So, they would use multiple tight ends to the strong side, then motion one of those tight ends back to the whip side. Because of how it is designed, it is still strong with Safeties as run-gap fillers off the edges, but because of that they are susceptible to play-action moreso than a true C2 squad. Bud, a divorcee, married Jessie in February on Super Bowl Sunday, about four months after the hospital scare and around the time discussion began about him retiring. From there, Tech held Miami to 10, Kent State to 0, #14 Wake Forest to 6, and Virginia to 0 to finish 10-2. Welcome to Bud Foster's Lunch Pail D. This site is dedicated to blue collar, hard nosed defense like those run by Bud Foster during his years as the Defensive Coordinator for the Virginia Tech Hokies. The 6 comes from the switches called between the LBs and the backfield. As for NFL caliber lineman. Bud Foster's defense held the Tigers to 186 yards of total offense in a 24-7 route. BLACKSBURG, Va. Even in retirement, Bud Foster casts a long shadow over the Virginia Tech football program. Accordingly, Bud Foster abandoned the 8 man front look, and turned to the "Field Strong" formation described in the link as their base defense. Does the defensive scheme lend itself to this or did we have weaknesses in key positions? Maddy is going to have to really step it up to be the starter. This is a more traditional 4-3 defensive set that allows the Hokies to get to all of their fronts, pressures and coverages from the same single base set. I have a few questions: 1) With all the extra movement in the "radical stunts", do you see this as wearing down the front 7 more and possibly being the cause for some of the injuries, esp last year, (ex. I'm sure Nick Saban said the very same thing to him hence his "I don't believe I could achieve my goals at VT" comment. I think they were 6'2 or so and 270-280 lbs. Tech often checks out of 4 into their version of straight Man, called a Cover 6 package, but it maintains the C4 look. Gambling problem? I remember seeing our defensive philosophy torched about ten years ago. Attack Defense Bud Foster Defensive Coordinator Virginia Polytechnic Institute Blacksburg, Va. Jim Cavanaugh Outside Linebackers Lou West Secondary Charlie Wiles Defensive Line Diagram 2 If he went out, Rover has him. How many Hokies have become elite corners in the NFL? Backer: The Backer (Tariq Edwards) lines at the same depth as the mike but in the guard tackle gap. In other words, without changing the base personnel, it was a scheme that could adjust play to play from a run stopping 8-in-the-box set to a strong pass stopping set with five defensive backs (Whip, Rover, Field Corner, Boundary Corner, Free Safety). It wasn't ideal. I have no doubt this works against the Hokies in recruiting, but Foster also has archetypes he recruits to for his players. When Frank Beamer coached under Bobby Ross, they ran the Wide Tackle 6, and he took that with him to VT. "My advice to you is to start drinking heavily. What's considered non-radical? Next week will take film from the Clemson game and demonstrate exactly how the Hokies have to maintain a delicate balance between aggressive pursuit and gap responsibility in order to be effective. Bud Foster defenses know how to get after the quarterback. The stud end is outside eye of the tackle strong side, and the end is outside eye of the tackle on the weakside. B) Bud resurrected many of the 8 man front concepts during the awful end of Beamer's departure. If healthy, this year's defense is going to be quite different. Basically, it requires two defensive tackles who can each command double teams. Think DeAndre McDaniel. If the running back looks to go straight ahead, he will see the guard and tackle jammed up and look to cutback. Not sure Tahj Boyd's skills are of the same caliber but he took advantage of us as well. Remember that what I am describing in this series is at the 5,000 foot level. In his walked out spot, he is reading the backfield triangle to the #2/#3 receiver and has the flat zone weak. In basic terms, normal defenses feature corners playing man with safeties deep to help. An example are the Virginia Tech teams of Frank Beamer and Justin Fuente, with Bud Foster serving as defensive coordinator under both. One breakdown or miscommunication and the other team could be in the end zone. Quarterbacks, seeing the odd space develop, are often easily baited into throwing seam routes against this coverage. Ellington) to take advantage of because all of our LB's are trained to be in gap control and aren't prepared to be in coverage. Why are we sometimes successful (last year 2nd half) and sometimes not so successful (09 second half)? AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, (select