days (as in the BCS Bowl game delays) in a game situation that really hurts the timing the QB and Receivers have. Now, couple that with a good D and good coaches who have over a month to plan for 1 game, then those combinations are not good for the Offensive side of the ball.

One of my biggest pet peeves is the huge delay between the end of the regular season / Conf Champ games... to the BCS Bowl games.

This is one of the reasons why I am glad that OU is moving to a mobile QB. OU puts all of their eggs in one basket with the offense that depends on the QB having an on-day. As it currently stands, with the Sooners having a poor run game in recent years along with a poor defense, if the Sooner QB is off, the Sooners are going to lose. At least now if the Sooner QB does have an off-day, he can at least mitigate that some by being able to make plays on the ground.

[SoonerKnight]

I don't see it. I know what aTm did to em last year, but I think by and large Alabama would kick hell out of the Big 12.

LOL! Not with all the injuries they would end up having!!! LOL!!!

[sooneron]

I don't see it. I know what aTm did to em last year, but I think by and large Alabama would kick hell out of the Big 12.

Seeing as how their offense is becoming more of a strength (explosive) than a ground it out that they were when Nick won his first one there, they would probably win the big 12, but they would drop one or two like they usually do in the sec. You REALLY think Nick is complaining about no huddle because he gives a **** about his players?

[SoonerNomad]

I don't like the comments made by Coach Mike Stoops because all they do is lower the expectations of the defensive players. Don't tell me what you can't do, tell me what you can. Like learning to tackle in space and learning to make offenses adjust to you. Be aggressive, not passive.

We all agree that the football played in the Big 12 is played at a staggering pace. 4 1/2 hour games with offenses running between 80 and 100 plays and every team has a Darren Sproles type at RB or a Robert Griffin type at QB.

As a Defensive Coordinator in this league, you need to change the mind set. Punish a team for hurrying too much by getting them off the field in three plays. Coach assignment football and create a new atmosphere. It is my opinion that good defenses control the game and do not let the offense dictate. OU let the offense dictate last year against West Virginia, OSU and A&M. Until that changes every game will be a struggle.

[SoonerKnight]

Alabama would have trouble in Big XII-II (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L73hKMz4vkI)

[Salt City Sooner]

Klein wasn't quite the same after banging his head hard in the OSU game and that showed up both in the TCU and Baylor games. He was "out of it" and that's why it looked like Baylor could inexplicably play defense for the first time since the Mike Singletary days. And I say that with all due disrespect to Baylor.
Having a guy (Phil Bennett) who was on Snyder's staff for 3-4 years didn't hurt matters either. Unless they had a QB who couldn't run at all (namely Chad May & that was 20 years ago), KSU's offense hasn't changed a whole lot throughout Snyder's tenure, & there's no doubt in my mind that Bennett knew/remembered more than a few of Snyder's tendencies in specific situations.

[8timechamps]

I don't see it. I know what aTm did to em last year, but I think by and large Alabama would kick hell out of the Big 12.

The problem is that we don't really have anything to go from. A&M moving to the SEC was about as close as we'll ever get. So, we kind of have an idea what a Big XII team in the SEC looks like, but not vice versa.

[8timechamps]

I don't like the comments made by Coach Mike Stoops because all they do is lower the expectations of the defensive players. Don't tell me what you can't do, tell me what you can. Like learning to tackle in space and learning to make offenses adjust to you. Be aggressive, not passive.

We all agree that the football played in the Big 12 is played at a staggering pace. 4 1/2 hour games with offenses running between 80 and 100 plays and every team has a Darren Sproles type at RB or a Robert Griffin type at QB.

As a Defensive Coordinator in this league, you need to change the mind set. Punish a team for hurrying too much by getting them off the field in three plays. Coach assignment football and create a new atmosphere. It is my opinion that good defenses control the game and do not let the offense dictate. OU let the offense dictate last year against West Virginia, OSU and A&M. Until that changes every game will be a struggle.

What Mike said (and Bob later echoed) is that the bottom line is to win the game, it doesn't matter how, just win.

I'd love to see the defenses from the 80's, and beating every team by 50 again. But, that's not realistic anymore. Since it's not realistic, the best philosophy is "win any way possible".

[SoonerNomad]

Thanks for the context 8 times. I agree that winning is the bottom line, but that West Virginia game last year was probably the worst I have ever felt after a win. I am just glad there wasn't anymore time on the clock. We can't go back to the 70's and 80's, but we can do better than that.

[Scott D]

I don't see Mike's comments that far out of line when you put them next to comments by Saban and Bielma in regards to more and more schools turning to fast break offenses (OU included). It becomes harder and harder to hold teams to 10 or fewer points when nearly everyone is running 80 to 115 plays per game.

