re: Predicting Venables' Scheme

quote:

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Continuously blitzing will doom Clemson. Continuously dropping 7-8 back will doom Clemson.

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Yep, that’s why he will do neither. A great DC will mix it up. The idea is that when the ball is snapped, and for about 1 second afterwards, the QB doesn’t know what the defense is doing.

I expect Clemson to show some man, run with their men for two or three steps, then fall into zones. They will hope to get a cheap interception, like the one Phillips got before halftime against Alabama.

I also expect some blind side defensive back blitzes. I don’t understand why more teams haven’t done that against LSU. The shotgun makes these less effective, but those DBs aren’t doing teams much good in coverage against LSU, so send them. If you can catch Burrow running a RPO to the right side RB the DB might be able to sneak in there. It’s probably a 1 in 5 shot, but it could cause a turnover.