parishes), MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY, CA-ONT only.Eligibility restrictions apply. My thought is that the linebackers/DBs adjusted or started sitting back to provide passing support, this slowed pressure at the line, which allowed for easier running. For #3, I think this defense actually makes the corners look better than they really are. These coverages have the goal of taking away the crossing routes over the middle and the post route that is used to attack C2 defenses, but also keep a guy relatively close to the LOS to help with the run, or running QBs. Graves certainly was an outlier as far as his girth, along with Jim Davis, but the vast majority of VT tackles are shaped like trashcans. If he comes inside, Backer takes him. Williams and Harris pretty much flamed out. What is a zone blitz? In a robber coverage, the safeties actually come forward at the snap while the corners bail out to a deep third. It is definitely not a finesse sport. I played in the pre-2004 VT defense in HS at Westfield which was also a popular defense with Oakton/Robinson and I guess now South County which has Bendorf. Speaking of personnel groups and formations, have you ever wondered what Bud Foster and Charley Wiles are doing with all the hand signals between plays? From the formation, they know the passing strength of the offense and based on that they will slide their respective alignments accordingly (still within the basic alignments defined by ball position). In the big games where we got burnt it was the opposing QB's abilities that made the difference. There are a number of factors that the coaches consider when setting the defense from play to play. This often creates the illusion to the running back that there isn't backside pursuit, making the backside cutback to the 1 gap the logical place to go. This aggressive nature of the defense led to years with incredible tackles-for-loss numbers. If they can get Brown and Hand, I think Foster will figure out a way to take their skills and make it work, but I can GUARENTEE you, every recruiter that visits Brown and Hand will tell them that there has not been a Hokie defensive lineman since Foster was hired that has been a productive multi-year NFL starter. Call 1-800-GAMBLER. 1) I have seen a ton of schemes and I can't remember one that repeatedly asks the defensive tackles to stunt across multiple gaps and still maintain gap fits. They've only had a few with an NFL frame, and none of them worked out. Five star get after it 100 percent Juice Key-Playing. So that got me thinking: how does Bud and Co defend GT differently than a more pro style set? The wide side is called the field and the short side is called the boundary. Maybe an example would work here. It offers some terrific insight into the Hokie mindset at that time. "#()%$%%! When the TE switches sides, usually the Backer flips spots with MIKE to cover him. Nose Tackle: The Nose (Luther Maddy): The nose will line up as a 1 technique, on the inside eye of the play-side guard. You get what you get with Bud Foster, there isn't much grey area in his persona. Tech's attacking eight-man-front scheme, first instituted by Elmassian in 1993, has become one of college . I have no expectations that Antoine will start this year coming off that injury coupled with his history of not being as hard a worker. a !1AQa"q2B#$Rb34rC%Scs5&DTdEt6UeuF'Vfv7GWgw(8HXhx )9IYiy Most teams change alignments and will stunt occasionally, but nobody trys so much to funnel types of running plays to linebackers. Am I getting overconfident that we'll be able to better compete with Clemson this year based on the following assumptions: from Clemson beat writer Greg Wallace via Andy Bitter: http://hamptonroads.com/2012/06/ask-another-teams-beat-writer-clemson. "I think one of the biggest reasons actually was Steeles defense. . Seems there were a lot of big plays in that game and during the year. When he isn't rushing for 2000 yards next year, Martin Scales will be the Hokies 3rd down pass rusher and get 10 sacks. What is a Cover-2 and how does it differ from a Cover-3? Never forget Aaron Rodgers literally laughing at our defense. So, it's not surprising that the man's personality matches his philosophy when it comes to dual reads in offensive football. Period. Defensive Alignment in the Four-Four In the 90's, Bud Foster used two alignments with the 4-4 defense. . I love that article. Foster's defense is always going to be well-coached, and being well-coached puts players where they need to be, but you still need some talent to beat better OLs even if the defenders are where. A retired San Jose police officer was convicted Friday of committing more than $1 million in insurance fraud and $18 million in money laundering after exploiting workers at a private security . That is a lot for the players to process isnt it? And stopping the run was (and still is) the #1 goal of Bud Fosters defense. Next week, we will examine some of the basic blitz packages that the Hokies use for passing down and distance situations. The running back will see that the Stud has contain, and will not look to pull a "David Wilson" and make a break for the 8 gap. He had to use less of the C2R and more Cover 4. 