The Run D Problem: Scheme, Personnel, or Both??

[Jay Roosevelt]

Our run defense has been horrible going back some time now even as other areas of our defense have improved. This despite spending a top-10 pick on a DT, a 2nd rounder on a DE, and signing a pretty well regarded veteran in Matt Ioannidis.

The question is: is this because we just don't have the players capable of stopping the run or is there a larger schematic issue to blame here? Or could it be both?

What say the Huddle?

[Davidson Deac II]

The interesting thing is, we did stop them on the drive right before our field goal, when we focused on stopping the run.  So probably a lot of scheme/coaching decisions, but with significant inability to deal with an oline that was missing two starters.  

[Smithers]

Third season now under Snow - same problem continues to persist.  I have to say mostly scheme.  Even below average defenses stop the run better than we do.  

[WOW!!]

I don't know.. And that's a major  problem... Both scheme and the players flash as a issue..

[hepcat]

Snow runs a bad scheme that doesn’t have NFL level gap integrity. It’s a wacky college scheme. At first I thought it was because of a lack of talent on the D-Line but it’s year 3 now. 

[L-TownCat]

[Chief Keek]

Scheme is a major factor

[mc52beast]

Number one you have to have guys who WANT to stop the run. It seems like we have amassed a bunch of guys who don’t want to. And it doesn’t help that the staff loves guys who are horribly undersized like Burns and others.

[Pimpdaddy]

all I know is I can never tell when they're blitzing...

[Jmac]

They need some big boys on the line instead of the light weights they have now. Get a few fat asses to clog up the middle and some beef on the ends also. Isn't going to happen anytime soon.

[trueblade]

12 minutes ago, Davidson Deac II said:

The interesting thing is, we did stop them on the drive right before our field goal, when we focused on stopping the run.  So probably a lot of scheme/coaching decisions, but with significant inability to deal with an oline that was missing two starters.  

We also had the new DE in on that drive.

[HarbingersDad]

I’m not going to defend Snow’s scheme, but it doesn’t help when your “superstar” edge rusher is a completely liability in the run game and your 1st round DT continues to get rag dolled every play in year 3. There’s definitely some personnel problems along with scheme problem. 

[Jackie Lee]

11 minutes ago, L-TownCat said:

Yup. Scheme, and they built this from the ground up with guys that would "excell" in his system. Now they panicked and grabbed a big vet DE to help stop the run last week and was too little too late. 

[Snake]

It's both scheme and personal. Still a good coach hides personal weaknesses and honestly even where we have focused in the draft(CB, DT, DB) have played underwhelming. I think Matt Rhule has had too much input and not enough qualified people have been used in the draft and FA process.