[EKUAlum05]

A few quick points after scanning this thread:

1. Pikeville is a fantastic program with a fantastic team this year. Actually was expecting this to be uglier than it was. I see a title in their immediate future, and am ultra impressed with how well rounded and well coached they are.

2. For anyone who is asking "what's wrong with Belfry?", the writing for this has been on the wall for a while and a couple people have been warning all that it was coming. Simply put, after the highest of high water marks in program history a number of factors have came together that has created a severe and noticeable dip in the talent pool for about a two-three year window. The good news is better days are ahead with a MS State Title last year and possible another one coming this year, but simply put... there is just not enough able bodies for about a three class cycle.

3. Compounding all this is a noticeable apathy and unfair expectations considering the current state. When you have been accustomed to a level of success, expectations also rise on multiple levels. The support for the program is feeling this, the expectations of parents for playing time and success resemble this, and that success has also caused Belfry to have to SEVERELY over schedule just to get a full schedule in. This schedule would have been great three or four years ago, but it is a nightmare now and losing will make things fester that would have never came to the surface when a team is winning.

4. As for the Dixon debate,,, I will echo my statements from the off-season. I wish the kid a ton of success and hope he gets what he came back for, but I hate the rule the KHSAA put in. I will never say he made the wrong decision as I cannot put myself into the shoes of of him or his family. All I will say now that we are a few weeks into it is it is a hard row when you are a superstar without other superstars around you.

Now in terms of the new pass defense discussion in this thread:
5. You can critique things without suggesting a coach is doing a bad job. Belfry wouldn't have all the rings in the trophy case and wouldn't have the tradition of excellence they have if they were poorly coached. With that said, there is definite truth that Belfry as a program isn't exactly the picture for how to defend the pass, but I think that comes down to other factors far more than coaching itself...

6. The first is the Triple Option gives and the Triple Option takes away. The option offense is a great equalizer and allows Belfry to compete with a system built with interchangeable parts on offense. The downfall is you practice against what you know. Your 1's either run against scout teamers or they run against your 1's playing a triple option. There is now way to replicate game speed and skill from a capable pass offense. Additionally, where 7 on 7 is invaluable for these spread teams to get reps and competition, Belfry is basically a non-factor because they are not running nay of those schemes in their base offense. That's a lot of coaching and skill and actual competitive reps they don't get to truly benefit from.

7. Belfry's overall defensive scheme for years is the biggest culprit to their pass defense woes, it is probably also my loudest critique of the program even when they have been at their best. If you spread the field Belfry runs their hybrid 3-4 defense where they use their DE/OLB's heavily by dropping them into the flats for a zone coverage. They may pinch an end or blitz a backer, but usually Belfry is content playing zone while only bring three or four in pass defense which means they usually are bringing less than the number of linemen protecting the QB.

The goal is simple.. make a team drive the ball with multiple completions or multiple plays and put the responsibility on them to execute. Once they get into the redzone when the field shrinks Belfry then tightens down and tries to force a turnover on downs or a Field Goal attempt.

The problem is, better teams and better coached teams (see Pikeville) are content taking what Belfry gives and use a patient approach of mixing run and pass. They exploit the DE's dropping into the flats with better running lanes and have receivers capable of sitting in soft spots and a QB capable of delivering it. You also see the occasional coverage bust that results in big play ability. It's also why a mobile QB hurts Belfry so often. Without a heavy pass rush and with the defense spread across 30 yards, all it takes is one missed open field tackle for a scramble to go from 6 yards to 26 yards.

When you have the 2014 or 2015 team where you can score basically every possession and force the opposition to keep up, this defensive philosophy makes a ton of sense. You also had Ray Horton who neutralized that numbers disadvantage when he required two or even three linemen to keep him from pressuring the QB.

With the current team it really doesn't.. especially with how they turn the ball over.

8. The one thing I will openly critique is it consistently baffles me how injury prone and prone to cramping Belfry is year after year. They have to up their game in this regard as tactics and strategies are outdated compared to what you see from other top level programs around the State and Country. One year with the injury bug biting early in the season is normal.. when you are missing mutiple starters the first quarter of a season every season, well that is a trend.


9. For all of this... if Belfry wins the District... a Semi-Finals push is still a legitimate option somehow. 3A is not very strong right now.




I will wander back into the shadows again. Good luck to this team, better days are coming for Belfry football, but this season is going to be ugly and even if you had an all-star Coaching staff of Haywood, MacNamee, Matney (prayers up BTW), Dixon, and Holcomb... Belfry would still be winless right now. Just not enough bodies and enough talent to match the schedule in front of them. The Belfry staff is working their butts off, but you can only do so much with what they have on the current roster.

Good luck Panthers! jetpilot... miss ya and the banter buddy. Enjoy your run with this special team!