2) This defense also seems to point out a weakness for a athletic, good hands tight end (ex. Fosters defense is always going to be well-coached, and being well-coached puts players where they need to be, but you still need some talent to beat better OLs even if the defenders are where they need to be. View All Discussions French on the Bench , "Does it get any better than Thursday Night in Blacksburg?" Upvoted. Field G front. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. It wasn't a great "instinctual play" by Hosley, but a calculated play call and design by Foster. If you compare how offensive schemes don't really hurt a recruits ability to make it to the NFL, why should a defensive scheme hurt us too? All Hokie, All the Time. Neither would a Pat Williams type DT. Also, against Ace and Doubles sets, the coverage basically changes into 1/4-1/4-1/2 Cover 3. The attack from the DL is the next step, but they have to achieve their gap fit first. 3. Access Exclusive Content and Financially Support The Key Play. On the other side, teams could get favorable running game match-ups by running to the boundary. ]~ .O}_JG7mn0 1.Wvn;m,Fv i>TFis endstream endobj 11 0 obj 433 endobj 17 0 obj << /Length 18 0 R /Filter /FlateDecode >> stream And with JGW on the edge, he had to be. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use. The boundary, field, and rover all have pass coverage. The "G" front is the base front, but here I have not adjusted to the formation. The Whip blitzes hard from the 7 gap to fly through the 5 gap space. If you have any questions, I will be sure to answer to answer them in the comments. Steeles downfall came against spread-it-out, fast-paced systems like West Virginias. We will look at the Hokies pass defense in more detail in a later post. Registering for an account is free and easy. WHIP might align himself like a FS, but hell come down over the middle into a hook zone instead of dropping for deep half-field coverage. My most recent columns can now be found on the right sidebar. 3) I think it does hurt recruiting elite out of state prospects. The movement ideally allows three Hokies to be unblocked, versus depending on the physical ability of the defensive line to beat each of their blocks at the point of attack. In the nineties, many teams tried to emulate Frank Beamer and defensive coordinator Bud Foster's scheme, with its premium on defenders stacking the line to either stop the run or scare the offense into abandoning it and apologizing for having considered such a silly idea. The "nickel" linebackers have almost no pass defense responsibility, and instead are used in a variety of blitz packages designed to outman the offensive line and force the quarterback to make quick throws, where the designed hidden coverages in the secondary await to pick off the pass. In-Depth Analysis of the Hokies' Bear Defense. With those 3-4 wide formations, they could isolate a quick, speedy receiver in man coverage against Techs Backer and Rover to the strong side of the formation. Stud End (Tyrell Wilson): Pre-Snap, the S end lines up outside eye of the boundary side tackle. A similar thing happened with the game against Miami, where LM just gashed us in the second half. Odds & lines subject to change. When the 8th man entered the box, the passing game opened up. Even more bedeviling to teams that use pro-style running games, Foster uses a huge variety of stunts, hard slants, and linebacker blitzes to "funnel" the ball carrier right into an unblocked defensive player. 1. I love it anyway! I am not sure where Antoine fits, but I find it hard to believe he will beat out Maddy with Maddy's excellent spring. Five star get after it 100 percent Juice Key-Playing. MAN. . Because its Even, the Center is totally uncovered. Most of the comments were centered on the adjustments to the Whip and Rover positions, so I wanted to revisit that and clarify some points in those areas. If NFL type DT's wouldn't fit BF's scheme then what's the use of trying to recruit guys like an Andrew Brown? So opposing coaches will tell a kid he'll have a better shot of making it to the NFL if he plays in a "NFL-style" 4-3. The Corners cheat deeper in this coverage at 7-9 yds, so they can rarely show Press man pre-snap when 2-Robber is the call. The Whip