Bettcher

[Cbus cardsfan]

I'm not his biggest fan but I think he gets a lot of underserved grief on this board. 2015 was his 1st year as DC. I know he replaced a very good DC in Bowles but, when you look at the numbers, Bettcher's defense stack up pretty well against the rest of the league.

2015:
Points allowed-7th
yards allowed- 5th
turnovers-2nd
rush defense-4th
pass defense-8th
sacks- 36(21st)

2016:
Points allowed-14th
yards-2nd
turnovers-4th
rush defense-9th
pass defense-4th
sacks-48(1st)

The main area to improve is scoring %. That is the % of drives that end with an offensive score. They were 23rd in 2015 and 24th in '16.

This year has not been all that great but the Cards did lose a lot of talent on that side of the ball.

I think he need to continue to improve, but for all the grief he receives, you'd think Clancy Pendergast or Bill Davis were making the defensive calls.

 

[Ronin]

I am a little upset that his defense allowed ten points to a depleted 49ers team.

 

[kerouac9]

Are we doing this again?

Bettcher’s defenses are getting worse every year.

Bettcher’s defense this year is underperforming its talent level.

There’s little personnel case to be made that this was the year we needed to start playing more zone, but that’s exactly what happened. That’s a coaching problem.

Watch what every defensive player does in the front seven on third and long and tell me they’re being coached well.

 

[Finito]

Some guys here just can't win.

There are posters here who will actually complain about Patrick Peterson it's just what the do they complain

 

[Veer]

The defense is bad in crucial situations. In the past we would allow yardage but be lights out on 3rd down and in the redzone. Now the defense is really solid on 1st and 2nd down, but is easy to beat on 3rd down and in the redzone. Especially 3rd down defense has been killing us all year. We stop the run fairly well in general and force opponents into lots of 3rd downs. Then on 3rd down our blitzing is too predictable and we get burned by quick hitters and screens, or even worse: the offense knows the blitz is coming, shifts their protection to pick it up and allow the QB to hit a deep shot 1-on-1 downfield. Bettcher has been trying some zone schemes without blitzing to make our 3rd down defense less predictable, but we don't get to the QB quick enough with a 4 man rush and at some point the QB will find an opening between the zones. With Stanton at QB and riding AD in a run-heavy offense, our defense has to step up, starting TNF! This game will most likely decide the fate of our season!

 

[az jam]

The issue to me is the lack of adjustments that the defense makes especially at half time. Bettcher has a game plan and appears to just stick with it no matter what the opponents offense is doing. I allays felt with Bowles as DC that the Cards defense would do better in the 2nd half and they did.

 

[b8rtm8nn]

What K9 said.

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

Are we doing this again?

Bettcher’s defenses are getting worse every year.

Bettcher’s defense this year is underperforming its talent level.

There’s little personnel case to be made that this was the year we needed to start playing more zone, but that’s exactly what happened. That’s a coaching problem.

Watch what every defensive player does in the front seven on third and long and tell me they’re being coached well.

I agree, and have said as much, getting off the field on 3rd down or, lack thereof, has really hurt the defense this year. I didn't say Bettcher was the best DC around. I said he gets a lot grief for the overall numbers his defenses have put up to this point in career.

Also, I'm not so sure about underperforming to it's talent level. Jones, Peterson, and a bunch of guys are what makes up the defense this year. I thought Nkemdiche would take a bigger step forward and the same goes for the other CB spot. But Dansby and Mathieu are not the same players as previous years. Buccannon is about the same, hit and miss. That being said, they are still pretty solid against the run.

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

The issue to me is the lack of adjustments that the defense makes especially at half time. Bettcher has a game plan and appears to just stick with it no matter what the opponents offense is doing. I allays felt with Bowles as DC that the Cards defense would do better in the 2nd half and they did.

Bowles was excellent at making adjustments. Bettcher needs to get better at it but he is still pretty early in his DC career.

 

[Hoodhero]

Not sure what he was thinking dropping Jones into coverage yet again smh. Also he should have had him lining up against rookie RT the whole game to take advantage since Reddick gets stonewalled on either side regardless of tackle.

 

[nashman]

Bettcher is terrible! Can’t make adjustments, constantly puts guys in bad positions. The thing is if you were really going all out for a run at the SB he should have never been the D coordinator period! No time for on the job training if your trying to win a title imo. Just another one of BAs unqualified guys.

 

[Mitch]

Bowles was excellent at making adjustments. Bettcher needs to get better at it but he is still pretty early in his DC career.

Bowles was possibly the best half-time adjustment coach we have ever had. How many times this year has the opponents' offense marched right down the field for scores at the start of the 3rd quarter? It's not good and does not speak well for the coaching. Plus, his zone defenses look they have never been taught and yet he keeps running them. Player confusion---can't get lined up on time---players not being used in their best roles, etc.

 

[kerouac9]

I agree, and have said as much, getting off the field on 3rd down or, lack thereof, has really hurt the defense this year. I didn't say Bettcher was the best DC around. I said he gets a lot grief for the overall numbers his defenses have put up to this point in career.

Also, I'm not so sure about underperforming to it's talent level. Jones, Peterson, and a bunch of guys are what makes up the defense this year. I thought Nkemdiche would take a bigger step forward and the same goes for the other CB spot. But Dansby and Mathieu are not the same players as previous years. Buccannon is about the same, hit and miss. That being said, they are still pretty solid against the run.

