Tag: Defense

AP’s first-team All-America includes three Alabama players

AP All-American first-team led by three Alabama defenders

With only bowl games left in the 2023 college football season, the year is sadly nearly done. After the Army-Navy game, we are at that point in the winter where our attention has shifted to the awards and accolades before playoffs get underway.

The first of the major awards was announced on Saturday night as LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels was recognized as the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner after guiding the Tigers to a 9-3 record and finishing second in the SEC West. As great as Daniels was, the Tide defense was one of the few teams to keep him in check during a 42-28 victory in Tuscaloosa this season.

The Tide’s defense was so sensational that they had three players named to the AP first-team All-America, all on the defensive side of the ball. Dallas Turner and Kool-Aid McKinstry come as no surprise, but it was Terrion Arnold’s emergence in the secondary that came as a surprise. Arnold led the defense with five interceptions and 11 passes defended and was also good for 61 tackles.

Offensive lineman JC Latham and defensive back Caleb Downs also qualified for the second team while kicker Will Reichard was named to the third team.

All of these accolades are noteworthy, but every single player on Alabama’s roster will tell you that all that matters is the game on Jan. 1 against Michigan in the Rose Bowl.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

What is Alabama’s biggest question to answer in the 2024 offseason?

Alabama has a big question to answer over the 2024 offseason if it wants to succeed next year.

Alabama has had a memorable 2023 college football season with plenty of ups and downs. While it’s not over yet, as the Tide are set to play Michigan in the Rose Bowl for the College Football Playoff, some questions loom over the program.

ESPN recently revealed the biggest question for every top 25 team as the 2024 offseason nears. For Alabama, it’s about replacing defensive production.

In his first year back with the Crimson Tide, defensive coordinator Kevin Steele has done a great job. It also helps that he inherited a defense full of talented players. However, much of that talent is expected to depart for the NFL once the season officially comes to an end.

Alex Scarborough of ESPN broke down what the Crimson Tide must answer leading up to the 2024 season.

“It will take some time for a full picture of the departing starters on defense to become clear,” writes Scarborough. “But it’s safe to say that more than a few key players will be gone, whether it’s seniors Malachi Moore(defensive back), Jaylen Key (safety), Chris Braswell (linebacker) and Trezmen Marshall (linebacker) or underclassmen Dallas Turner (edge), Kool-Aid McKinstry(cornerback) and Terrion Arnold(cornerback). On top of that, outside linebackers coach Coleman Hutzler is reportedly set to join the Mississippi State staff. The good news? Alabama has one of the best young players in the country in defensive back Caleb Downs to build around and a front seven that should return some experience in Jaheim Oatis, Deontae Lawson and Jihaad Campbell. And five-star cornerback Jaylen Mbakwe is on the way. That said, don’t be surprised if Nick Saban and his staff go into the portal and try to pull out a potential starter or two.”

Throughout Nick Saban’s tenure as the head coach of the Crimson Tide, the motto has been to reload and not rebuild when losing key contributors like those named by Scarborough. If Alabama wants to build upon the success of the 2023 season, Saban must find a way to rebuild the defense in a way that doesn’t sacrifice its existing high level of production.

This can be done by either utilizing the talented players in the 2024 recruiting class or by promoting those who are currently a few levels down on the depth chart.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama football as the College Football Playoffs get underway.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on X @SpurrFM. 

WATCH: Chiefs DL Mike Danna sacks Jordan Love, forces late-game field goal vs. Packers

#Chiefs DL Mike Danna took down #Packers QB Jordan Love to keep Kansas City in the game late in the fourth quarter

The Kansas City Chiefs’ hopes of victory against the Green Bay Packers in Week 13 are still alive late in the fourth quarter after defensive lineman Mike Danna sacked quarterback Jordan Love to force a field goal attempt.

By holding Green Bay to just three points, Kansas City needed a touchdown to take a late lead and could have hypothetically completed an improbable comeback after losing several key players to injury.

On the ensuing drive, Patrick Mahomes threw an interception in Packers territory to give Green Bay the ball with just minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

This didn’t put the Chiefs completely out of contention, but certainly shifted momentum back in the Packers’ favor after Danna’s sack seemed to give Kansas City a wind at its back.

If the Chiefs intend to make something special happen to earn their ninth win of the season, it will need to come on their next offensive drive.

Broncos lead the NFL with 22 takeaways through 12 weeks

The Broncos lead the NFL in takeaways (22) through 12 weeks of play. Ja’Quan McMillian (4) and Justin Simmons (4) lead the team.

