Are we wrong about Banks and this defense?

[CAVPUT]

I have been an out spoken critic of Banks and this defense as a whole. So have many others. I am still out on Martinez although the DBs have looked a little better. But back to Banks. Could we be wrong? So through 5 games we are 4-1. Here are our rankings in the country in defense.

Total defense: (28th) (6th in the SEC)
3rd down defense: (26th) (4th in the SEC)
4th down defense: (14th) (3rd in the SEC)
First down defense: (25th) (4th in the SEC)
Passing yards allowed: (30th) (5th in the SEC)
Red zone defense: (49th) (5th in the SEC)
Rush defense: (40th) (7th in the SEC)
Scoring defense: (31st) (6th in the SEC)
Team Pass Efficiency Defense: (36th) (5th SEC)
Tackles for loss: (3rd) (#1 SEC)
Sacks (tied for 3rd) (#1 SEC)

I realize that we really haven’t played anyone but many teams ahead of us have played equally easy schedules or even worse. For example Kentucky. Now they are ahead of us in many defensive categories. But they have played an easier schedule than we have.

So what does everyone think? Now I am not saying we are an elite defense by any stretch. But could it be that our defame is improving? I am pretty sure most of us had Rattler shredding our defense. Like him or hate him, he was playing as well as anyone and we stifled him. There is a strong possibility that Banks is improving.

As you mentioned, it's hard to know until we play a team with a pulse. By all accounts aTm is a talented SEC team who's playing at a high level right now. We have a week off to rest and heal. We get them at home. They play bama this week if I'm not mistaken. Everything is set up for us. Let's see how we perform when we face a serious SEC opponent. Until then, while I'm thrilled to be 4-1, I'm not buying UT yet....offense or defense.

 

[Stoerner Fumbles]

Taking a half to tell a LB to bump out or a safety to roll down is way too long. We have better players than SCar and UVA. The other 2 teams we beat aren't even worth mentioning. Florida is the most talented team we played. There were other factors to us losing but the defense played a bad 1st half as a whole and it showed on the scoreboard in the 1 qtr and it was due to Banks not being able to make a simple adjustment on the fly.

You’re a bad listener. We didn’t miss an adjustment or a call. We had a first time starting MLB with a safety dedicated to the run. MLB calls the star assignment and the coverage for everything short. Herring did not understand the motion or the set. This isn’t “Hoosiers”. You can’t pull a kid over and draw it up on a chalkboard. They have to see it live and learn. When you play inexperienced players at top playcalling positions, you usually get beaten. Mays was a much bigger hole, but the loss of Pilli was huge.

 

[Hbg]

No one is right or wrong about him yet. The problem is trying to judge him before the talent issue is completely fixed. Outside of extremes like being all-time bad all around, Banks will always get through next season from me. Will be a few classes in, almost entirely "his guys", and should no longer have positions on the field where we're putting people who probably don't belong as starters at any SEC school, much less one trying to compete for an SEC title.

Defense has looked fine this year. Really good pass rush, still some left to be desired in pass coverage though.

Did you watch the Florida game?

 

[VOLfrombama]

I would like to see the D play like they did Saturday night with more consistency. Then I will gladly admit I was wrong about Banks. Until then, he gets a fair share of the blame for the inconsistency.

 

[Manchester Vol]

At the end of the year, if any of our D categories are in the top 50 or higher, I think all the people that have been bitching about our defense should have to eat the ass out of a chicken while it’s still living.

 

[volroadwarrior]

Banks inherited a bunch of low talented people. Did good with what he had.

 

[BernardKingGOAT]

I don’t see how you can make this assertion so conclusively. To me, the jury is still out on him either way.

Yes, there have been some good games. But you cannot deny that there have been some stinkers (Bama, SC and Gl). And what I didn’t like about the stinkers was the passivity of the schemes.

Banks’ defenses are much better when they are aggressive.

I’m not ready to fire him yet. Because if he can learn some lessons from those stinkers, and add more talent, he could become a consistently good DC.

But if he continues to roll out that pillowy soft zone every few games, we will continue to see similar results.

The "jury" are head coaches and ADs, and he is DC at a big time P5 program.

 

[norriscraftbasser]

Banks I believe could really be good especially as the talent improves. Willie on the other hand, not so much, he's been around for a long time but I think we could do better. He does well recruiting not sure he is a great developer.

 

[onevol74]

Everyone complains about Martinez but Rattler kept saying that sacks were coverage sacks on Saturday night. But fans want to fire Martinez.

Heupel is still rebuilding and the fans need to just sit down and shut up. The success last year was a taste of what this program is growing into. The defensive staff is about to produce a highly effective defense. That blitz on the RB in the end zone is showing growth. It was almost a safety.

 

[vavolfan6]

The front 7 is really good, but don't like it when Banks relies on zone defense in the secondary. We can get to the QB, just need to not give them any open lanes to throw. We seemed to have made the adjustment against South Carolina, and if that's the approach going forward I feel pretty good about where the defense is. Rattler is better than any other QB we face this season. So if we van limit him, I like our ability to stop anyone else's passing game.

 

[Tnphil]

When I watch the replay of that Florida game it makes me absolutely sick to see them running and throwing all over that defense and they did at will...No We haven't been wrong about Banks, He has taken advantage of playing bad teams early and were enough to pad some stats but remember Austin Peay?...Yeah they ran up and down on us too...I am not sold on Banks at all...Sorry just my opinion.

