Examine Texas schedule last season, and youll see a murders row of quarterbacks:Sam Darnold(No. I said I understood why we were running what we ran.. that headline is click bate..but Ill learn how to word things differently so my words cant be mixed up. If you bring four and they have six back in there to block, its not good numbers for you especially if youre covering the heck out of everybody. The guy could be a linebacker coach. He said on the first day of practice that it was clear these guys knew more than they would have coming into a fall camp in a normal year, which is quite a statement when you consider they didnt have a spring. Even further, turn on a Cowboys or Seahawks game and you are likely to see multiple ways to run the Zone or Arc Read. Todd Orlando was announced as USC's defensive coordinator Friday, ending a lengthy search for Clancy Pendergast 's replacement that had dragged into its fourth week. The Longhorns used lightning package variation the remainder of the season, allowing only 21 points per game the rest of the way. Spread offenses search for the B gap because that is where the conflicted player usually is for a defense. Orlando said that shift occured because of practice habits and strong relationships between the defensive staff and its players. Are Dejon Benton and Kobe Pepe ready to play? Some of the stuff he was about to say, I was already thinking. This season has not gone according to plan for anybody, especially the defense, and major changes will be headed USCs way. USC defense has different feel in camp after full offseason Due to the pandemic, USC was unable to implement new defensive coordinator Todd Orlando's scheme in person before the 2020 season, so players were learning on the fly as they prepared for the delayed season. Through spring and summer, the physical, hard-nosed brand of defense Todd Orlando promised to bring to USC remained strictly theoretical. In the NFL, the increasing use of 11 pers. Nothing went right for Texas and the principles Orlando instilled all offseason seemed to evaporate. Gone were the inside linebackers who were so effective as blitzers. Most defensive coaches can recognize the usefulness of the front, but one thing is clear, Spread offenses will try and figure it out. A Michigan native and University of Michigan graduate, Kartje previously wrote for Fox Sports Wisconsin and the Bloomington (Ind.) Imagine if this actually happens. Its not likely to last forever. The defensive line lost more bodies in the offseason when Jacob Lichtenstein opted out of the season, and it was announced that Trevor Trouts season (and possibly his career) would be over with a back injury. He served as the defensive coordinator at the University of Texas at Austin from 2017 to 2019 and the University of Southern California (USC) from 2020 to 2021. You hear about soggy eggs and burnt toast, but its the pad popping thats the real story of these daily efforts. Figueroa had a breakout 2020 season and since then has added 15 pounds of muscle to give himself the flexibility to line up at his natural defensive end position or slide inside to play tackle. But after successfully rebuilding the Texas defense in his first season, the Longhorns experienced a sharp defensive downturn in 2019. As expected, USC hired Todd Orlando as its defensive coordinator on Friday. The 404 alignment does several things for the box: 1) the offensive line cant climb because of the 4is, and 2) it frees up at least one of the inside linebackers (if not both). Not all of its issues were alignment-related though. Orlando has 15 years of experience as a collegiate defensive coordinator in total, with previous stops at Florida International and Connecticut. Is USC defense ready to take a leap in Year 2 under Todd Orlando? One of the key subplots to USC's season opener against Arizona State is the performance of the Trojans' defense, more specifically the secondary. 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Playing defensive end Marqez Bimage in a similar role produced better results for Texas late in the season. Heres the cool part about this, every night after practice we watch every rep of every play that we have. And sometimes they went with a 3-4 look with its normal defensive line (Figueroa, Marlon Tuipulotu and Caleb Tremblay) and Jackson and Hunter Echols as outside linebackers. They also began to move Hager into different alignments that made the most of his ability to drop into coverage or work around the edge in conjunction with his ability and willingness to crash into tackles from an inside alignment. Phone. Herman starts most practices with a variation of the circle drill (essentially a one-on-one meeting in a small space that Herman calls out one by one) to ramp up the energy. Defensive coach Todd Orlando of the Texas Longhorns reacts during play against the TCU Horned Frogs in the second . Mason Rudolph, a third-round pick of the Steelers, failed to clear the 300-yard mark only twice in 2017. Its a pretty substantial change in terms of what theyre doing on defense. The offseason plan was to mold Jefferson