The new defensive coordinator makes Georgia fans more optimistic in the future as many considered it a blessing when Grantham went to Louisville.....As the Georgia offense has been good under Bobo and Richt, but it has been the defense that has failed to get the most out of its talent (a lot of NFL talent has come through on that defense).....And when the defense is playing above average and living up to its talent level then Georgia is capable of beating anyone.....They play in the SEC East so this can only help.........But the hope is the new defensive coordinator will make them reach their full potential finally on defense as the previous coordinators really failed to do so considering the piles of NFL defensive talent that came through.....The offense should be fine again like normal even with Murray not starting this year like recent years.
Here is an article Russ that should help answer your question.....Best of luck this season.
A Look at Jeremy Pruitt’s Defense
Category: UGA Football Sunday, 23 March 2014 02:00 Author: Bob Miller 18 Comments
New defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt works with his secondary during UGA's Spring Practice 2014. Photo: Logan Booker/BI
New defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt works with his secondary during UGA’s Spring Practice 2014. Photo: Logan Booker/BI
With a week of spring practice in the books so far in 2014, Defensive Coordinator Jeremy Pruitt and the new defensive coaching staff have hit the ground running with the players. The reports coming in from spring practice all sound good and positive, but that doesn’t tell us all that much when it comes to what the Georgia defense may look like this year compared to what we saw under Todd Grantham over the last 4 years. Here is a look at Jeremy Pruitt’s defense.
Like Todd Grantham, Coach Pruitt runs a base 3-4 defense, but it is often referred to as a hybrid 3-4 defense. Well, what does that mean exactly? Even under Grantham from 2010-2013, the Dawgs lined up quite often in a 4 man front. I guess the most basic explanation would be that Pruitt likes to try to put a defensive package on the field that is the best defense possible for what the offense is doing. From the Athens-Banner Herald’s Dogbytes Online:
” ‘They’ll be times we’ll line up with three down linemen and they’ll be times when we line up with four down linemen,” Pruitt said. “It’s varied based on what the offense is doing to us and for one, what we think our best personnel is.’ “
“ ‘Teams that are 3-4, you’ll see them line up in 4-3 defenses and teams that are 4-3, you’ll see them line up in odd defenses,” he said when he was hired. “I think you’ve got to be able to do both.’ ”
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Typcial 3-4 Base Defense
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A lot of Coach Pruitt’s defensive schemes or packages work off the base 3-4 where there are 3 down linemen with 4 linebackers and 4 defensive backs; typically 2 DEs, a NT or nose, 2 ILBs, 2 OLBs, 2 CBs, and 2 safeties. In a 3-4, it is very common for the pass rush to come from one of the linebackers, usually an OLB, and in Georgia’s 3-4 under Grantham, the WILL OLB and sometimes the SAM OLB provided the majority of the pass rush. However, a defensive coordinator can bring the blitz or rush from any of the linebackers and even from more than one linebacker depending on what he wants to do and how much pressure he wants to bear on the offense and the opposing QB. Coach Pruitt does this as well, but he is not afraid to mix it up. From Seminole’s Chant a Miami Herald Blog on FSU:
” ‘Said Safety Terrence Brooks, ‘But we definitely switch it up a lot, we got a lot of different guys coming, we got Christian Jones playing some D-End at some point, got D-Ends dropping into coverage, it looks real good to me.’ “
‘……”The team will use different personnel groupings, give lots of different looks and make calls and changes at the line..’ “
Coach Pruitt’s 3-4 is going to be similar, but he will also slide that WILL or SAM OLB down to the LOS with the d-linemen at a DE position and slide the DE d-lineman over to a DT spot presenting what looks like a base 4-3 front. Pruitt also uses a traditional 4-3 package with 4 down linemen and 3 linebackers, and he has his own version of a STAR package.