I think I could identify a dozen more qualified candidates for the position than Bettcher is, both among the assistant ranks and guys who have fallen out of the league in the last few years. Bettcher isn't getting better with more experience; he's getting worse. I don't know how you look at the trend and say that we need to keep pushing.

The defense has first-round picks in the prime of their careers at every level, plus Pro Bowlers in Matthieu and Jones. It's far more talented than the offensive side of the ball, but they struggle to get off the field against even mediocre opponents.

Even last year, the defense was in the bottom third in red zone defense. Has that been fixed? Nope. We're even worse this year. And then there's the tape: as I said, watch the team on third down and tell me these guys are being put at a structural advantage. The A-gap Blitz was a cornerstone of what made Bowles' defense successful, and it's all but disappeared from the playbook.

 

[DVontel]

I think Bettcher is a bad DC, but I also think fans are overrating the hell out of the talent on this defense.

 

[Cards_Campos]

Well the major issues I see. We dont blitz enough and or disguise it well. We have to stop playing zone. We suck at it. 3rd and long should be a blitz type defense. .make the QB make really quick decisions

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

I think I could identify a dozen more qualified candidates for the position than Bettcher is, both among the assistant ranks and guys who have fallen out of the league in the last few years. Bettcher isn't getting better with more experience; he's getting worse. I don't know how you look at the trend and say that we need to keep pushing.

The defense has first-round picks in the prime of their careers at every level, plus Pro Bowlers in Matthieu and Jones. It's far more talented than the offensive side of the ball, but they struggle to get off the field against even mediocre opponents.

Even last year, the defense was in the bottom third in red zone defense. Has that been fixed? Nope. We're even worse this year. And then there's the tape: as I said, watch the team on third down and tell me these guys are being put at a structural advantage. The A-gap Blitz was a cornerstone of what made Bowles' defense successful, and it's all but disappeared from the playbook.

That would be according to your opinion. There are better DC's out there, I agree. But his overall numbers his first two years have been above average.

Of course, anybody can cherry pick a set of stats(red zone defense) to show a deficiency and disregard the fact that even with said deficiency, they were 7th in the league in scoring defense.

Also, I mentioned PP and Jones as being the only 2 stars on the defense. Being a 1st round pick doesn't guarantee success. For example, Dion Jordan is a first round pick in his prime but I doubt you're expecting him to be a pass rushing demon for Seattle come Thursday.

 

[Veer]

Most of the time our blitzes are sniffed out by the offense. They have screens and quick hitters ready to beat us. Often our heavy blitzes are picked up entirely and give the QB a chance to go downfield in favorable 1-on-1 matchups vs our weak CBs minus PP. Something has to change with the playcalling. We suck in zone coverage, because the whole defense was built on man coverage. I think we have to get better disguising our blitzes and try some new stuff. Our old home run blitzes aren't working anymore. Anybody in the stadium knows what's coming. This has to change!

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

Most of the time our blitzes are sniffed out by the offense. They have screens and quick hitters ready to beat us. Often our heavy blitzes are picked up entirely and give the QB a chance to go downfield in favorable 1-on-1 matchups vs our weak CBs minus PP. Something has to change with the playcalling. We suck in zone coverage, because the whole defense was built on man coverage. I think we have to get better disguising our blitzes and try some new stuff. Our old home run blitzes aren't working anymore. Anybody in the stadium knows what's coming. This has to change!

Agree with much of this. The big difference is last year the Cards were sacking/pressuring the QB regularly. This year when they get pressure, many times they don't finish the deal. The loss of Calais has had a huge impact across the front 7.

 

[Chopper0080]

I find it funny that these threads have come out after we have played the 49ers. They are terrible and are a poor barometer for where our team is at. Where was the Bettcher isn't terrible after the Rams game? Come see me after Thursday, and then we can talk about Bettcher and his defense.

 

[wit3card]

Bettcher is bad, the Rams game showed it. And that was a game that the first QT was more like a homegame for the Cards than the Rams.

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

Bettcher is bad, the Rams game showed it. And that was a game that the first QT was more like a homegame for the Cards than the Rams.

I agree. Everything should be based on that Rams game.

 

[kerouac9]

I agree. Everything should be based on that Rams game.

Okay. Let’s expand the data set to the Bucs game. And the Colts game. And the first 49ers game. And the Dallas game. And the Lions game.

 

[daves]

The issue to me is the lack of adjustments that the defense makes especially at half time. Bettcher has a game plan and appears to just stick with it no matter what the opponents offense is doing. I allays felt with Bowles as DC that the Cards defense would do better in the 2nd half and they did.

Agreed - which is especially odd given that Bettcher has been credited with greatly contributing to the half-time adjustments under Bowles.
...dbs

 

[splitsecond]

Bettcher's problem wasn't how he started. He had a great base to work with and was taught well. Bettcher's problem is how he hasn't progressed or innovated in ways to keep the defense a step ahead.

 

[GuernseyCard]

If you come out of the first half with a lead or tied what are you suppose to adjust to other than what you've seen so far?

Given that it was reported that Bettcher was in charge of half-time adjustments under Bowles, I have a hard time believing that he isn't stressing the keys going into the second half based on what the opposition has done in the first. He can't adjust to the unknown. If there is a failing it would be on play-to-play defensive calls.