[8timechamps]

Thanks for the context 8 times. I agree that winning is the bottom line, but that West Virginia game last year was probably the worst I have ever felt after a win. I am just glad there wasn't anymore time on the clock. We can't go back to the 70's and 80's, but we can do better than that.

I know the feeling, I didn't have the usual excitement after that WVU win either...or really the Baylor win.

I think we'll get better on defense, just going to take some time to get the kind of players Mike needs into the system. The good news is that he's already brought in some excellent DBs.

[SoonerKnight]

"We'll still play six DBs a lot against four wides," Mike Stoops affirmed. "You've got to have six DBs on the field all the time, or most of the time. That's the way we've built this package, having five or six DBs at all times." -Mike Stoops



http://www.tulsaworld.com/article.aspx/Defensive_changes_part_of_Sooners_plan_to_contain_ Big/20130805_92_B1_CUTLIN635002

[8timechamps]

Hello 3-2-6!

[sooneron]

Hello 3-2-6!

I would prefer a 4-2-6

[OU_Sooners75]

U mean a 8-4-9?

[thecrimsoncrusader]

The problem is that we don't really have anything to go from. A&M moving to the SEC was about as close as we'll ever get. So, we kind of have an idea what a Big XII team in the SEC looks like, but not vice versa.

We did see West Virginia throw for over 400 yards and score 24 points against LSU two seasons ago and that was despite 4 turnovers. If WVU was smarter with the football in that game, it was an extremely winnable game.

SEC defenses just aren't used to that kind of offense and IF Coach Sumlin is indeed legit and it proves not to be all about Johnny Manziel, he could transform the SEC the very same way that Coach Stoops transformed the Big 12 starting in 1999 and beyond. What will be also be interesting to see is whether Kliff Kingsbury was relevant or not for the success of ATM's offense and Houston before it under Coach Sumlin.

It will be interesting to see if Missouri can upgrade their talent level and eventually cause waves in the SEC or are they just doomed forever now? I'm thinking the latter, but we'll see.

[KantoSooner]

Missouri is doomed.

And that makes me happy.

[8timechamps]

We did see West Virginia throw for over 400 yards and score 24 points against LSU two seasons ago and that was despite 4 turnovers. If WVU was smarter with the football in that game, it was an extremely winnable game.

SEC defenses just aren't used to that kind of offense and IF Coach Sumlin is indeed legit and it proves not to be all about Johnny Manziel, he could transform the SEC the very same way that Coach Stoops transformed the Big 12 starting in 1999 and beyond. What will be also be interesting to see is whether Kliff Kingsbury was relevant or not for the success of ATM's offense and Houston before it under Coach Sumlin.

It will be interesting to see if Missouri can upgrade their talent level and eventually cause waves in the SEC or are they just doomed forever now? I'm thinking the latter, but we'll see.

That's right, LSU did play WVU a few years ago. That again kinda speaks to the Big XII offense against the SEC.

For Mizzou, I think the only real shot they had an smooth transition was to do what A&M did last year. Now, they are going into their second year, and even though they are in the SEC, they aren't benefiting from the conference affiliation in recruiting. Unlike A&M, they aren't in a talent rich state, so they are already fighting an uphill battle for elite players, and now they appear to be an SEC doormat. It's going to be really hard for them to right the ship anytime soon.

[JustLooking]

Here's the interview if you're interested in some context and not just an article or two on a few statements.

http://www.soonersports.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=31000&id=2820410

[Breadburner]

It's a ploy....

[oudivesherpa]

ND only had a week to prepare against OU last yr.

[8timechamps]

ND only had a week to prepare against OU last yr.

OU lost to ND because of one thing: No run game.

I'm not entirely sure what that has to do with the current discussion though.

[stoopified]

As they used to say, the best D is a good O.

BummerOur bowl game was exhibit #1 in that argument/In the first half we kept our underachieving D off the field and were in the game.In the second half our O did nothing and our D got torched.

[agoo758]

I sure hope Dean doesnt find out what Mike said......

[Tulsa_Fireman]

Just be sure to put "please" in front of it.

[jkjsooner]

The problem is that we don't really have anything to go from. A&M moving to the SEC was about as close as we'll ever get. So, we kind of have an idea what a Big XII team in the SEC looks like, but not vice versa.

This is exactly right.

We kept hearing that these Big 12 offenses could not work in the defensive SEC. A&M took a Big 12 style offense and a lot of guys who were recruited to play in the Big 12 and set all kinds of offensive records in the SEC and beat the #1 team in the country on their own field.

The response we got was that A&M and Manziel was some kind of fluke and they're not representative of other top tier Big 12 teams. This is self serving argument.

I agree that A&M was much better than they have been recently but there have been plenty of record setting Heisman winning QB's come out of the Big 12 over the last few years. I don't think Manziel is unique when you compare him to the RG3's, Bradfords, etc. The only unique thing is that he got a chance to prove it day in and day out in the SEC.