Aug
Rider D could Cats trouble
Courtesy Hamilton Spectator:
It doesn’t really have a name yet, but Saskatchewan Roughrider defensive co-ordinator Gary Etcheverry has stuck a tentative label on his new – and rather unorthodox – scheme: the Kung Fu Defence.
Like most martial arts masters, Etcheverry has plenty of experience: nine years coaching in the CFL and another 16 in U.S. college ranks, mostly on the defensive side of the football. From that well of knowledge, grasshopper, he has taken a number of the concepts he’s learned and turned them into one unique system.
The basic principle: create as much confusion as possible using a vast array of different looks and player personnel packages. While most CFL defences might present maybe a half-dozen different defensive fronts, Etchverry’s has as many as 200 different formations.
“What makes us different is we get into a multitude of alignments and we use a multitude of defensive concepts. I think any one of those concepts is pretty standard but what’s unique is the combination – all those things together in one defensive system,” Etcheverry said from his Regina office this week.
“We’re attempting to not be predictable, that’s for certain. We’re difficult to decipher but at the same time we can still allow ourselves to be cognizant and aware of our responsibilities,” he said.
Ticat quarterback Quinton Porter spent part of this week in the video room trying to get a handle on Etcheverry’s Frankenfence creation.
“It’s a tough defence. They throw a lot of crazy looks at you – sometimes when you look on film you don’t even know what they’re doing,” Porter said. “Up front they have a lot of different looks and they’re moving guys around. Sometimes the end will play tackle or even linebacker. In the secondary, their man looks just like their zone. It can complicate things.”
Hamilton head coach Marcel Bellefeuille spent a number of years as an offensive co-ordinator in the CFL and says this system is truly unique.
“It is different from anything you see and that’s the challenge of it. They do it that way for a reason, so that when you play them it’s a longer preparation period,” Bellefeuille said.
“If you’re playing them three or four times a year in the West you get comfortable with it. But when you’re an Eastern team, you only see them twice and you have to do extra work to prepare for it.”
Porter said the key will be executing their own offensive game plan as opposed to getting caught up by what Saskatchewan is doing.
“It’s important that we establish our game and execute it regardless of what they do,” Porter said. “If you simply execute what you’re doing at a really high level, it’s tough to stop no matter what.”
The concern with a young quarterback like Porter is he could be driven to distraction trying to figure out what’s going on with the defence – and make a critical mistake. So the Ticat coaches have come up with just a few keys for Porter to read before making his throw.
“It’s good for me not to have to look at everybody on the field. I can narrow it down to a couple of guys as opposed to trying to look at everything the defence is doing,” Porter said.
Bellefeuille said, “He’s capable of doing more but I wouldn’t suggest a veteran quarterback do that if he hasn’t faced it – it will put you in some bad situations.”
Bad situations is exactly what Etcheverry is gunning for. While the Roughrider defence has allowed a ton of yards (they rank above only the Ticats) and points per game allowed (dead last in the CFL) they lead the league in takeaways with 26.
“Turnovers have a tremendous correlation between winning and losing, no doubt about it. Generally speaking, takeaways are at the heart of this business,” Etcheverry said.
The Kung Fu analogy is at the heart of this defence’s opportunistic style, Etcheverry said.
“You’re trying to use your opponent’s momentum against him. When that’s matched with good football players like we have, theoretically you have a nice marriage,” he said.
“I know that offensive coaches aren’t real excited about preparing for what we do.”
