“If you’re asking for the defense to create more havoc and create turnovers and get to the QB, there’s a lot of creative ways to do that and Ohio State seems like it’s okay being fairly milquetoast and expecting the players to just make better plays.” -
@Birm, on today's pod
The disclaimer here is that maybe Birm is wrong, but I don't think he is and I don't think he thinks that either.
We're getting all these glowing reports about Arvell Reese, about how he's absolutely destroying people in camp and all we can do is throw our hands up and say "Well, at least he'll be the MIKE in 2025!". It makes no sense why we're living like this. I think we all have a pretty good understanding of why they are though.
Why is Larry so deathly afraid of running an odd front? Taking off Ty Hamilton at times so that we can get another explosive athlete on the field is such a no brainer. It would provide so much more flexibility to Knowles when playing coverage and you could conceivably get a much better pass rush by allowing CJ Hicks or Arvell Reese to go kill someone and letting JT shift inside, where he probably should be playing anyway, all while not taking Jordan Hancock off the field. It would also allow us to rotate DL more often and keep them fresher as they work their way through the rigors of a longer season as well.
The pass rush in recent years hasn't been good. They have struggled to generate pressure. Doing the same old, same old and expecting it to work this time around is the kind of thing on the margins that matters when you're trying to win championships. It's disappointing that Ryan Day hasn't recognized this.
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