into the next star rover for Orlando, but circumstances over the course of the season resulted in Jefferson moving to the "mac" position to make room for fellow speedster and junior college transfer Gary Johnson. The "mac" or middle linebacker helps call the defense and serves as the "first responder" for the defense against the run, looking to plug gaps and spill blocks to the outside linebackers (or nickel and dime defenders as the case may be) and his partner the "rover" linebacker. Pac-12 reporter and columnist Jon Wilner, on the first episode of our USC Trojans: Wired Podcast, responded to those questions as follows: The two units that require the highest level of cohesiveness take quarterback out are the offensive line and the secondary. In Orlandos scheme, the Mike is the plugger and will go away from the Nose. Try a week on us. One of the key subplots to USCs season opener against Arizona State is the performance of the Trojans defense, more specifically the secondary. Junior Chris Steele was an unquestioned returning starter, whereas it was an open competition for the second job, with Isaac Taylor-Stuart seeming like the leader entering game week. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG) Is USC defense ready to take a leap in Year 2, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window). For most of training camp, Jackson was limited by a hamstring issue, which caused some worry for Orlando, who thought the lack of reps might impact the edge rushers tackling. He has a system that allows his talented players to play freely, said Baylor head coachMatt Rhule. Nearly every defensive coordinator will say theyre multiple in the various looks theyll give an offense. During his time as defensive coordinator at Texas, his defense forced 65 turnovers and ranked in the top 10 nationally for . It is not going to be participation awards. Aggressive DCs like Orlando weren't having that for long, and his response is to teach his players to show a blitz to trigger the sideline glance and check from the offense before bringing another call entirely. If you take what he says at face value there, maybe they shouldnt be too worried about the additional wrinkles making things confusing or leading to miscommunications. USC had problems getting aligned on Saturday, and one of its alignment busts led to an Arizona State touchdown in the second quarter. One of those games came in a 13-10 victory over Texas. Thats where adaptability comes into play. Theyre the best in the country. Orlando is widely considered a fast-rising coach in the industry, and players, like Roach, say Orlando should be a head coach someday. It took a toll on our bodies, Locke said. FAU brings back a solid core talented defenders in their front seven and have also added numerous former blue-chip transfers to solidify their front seven. Orlando, 48, spent the last three seasons as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Texas, where he was one of the highest paid assistants in college football. Like Iowa State, Texas has a three-safety Dime package that they utilize against pass-heavy offenses (think Kingburys Tech) or in obvious pass downs where Orlando wants to drop eight and flood the zones. After missing the first week of camp in health and safety protocols, Jackson was practically unblockable in practices, using his finesse moves on the edge to cause havoc in the backfield. Former Texas DE Malcolm Roach criticizes Todd Orlandos scheme, Quick thoughts from No. - Darnold completed 57.1 percent of his passes against Texas (third worst of the year) and threw a season-high two picks. The Cyclones and Longhorns most notably did it while using a 3-safety Dime package for parts of the season. There has been a critical error on this website. Orlandos defensive turnaround in Austin stems back to that interview in Columbus. Considering how long players have had to learn the scheme, Orlando made clear he wont be as forgiving when it comes to forgetting assignments. Orlando, who last coached defense at Texas, called the virtual install time a blessing in disguise. Even if it might only take his new defense so far. His defensive system poses an extreme challenge to offenses., You cant practice soft and play hard.New DC Todd Orlando is looking to up the physicality on the USC practice field. Bastrop Cedar Creek defensive end Alfred Collins said new defensive coordinator Chris Ashs even front as a reason why he signed earlier this month. By Coachlamons @nukeit1981 Dec. Orlando took a linebacker off the field, added a third safety and unveiled Texas lightning package.. Orlando turned down that job, too. Today will be the day, Orlando said Wednesday morning. In the illustration above, the play side offensive tackle will either have to handle the 4i by himself or rely on the guard for a double team. Orlando sorts film breakdown by position. - Mayfield completed a season-low 63 percent of his passes in the Red River Showdown. Find out which 3 #USC players go to the Bears in an NBC Sports Chicago mock draft. He would have. I love TO hes one of the smartest defensive