It's All My Fault.....Unless It's Not

[Townhallsavoy]

AUBURN, Alabama -- Defensive tackle Jeff Whitaker says mistakes have a way of catching up with you. 


"I've got a saying, 'You've got to get humble,'" he said. 


Auburn's defense has had some humbling experiences this season, like allowing Clemson 624 yards last week and Mississippi State 531 yards the week before and Utah State 448 yards the week before that. 


A bad third-down success rate on both sides of the ball has contributed to it all, and now coach Gene Chizik says one of the solutions is to make things less complicated, a necessary evil for a young team that has had problems communicating where everyone should be before the snap. 


Refocusing the defensive plan is also on the table.


Chizik is not hiding from the fact Auburn is 117th in the nation in total defense, using words such as "deficiencies" during his weekly Tuesday press conference. Offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn said later that "we've got to figure out our identity" on offense. Chizik said the defense and offense needed to improve.


But most of the questions at his press conference focused on the defense.


"We just obviously have to improve on defense, and I don't think that's any secret. I think the whole world knows it," Chizik said. 


Defensive lineman Angelo Blackson thinks he knows what people are thinking. 


"Teams are looking to put tons of yards on us. We've really got to take a stand," he said. "We're mad about the loss. Coach says we've got to put it on somebody else." 


Chizik's simplification of the defense is a concession to the youth and perhaps the loss of three-year starting linebacker Josh Bynes, who set the defense before every play. Players have said this season that the lack of communications has been an issue. 


"We certainly need to simplify some things. There is no question about that," Chizik said.

It appeared Auburn had institued the plan in Tuesday's practice. Defensive back Demetruce McNeal said the playbook requires "just run and hit from here on out. Not so many play calls will be called. We won't have 15 or 20 plays on defense and having everybody thinking out there. This week, it's cutting down calls and everybody lining up and knowing what to do.

"I look for us to perform better the rest of the year. We're going to play faster with everybody knowing what to do."


Chizik said Auburn has been "trying to play with too much detail, particularly in these first three games, where it got a little hairy because of the pace of the offenses. 


"The bottom line is that we have got to simplify some things where we know those are the challenges that we face," he said. 

Now, the Tigers have to deal with their first loss in 18 games. 


"A true champion is not when you're up and everything is going great," Whitaker said. "It's when that loss comes, when you knew you had it, and how you're going to correct it."


Auburn has a chance to correct things against Florida Atlantic on Saturday before its October run of South Carolina, Arkansas, Florida and LSU. 


"It's not really about Florida Atlantic, really and truly. This is a game where we've got to improve some things in practice," Chizik said. 


Chizik has been questioned extensively about the defense since Saturday's 38-24 loss to Clemson, especially since the Tigers have allowed opponents to convert 35-of-55 third-down conversions. Clemson converted 14-of-18. 


But Chizik has pointed out the Auburn offense has contributed to the problems by failing to covert third downs of its own. That didn't escape Malzahn. 


"We've got our job to do. We've got to do a better job of keeping ourselves on the field," Malzahn said. 


And so it is that Chizik is looking at more than the defense.


"I've been assessing every part of our football team," he said.


"Throughout the first three weeks, offense, defense and special teams, and this is a good week to go back and look at us and study us. This is about Auburn this week. I've been extremely involved in all three phases," he said. 




Related topics: Gene Chizik, Gus Malzahn, Jeff Whitaker

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/09/auburns_new_simplified_defensi.html

[JR4AU]

Most important, make a tackle when you arrive at the ball. 

[Snaggletiger]

And D. McNeal says "Just run and hit from here on out".

Uuummm....yeah.  That's what you've been trying to do since Roof got there.  How bout' run, square up and tackle the guy with the ball?  Tackle the guy with the ball.  Not run and try to knock him off his feet.  Tackle the guy with the ball.  Keep your head up.  Keep your feet under you....do NOT launch yourself....wrap your arms around him, run through him and take him to the ground.  Do not....I repeat...do not just run and hit from here on out. 

This piece disturbs me.