What’s wrong with Duke’s defense?

[dukiejay]

Some pretty staggering numbers, offensively and defensively, so far in this young season.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...75/duke-blue-devils-defense-struggling-season

 

[MyDudeG]

Obviously it’s early, but I didn’t think there was any way we would be talking about us being a poor defensive team before the season started. We have so much length and athleticism across our lineup. We still have a lot of time to turn it around, but it’s just bizarre that we’re seeing the same issues plague this team as others in the past.

 

[hart2chesson]

Obviously it’s early, but I didn’t think there was any way we would be talking about us being a poor defensive team before the season started. We have so much length and athleticism across our lineup. We still have a lot of time to turn it around, but it’s just bizarre that we’re seeing the same issues plague this team as others in the past.

Just so much YOUTH, IMO trying to pick up the concepts of Coach K's man to man, be it communication, rotation (help side defender moving over, etc) everyone is not on same page yet.

I think we can be a better zone team also, but each man must learn to stay in his area on the court(I have seen us woefully out of position at times leaving shooters wide open).TIME/PRACTICE is the answer like '15 hopefully as that championship squad turned in some of its best work in March/April. In fact they played an awesome zone down at Louisville too, in what amounted to a SEASON TURNAROUND, DEFINING MOMENT TYPE WIN!

I like the points per possession stat noted in the article. Its a VERY USEFUL stat for coaches Dean Smith began using at UNC in the 70s, and is still highly meaningful today.

OFC

 

[dukephysics]

Without the AD hiring some outside adviser, we are doomed.

 

[BNM79]

Bring in Larry shyatt to fix the defense

 

[tarheel0910]

Just so much YOUTH, IMO trying to pick up the concepts of Coach K's man to man, be it communication, rotation (help side defender moving over, etc) everyone is not on same page yet.

I think a lot of that can be attributed to the way AAU ball is played. AAU ball seems to put more of an emphasis on offense and teaching defense kind of becomes secondary. Anytime you go from high school to college there is always going to be an adjustment period, but I think it's even more glaring now because of the way AAU is.

 

[hart2chesson]

I think a lot of that can be attributed to the way AAU ball is played. AAU ball seems to put more of an emphasis on offense and teaching defense kind of becomes secondary. Anytime you go from high school to college there is always going to be an adjustment period, but I think it's even more glaring now because of the way AAU is.

tarheel I agree totally....OFC

OFC

 

[jwill133]

Against MSU our zone was very active, hands flying everywhere, our length was popping out of the TV. We got tons of steals, had so much speed, we looked like a seasoned Syracuse 2/3 zone. I just don't get what happened?? Since then, our 2/3 zone has looked awful, it's basically been "hey we are gonna let you shoot 3's and pray that you miss because we can't guard a pick-n-roll if our life depended on it." Maybe our zone against MSU looked great just because they were so un-prepared? I don't know.

I do contribute youth as the main reason for our man-to-man defensive failures. Trevon and Gary are great on-ball defenders, but there help defense is non-existent. Grayson is the opposite, we hide him every game, but he talks and understands help defense, protecting the lane, etc, given his limitations. Bagley has the potential to be a MONSTER on-ball defense, he was just bad in the BC game, he was great though down the stretch of all our close wins. Teams are just picking Carter apart though in the pick-n-roll, that is a serious issue, he is getting obliterated by guards. Javin and Bolden are fine on defense, the other end is the issue.

 

[Mac9192]

It's his style. It's obviously more complex than the defenses teams like UVA and Wichita State run. Of all his adapting he's done over the years, he still runs his style of man.
It's frustrating as a fan to watch a team that has been known for defense now give up so many open and easy looks.
The article didn't make me feel any better. We get the top shelf talent, everyone gets so excited, yet our defense looks jv at times. Maybe this extended practice time will help.

 

[skysdad]

Right now I think it's defending the 3. OFC

 

[Lavar5150]

Some pretty staggering numbers, offensively and defensively, so far in this young season.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...75/duke-blue-devils-defense-struggling-season

Starts with “want to”. Not seeing much from anyone other than G.

Close outs on 3s are slow and the rotations show clear lack of a talker like Amile on the backend.