minds I ever played for.. If the Trojans are going to take a step forward as a program this season, its going to need its defense to make some serious progress. Schemes aside, Orlandos defense is built on one thing above all his players flying to the ball. Todd Orlando, defensive coordinator, Houston. Odds & lines subject to change. Herman just needed to know if the pair would mesh personally. Orlando said USC utilized 70 to 75 percent of its defensive package against the Sun Devils. What is the current state of play for one of the elite QB prospects on the board? In order to acclimate, the Longhorns flipped a script that usually prioritized stopping the run first 95 percent of the time. LOS ANGELES USCs season-opening 28-27 win over Arizona State offered a glimpse of what first-year defensive coordinator Todd Orlandos defense will look like. That safety, last year played by the hard-hittingJason Hall, helped support the run defending on his read. Theres a little bit of schematics into it. After the second day of pads (last spring) we were like, Golly, we havent do this much hitting in a minute. Its just that mental toughness they instill in us. Even the NFL saw many of its teams embrace a more open style of play. Aside from one spring practice, the intricacies of his scheme were installed only over Zoom. His role evolves into something else over these next few weeks. Hes a guru, said Texas junior safetyBrandon Jones. Orlando did present Arizona State with several different looks on Saturday. At Utah State, where he worked in 2013 and 2014, Orlandos defenses also finished in the nations top 20 in fewest points allowed. The Times first reported his hiring Monday. But when asked what separates Orlando from other defensive coaches, Herman pointed out a single aspect of Orlandos repertoire: Its just his creativity, his adaptability.. Even former Big 12 Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury got a head coaching job with the Cardinals on nothing more than his offensive acumen. The play is ultimately killed. Though Jackson is officially an outside linebacker now and is listed at 20 pounds lighter than he weighed a year ago (from 275 to 255), it doesnt seem like his role has changed a ton, at least from what he showed Saturday. A fourth linebacker released off the line can more easily pursue the football on outside runs and defend quick passes on the edge. The 2019 National Championship saw a battle of Spread teams that featured two of the most efficient offenses in the country (and two of the best QBs as well). One key element I talked about in my latest book, Hybrids: The Making of a Modern Defense, is the use of a more positionless defensive gameplan going forward into the future. Twitter: @tcpfootballIn this video, we learn about the origins of USC Football's Defensive Coordinator Todd Orlando's defense. One thing to not overlook is the away side 4i who has leverage on the away side tackle. In an interview posted on the schools Twitter account, Orlando promised that his USC defenses would be aggressive and attack people., I really believe that in todays game, creating negative yardage plays, attacking the quarterback, turnovers, all those things go into creating explosive plays on defense, Orlando said. LOS ANGELES It was clear for most of fall camp. But the Trojans just had a full, traditional offseason, from spring football to summer conditioning, creating If you dont, its going to be limited. Though Todd Orlando's (DC, USC) time at Texas came to a screeching halt after the 2019 regular season, one thing is clear, the man can create pressure. His defensive coordinator would be Todd Orlando., hiring him from Florida International. But returning veterans on the roster like safety Isaiah Pola-Mao and defensive end Nick Figueroa have made a point of helping the young players come along and be ready to contribute in 2021. But Barry and USC opted not to continue their discussions, and Orlando became the leading candidate. Hell then put on a video with several examples. You have to use those guys. Once I left, I thought we were one and the same.. The Longhorns seemed to never really find a home base on defense. With Gary Anderson and Dave Aranda's exit to Wisconsin in 2012, the door opened for then Offensive Coordinator Matt Wells to ascend to the Head Coaching position. The main difference here is Jackson is playing as a standup linebacker instead of lining up with his hand down like he did most of the time in 2019. As spread offenses became a prevalent force in the college game, Orlando knew he needed to adapt. From Georgia in the SEC to the Longhorns and Cyclones in the Big 12, the new-age Double Eagle took flight as one of the top ways to contain high powered Spread offenses. Tackling has been an issue, (as has) lots of defensive miscommunication. The result was a defense that failed to take advantage of the pass-rushing talent of players like Graham, Ossai, and Roach because once the scheme that Orlando spent the offseason developing was no longer effective, its extremely difficult to make those changes once the season begins.