Speaking of Pruitt, it’s starting to sound like as much of his defensive philosophy was formulated at Hoover High as at Tuscaloosa.
“For the most part, the basis of it was a carbon copy,” said Sherrer, who was Pruitt’s first hire at Georgia and will coach the `Sam’ linebackers and the `Star’ nickel back position. “I know he did some things that we did at Hoover High School (in Alabama). We did a little bit of that at South Alabama, but the terminology, the scheme, the coverages, the pressures, all of those type of things are exactly the same things.”
Things? What things?
You can get in three downs, you can get in four downs. You’re going to match personnel with the offense. You’re going to have five defensive backs on the field, you’re going to have six defensive backs on the field. You’re going to get in some packages where you may have two d-lineman and three or four linebackers on third down and things like that where you can create pressure and that’s why he likes to recruit the guys that can play multiple positions. You can have a guy who can play inside backer, they can play not really a D-end but an outside rush guy on third down, things like that but they can also drop back and cover and run with the wide receivers and things.”
To catch an offensive coordinator who honed his scheme in high school, maybe you need a defensive coordinator who did much the same.
One thing you can say about Richt – he sure is flexible when it comes to his defensive coordinators’ backgrounds.
Get The Picture 
it’s only crazy if it doesn’t work.
Pruitt seems to have earned his stripes the last few years. Here’s hoping he takes the athletic talent on hand and gets it to perform at the level we all seem to think it’s capable of reaching. I dont have any idea if Pruitt’s plan is “simpler” than Grantham’s, but I would imagine it would be better for our guys to master a small handful of packages than to flounder with a 6 inch thick playbook.
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Kool Aid comes in varying flavors, doesn’t it? When Grantham was hired, we were all excited about his fancy new scheme. After a few years of his fancy scheme proving to be too fancy for the players to learn, now we are all excited about a new guy who, reportedly, will simplify things. As a side note, this guy is not terribly far removed from high school, and some are touting that as a good thing, because it, supposedly, will make it easier for him to relate to the players and teach them what they need to know. And some of do this with a straight face while calling Tech’s offense a “high school offense”.
Yeah, that Kool Aid makes grown folks do some strange things. 😉
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The difference is, Pruitt won a NC with his defense. PJ has won what? A berth in the ACC championship solely due to the winners-on-the-field ineligibility?
Big Difference!
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To be fair, they won the ACC in 2009, but got murdered in the Orange Bowl. Now, since a full cycle of CPJ recruiting and people have more game tape, they’re settled back into a losing groove.
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Didn’t they have to vacate that ACC title from 2009?
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Key difference: you can recruit to a high school defense. Can’t recruit for the triple option. Although I would love to see what that would look like if you could.
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Full disclosure: I enjoy watching the triple option offense. When it works, it is am impressive sight. It would be interesting to see what a roster full of four and five star talent could do with it. Before I get flamed, I am not campaigning for UGA to start running it.
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ah…but there is the rub. 4 and 5 star talent don’t want anything to do with it.
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Yes, I was proposing a hypothetical situation, to be sure.
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See Nebraska in their heyday. Tommy Frazier running it in the early 90’s was a thing of beauty.
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Yessir…now that was poetry in motion.
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I reckon the last time such talent was arrayed to deploy in The Bone was in the Switzer OU days. And those bastards were a sight to behold. (Then again there were also the Holtz Irish outfits in the late ’80s).
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Osborne/Solich Big Red Machine days of the late 90’s – instead of Cornhuskers, that offense looked like the combine from Cars
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Well Pruitt definately seems like the real deal. The only trouble with hiring “hot” coaches like this is how many eyes are currently on them. If he does turm our defense around, GREAT, but be ready for those Head Coaching offers to start rolling in.
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He will be with us along time. CMR in the hand, Bobo and Pruitt in the bush.
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Comparing your last two posts Senator, one would think Pruitt is ahead of the curve on being multiple and having players that can play more than one position.
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Having dug around since we hired him, he seems plenty cutting edge to me. I really like what I’m hearing and the defense itself makes plenty of sense.
There’s a much different feel to Pruitt and his defense that there was to Grantham’s. And in a good way.
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I am just happy to hear the comment about six DBs. One of my biggest criticisms of Grantham was his refusal ever to play dime against four or five receiver formations.
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Agreed. I would rather see any one of our DBs in coverage than Floyd.
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Yep.
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“One of my biggest criticisms of Grantham was his refusal ever to play dime”
That’s a very nuanced analysis of CTG. I never got past that stupid towel.
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I’m liking this hire better each day. I also like how this new D staff looks like they can relate to the players better than CTG and his staff. That’s as important as the scheme.
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Sure is.
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Sherrer’s going to coach the “Sam” linebackers? Uh-oh…how many of those do we have….
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The way I read another person put it makes sense if you break the defensive areas into zones. Rocker handles the line of scrimmage area, Ekeler the interior LB areas, Sherrer handles the flats, while Pruitt runs things in the back and over the top. Break the field up like that, and their responsibilities make a little more sense.
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A lot more sense.
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