The differences don’t’ stop there. Coach Pruitt likes to rotate and move his players around so that he keeps his defenses fresh going into the second half and especially the 4th quarter. He likes to use different personal packages depending on what the offense is doing. Under Grantham, players were rarely rotated out, and we didn’t see a lot of different personal packages other than Grantham’s STAR package. Under Coach Wilson’s tutelage of the d-line last year, Georgia did rotate its d-linemen in and out a good bit, a welcomed change over former d-line coach Rodney Gardner’s philosophy. That will change under Pruitt who not only likes to rotate his d-linemen to keep them fresh, but he also likes to use more LB packages than just his starting 4 out of the base 3-4. Pruitt also likes to use 3 safeties and 5 DBs quite a bit.
Coach Pruitt’s secondary and defense are known for being fast and aggressive. At FSU, he used smaller or at least lighter weight linebackers. Out of the 18 linebackers on his roster at FSU, only 4 weighed over 230 lbs. Out of those 3, only 1, Christian Jones at SAM OLB, was a starter, and LB Dan Hicks who weighed 260 lbs or more was used primarily at DE. Terrence Smith, MIKE ILB, and Telvin Smith, WILL OLB, as well as their backups were all around 215 to 225 lbs. Compare that to Georgia’s roster from last year, where, of the 21 linebackers on the roster, 12 were at least 230 lbs or heavier. Half of those weighed in at 240 or more, and at least 4 of those 6 tipped the scales at or over 250 lbs. Now, Pruitt may have played lighter weight LBs out of necessity, simply because that is what he had to work with at FSU. He may adapt or adjust his defense to utilize Georgia’s bigger players. This will probably be the case, but I think he will also trim the fat so to speak. We have already heard that LB Johnny O’Neal has trimmed down from 20 lbs or so and is at 235 lbs.
I think more importantly than what defensive front or package the Dawgs line up with on the field and how often they do so is how well they line up and execute. There was far too much confusion over just where to line up which often led to poor execution under Todd Grantham. Pruitt expects his players to play fast and aggressively, and yes. A lot of defensive coordinators say that, but Pruitt puts into practice what he preaches and expects. Whether it is practice, scrimmage, or a game, if a player is not going all out, whether that is due to that player be tired, hurt, or taking a play off, Pruitt will have his coaches yank that player out and put in another guy. Pruitt would rather a guy make a mistake because he was playing aggressively than being hesitant or taking a play off. From Seminole’s Chant a Miami Herald Blog on FSU:
“ ‘It’s a totally different defense as far as no more reading, it’s more just like see it and go,’ said DE Mario Edwards.’ ’
” ‘Perhaps the biggest paradigm shifts in terms of the teaching that’s being done though is that now the team is teaching the players the why, and not just the what. Players aren’t just learning their assignments, they’re learning why they have those assignments and how it all fits together with the rest of the defense.’ “
” ‘You learn more of the concepts of the defense versus just an assignment,’ said DE Dan Hicks. ‘Like you know your assignment now and why you’re doing it and where your help is and where your help is not and where you’re supposed to be so they just really break down so you just understand the defense yourselves’ “
Coach Pruitt brings a way of communicating and teaching to the Georgia football team and on the defense that I believe was missing under Todd Grantham. How many times did we hear comments from players or rumblings that the players couldn’t talk to Grantham or he wasn’t approachable? The players and coaches should all be on the same page for the first time in over 4 years or more. Tomorrow, we will look at the changes from the 2013 defense to the 2014 as far as the coaching staff and the players, and I will present a projected defensive depth chart for the base 3-4.
I love you Coach but disagree on this one. Georgia had a fake SEC defensive coordinator for too long...he's gone thank goodness for Georgia's sake and this new DC is the real deal.
If Smart had left Bama for some reason, Pruitt would have been a favorite to replace him. The guy is sharp.
Guess we both will see this season partner. By the way...I love your Gators this season. $$$$$
If Smart had left Bama for some reason, Pruitt would have been a favorite to replace him. The guy is sharp.
Guess we both will see this season partner. By the way...I love your Gators this season. $$$$$
On em both myself! Thing the UGA/Clemson Under is one of the best plays on the board opening weekend.