I saw the Florida game and what a average team did to our defense. I will reserve my judgement until I see us against A&M...Bama...UGA etc...

I have a feeling after the Florida game Heupel had serious talk with Banks and his defensive staff.

 

[JohnnyJava]

Banks has the defense playing better than the "guru" Jeremy Pruitt was ever able to manage. His defenses have an identity. The only glaring shortcomings of his defense seem to be speed and ball skills in the secondary.

 

[FranklinVFL]

I see what you are saying and do not disagree. We have (at this point) improved year over year. Big *** being that we have only seen us play in 2 SEC games this year.

What someone needs to explain to me is what in the world happened to us against Florida??!?! I am still at a loss on that defense. Looked some we stepped back to the Sunseri years with that first half.

 

[EZE]

The "jury" are head coaches and ADs, and he is DC at a big time P5 program.

That wasn’t the question posed by OP.

 

[B81]

because of the Pilli injury, we are playing freshman and sophomore’s at linebacker opposite Beasley. The long runs against the gators and cocks were the result of this. I am fine with the defense this year.

 

[bpalmer28]

p.s. You can extend that to Willie Martinez, too. Those of us who don't know wtf we're talking about in coaching elite college football (that's most of us), we ought to be trusting Heupel's judgment instead of whining every time a player doesn't turn around to track the incoming ball.

I did notice that Georgia's defenders had a hard time getting their heads around against Auburn on Saturday...

Hot Take: Perhaps it's just part of the game

 

[supersmo18]

No one is right or wrong about him yet. The problem is trying to judge him before the talent issue is completely fixed. Outside of extremes like being all-time bad all around, Banks will always get through next season from me. Will be a few classes in, almost entirely "his guys", and should no longer have positions on the field where we're putting people who probably don't belong as starters at any SEC school, much less one trying to compete for an SEC title.

Defense has looked fine this year. Really good pass rush, still some left to be desired in pass coverage though.

The Martinez Effect, IMO

 

[strkr]

I might go along with this if I didn't watch the Florida game. We had better players than everyone else. We need those performances against teams with equal or better talent

Yep defense was a no show during first half vs Florida. You can't have those type of collapses with a game like that and so much on the line. Now did we play well offensively that night? Nope and didn't handle florida's crowd or the noise.

 

[CAVPUT]

Banks inherited a bunch of low talented people. Did good with what he had.

Yet if we're to believe the recruiting services, we have better talent waiting especially in the secondary. If he's unable to develop the youth, isn't that on him? Or are we paying him a huge salary to let the youngsters grow by osmosis over time? If he's not a developer of talent, why waste time on defensive recruits? Just go find experience in the portal every season.

 

[CAVPUT]

I did notice that Georgia's defenders had a hard time getting their heads around against Auburn on Saturday...

Hot Take: Perhaps it's just part of the game

Problem is that we seem to be one of the few teams that continually get flags for face guarding WRs. SCjr got away with several PI and holds. We're seemingly never so lucky.

 

[titansvolsfaninga]

I think the criticism comes from looking utterly lost on D vs Florida

We were starting a RS Freshman at MLB. Herring was lost as soon as Florida sent a man in motion. They did it over and over again. That is more of a personnel issue than the coordinator. BJM is over the linebackers. They adjusted after halftime, but by then the hole was too large and the refs had it out for us too.

 

[titansvolsfaninga]

Yet if we're to believe the recruiting services, we have better talent waiting especially in the secondary. If he's unable to develop the youth, isn't that on him? Or are we paying him a huge salary to let the youngsters grow by osmosis over time? If he's not a developer of talent, why waste time on defensive recruits? Just go find experience in the portal every season.

Most are in the portal for a reason. You won't find starting 11 in the portal. Most freshmen have to physically mature to play.

 

[titansvolsfaninga]

Yep defense was a no show during first half vs Florida. You can't have those type of collapses with a game like that and so much on the line. Now did we play well offensively that night? Nope and didn't handle florida's crowd or the noise.

You have to remember Pili got injured against Virginia. That was a huge hit to the defense. I will say that a lot of LBs played against SC.

 

[xpsyclonex2002]

Judging our defense is hard in general. How do you compare stats between a team that runs between 80-90 plays per game with one that runs 50? CJH's first year was rough. Those fast paced offensive series didn't pay off and we have a ton of 3 and outs, giving the other team a lot more possessions to score on. They wore us our due to shear # of plays and lack of depth. The stats were terrible. We gave up more than 30 points in most games that year. Last year was an increase in offensive production buy we still gave the other team just as many possessions as we had and we gave a up a ton of points because of it. But we did improve. We gave up 30 in only 3 games last year. We even held GA to under 30 points. We were 1 of only 3 teams to hold GA under 30 points all season last year. This year the game is slowing down and the depth is getting better. It shows up in the stats as well. We are 5 games in and no one has put 30 on us and only FL has put more than 20 on us. We're getting better. Talent and depth is showing up. Gotta give credit where it's due. Banks is improving our team.

 

[bigorangepoppa]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the coaching staff gets together, watch film on the next opponent, come up with a game plan for each part of the team, offense, defense, special teams. Banks may be making the calls on Saturdays, but it's based on what the film showed, and the head coach's approval.