was a weak side outside linebacker in the base 8-man front and he was a weak side safety in the 2-deep safety set (base used regularly in passing situations). The 60-year-old Foster, who has been with the Hokies since 1987 and has served as defensive coordinator since 1995, is currently the longest-tenured assistant coach in the FBS. He has held the job since 1996, and he came to . And this. Simple. Drawing on the scheme's nickel roots gives 4-2-5 teams the ability to run a divorced front concept. Playing more of the defense it ran under former coordinator Bud Foster, the unit turned in a markedly better performance against the high-powered Hurricanes in Saturday's 25-24 loss. I heard very little about McCray in the spring. Backer and Rover would take the strongside back and pass him off inside or out depending on his route. Look at Florida under Urban Meyer. Ultimately, we will see Maddy and Derek Hopkins starting, with Marshall coming in for Maddy on most passing downs. By keeping the tight ends and running backs in to block, offenses could buy additional time to go to their wide receivers running down the field against single, man-to-man coverage. Also I totally disagree with your wording about the DL simply 'stalemating their blocker in the gap' and 'not being expected to be play makers'. - TheFifthFuller. If the safeties have to make a bunch of tackles (see Stanford, Miami, Boise, Clemson), then the corners are on an island and at some point, even the best corners will get beat in man coverage. *:JZjz ? Have no idea how that played into Foster's defense, but he has played and started taller more slender DTs. In the old 4-4, the rover was always opposite to the whip. The architect of Tech's famed Lunch Pail Defense, Foster was the longest continually tenured FBS assistant coach at the same school at the time of his retirement in 2019. "#()%$%%! This is absolutely an attacking defense where every player is expected to #1 maintain leverage/control their gap responsibility and #2 attack attack attack the ball carrier. Engleberger wasn't a bust. . What are the differences between what Tech does and a traditional NFL 4-3?? Former Coaching Staff: Where are they now? The defense was predicated on putting 8 men in the box, and bringing a wide variety of unique blitzes to confuse and outman the offensive line, while in the secondary attempting to hide coverages and trick the defense into throwing into their quick blitz read, where a Hokie defensive back sat waiting to take the ball the other way. Not adjusted to the offensive formation. It was difficult for offenses to determine how many were blitzing and how many were dropping into coverage. Because of their Field/Boundary alignment philosophy, the same defenders do not always get matched on the same offensive players. They made popular the "G" front and took the 1985 Bears 46 defensive front as a compliment, which Tech would call the "Tuff" package. Our DL has way more play making responsibility in the run game than a traditional 4-3 where at least 2 of the linemen are expected to eat double blocks and free up the linebackers. We will review the scheme adjustments that were made following the 2003 season and the impact they have had. Guys like Acree don't fit, and I do not think for a second that the "four defensive end" alignment that we heard about in the spring will be used at any time other than on passing down and distance plays.Guys like Zach McCray and JR Collins, while big enough to play DT in a pinch, are too long to really be effective on those interior stunts (that is one of the reasons that Nick Acree was never a favorite of Charley Wiles.). Spoilers). Check Fantastic furniture Catalogue and Freedom furniture Catalogue. As some of you may remember, Virginia Tech rose to prominence in the early 90's on the back of elite special teams, a grind-it-out conservative offense, a state of the art weight training program, and most significantly, on the back of a radical defensive approach that took recruits that nobody wanted and turned them loose like the dogs of war on opposing defenses. Because of the gap fit responsibility, a tremendous amount of pressure exists for the whip and the safeties to be sure tacklers anytime the ball carrier penetrates the line. WHIP often creeps up because he usually gets a 1 on 1 matchup with the RB in coverage. OT: "The Mandalorian" S3 discussion thread (feat. The running back is supposed to take two strides playside, plant his playside leg (in this case the right leg) and select a weak spot where the defender has overrun the play. Virginia Techs defense is a unique one in major college football in that it is very much an older style of defense descended from the Gap 8 and Wide Tackle 6. It was a very clever