Cubicle QB - September 10, 2009

Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda
If I were a Division I head coach, I would spend at least 60 percent of my recruiting efforts on landing top tier offensive and defensive linemen. After watching the first weekend of college football, that seems to be the glaring difference between the BCS elite and the also-rans… regardless of conference. Take a look at these examples:
- Ole Miss vs. Memphis – Don’t let the final score fool you. Memphis was in this football game up until the last half of the fourth quarter. And it was at that late stage of the game, when you could see the difference between SEC talent and C-USA scrubs. Memphis has the skill players, both on offense and in the defensive backfield, to compete with Ole Miss for sixty minutes. But they don’t have the depth in their defensive front to stuff Dexter McCluster and pressure Jevan Snead late in a game. That was the difference in Sunday’s Dixieland debacle.
- Alabama vs. Va Tech – All of Bama’s questions regarding the 2009 season revolved around whether the offense could score just enough points to give the Tide’s vaunted defense breathing room. Well, it certainly seems they can with a punishing running attack and an absolutely huge offensive line. Again, Va Tech was able to hang around, but not for a full sixty minutes. And here’s why: Bama will rotate up to nine guys in their defensive front, slamming wave after wave of bodies against opponents’ offensive lines. Teams like Va Tech may only have six or seven players rotating in the D-line. Those extra few players are the difference. In the fourth quarter, Bama began to dominate the running game while the Hokies caved in.
- Oklahoma vs. BYU – Forget the Sam Bradford injury. BYU played with confidence even with him in the game. They brought a varied, almost erratic, blitzing attack that confused and flustered a young offensive line. Oklahoma lost four starters from their O-line, but they still have talent filling those holes. What they don’t have is the ability to make adjustments and pick up blitzes like an cohesive, experienced unit (read BYU’s offensive line).

What can we learn from these games? Recruit offensive and defensive linemen, recruit them often, and place a high priority coaching and continuity. The opening weekend shined a bright, bright light on the big, often-ignored hog-wallies.

Monday Obits
We’ll wait for a week of actual football before we kill off more dreams.

Debo’s Xs & Os
In honor of the Titans-Steelers matchup on Thursday, we’ll discus the details of Dick LeBeau’s “Zone Blitz.” Most conventional blitzes leave corners and safeties in man coverage. As the name implies, a zone blitz brings at least five pass rushers and leave the remaining six defenders in zone coverage. Why is this advantageous?
First, when corners and safeties are man coverage behind a blitz, they are often forced into press coverage. Press coverage disrupts routes at the line of scrimmage and prevents QBs from taking advantage of hot routes, but it puts defenders at risk of getting beat deep. Using zone coverage allows defenders to give cushion to receivers and prevent the big play. Also, zone defenders are all watching the ball and can gang tackle hot routes. Man-to-man coverage limits gang-tackling because each defender is focused on his individual man.
Second, zone coverage tends to hold receivers in coverage longer, giving pass rushers more time to get to the ball. The rule of thumb is that man coverage can always be beat if receivers have the time to use picks to shed their cover men.
Pittsburgh was the first team to regularly use defensive linemen in coverage. Typically, a defensive end or nose guard will drop into underneath coverage and linebackers will blitz. The ideal zone blitz will drop a linemen in coverage; instead of having a backer blitz where the lineman would have been, the backer/backers will overload a single gap or side of the line – essentially placing more blitzers at the point of attack than can possibly be blocked. Additionally, since zone coverage can hold a smidge longer, it allows blitzers to twist and bring delayed pressure.
So there you have it, drop a lineman into the flat, twist your backers over the opposite tackle, hold zone coverage for a couple of seconds, and enjoy a third down sack.

The Weekend Menu
A new section of Cubicle QB! Here I’ll highlight a game of the week with a recipe and beverage of choice. This week: Chicago at Green Bay. It’s time renew an age old rivalry with an exciting battle of young quarterbacks. And what else to pair with this prime time battle, but a great Wisconsin brat!?
Grab your favorite brat of choice. I prefer Johnsonville beer brats. Grill slowly over medium heat, turning often (and carefully).

For a topping, I love a great beer sauce:
2-14.5 ounce cans diced stewed tomatoes
2 bottles or cans beer
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Combine ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a simmer. You can also keep the brats warm in the sauce until ready to serve. Serve your brat on a toasted wheat hoagie topped with a generous portion of your beer sauce and hand-shredded pepper jack or provolone cheese.

A piping hot brat goes great with ice cold Leinenkugel’s Oktoberfest. Oktoberfest is a traditional, balanced lager with a hint of caramel.

Don’t forget to send your comments, emails, and gripes. Enjoy kick-off weekend!