The Denver Broncos’ defense has been forcing turnovers at an impressive pace during the team’s recent winning streak.

Over the last four weeks, the Broncos have totaled 15 takeaways, the most by any team during a four-game stretch since 1989. Denver also has a four-game streak of at least three takeaways, a team-high since 2000.

“It’s huge,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of the team’s takeaways earlier this week. “If you’re looking at the league in general, with anywhere from 11 to 14 possessions per game — you take it away, you get one, they get one less. You take two away, you get two more and they get two less — just do the math. It was at that 1-5 mark that we were not really good with that. Since that mark, we’ve been really good with that. We have to keep paying attention to it, but it’s significant.”

Denver has totaled 22 takeaways this season, more than any other team.

At some point, there will be some regression. The Broncos have recovered 10 fumbles in their last four games, a historically high total. As Andrew Mason of Denver Sports pointed out on Twitter/X, two of those fumbles were muffed snaps and one was a botched reverse — some luck was involved in those turnovers.

The Broncos can continue to be aggressive, though, punching the ball out when given opportunities while continuing to force interceptions as well. Denver might not be able to keep up its historic turnover pace, but the Broncos can continue this style of play that has led to takeaways.

Dallas Turner named a finalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award: the nation’s top defender

Dallas Turner being recognized as one of the top defensive players in college football

Despite being a high-end recruit and a very talented player himself, the first two years of [autotag]Dallas Turner’s[/autotag] collegiate career were spent in Will Anderson’s shadow. Turner was sensational his first two years as he combined for 67 tackles and 12.5 sacks, but Anderson was the star of the defense during that span with 152 total tackles and an insane 27.5 sacks. With insane numbers like that Anderson was viewed as a generational prospect and declared for the 2023 NFL Draft after just his junior year where he was selected third overall by the Houston Texans.

Now, with Anderson out of the picture, Turner has became the superstar of the Alabama defense. Through 12 games this season, Turner is already at 46 tackles, eight sacks and two forced fumbles as he is able to just pin his ears back and go get after the passer. It feels like every time that there is a crucial third down, 15 is somewhere around the ball.

Turner will more than likely be a First-Team All-American and Firs-Team All-SEC, but it sounds like he will also be in contention for the Chuck Bednarik Award which is handed out annually to the nation’s top defensive player. Turner would be the 4th player under Coach Saban at Alabama to win the award alongside Jonathan Allen 2016, Minkah Fitzpatrick 2017 and Will Anderson in 2022.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

Saints’ defensive struggles leave Dennis Allen little to hang his hat on

Dennis Allen’s defense can’t rush the passer or stop the run — things you’d expect of a New Orleans Saints team built by a defensive-minded head coach:

Dennis Allen’s defense can’t rush the passer or stop the run — things you’d expect of a New Orleans Saints team built by a defensive-minded head coach. So what can the New Orleans Saints head coach lean on when asked to highlight his team’s strengths?

That’s exactly what reporters asked Allen on Monday after his team’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons, and he pointed to their “opportunistic” success in takeaways. He’s right to do so. The Saints have intercepted 14 passes in 11 games (with Tyrann Mathieu snagging two of them in Atlanta), second-most around the NFL. They’ve also recovered 6 fumbles, which are trickier and tend to vary wildly from one year to the next.

But those turnovers make up a very small percent of plays; the Saints have faced 358 pass attempts this season. Their opponents have run 681 plays in total. If those 20 takeaways are the bright spot, the other 97% of your defensive snaps might be concerning.

And they are. As we said at the top, the Saints struggle to stop the run. They’re allowing 4.5 yards per carry (tied for 6th-most) and 124 rushing yards per game (10th-highest). Teams know they can run on New Orleans. Just look at the Falcons’ game-winning drive in which they bludgeoned the Saints with 10 consecutive runs to drive 54 yards downfield and kick a field goal to put the game out of reach.

Things aren’t better on passing downs. The Saints may be getting their hands on a lot of passes (thier 72 pass deflections lead the league) but they aren’t impacting the passer often enough. They’ve sacked opposing quarterbacks just 18 times, tied for 2nd-fewest in the NFL, and their Pro Football Reference pressure rate is 8th-lowest (18.2%). They might be pressuring quarterbacks into bad decisions here or there, but too often they aren’t moving the passer off his spot. And when they do send pressure, it isn’t getting home with a drive-killing sack.

It isn’t all bad. The Saints have performed well on third downs this year; their 35.6% conversion rate allowed ranks 8th-best. And there’s a lot to be said for taking the ball away to give your offense more opportunities. But they’re failing to do things well on a play-by-play basis. They’re getting pushed back against the run. They aren’t pressuring and sacking quarterbacks. They aren’t doing the things that you should see from a head coach from a defensive background.

