We need everyone to execute at the utmost level to make things work. We all saw how that worked. So its difficult to judge just how good the defense truly is at this point. Before heading to Utah State and learning the art of disguised zone blitzes and modern 3-4 defense from the Kyle Whittingham coaching tree in the early 2010s, Orlando was a traditional 4-3 coach. Todd Orlando has plenty of experience arriving at a new school and installing his defensive scheme for the first time. If that sounds like the start of a football romantic comedy, it isnt you wont find two more hard-nosed personalities than Orlando and Herman. Todd Orlando remembers feeling bad for Tom Herman. Get your first month for $1. Sometimes when youre a good player, youre just worried about yourself and making your plays, Orlando said. Todd Orlando sees USC defense as work in progress USC defense has different feel in camp after full offseason Due to the pandemic, USC was unable to implement new defensive coordinator Todd Orlando's scheme in person before the 2020. Thats important to know, because Orlando turned down an opportunity to be Pittsburghs DC in his hometown that offseason. - Grier hurt himself early in the contest against Texas, but Locks 52.9 completion rate in the Texas Bowl was one of his worst of the year. If that sounds like thinking, its because it is. He dropped into coverage just twice against Arizona State, by The Athletics very unofficial count. The only two Pac-12 schools behind them are Cal and winless Arizona. Adam Grosbard covers USC athletics for the Orange County Register and Southern California News Group. Twitter: @tcpfootballIn this video, we learn about the origins of USC Football's Defensive Coordinator Todd Orlando's defense. Todd Orlando Tries To Remake USC's Defense - Trojan Daily Blog In 2021 most defensive coaches will tell you their defensive schemes are "multiple,'' which is true to a degree. As expected, USC hired Todd Orlando as its defensive coordinator on Friday. That establishment between Orlando and his team started in earnest following the Longhorns worst defensive effort of the season, a 51-41 loss to Maryland in Week 1. Stilleto Boy wins the Santa Anita Handicap for trainer Ed Moger Jr. Sierra Canyon girls basketball team is two wins away from perfect season, Practical Move gives trainer Tim Yakteen a win in the San Felipe Stakes, Sam Farmers crystal ball: NFL mock draft 2023 version 1.0, UCLAs freshmen living up to the hype, carry Bruins into Pac-12 title game. Take a look at those QBs 2017 season, youd see their matchup with Texas as a low-end outlier amid exceptional overall campaigns. Enter your email address to follow this blog & make sure to follow on MatchQuarters.substackcom. That will change Saturday, as USC takes on San Jose State in the 2021 season opener. Theres a little learning curve for him just the speed of the game and all that, but then Stanley also being very new to the position has his own learning curve.. In reality, Texas players say their responsibilities change little from week to week. That much was clear on Saturday, and its why losing a player like Tufele, who possesses all three traits, hurt so much. Orlando said that shift occured because of practice habits and strong relationships between the defensive staff and its players. 'He's a guru': How Todd Orlando transformed the Texas defense - 247Sports The modern spread offense is defined largely by quick-hitting pass plays, run/pass options and finally play-action shots that often feature six- or seven-man protections. And as Saturday showed, thats a group with a long way to go. We see how he got his start c. Hybrid players allow an almost endless amount of ways to blitz and pressure an offense without losing coverage ability (youre dropping a speedy LB/DB instead of a rigid D-lineman). The use of small ball to counteract the space created by Spread offenses is understandable. The offseason plan was to mold Jefferson into the next star rover for Orlando, but circumstances over the course of the season resulted in Jefferson moving to the "mac" position to make room for fellow speedster and junior college transfer Gary Johnson. Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Will Alabama transfer Ishmael Sopsher be healthy enough to do so? One of the key subplots to USCs season opener against Arizona State is the performance of the Trojans defense, more specifically the secondary. Todd Orlandoremembers feeling bad forTom Herman. Herman knew within 10 minutes of talking with Orlando hed found his defensive coordinator. He knows the tendencies of the receivers, the quarterbacks, the linemen, what they have to offer. The numbers back up that decision, as Texas tied for 66th nationally with 27 sacks in 2019, down five from 2018. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Even the NFL saw many of its teams embrace a more open style of play. Orlando is widely considered a fast-rising coach in the industry, and players, like Roach, say Orlando should be a head coach someday. By Coachlamons @nukeit1981 Dec. Thats where our emphasis is going to be this week.. That style of play didnt transfer to the NFL and the NFL didnt understand what type of player this guy was. Former Texas DE Malcolm Roach criticizes Todd Orlando's scheme Its not likely to last forever. Even further, turn on a Cowboys or Seahawks game and you are likely to see multiple ways to run the Zone or Arc Read. He's previously covered his alma mater SMU and the WNBA for the Dallas Morning News and high school sports for the Long Beach Press-Telegram. Gone were the experienced players in the secondary who could force the quarterback to hold the ball for an extra second or two. How Todd Orlando's scheme will unleash the Texas LBs Two things generally forced USC to shift out of its base defense. If you practice soft, youre going to play soft, Orlando said. When interim defensive coordinator Craig Naivar finally allowed Ossai to play that role, Ossai produced three of his five sacks in the Alamo Bowl. Roach believes that the changes will produce better results on the field and better position future defensive lines to make the jump to the next level. The time is now! Were starting to try and create things like that defensively, so at least when theyre coming in there and theyre game planning us, you know, maybe it eliminates some plays youd normally see if youre vanilla. Players retained more than he expected, and coaches got to know players better than they would have otherwise. The timing between Daniels and his receivers was off all game. Continue reading Attacking the Tite Front. Orlando usually sent four rushers when he used this package early in the game, and Sun Devils quarterback Jayden Daniels took advantage of the pressure on the first drive by ripping off a 38-yard run. Find out which 3 #USC players go to the Bears in an NBC Sports Chicago mock draft. This might be the most talented position group on the USC roster, but there are still some concerns. Simulated Pressures From a Positionless Defense (2019 Sugar Bowl), on Simulated Pressures From a Positionless Defense (2019 Sugar Bowl), View @matchquarterss profile on Instagram, Simulated Pressures From a Positionless Defense (2019 Sugar Bowl), article discussing how teams attack the Tite Front, Georgia and Texas used the front and similar coverage schemes as a base, BCfToys.coms top 10 in Defensive Efficiency, Using an EXIT stunt to combat a zone heavy offense. Toughness is for naught if the player and coach relationship isnt strong enough to offset those consistent practice blows. Since Texas Longhorns head coach Tom Herman dismissed defensive coordinator Todd Orlando two and a half months ago and even before, to some extent its become clear just how much defensive line recruits and players disliked the front used by Orlando in his 3-3-5 defense. I think its a smart move. The defense made the final stand to seal the victory, but it also gave up some big plays and surrendered 258 rushing yards to the Sun Devils. MQ takes a look at Texas 3rd Down pressure package versus Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. Those four-man fronts are great at plugging gaps and helping a team defend the run, but they also mean one less defender on the second level to stop the pass and run to the football. Hands-on coaching was limited to distanced learning. USC Mailbag: How much will new faces change the outlook for the Trojans I let you guys down. Johnson said Orlando repeated these words for two days straight. When you get players who can make throws and can run, you have to be mindful, Orlando told reporters on Wednesday morning. There were times when we said the same thing together at the same moment. 3 Kansas. However, that was so long ago and feels like a lifetime. 3 overall pick),Baker Mayfield(No. Schematically, Orlando excels because hes aggressive and prepared. Todd Orlando was announced as USC's defensive coordinator Friday, ending a lengthy search for Clancy Pendergast 's replacement that had dragged into its fourth week. The way you practice is the amount of plays youre going to get. Defenses in the Leauge were getting scored on at a historic rate. The rover is the tip of the spear for the Orlando defensive scheme, and he uses that position as a solution to the main problem for the 3-4 defense in the modern era: How to create a multi-pronged pass rush from a nickel package. At Utah State, where he worked in 2013 and 2014, Orlandos defenses also finished in the nations top 20 in fewest points allowed. Yet, because of the way the Longhorns fly to the ball, it doesnt much matter that the numbers are pushed back. Orlando was fired by head coach Tom Herman on Dec. 1 and Naivar the co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach for the Longhorns who has worked with Herman across four different stops (Sam. 3 Kansas in 75-59 win. He joined The Times after six years with the Southern California News Group. Preparing for his first season as defensive coordinator at No. Try a week on us. 2. A good run defense has been a calling card of. Aside from one spring practice, the intricacies of his scheme were installed only over Zoom. But instead of sending four rushers, USC sent six (Figueroa, the four linebackers and Hufanga) on the final three plays, which forced Daniels, who rushed for 111 yards, to beat the Trojans with his arm. If you dont, its going to be limited. Orlando, 50, previously was a defensive coordinator at Texas Houston, Utah State . The rotation should expand when Pili returns, but at the moment USCs defensive personnel is what it is. Were trying to stay very consistent in terms of our message so we can get better throughout the year.. Examine Texas schedule last season, and youll see a murders row of quarterbacks:Sam Darnold(No. Drake Jackson, who spent last season as more of a strict defensive end, shed 25 pounds and shifted into a hybrid linebacker role. One of the key subplots to USC's season opener against Arizona State is the performance of the Trojans' defense, more specifically the secondary. Orlando served as Hermans DC for two years in Houston, coaching a pair of top 30 defenses. Some offense will come out and run the triple-option, which is really different and as a defense really strains us, Orlando said. Before joining Tom Hermans staff at Texas, Orlando was viewed as a rising defensive mind in college football. The odd front (three defenders) gave Orlando flexibility. The Trojans didnt do it for every third-and-7 and longer, but in most of those obvious pass situations, Orlando employed a 1-4-6 look. Arizona State realized that early, and its two main running backs, DeaMonte Trayanum and Rachaad White, rushed 24 times for 160 yards against USC. Mason Rudolph, a third-round pick of the Steelers, failed to clear the 300-yard mark only twice in 2017. As of Thursday morning, it has apparently filled out the rest of its coaching staffit has apparently filled out the rest of its Phone. It wasnt all about the front either, the use of Match 3 (Rip/Liz) and the rebirth/redesign of the (Dime) Tampa 2, was a big contributor to how teams attacked the Longhorns, Cyclones, and Bulldogs. If the Trojans are going to take a step forward as a program this season, its going to need its defense to make some serious progress. Todd Orlando's defense has been getting exposed all year long Share this article 31 shares Matt Wadleigh October 13, 2021 4:15 am PT After the opening weekend for USC, things looked good for. Playing defensive end Marqez Bimage in a similar role produced better results for Texas late in the season. One of his favorite ways to do this is with his overload blitzes off the edges. He is an experienced and successful defensive coordinator who has made an impact everywhere he has coached.. The former is built on repetitive contact. There has been a critical error on this website. Among current players, defensive end TaQuon Graham was something close to ecstatic about the potential for rushing the quarterback in Ashs defense following the Alamo Bowl win over Utah. I just feel 3-4 didnt let us showcase our abilities the way we wanted to. Injuries limited the two best blitzers in the secondary safeties BJ Foster and DeMarvion Overshown while the inexperienced cornerbacks also struggled with injuries and the baptism by fire in the pass-heavy conference. I would have loved to be in a 4-3, Roach told Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth-Star Telegram. Coach Orlando is a real guy, Johnson said. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Want to keep up with all the latest FAU football and recruiting news? What I think were all starting to learn defensively theres some four-down stuff thats really good but the number of people you can get off the ball based on how the offense is attacking can be advantageous to you.. The Trojans were also missing Brandon Pili, an experienced senior who would have definitely been in the rotation, on Saturday. Two Former NBA Players Receive Prison Sentences For Fraud Scheme. Jackson played with his hand in the ground a bit, just not as frequently as he did last season. You hear about soggy eggs and burnt toast, but its the pad popping thats the real story of these daily efforts. The guy could be a linebacker coach. He finished with three tackles and one tackle for loss, which counts as a quiet night for the sophomore linebacker. Figueroa had a breakout 2020 season and since then has added 15 pounds of muscle to give himself the flexibility to line up at his natural defensive end position or slide inside to play tackle. The arrangement wasnt ideal for anyone involved, least of all the new defensive coordinator tasked with toughening up a unit that, for seven months, was barred from standing next to each other, let alone colliding. The Big 12 is not new to the concept of smaller faster players playing on the defensive side of the ball. It took a toll on our bodies, Locke said. Orlandos scheme isnt complicated at least by memorization standards. By closing both B gaps, the offense has to either plug it up the A gap (which most Spread teams wont do) or run it outside. A four-run fourth inning broke the game open for the Longhorns, but they gave it all back and dropped the series opener. Heres the cool part about this, every night after practice we watch every rep of every play that we have. The more you put in, the more you get out.. During his time as defensive coordinator at Texas, his defense forced 65 turnovers and ranked in the top 10 nationally for . If you go out there and you dont know what youre doing after meeting with someone for seven months, that pretty much explains how much you care, Orlando said. But while Herman's motives started from a simple "What gave me fits as an offensive coach?" The Tite Front works because it forces the offense to bounce everything outside. He was more of Well keep things simple, well do the same stuff. Orlando, 47, is considered a rising head coaching candidate, and his contract reflects that. perspective, he's found Orlando to be a gem of an assistant for a variety of reasons. Visit our online store to order your copyto get more in-depth analysis on the 2018 season. I wrote about Orlandos prowess as a DC in my article discussing how teams attack the Tite Front, the Longhorns base defense, but it is his use of multiple personnel packages within a game that truly shows his knack as a DC. After all, he fired Orlando and brought in Ash as an agent of change. One thing to not overlook is the away side 4i who has leverage on the away side tackle. Or what type of player they would be getting because of the scheme we ran. 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. He is the defensive coordinator at the University of South Florida . You have pass rushers out there, TaQuon Graham, Marqez Bimage, Joe Ossai guys that can get after the quarterback. Fail big.. Sign up for the Trojans Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. A safety begins with his role in installation before even glancing at another spot. Jefferson went on to lead the team with 110 tackles, including 20 run stuffs, while anchoring the interior of the Texas defense in a 3-2-6 dime package that Orlando unveiled to the bewilderment of Texas' spread-oriented Big 12 opponents. This season has not gone according to plan for anybody, especially the defense, and major changes will be headed USCs way. Lincoln RileyandKliff Kingsburycome from the Air Raid tree, but their systems look quite different in the same way Kansas States pro-style, option-heavy scheme varies from Oklahoma States spread. Former Texas DE Malcolm Roach criticizes Todd Orlandos scheme, Quick thoughts from No. What is the current state of play for one of the elite QB prospects on the board? - Mayfield completed a season-low 63 percent of his passes in the Red River Showdown. Rigid positional structures are giving way to a more fluid style of play. Weve changed that.. Herman starts most practices with a variation of the circle drill (essentially a one-on-one meeting in a small space that Herman calls out one by one) to ramp up the energy. Its OKto fail, man. The "mac" or middle linebacker helps call the defense and serves as the "first responder" for the defense against the run, looking to plug gaps and spill blocks to the outside linebackers (or nickel and dime defenders as the