 

[2004Audi]

if youth is an issue, and I think it is, then doesn't the staff consider a new philosophy on the defensive end? I don't see where youth will not be a problem for the foreseeable future with the success k and staff are having on the recruiting trail. the one thing that frustrates me about the defense that is being played and has been played for the past few years is the response coach gives. this year it is "no time to practice" in other years it has been "guys aren't communicating" I am sure these are factors, but maybe the defensive scheme is too difficult to teach and learn with kids that are in school for one year. I am no expert in coaching but even I can see that having your center guarding a point guard out at the top of the key is a disaster waiting to happen. I know they are working hard to figure it out and I have faith the staff will, but I hope it is soon. too much talent on this team and id hate to see it go to waste by giving 50+ points up to a team in a half come tournament time.

 

[jwill133]

If youth is the biggest issue than why is UK an elite defense more often than not?? They start 5 freshman and are great on D again (I’m aware they are terrible on offense.)

 

[hart2chesson]

If youth is the biggest issue than why is UK an elite defense more often than not?? They start 5 freshman and are great on D again (I’m aware they are terrible on offense.)

Perhaps its in the nuances of the two systems the programs teach. Thats just a theory. I can only submit for instance Duke had a player win National Defensive POY 8 times between '88 and '06. Thats some kind of record, and none were freshmen. In fact I think Battier (who won it 3 times) was the only sophomore to win it.

OFC

 

[skysdad]

Right now I think it's defending the 3. OFC

Going back to this I have no idea how to defend the 3 though other than you figure out a way for the opposition to not be able to shoot the 3. Everyone shoots them now. That's all they do in youth basketball. Shoot the 3. It's been a great weapon for us in the past but now it seems to be our worst enemy. I may be over doing it a little but I wonder if one of you guys who can find opposing stats on how many 3's we are giving up this year and how many 3's we are allowing to be shot. If a team is going to shoot 30 3's a night against us some of them are going to fall but if we limit those shots to 10-15 it's going to make a difference. So I guess what I'm trying to say is not only defend the 3 but limit the total shots. OFC

 

[hart2chesson]

Going back to this I have no idea how to defend the 3 though other than you figure out a way for the opposition to not be able to shoot the 3. Everyone shoots them now. That's all they do in youth basketball. Shoot the 3. It's been a great weapon for us in the past but now it seems to be our worst enemy. I may be over doing it a little but I wonder if one of you guys who can find opposing stats on how many 3's we are giving up this year and how many 3's we are allowing to be shot. If a team is going to shoot 30 3's a night against us some of them are going to fall but if we limit those shots to 10-15 it's going to make a difference. So I guess what I'm trying to say is not only defend the 3 but limit the total shots. OFC

Good point Sky!

OFC

 

[Mac9192]

It's like Coach K is holding onto that last piece that is associated with his legacy. This brand of d is what paved the way for Duke to be as competitive as they have been. This is the downfall with this model, you're bringing in a batch of elite talent each year and hoping you get all of them to mesh in a very short time, whereas there is at least one major program out there that are led by multiple upperclassmen.
It's also reasonable to suggest chemistry is the other issue. Would the 15 title team had won it all had Sulaimon stayed?
I think this is as close to a do or die season he's had in a long time. K, in my opinion, bet the farm on Duke when he added Bagley. What's the phrase, "take the talent and figure it out later?" It's only December, and maybe it's not worth worrying about yet, but Duke sells, and ESPN did a story on a pattern, not just because of one game.

 

[timo0402]

It's like Coach K is holding onto that last piece that is associated with his legacy. This brand of d is what paved the way for Duke to be as competitive as they have been. This is the downfall with this model, you're bringing in a batch of elite talent each year and hoping you get all of them to mesh in a very short time, whereas there is at least one major program out there that are led by multiple upperclassmen.
It's also reasonable to suggest chemistry is the other issue. Would the 15 title team had won it all had Sulaimon stayed?
I think this is as close to a do or die season he's had in a long time. K, in my opinion, bet the farm on Duke when he added Bagley. What's the phrase, "take the talent and figure it out later?" It's only December, and maybe it's not worth worrying about yet, but Duke sells, and ESPN did a story on a pattern, not just because of one game.

I think this is a pretty extreme take to be honest. I don’t think K gives a lick about “holding onto” some legacy of defense. I think he cares about winning and more importantly getting this current team to play solid defense in the goal of winning. If he cared about all of that crap he wouldn’t try out all of the different defenses he has, at some point though you have to have some sort of basic knowledge of how to play defense, and yes there is a huge learning curve. Expecting it to happen just bc you have a bunch of talent is shortsighted.

As for the sheed comment, i can almost assure you we would not have won it if he had stayed but there’s also no way of proving that. I could also go down the list of every single champion of all time and say if “x, y and z” dont happen this team doesn’t win it all, i think that’s a bad example- it’s a OAD tournament and you have to not only have a great team (at worst very good) and you have to have a lot of things go your way. UNC probably should have lost to Arkansas in the round of 32 last year and many reasonable unc fans will tell you that. They were extremely fortunate to win and they capitalized on it. Duke ran into a really unfortunate draw, unc fans in the building yada yada yada, we didn’t respond well and lost. It happens.

As for this being a do or die season, i feel like you personally have been really hyping that premise up this season- that’s fine it’s your perogative. That doesn’t mean it’s not a process and it doesn’t mean that there won’t be hiccups along the way. And guess what if we don’t make the final four or win it all, well that will be another one of the 36 years K didn’t win it all. It is really really really hard to do. And if we don’t- K will still be back and he will still try and win another next year. It’s not do or die in my eyes and i want to win more than anyone....except coach.

 

[hart2chesson]

It's also reasonable to suggest chemistry is the other issue. Would the 15 title team had won it all had Sulaimon stayed?

CHEMISTRY, YES! Asking Kids to blend together straight out of high school immediately as freshmen is a difficult task. They have all been the Alphas, but it did work w/the '15 team and I still have very high hopes this group comes together, especially on the defensive end.

In answer to your question, NO I do not think Duke would have taken it all in '15 w/Sheed. One of life's unanswered questions, but the 1st game w/o him they came together in Charlottesville like a well oiled machine in the waning minutes.

OFC

 

[OldasdirtDevil]

I think what's wrong with our defense is take your pick; (1) too young and inexperienced yet to make it work, (2) feel like we can just out score everyone (which evidently we can't), (3) K has just plain forgot how to teach defense anymore. I tend to lean toward #1 myself. If we're still playing defense like this at the end of the year then maybe I'll have to reconsider one of the others.

OFC

 

[d24martin]

Does the coaching tree all play man defense (Dawkins, Amaker, Hurley, and those guys)? It is (was?) such a Duke staple that if these disciples without one and dones have bailed on it it would tell me something.

Because if there’s one thing those guys learned as Duke players it is man to man defense. You’d think they’d be energized to emphasize it after their careers as players.

Or maybe times have changed due to AAU or whatever and they can’t coach it. Just curious if y’all know if any of them (please Wojo of all people) insist on man defense.

 

[Mac9192]

I think this is a pretty extreme take to be honest. I don’t think K gives a lick about “holding onto” some legacy of defense. I think he cares about winning and more importantly getting this current team to play solid defense in the goal of winning. If he cared about all of that crap he wouldn’t try out all of the different defenses he has, at some point though you have to have some sort of basic knowledge of how to play defense, and yes there is a huge learning curve. Expecting it to happen just bc you have a bunch of talent is shortsighted.

As for the sheed comment, i can almost assure you we would not have won it if he had stayed but there’s also no way of proving that. I could also go down the list of every single champion of all time and say if “x, y and z” dont happen this team doesn’t win it all, i think that’s a bad example- it’s a OAD tournament and you have to not only have a great team (at worst very good) and you have to have a lot of things go your way. UNC probably should have lost to Arkansas in the round of 32 last year and many reasonable unc fans will tell you that. They were extremely fortunate to win and they capitalized on it. Duke ran into a really unfortunate draw, unc fans in the building yada yada yada, we didn’t respond well and lost. It happens.

As for this being a do or die season, i feel like you personally have been really hyping that premise up this season- that’s fine it’s your perogative. That doesn’t mean it’s not a process and it doesn’t mean that there won’t be hiccups along the way. And guess what if we don’t make the final four or win it all, well that will be another one of the 36 years K didn’t win it all. It is really really really hard to do. And if we don’t- K will still be back and he will still try and win another next year. It’s not do or die in my eyes and i want to win more than anyone....except coach.