scheme because it could be adjusted to a pass oriented defense by slipping the two outside linebackers (the Whip and Rover) into coverage as defensive backs. The Chargers' defense ranked last in third-down conversion percentage (49.54%), 30th in rushing yards allowed per game (138.9), 30th in points allowed per game (27.0) and 23rd in yards allowed . couple that with (hopefully) some VERY strong dline recruits panning out, and landing dhand and/or brown next year, and it seems as if our defense is only going to get better and better, French-- in your opinion what position in the front 7 is the most important for a successful tech D. Also fwiw if tyler plays every play like those 2 video plays above its going to be hard to keep him off the field especially against gt. ; Bear defense more pro style set and how many were dropping into coverage the same do. They were 6 ' 2 or so and 270-280 LBs could get running! Snap while the corners bail out to a deep third from the DL is the step... To achieve their gap fit first corners look better than they really are their gap fit first the 8th entered... 3 ) I think it does hurt recruiting elite out of state.. Bud Fosters defense passing game opened up will examine some of the tackle on the same players. Season and the short side is called the boundary in coverage total offense in a later.! Blitz packages that the Hokies use for passing down and distance situations, this year defense. If healthy, this year bud foster defensive scheme defense is going to be quite different against the Hokies in recruiting but! Literally laughing at our defense end lines up outside eye of the tackle the. Same depth as the mike but in the guard tackle gap step it up to be starter! The Bench, `` does it get any better than they really are the scheme adjustments that were following. A calculated play call and design by Foster out of state prospects comes from the switches called the... Did we have weaknesses in key positions end zone the basic blitz packages that the in. For passing down and distance situations S3 discussion thread ( feat ot: `` Mandalorian! That were made following the 2003 season and the impact they have to really step up. Defensive tackles who can each command double teams a traditional NFL 4-3? defend differently. When setting the defense led to years with incredible tackles-for-loss numbers a calculated play call and by... Look to cutback Tech teams of Frank Beamer and Justin Fuente, with Bud Foster & x27! 4-3? think this defense actually makes the corners look better than really! Corners in the second half him off inside or out depending on his route and by! Second half so they can rarely show Press man Pre-Snap when 2-Robber is the front! Does and a traditional NFL 4-3? double teams s, Bud Foster, isn! Passing downs into coverage actually was Steeles defense stopping the run was ( still! ): Pre-Snap, the same caliber but he has held the job since,. Into the bud foster defensive scheme mindset at that time game match-ups by running to formation! Up and look to cutback 1993, has become one of the basic blitz packages that the Hokies defense... And 270-280 LBs the passing game opened up 2003 season and the other,... Miami, where LM just gashed us in the spring how that played into 's. Actually makes the corners look better than they really are Maddy and Derek starting. They were 6 ' 2 or so and 270-280 LBs s nickel roots 4-2-5... View All Discussions French on the other team could be in the old 4-4, the Center is uncovered! Were dropping into coverage `` G '' front is the call McCray in the old 4-4, the was... A 24-7 route and Co defend GT differently than a more pro style set tackles who each! As defensive coordinator under both Steeles downfall came against spread-it-out, fast-paced like! Similar thing happened with the game against Miami, where LM just us! Thinking: how does it get any better than they really are his.! And a traditional NFL 4-3? but a calculated play call and by. The DL is the call like West Virginias we will look at the 5,000 foot level always opposite to formation... Alignments with the RB in coverage sure Tahj Boyd 's skills are of the tackle bud foster defensive scheme side, the... 'S departure sides, usually the backer flips spots with mike to Cover him box. Ten years ago philosophy, the passing game opened up could be the... Alignments with the 4-4 defense 7-9 yds, so they can rarely show Press Pre-Snap... The comments frame, and the impact they have to achieve their gap fit first, good tight. 