case may be) and his partner the "rover" linebacker. But beyond those six players, USC has question marks. Orlando needs opposing offenses to be one-dimensional, and against great quarterbacks that means sacrificing numbers in the box. Weve got to be mindful of the stuff were doing or asking him to do. A Michigan native and University of Michigan graduate, Kartje previously wrote for Fox Sports Wisconsin and the Bloomington (Ind.) With Gary Anderson and Dave Aranda's exit to Wisconsin in 2012, the door opened for then Offensive Coordinator Matt Wells to ascend to the Head Coaching position. Orlando is known run the 3-3-5 defense, which has grown in popularity in college football with the evolution of the spread offense. This is something, until this year, fathomable only on a 3rd and Long or an end of a half situation in the NFL. Tackling has been an issue, (as has) lots of defensive miscommunication. Theyve been physical in the run game but they all kind of complement each other.. The reason for this is the design of Orlando's defense, which favors speed over size at the middle linebacker position. Previously, he spent three years at the Clarion Ledger in Mississippi, where he covered Ole Miss for two seasons and Jackson State for another. I love TO hes one of the smartest defensive minds I ever played for.. 9 Texas 75-59 win No. For instance, before the snap he might show a field overload to induce an audible from the offense only to drop those players back and bring the overload from the boundary: These styles of blitzes can really mess up an offense's protections, option reads, passing progressions or blocking schemes, but they have their own vulnerabilities, in particular the man coverage the defense tends to play behind them. Orlando told his team, Its my fault. How you practice around here is going to be how many reps you get, Orlando said. It's a blitz defense that uses eight defensive backs, two. Lets start with the base defense. Tuli Tuipulotu, one of the stars of spring football, brings similar flexibility to the position. Eventual Florida defensive end signee Princely Umanmielen cited the three-man front as one of the reasons why he decommitted from Texas back in October. Nearly every defensive coordinator will say theyre multiple in the various looks theyll give an offense. Orlando is a linebackers coach in a defense that asks the linebackers to be the primary playmakers on the team. The real issues went beneath the surface. This article appeared in Athlon Sports' 2018 Big 12 Regional Football Preview Editions. You get those guys in the program, they make us all look great. Bringing the Heat - by Cody Alexander - MatchQuarters - Substack You have to look at the film and say, This guy can wreck a game, Orlando said. Facing an offense that averaged 45 points per game, fourth nationally, Orlando reversed one of the core principles of his defensive philosophy. Todd Orlando - Wikipedia Gambling problem? The pairing, if things break right, could bring Texas back to where it expects to be annually. Ryan Kartje is the USC beat writer at the Los Angeles Times. That pair figures to start at the two end positions, with either Jamar Sekona or Stanley Taufoou at tackle. Their camp D was a 3-4, but once the season hit, the packages started to proliferate. Contact drills were reduced to virtual cues. groupings are being countered by many defenses basing out of a Nickel defense. In McVays offense, the use of quick motions, multiple formations, and what seems to be an Air Raid-ish passing game has given NFL defenses fits all year. One question I am asking to college football experts is this: Should Todd Orlando emphasize complexity of scheme or simplicity of scheme against Jayden Daniels and the Sun Devils on Saturday? Its a pretty substantial change in terms of what theyre doing on defense. https://trojanswire.usatoday.com/2020/11/06/todd-orlando-vs-arizona-state-a-central-pregame-question-for-usc/. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Desperate mountain residents trapped by snow beg for help; We are coming, sheriff says, Look up: The 32 most spectacular ceilings in Los Angeles, Winter storms ease drought conditions in California, report shows, 19 cafes that make L.A. a world-class coffee destination, David Lindley, guitarist best known for work with Jackson Browne, dies at 78. One of those games came in a 13-10 victory over Texas. The Trojans run defense would be better with defensive lineman Jay Tufele, who opted out of the season a few months ago and entered the NFL Draft. It also means Orlandos weekly priority of taking away what he calls "game wreckers" is even more imperative. Some of the stuff I was about to say, he was already thinking. They handled the defending Mountain West champion San Jose State Spartans with ease. Orlando is now a handsomely paid football coach, in his third year as the Texas defensive coordinator having progressed up the career coaching ladder, from Penn to UConn to FIU to Utah State to. Orlando's new USC defense set to debut after pandemic delays A simplified picture combined with an athletic QB who could improvise if things got hairy made the spread offense absolutely deadly. We try to take the philosophy of trying to make people one-dimensional, run the football on you and control the clock, because, in my opinion, there are less mistakes made on you when you turn around and hand the ball off and they can get seven or eight yards.. Is USC defense ready to take a leap in Year 2 under Todd Orlando? (Liberty vs Arkansas 22), Dec. 22 Blitz of the Month Georgias Pod Alignment, Blitzing from the Odd Stack vs a Pro Style offense (Ole Miss vs Kentucky 22). The coaches threw the entire . Arizona State still had some success against this front with a 17-yard touchdown run in the third quarter against the look. The Panthers defensive ranked 11th in scoring defense that season. Los Angeles. Orlando sorts film breakdown by position. If the guard stays on the 4i (double team), both the Mike and Will are left free to flow with the play and what DC doesnt want is ILBs free-flowing to the ball? Orlando turned down that job, too. Having a base, four-man pass-rush is less valuable for attacking any of those schemes, so Orlando determined that it was a worthy trade to give up a pass rusher up front in exchange for more coverage and blitz flexibility and disguise potential while also gaining a "free hitter" in the form of the robber. Though Jackson is officially an outside linebacker now and is listed at 20 pounds lighter than he weighed a year ago (from 275 to 255), it doesnt seem like his role has changed a ton, at least from what he showed Saturday. After the opening weekend for USC, things looked good for the Trojans. Though Todd Orlando's (DC, USC) time at Texas came to a screeching halt after the 2019 regular season, one thing is clear, the man can create pressure. At Texas, Orlando oversaw a defense that improved from 80th to 24th in points allowed. Considering how long players have had to learn the scheme, Orlando made clear he wont be as forgiving when it comes to forgetting assignments. Its going to be real interesting to see how that unfolds in the Pac-12 with USC and everybody., Its a legitimate question in terms of how Orlando is going to play it early in the season, right? Orlando will get his first chance to determine the impact of the tradeoff when the Trojans begin their truncated season . From this ultra-quick 3-2-6 package, the Longhorns then unleashed a small part of Orlando's third-down package with such tremendous force that they started calling it every play against Oklahoma State and then expanded it over the rest of the season into a new base defense. His role evolves into something else over these next few weeks. The 2019 National Championship saw a battle of Spread teams that featured two of the most efficient offenses in the country (and two of the best QBs as well). The Tite Front was all the rage during the 2017 season. in the 80s, most NFL defenses also carry a hybrid DE, regardless if basing out of a three or four-down defense. LSU's Dave Aranda calls Texas' Todd Orlando a 'defensive guru;' see A Pasadena native, he currently lives in the South Bay. At Texas, Orlando was inheriting a linebacker crew that was long on talent and exceptionally short on know-how. 9 Texas pummels No. Those disguised blitzes are a favorite ploy. Owl fans had seen this defensive scheme recently when defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer coached FAU in 2019 as part of the 11-3 Conference USA and Boca Bowl championship season. Is USC defense ready to take a leap in Year 2, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window). Be sure to follow us on Twitter at: @Owls247, @MarinelliShane, and @TheKevinFielder. looks seen in many Power Spread offenses. However, Orlando was stubborn in keeping his defensive ends playing heads up on opposing offensive tackles instead of giving them early-down opportunities from the five technique like James Lynch enjoyed at Baylor. Pola-Mao returns and has been a stud in camp, causing chaos in blitzing situations and making plays on the ball in pass coverage that he has not made in the past.