Mike Gundy Calls This a Very Important Offseason for Bryan Nardo

Hate to be negative but the defense was simply awful this year. They had some great players who would generally adjust as the game went along but the first half was generally horrible. That is coaching, sorry to anyone this offends. I don't understand why we're sticking with Nardo for even one more season.

It wasn't the best but it also was no where near the worst. Also. This same thought happened with Knowles and his first year of a new D at OSU. It takes time to install a new D and have your players completely understand every faucet of it. It wasn't until year 3 that Knowles had his best Defense. I think we will see similar improvement with Nardo again next year and then even better year 3 and so on. It takes time. We won 9 games already this year and had some great halftime adjustments.

I'm not sure you can ask for too much more with a whole new D scheme.

That's because you don't understand defensive football at all. When did our fanbase become so pathetic?

Thanks for the accurate assessment of the Cowboys defensive performance in 2023!

Bring the D-2, D-3 and NAIA coaches in as assistants first. Nardo was not ready for the task he was

given. Knowles was way better his first year. Many OSU fans and donors own businesses.

How many of them would bring executives into their business and have them run the show before

they we're ready to do the job they were given. None! Someone like Nardo can get his feet wet first and then

be promoted at the right time. Go Cowboys!

RowdyRawhide said:

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Thanks for the accurate assessment of the Cowboys defensive performance in 2023!

Bring the D-2, D-3 and NAIA coaches in as assistants first. Nardo was not ready for the task he was

given. Knowles was way better his first year. Many OSU fans and donors own businesses.

How many of them would bring executives into their business and have them run the show before

they we're ready to do the job they were given. None! Someone like Nardo can get his feet wet first and then

be promoted at the right time. Go Cowboys!

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Knowles was not WAY BETTER ignoramus! Here are they stats for Knowles first defense in 2018 and Nardo this year 2023:

Knowles

Total defense yard average per game 452 ypg
passing defense 267 ypg
rushing defense 185 ypg
total average points given up per game 32.6

Nardo

Total defense yard average per game 441 ypg
passing defense 267 ypg
rushing defense 174 ypg
total average points given up per game 29.0

Sources: Phil Steele 2023 Football magazine and ESPN college football website!

Yes the defense sucked and so did the offense, but the offense has sucked for years and then he still keeps same offensive coordinator, and the same offensive line coach, and I am so disappointed in both sides of the ball this year

Answer me this.

How much of our struggles on defense were a result of:

A) bad scheme
B) players out of position
C) not adjusting to opponents strengths/capabilities
D) bad tackling
E) opponents out-physical our players
F) ineffective play calls

After you've assessed the above, then tell us how your assessment dovetails with Nardo's "D1 inexperience"?

Further, how do the other defensive coaches fit into your picture of defensive failures?

I'll wait.

templebrown64@gmail.com said:

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Yes the defense sucked and so did the offense, but the offense has sucked for years and then he still keeps same offensive coordinator, and the same offensive line coach, and I am so disappointed in both sides of the ball this year

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Yeah.... it's almost like we didn't actually make the conference playoff game.

SMH

what is wrong with you people

GumbyFromPokeyLand said:

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Answer me this.

How much of our struggles on defense were a result of:

A) bad scheme
B) players out of position
C) not adjusting to opponents strengths/capabilities
D) bad tackling
E) opponents out-physical our players
F) ineffective play calls

After you've assessed the above, then tell us how your assessment dovetails with Nardo's "D1 inexperience"?

Further, how do the other defensive coaches fit into your picture of defensive failures?

I'll wait.

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Bingo Gundy, it was a combination of very young safeties that some of our opponents, to their credit, took advantage of, with Rucker and Daniels being the exceptions, yet those two were many times the cause of the secondary problems, being out of position at times which was costly! Two big factors were the loss of Jabbar Muhammad to the portal last year (he was one of our most aggressive defensive backs and could play both corner and safety and was our biggest portal loss in my opinion) and the early season injury which ended the season of Lyric Rawls who was beginning to look like a clone of Kolby Harrell-Peel and Tanner McAlister who portaled out to Ohio State after 2021! Those two would have made a big difference this year but it is what it is these days with injuries and defections!

Joe Khatib said:

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GumbyFromPokeyLand said:

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Answer me this.

How much of our struggles on defense were a result of:

A) bad scheme
B) players out of position
C) not adjusting to opponents strengths/capabilities
D) bad tackling
E) opponents out-physical our players
F) ineffective play calls

After you've assessed the above, then tell us how your assessment dovetails with Nardo's "D1 inexperience"?

Further, how do the other defensive coaches fit into your picture of defensive failures?

I'll wait.

---

Bingo Gundy, it was a combination of very young safeties with Rucker and Daniels being the exceptions, yet those two were many times the cause of the secondary problems , being out of position at times which was costly! Two big factors were the loss of Jabbar Muhammad to the portal last year (he was one of our most aggressive defensive backs and could play both corner and safety and was our biggest portal loss in my opinion) and the early season injury which ended the season of Lyric Rawls who was beginning to look like a clone of Kolby Harrell-Peel and Tanner McAlister who portaled out to Ohio State after 2021! Those two would have made a big difference this year but it is what it is these days with injuries and defections!

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Bleh..... excuse making.

Defense was supposed to be the strength of this team - period. It wasn't.

Our DLine returners were great, we had good LBs, good safety's and the CB were good but green.

with this stilly alignment, we got almost no pressure on the QB, our TFL were way off, Oliver was totally misused (stats way down), Daniels was left to pass coverage which is not his strength.

All of our woes on defense can be traced directly back to the new alignment, and the players not understanding what to to. Guys out of position. playing 5 back and no safety over the top. That is all Nardo's fault.

RodeoPoke said:

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Joe Khatib said:

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GumbyFromPokeyLand said:

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Answer me this.

How much of our struggles on defense were a result of:

A) bad scheme
B) players out of position
C) not adjusting to opponents strengths/capabilities
D) bad tackling
E) opponents out-physical our players
F) ineffective play calls

After you've assessed the above, then tell us how your assessment dovetails with Nardo's "D1 inexperience"?

Further, how do the other defensive coaches fit into your picture of defensive failures?

I'll wait.

---

Bingo Gundy, it was a combination of very young safeties with Rucker and Daniels being the exceptions, yet those two were many times the cause of the secondary problems , being out of position at times which was costly! Two big factors were the loss of Jabbar Muhammad to the portal last year (he was one of our most aggressive defensive backs and could play both corner and safety and was our biggest portal loss in my opinion) and the early season injury which ended the season of Lyric Rawls who was beginning to look like a clone of Kolby Harrell-Peel and Tanner McAlister who portaled out to Ohio State after 2021! Those two would have made a big difference this year but it is what it is these days with injuries and defections!

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Bleh..... excuse making.

Defense was supposed to be the strength of this team - period. It wasn't.

Our DLine returners were great, we had good LBs, good safety's and the CB were good but green.

with this stilly alignment, we got almost no pressure on the QB, our TFL were way off, Oliver was totally misused (stats way down), Daniels was left to pass coverage which is not his strength.

All of our woes on defense can be traced directly back to the new alignment, and the players not understanding what to to. Guys out of position. playing 5 back and no safety over the top. That is all Nardo's fault.

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Sure thing Coach Cali!!!! Here is a clue for you, just watch and see how many OLDER EXPERIENCED safeties we bring in via the portal! The other thing I might have questions for Nardo is whether he used the wrong guy in the hybrid position! I think Rawls may have been better suited to take on that role and let Daniels play on the back end of the secondary!