You're entitled to your opinion, and thanks for keeping it on the topics. We disagree on the importance of this team in terms of contending. Bagley was a game changer. K upped the ante by adding a stud to an already talented roster.
Respectfully I think you missed the point about Sulaimon. Big difference in a team getting a call or 3 in a tight game and a player causing turmoil within the team.
Whether it's chemistry or defense, the point I was making is over the last 5-6 seasons, one or both have kept the team from being as good as they maybe could have been.
I have admitted to getting caught up in the excitement rave over the talent Duke has this season. I said this was "as close" to do or die season. It's because he has a proven senior, 2 really good big men, and a true point guard, something he hasn't really had since what, 2015? On paper, experience is really the only thing this team lacked. Look, I want Duke to win it all as much as the next fan, but maybe it's just me, but there seems to be a little more pressure to do well this year.

 

[hart2chesson]

Look, I want Duke to win it all as much as the next fan, but maybe it's just me, but there seems to be a little more pressure to do well this year.

I can identify w/this after last year regarding the "pressure" you mentioned. We were blessed w/tremendous talent and didnt make it out of the 1st weekend while The Cheats went all the way.

This year we have all that new talent again (and Grayson), and there does appear to be more pressure to advance and really take it all. I agree w/Timo too, "it is really really really hard" to win it all. No question!! However all the media hype surrounding our incredible collection of talent, makes it seem such a great disappointment (almost similar to Ky in '15 perhaps)if we fall short.

 

[dukiejay]

On paper, experience is really the only thing this team lacked.

And that’s really, really important. Even 2012 Kentucky and our 2015 team had more experience than this current one.

 

[DukefanKY]

I know about as much about coaching a college basketball team as I do building an acme rocket that will finally allow the coyote to catch the road runner.....with that said, I don't even mind a team shooting 3's too bad because even though it kills you when a team is hot, it is generally a low percentage shot.....what I cant stand is all the wide open layups with no one else anywhere near the paint. I really thought that with Wendell and Bagley both on the floor at the same time, that would be one thing we wouldn't have to worry about. I really believe if we could lock down the paint, the 3's wouldn't matter as much.

 

[timo0402]

You're entitled to your opinion, and thanks for keeping it on the topics. We disagree on the importance of this team in terms of contending. Bagley was a game changer. K upped the ante by adding a stud to an already talented roster.
Respectfully I think you missed the point about Sulaimon. Big difference in a team getting a call or 3 in a tight game and a player causing turmoil within the team.
Whether it's chemistry or defense, the point I was making is over the last 5-6 seasons, one or both have kept the team from being as good as they maybe could have been.
I have admitted to getting caught up in the excitement rave over the talent Duke has this season. I said this was "as close" to do or die season. It's because he has a proven senior, 2 really good big men, and a true point guard, something he hasn't really had since what, 2015? On paper, experience is really the only thing this team lacked. Look, I want Duke to win it all as much as the next fan, but maybe it's just me, but there seems to be a little more pressure to do well this year.

I don’t think i missed the point on Sheed at all. I’m saying there is a ton of factors and luck that go into it. A lot more than a couple calls here or there.

And you are correct, you cannot downplay the experience portion. It’s a huge reason why last year not having a PG and of course all of the injuries was so devastating to me as a fan. We had the perfect scenario of talent and experience. The year before Amile going down really hurt that team. Two different years and two different factors went against us not making a deep run. The year prior it’s addition by subtraction. This year from an on the court perspective we have it all- minus a decent amount of experience, so i think that’s why to me it’s got to be a more patient approach to this whole season. I also have to believe that our staff has to have the breathing room from the enormous expectations to figure it out.

 

[carolinablue34]

And that’s really, really important. Even 2012 Kentucky and our 2015 team had more experience than this current one.

Some other UNC fans and I were talking about that the other day. Even though Kentucky and Duke won the title in 2012 and 2015 respectively with “one and done” teams, each one of them had experience to go along with that talented youth. Kentucky had Doron Lamb, Darius Miller and Terrance Jones and you guys had Matt Jones, Amile Jefferson and Quinn Cook.

The OAD era has changed many things, but more often than not, to win a championship requires chemistry and upperclassman as much as it does top talent. If this year’s duke team has a glaring weakness, that might be it.

 

[BlueDevilWildcat]

I also have to believe that our staff has to have the breathing room from the enormous expectations to figure it out.

Lol, yeah, those poor coaches, expecting them to beat BC after only 6 months with this roster.

There are literally hundreds of high school and college coaches that would take this roster and beat BC (playing w/o their top rebounder no less) by 20+ points. I mean, have the last 8 years not been enough proof that this staff can't coach D? Literally it's the same thing nearly every year.

To me it's clear the staff doesn't get it. I'm just curious why most of you don't, either.

 

[gottagonow]

Personally, I agree with Sksydad, I blame the 3 point shot. I'll bet its been our demise on offense probably much more than it has on defense. Look at the times in big games where our shooters have gone 2 for (pick a number) individually such as 2 for 11 or 2 for 13 or as a team at 17% or similar. We usually lose those games it seems or either knock down a few towards the end to save us. On the other hand look at how its killed us defensively such as against South Carolina and last week at BC but in those games as well, our 3 point shooting could have saved us if not for awful shooting from our best players and we wouldn't even be reading this post had they shot better from 3. I have a feeling that when teams who play usually good defense miss their 3's it has a tremendous affect on the outcome and a negative impact on their defense, especially on the stat sheet. When was the last time anyone can remember losing a game where we shot 55% from 3 or won a game where we gave up 50% and only made 17%. 3 ball is fun when it goes in but sucks when it doesn't and vice versa defensively. I'll bet when both Duke and its opponent shoot around 30 % from 3 we usually win those games.

 

[gottagonow]

Some other UNC fans and I were talking about that the other day. Even though Kentucky and Duke won the title in 2012 and 2015 respectively with “one and done” teams, each one of them had experience to go along with that talented youth. Kentucky had Doron Lamb, Darius Miller and Terrance Jones and you guys had Matt Jones, Amile Jefferson and Quinn Cook.

The OAD era has changed many things, but more often than not, to win a championship requires chemistry and upperclassman as much as it does top talent. If this year’s duke team has a glaring weakness, that might be it.

So true carolinablue. Another saying about one and does is damn if you and damn if you don't. UNC also experienced the perfect storm last season with pretty good players who had developed into men in 3 or 4 years. Experience, just like size does matter.

 

[timo0402]

Lol, yeah, those poor coaches, expecting them to beat BC after only 6 months with this roster.

There are literally hundreds of high school and college coaches that would take this roster and beat BC (playing w/o their top rebounder no less) by 20+ points. I mean, have the last 8 years not been enough proof that this staff can't coach D? Literally it's the same thing nearly every year.

To me it's clear the staff doesn't get it. I'm just curious why most of you don't, either.

That’s true our coaching staff sucks. Ok go back to RR where you spend 95% of your time.

 

[timo0402]

Some other UNC fans and I were talking about that the other day. Even though Kentucky and Duke won the title in 2012 and 2015 respectively with “one and done” teams, each one of them had experience to go along with that talented youth. Kentucky had Doron Lamb, Darius Miller and Terrance Jones and you guys had Matt Jones, Amile Jefferson and Quinn Cook.

The OAD era has changed many things, but more often than not, to win a championship requires chemistry and upperclassman as much as it does top talent. If this year’s duke team has a glaring weakness, that might be it.

Agreed, one of the things that never gets talked about enough is that typically this year withstanding we’ve always had that veteran presence (more than just one guy).

 

[Canadian Dukie]

I think what's wrong with our defense is take your pick; (1) too young and inexperienced yet to make it work, (2) feel like we can just out score everyone (which evidently we can't), (3) K has just plain forgot how to teach defense anymore. I tend to lean toward #1 myself. If we're still playing defense like this at the end of the year then maybe I'll have to reconsider one of the others.

OFC

I lean towards number 2...the freshmen we're all super stars in high school,probably never lost more than a hand full of games their entire careers...then they get to Duke,fall behind a lot of times but always manage to come back and steal a win..then they come up against a hot shooting team,our shots are not falling,we start to panic a little,mistakes start to happen,bad decisons on offence combined with poor defence equals a loss....hopefully they now realize they cant win by out scoring every team....defence wins games

 

[df64]

Definitely not an Xs and Os guy here, but I just don't get how we defend the high ball screen. Our secondary defender, or hedger"" kind of half shows, which puts no pressure on the outside shot. At the same time, the "hedger" while hanging out in no mans land, allows the ball handler to turn the corner and then drive the lane totally unobstructed while actually screening off any help D that could rotate over! We have been doing this for several years now. Honestly, what am I missing here?

