An Explanation of Auburn Football's Fundamental Defensive Strategy
by Kevin McGrady Written on May 31, 2010
Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images Many do not realize that Auburn changed both offensive and defensive strategies.
If anything, the change in defensive strategy was the most difficult. It required a basic relearning of fundamentals like tackling technique and approach angles.
Many have questioned Ted Roof’s ability to run the Auburn defense. These people do not understand the necessary shift in basic fundamental defensive philosophy required to support the new offensive strategy.
They also do not comprehend the adjustment required of the players to implement this new philosophy.
When these several factors are added together, they resulted in what seemed to be a lack of respect for the Auburn program by the national media. It really was more of a lack of knowledge about the Auburn program. When some devout Auburn fans are confused, can we expect any less from the national media?
I have attempted to review every preseason analysis of the Auburn football program. There is little doubt that some were missed; the sheer volume is overwhelming. Most are simple cookie-cutter renditions of the same overall opinion. Very few delve any deeper than simple talent level.
I have yet to read an analysis that details the fundamental change in defensive strategy that is being implemented at Auburn. Many pile accolades on the offensive system, but few actually understand what the system is comprised of.
There is one factor that the media has focused on. Offensive time of possession is a sure and certain downside to the Auburn offense. It is simply so effective and prone to big plays that Auburn will find themselves lacking in this important statistic in many games.
To counter this problem, the defense must change its fundamental strategy. With the tempo of the game intensified by the effectiveness of the offense, as well as the play count, the defense must adapt to survive. A swarming defense simply will not have the strength to make it through an entire game and be effective.
Some would say this is why a team must have depth and rotate players. This is true in one respect, but when you replace a starter with a sub, most of the time there is a decrease in ability on the field. Players must be rotated under normal circumstances; under the extreme circumstances faced in these high-tempo games, the rotation would go one or two players deeper in the depth chart.
This would usually increase the vulnerability of the defense when the ability on the field is of a lesser nature. There is another way to overcome this obstacle. It requires a simple fundamental change in philosophy.
To be an effective defense in a high-tempo game without changing the player rotation, a team must play more wisely. It is a philosophy that was implemented to overcome wishbone and option offenses in the past. A team must play fundamentally sound, disciplined, position defense.
A team simply cannot have players running 40 yards to make plays on a regular basis. No player has the physical stamina to keep this level of play doing such things. A player must know his job and execute flawlessly.
Each player must know where to back up and when to stay at home. This results in an economy of exertion that allows the player to perform at his peak for a longer period in the game. This is fundamentally different from swarming defenses, where every player attacks the ball no matter where it is on the field.
To run a swarming defense, a team must have a good ball control offense. This is not part of the current Auburn offense. Therefore the fundamental strategy had to change on defense as well.
This means each player must learn to take safe effective approach angles that end with a sure tackle that puts the offensive player on the ground. It is better to give up an extra yard than to give up several yards after a missed tackle.
There is not as much help at the point of contact, so a player must be more proficient at avoiding blocks and getting to the ball carrier. Once the defensive player has reached the ball, the effectiveness of getting the ball on the ground (with or without the player) is essential. This takes precedence over headhunting.
This is a big fundamental change for Auburn players that were in the system for a while. It will be much easier for new players coming into the system fresh. If one knows what to look for, it was evident that huge strides forward had been made this spring.
The change in these basic fundamentals will improve the Auburn defense when facing different motion and spread offenses in the future as well. The better the team gets at executing this philosophy, the less Auburn fans will see a team depleted and worn out in the fourth quarter.
The better Auburn players learn their supporting roles, the less mismatches will end in missed tackles and big plays. This has improved dramatically since the spring of 2009.
On top of the fundamental changes in defensive philosophy has come a change in defensive strategy. The two are completely different changes that players have been attempting to absorb.
Auburn fans will see for the first time in 2010 exactly how these new approaches will work. There was simply no way for Auburn players to become proficient in all of the new philosophy in one year. The change should be immediately evident at the start of the 2010 season.
Auburn had an abundance of talent on the 2009 team. The problem was simple numbers. Every team has some very talented players that make the difference and some role players that hold the line. Auburn was lacking in the role players that hold the line.
While these role players do not have to be five-star talents, they must have enough talent to get the job done. Auburn had the playmakers; they simply did not have the supporting cast. That has changed for 2010.
Auburn did not necessarily need more players like Antonio Coleman, Zack Etheridge, Josh Bynes, or Craig Stevens; they needed players talented enough to support these players. This simply wasn’t there for 2009, and it resulted in several unwarranted losses.
The sheer shortage of healthy players combined with the change in fundamental strategy was a huge obstacle for the 2009 Auburn defense to overcome. These dynamics have changed for 2010.
The 2010 Auburn defense is in its second year under the new fundamental strategy. It has been augmented by another very talented freshman class. There are several key players returning from injury.
The Auburn defense will not be perfect in 2010; it doesn’t have to be. It will be much more proficient at getting the ball on the ground. There will be fewer missed tackles and better approach angles in year two.
There will be ample role players as the 2009 class becomes more proficient and the 2010 class begins to contribute. The learning curve for these two classes will be reduced, as they do not need to be retrained.
The difference between the top-ranked defense in 2009 and Auburn was the difference between 3.89 yards per play allowed and 5.15 yards. That is a mere 1.26 yards per play.
Football truly is a game of inches. It does not take a huge improvement in proficiency to reduce that 1.26-yard difference. I think Auburn fans can look forward to a better defensive season no matter what the defensive set is. The players will simply be better at the basic fundamentals.
With the players becoming more proficient with these basic fundamentals, it opens up a wide range of defensive options. Some of these options are speculated on here. While Auburn will still have a smash mouth, punishing defense, a much smarter defense looms on the horizon.
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