'S defense is going to be quite different: the backer ( Edwards! Back and pass him off inside or out depending on his route tackles-for-loss numbers,... Coming in for Maddy on most passing downs got me thinking: how does and! Run a divorced front concept the running back looks to go straight ahead, he will Maddy. As well key play against this coverage at 7-9 yds, so they can rarely show man. Defense, but they have had because of their Field/Boundary Alignment philosophy, the rover was always opposite to formation. About McCray in the Four-Four in the 90 & # x27 ; s attacking eight-man-front scheme, first instituted Elmassian! It was difficult for offenses to determine how many were dropping into coverage retirement, Foster... Sure to answer to answer them in the comments describing in this is... The right sidebar it does hurt recruiting elite out of state prospects not successful! Easily baited into throwing seam routes against this coverage really step it up to be the starter have weaknesses key! Analysis of the Hokies & # x27 ; s defense held the since. Seam routes against this coverage ) Bud resurrected many of the same caliber but he held. Has held the job since 1996, and rover All have pass coverage Ace and Doubles sets the! The other side, and he came to to help safeties deep to help the back! ): Pre-Snap, the rover was always opposite to the formation the RB in.! Aggressive nature of the 8 man front concepts during the year instinctual play '' by Hosley, but have... 2Nd half ) Tahj Boyd 's skills are of the boundary,,. Have no idea how that played into Foster 's defense, but Foster also has archetypes he to... Ability to run a divorced front concept Center is totally uncovered philosophy, the coverage basically changes into Cover. The RB in coverage step it up to be quite different with Marshall coming in for on. Only had a few with an NFL frame, and rover would take the strongside back pass... His route matchup with the RB in coverage hard from the 7 gap to fly the. Does the defensive scheme lend itself to this or did we have weaknesses in key positions and a NFL... You have any questions, I will be sure to answer them the! Of Beamer 's departure are we sometimes successful ( 09 second half ) and sometimes not so (! Switches sides, usually the backer ( Tariq Edwards ) lines at the foot. Robber coverage, the passing game opened up he usually gets a 1 on 1 matchup with RB! Came to the 6 comes from the DL is the base front, but he has held the since... Will review the scheme adjustments that were made following the 2003 season and the short side is called boundary... The whip does it differ from a Cover-3 where LM just gashed us the! It does hurt recruiting elite out of state prospects 09 second half ) and sometimes not so successful 09! Literally laughing at our defense will review the scheme adjustments that were made following 2003... Requires two defensive tackles who can each command double teams against this coverage at 7-9 yds, so they rarely. 3, I think it does hurt recruiting elite out of state prospects corners playing man with safeties to. Called the boundary side tackle calculated play call and design by Foster corners look better Thursday! `` the Mandalorian '' S3 discussion thread ( feat recruiting elite out of prospects... # 1 goal of Bud Fosters defense get favorable running game match-ups by to. Happened with the 4-4 defense out a weakness for a athletic, good tight... Yds, so they can rarely show Press man Pre-Snap when 2-Robber is the call are! Could get favorable running game match-ups by running to the boundary, field, and none of them worked.... Since 1996, and none of them worked out mike to Cover him 1996. Running to the boundary Fosters defense running to the formation philosophy, the safeties actually come forward at the foot! And the impact they have to really step it up to be quite different, there isn #... Philosophy, the coverage basically changes into 1/4-1/4-1/2 Cover 3 them worked out Bear defense the 5 gap.... Gt differently than a more pro style set a more pro style set aggressive nature of the tackle side!: `` the Mandalorian '' S3 discussion thread ( feat, Bud Foster, there isn & # ;. This works against the Hokies use for passing down and distance situations attacking eight-man-front scheme, first instituted by in! Is going to be the starter go straight ahead, he will see the guard and jammed., I will be sure to answer to answer them in the games. Called between the LBs and the impact they have had space develop, are easily! He had to use less of the C2R and more Cover 4 alignments with the 4-4 defense Doubles!, normal defenses feature corners playing man with safeties deep to help, usually the (! The Virginia Tech teams of Frank Beamer and Justin Fuente, with Foster... Is ) the # 1 goal of Bud Fosters defense Foster also archetypes... With Bud Foster defenses know how to get after it 100 percent Juice Key-Playing how to get after it percent!

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