We have very long, quick athletes on this team with great hands. I say, aggressively attack the high ball screen like the Knicks used to do with Ewing and Oakley. Trap the ball handler and or force him to back way off, which allows both defenders to recover to guard their original man. It defends the 3 and keeps the original ball handler out of the lane. If our guys lack communication, experience, and system knowledge, take advantage of their quickness and aggression. Take thinking out of the equation until they "get it."

 

[HeelsShmeels]

One player makes or breaks teams in basketball( Jordan, Lebron, Kobe). Football has 22 guys and 20-30 subs, Baseball has maybe 20 guys that can play, hockey has 3 full line changes.
Duke has 7-8 guys IF they have everyone available. One guy having foul trouble or off night and you have a problem.
Grayson saved MSU game but couldn’t do it vs. BC. Narrow window for success at this point unless everyone’s playing well most of the game.

 

[jwill133]

Definitely not an Xs and Os guy here, but I just don't get how we defend the high ball screen. Our secondary defender, or hedger"" kind of half shows, which puts no pressure on the outside shot. At the same time, the "hedger" while hanging out in no mans land, allows the ball handler to turn the corner and then drive the lane totally unobstructed while actually screening off any help D that could rotate over! We have been doing this for several years now. Honestly, what am I missing here?

We have very long, quick athletes on this team with great hands. I say, aggressively attack the high ball screen like the Knicks used to do with Ewing and Oakley. Trap the ball handler and or force him to back way off, which allows both defenders to recover to guard their original man. It defends the 3 and keeps the original ball handler out of the lane. If our guys lack communication, experience, and system knowledge, take advantage of their quickness and aggression. Take thinking out of the equation until they "get it."

This is good. Our ball-screen defense has been a JOKE since like 2012, minus a 2 month stretch in 2015 when Winslow morphed into Superman. I am so tired of watching guards obliterate us off the dribble. The open 3's, the easy dunks and alley oops against athletic teams, are all products of us not being able to guard a simple ball screen.

Up until 2012, we always defended like mad-men by being physical and beating teams up, once the hand-check rules changed, seems like K hasn't figured out the right way to D up. My theory would be to have the big guy hedge on all ball-screens and trap, but seems like Bolden seems to be the only big guy capable of this. Hedging does take a lot of energy, so not sure Bagley/Carter have all that in the tank along with being our main offensive weapons.

 

[timo0402]

This is good. Our ball-screen defense has been a JOKE since like 2012, minus a 2 month stretch in 2015 when Winslow morphed into Superman. I am so tired of watching guards obliterate us off the dribble. The open 3's, the easy dunks and alley oops against athletic teams, are all products of us not being able to guard a simple ball screen.

Up until 2012, we always defended like mad-men by being physical and beating teams up, once the hand-check rules changed, seems like K hasn't figured out the right way to D up. My theory would be to have the big guy hedge on all ball-screens and trap, but seems like Bolden seems to be the only big guy capable of this. Hedging does take a lot of energy, so not sure Bagley/Carter have all that in the tank along with being our main offensive weapons.

I think our hedging has ben awful. I truly can’t figure out why that is the case, it shouldn’t be that difficult of a concept you would think.

 

[Showenuff]

Lol, yeah, those poor coaches, expecting them to beat BC after only 6 months with this roster.

There are literally hundreds of high school and college coaches that would take this roster and beat BC (playing w/o their top rebounder no less) by 20+ points. I mean, have the last 8 years not been enough proof that this staff can't coach D? Literally it's the same thing nearly every year.

To me it's clear the staff doesn't get it. I'm just curious why most of you don't, either.

Okay, now you're morphing into a flaming troll prick. Why don't you take a deep breath there Alice.

 

[Mpm277]

On one hand, I can kind of forgive the poor perimeter defense. Both Florida and Boston College were shooting three's right in our guy's faces. Not much you can do about that. What concerns me more is how easily (or at least it's seemed that way to me) teams have been able to score in the paint against us. I know we're young, but with Marvin and Wendell both inside, how do people even get a shot or layup up over them? It really speaks to how lost and out of position they are on defense at times - which again comes back to youth, I guess. I'm sure defense has never been a huge focal point for many on this team until now.

 

[dbav]

Is it possible that our defense is downright offensive?