Defensive stat

[Ogee Ogilthorpe]

The number of players that have seen significant time on the defensive side of the ball is staggering. In looking at the stat sheet;

24 defensive players have notched at least 1 tackle in just 3 games;

23 of those have played in all 3 games (Matt Garin only played in two);

Yes, yes, yes, I know a chunk of those numbers likely came while on Special Teams. Yes, I know Kill, and Claeys specifically, said they like rotating a lot of players on defense but WOW. While I was watching the Miami game, I noticed that on at least two of Miami's longer drives, many of the backups (defensive line in particular) were on the field.

Two obvious upsides;

>> First, this probably has been a big contributing factor to the fact that there have been virtually no significant injuries through three games.
>> Second, the more obvious upside is so many players (almost half of them underclassmen) racking up playing time as we build towards the future.

It begs the question, is this a non-conference strategy, and this will shake itself out as they roll into conference play where the starters will see a higher majority of the snaps? Or does it continue through the season? I'm sure the coaches are also using these first handful of games as a continued evaluation period to see just which players fit, which ones "get it" and which ones aren't there yet.

At any rate, what I like about this is that it means the coaching staff is preparing for the long haul, both for the season as a whole and future seasons. One of my favorite sayings, and it certainly applies in this case; "This is an endurance race, not a sprint."

 

[STPGopher]

The number of players that have seen significant time on the defensive side of the ball is staggering. In looking at the stat sheet;

24 defensive players have notched at least 1 tackle in just 3 games;

23 of those have played in all 3 games (Matt Garin only played in two);

Yes, yes, yes, I know a chunk of those numbers likely came while on Special Teams. Yes, I know Kill, and Claeys specifically, said they like rotating a lot of players on defense but WOW. While I was watching the Miami game, I noticed that on at least two of Miami's longer drives, many of the backups (defensive line in particular) were on the field.

Two obvious upsides;

>> First, this probably has been a big contributing factor to the fact that there have been virtually no significant injuries through three games.
>> Second, the more obvious upside is so many players (almost half of them underclassmen) racking up playing time as we build towards the future.

It begs the question, is this a non-conference strategy, and this will shake itself out as they roll into conference play where the starters will see a higher majority of the snaps? Or does it continue through the season? I'm sure the coaches are also using these first handful of games as a continued evaluation period to see just which players fit, which ones "get it" and which ones aren't there yet.

At any rate, what I like about this is that it means the coaching staff is preparing for the long haul, both for the season as a whole and future seasons. One of my favorite sayings, and it certainly applies in this case; "This is an endurance race, not a sprint."

One benefit is that the players stay fresh. Yes this helps with injuries, but it also helps with increased aggressive play. Knowing that they are going to be rotated allows them to play all out. This has been the unmentioned achilles (sp?) heal of the Gopher defense for years. For well over a decade, it has been very rare that more than four or five DL played in a game with exception of injury replacements.