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Can someone explain what Lou Tepper's defensive scheme was?

Posted on 12/14/11 at 6:54 pm
Posted by burgeman
Member since Jun 2008
10516 posts
Posted on 12/14/11 at 6:54 pm
I have heard of the horrors of his defense but I was too young to remember how it worked.
Posted by FreddieMac
Baton Rouge
Member since Jun 2010
24832 posts
Posted on 12/14/11 at 6:55 pm to
fricking Awful! Have players watch as they gave up lots of yards and touchdowns.
This post was edited on 12/14/11 at 6:56 pm
Posted by MattLSU
New York
Member since Dec 2011
195 posts
Posted on 12/14/11 at 7:02 pm to
Was tepper the guy dinardo hired from Illinois who coached simeon rice and Kevin hardy?

If that was the guy, I remember it was some version of a 3-4, and the phrase "read and react" was often used to describe it.
Posted by shrevetigertom
Shreveport
Member since Sep 2005
4439 posts
Posted on 12/14/11 at 7:03 pm to
"drop linebacker"
Posted by EastForkTiger
North of Kentwood
Member since Aug 2010
646 posts
Posted on 12/14/11 at 7:03 pm to
READ AND REACT AND frickIN AWFUL
Posted by ProjectP2294
South St. Louis city
Member since May 2007
75811 posts
Posted on 12/14/11 at 7:03 pm to
He made Thomas Dunson the greatest linebacker in the history of LSU.
Posted by burgeman
Member since Jun 2008
10516 posts
Posted on 12/14/11 at 7:05 pm to
What did they read to react?
Posted by clamdip
Rocky Mountain High
Member since Sep 2004
20325 posts
Posted on 12/14/11 at 7:08 pm to
They read his book and then reacted by achieving new levels of suckdom.
Posted by wil
Member since Nov 2006
654 posts
Posted on 12/14/11 at 7:09 pm to
No one knows. Not even Tepper or the players who played for him. It was so bad, it was like the end of last year's Tennessee game, but on defense. I've always been curious how Dinardo's tenure would have turned out if he had just fired Tepper.
Posted by FreddieMac
Baton Rouge
Member since Jun 2010
24832 posts
Posted on 12/14/11 at 7:10 pm to
He was a big 10 guy, watch Penn State's defense today, that was it, I remembered a lot of zone. Zero blitzes, and the idea was the players would diagnose the play and stop it. Well shite, by that point Spurrier had completed a 20 yard pass. It made UGA Carter look like Dan Marino one night in TS. For a historically defensive school like LSU it as horrific to see people run up and down the field.
This post was edited on 12/14/11 at 7:12 pm
Posted by Ponchy Tiger
Ponchatoula
Member since Aug 2004
48739 posts
Posted on 12/14/11 at 7:11 pm to
quote:

"drop linebacker"


Clark Kent would have had a tough time meeting the requirements of what he called a drop linebacker. I am not joking either. Their are only handful of players in history that had the physical ability to do what he required of the person that played that position.
This post was edited on 12/14/11 at 7:12 pm
Posted by clamdip
Rocky Mountain High
Member since Sep 2004
20325 posts
Posted on 12/14/11 at 7:12 pm to
quote:

Their are only are only handful of players in history that had the physical ability to do what he required of the person that played that position.
Thomas Dunson.
Posted by MattLSU
New York
Member since Dec 2011
195 posts
Posted on 12/14/11 at 7:20 pm to
Yeah, it was basically each defensive player had keys they needed to identify as the play developed, their assignment differed based on those keys. Not the greatest plan for a college defense were there is constant roster turnover...lots of thinking/hesitation.

I think his drop linebacker at Illinois was Hardy. Two of the guys he had at his disposal went in the top 5 picks of the NFL.draft...probably made his scheme look better than it was.
Posted by GradLSU99
Tiger livin' up in Rocky Top
Member since Aug 2006
178 posts
Posted on 12/14/11 at 7:20 pm to
I was in school during Teppers unfortunate tenure...yeah it was brutal to watch this defense play. I remember how highly regarded this guy was and how our defense was about to go to the next level. Wow all I remember seeing is all this zone reads and the defense trying to adjust to reading and reacting all the time. They reacted all right after the damn play was over basically.
Posted by shrevetigertom
Shreveport
Member since Sep 2005
4439 posts
Posted on 12/14/11 at 7:23 pm to
In his defense, it took 5 years to implement the defense and they didn't give him enough time.
Posted by LuckySo-n-So
Member since Jul 2005
22441 posts
Posted on 12/14/11 at 7:28 pm to
It was a read and react nickel defense.

Offense lines up 5 wide? nickel.

Stacked line right, full house backfield? nickel.

Straight up "I" formation? nickel.

Wishbone? nickel.

Shotgun? nickel.

Posted by LSUwag
Florida man
Member since Jan 2007
17971 posts
Posted on 12/14/11 at 7:30 pm to
It was a 3-4 (similar to Saban's) The difference was that it was reactive rather than being a proactive defense. It did not work. The players would literally just stand there and try to adjust after the play started. It was so pathetic that Tepper had a chalk board on the sideline and would hold class with the defense during the games.

I nearly quit watching LSU football in those very dark days.
Posted by clamdip
Rocky Mountain High
Member since Sep 2004
20325 posts
Posted on 12/14/11 at 7:32 pm to
Posted by WDcajun
Lafayette,La
Member since Dec 2003
4198 posts
Posted on 12/14/11 at 7:33 pm to
it was like Larry,Curley,and Mo
Posted by rjokerlsu
Big Spring, TX
Member since Apr 2007
7250 posts
Posted on 12/14/11 at 7:40 pm to
Here is something most Tiger fans can relate to--Tepper on defense was the equivilant to Gary Crowton on offense.
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