And that’s our central question: if Allen can’t hang his hat on his defense, what can he do? Why should the Saints stick with him as their head coach if the unit he’s built and managed for years is falling off this badly?

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Chris Jones: Chiefs defense was ‘spoiled’ by Patrick Mahomes in recent seasons

Chris Jones told reporters that the #Chiefs defense had been “spoiled” by Patrick Mahomes’ prolific output in previous seasons.

The Kansas City Chiefs offense returned to life on Sunday in the team’s 31-17 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. The efficient scoring in the second half was crucial as the team looked to move on from the criticism of last Monday night’s defeat and early season struggles.

The defense has rightfully received most of the praise this season and turned in a solid effort in the victory by holding Las Vegas out of the endzone through the entirety of the second half. Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones has often been vocal about believing in the offense through its struggles, and he shared more thoughts on Sunday after the game during his press conference.

“Listen, over the years, man, the offense has been so good, right? And we’re so used to Pat (Patrick Mahomes) scoring 30 points a game and Travis (Kelce) having 80 to 100 yards a game. We’ve been so spoiled with that as a team,” Jones said. “It might not start it the way we wanted to start it right. But as this offense continues to play, they’re gonna continue to get better. Young guys are going to continue to step up, and we’re gonna get back in their rhythm of Pat scoring 30. And we just thought their pass rush crazy.”

The Chiefs offense, led by Mahomes, Kelce, and rookie Rashee Rice, outscored the Raiders 31 – 3 after falling behind 14-0 in the first half. The efficient play from the key offensive talent made it easier for the defense to refocus and hold Las Vegas to a field goal in the second half.

“So we always had belief in those guys,” Jones explained, “It’s not a thing where we lose belief in the offense and think that our offense can’t score because they can clearly score at any moment in the game. It’s just them finding a rhythm and getting going.”

6 takeaways from Broncos’ 29-12 win over Browns

Here are six takeaways from the Broncos’ win over the Browns in Week 12.

The Denver Broncos won their fifth-straight game on Sunday, this time a 29-12 win over the visiting Cleveland Browns in Week 12.

There’s a lot to digest from this game, so let’s begin with the key takeaways.

Chiefs defense allows fewest yards per play since Week 8

The #Chiefs defense is allowing the fewest yards per play in the NFL since Week 8.

The Kansas City Chiefs defense has stepped up its game in 2023 and has some seriously impressive stats to show for its tremendous efforts this season. Led by defensive backs L’Jarius Sneed, Trent McDuffie and Justin Reid, the unit is allowing the fewest yards per play of any team in the NFL since Week 8, according to Pro Football Focus.

While the team may be in a bit of a rut on the other side of the ball, the outstanding play of its defense should give them an opportunity to put together a strong end to their 2023 campaign as they look to clinch the top seed in the AFC playoffs in January.

Expect defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to continue developing the young talent at his disposal over the course of Kansas City’s last seven games. If he can manage to squeeze any more production out of his players in the season’s homestretch, the Chiefs should have no problem making some noise when elimination games start.

 

Chiefs CB Trent McDuffie reflects on his first two-sack game

#Chiefs CB Trent McDuffie reflected on first two-sack game in his football career in comments to the media after Kansas City’s loss to the #Eagles.

The Monday night rain fell hard and often at Arrowhead Stadium as the Kansas City Chiefs came up short against the Philadelphia Eagles. The offense wasn’t effective in the second half, wasting a solid performance from the defense that held Jalen Hurts and company for most of the game.

Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie was a standout in the game, securing two sacks for the first time in his career, including college. The second-year upstart shared his thoughts on the accomplishment with reporters during the post-game press conference.

“It’s great. I think my last sack was last year against the Broncos. So, (I’m) excited I can get two tonight. But huge credit to coach Spags (Steve Spagnuolo). I mean, his game plan. And his game calling was huge tonight and showed a lot of different looks. I was messing up their offense.” said McDuffie, “So I thought he did a great job and allowed us to get a lot of plays on the ball and sacks at that.”

McDuffie also forced his fifth fumble of the season to go along with his sacks. He reiterated to reporters how unique the night was and his desire to improve on the career night.

“No, sir. Never. I think my first (two) sack game in the NFL.” said McDuffie, “So definitely a first, but hopefully, I can get some more.”

McDuffie has thrived in corner blitzing situations and forcing turnovers in what is becoming a pro bowl caliber season. The Chiefs will hope for a similar performance in their next game this Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders.