Rippee Writes: Final UL thoughts, Austin Peay Primer, NFL is back
Some final thoughts from Monday's win, an Austin Peay primer, NFL returns and some thoughts on the Ryder Cup.
Hope everyone is having a good Thursday. If you’re looking to relive Ole Miss’ win over Louisville one more time, we have a new podcast out with former Ole Miss recruiting specialist Weldon Rotenberg that features nearly two hours of football talk. Check that out here or anywhere you get podcasts.
We’ve got a lot of football to dive into today.
Rebels found success in changed defensive scheme
In his postgame press conference on Monday night, Lane Kiffin subtly mentioned a change in defensive scheme from a year ago. The Rebels went to a 3-2-6 look for pretty much the entire night in the win over Louisville. The odd front stayed the same, but the Rebels essentially played with two ends, a nose tackle, two linebackers and six defensive backs.
“They played it how you’re supposed to,” Kiffin said. “We changed schemes from a year ago and didn’t talk about it on purpose. It is similar to some stuff we saw last year from Arkansas. Iowa State plays it too. We saw the benefit and decided to try it. It limits explosive plays and features a lot of guys moving downhill and hitting people.”
Why did Ole Miss do this? Well, beyond the above explanation from the man in charge, it’s a great fit from a personnel standpoint. A year after boasting the worst pass defense in the SEC, you could make a strong argument that the secondary is the strength of the defense. This staff has done a great job of quickly building depth on the back end. Is it where they want to be? No. Is it a hell of a lot better than it was 12 months ago? Yes. The 2021 class was defensive back-heavy. Otis Reese and Jake Springer are now eligible (yes, I know Reese played at the end of 2020, but in terms of a full season, the point stands).
Ole Miss has more talent at safety and corner. It’s what made this move successful. It’s why true freshman Tysheem Johnson saw extended action. The defense played a total of 81 plays. Five of the top six participants in terms of snap counts were defensive backs. You saw the results: Johnson, Reese, A.J. Finley and others were all factors in stopping the run.
As complicated as football seems, sometimes viewing it as simply trying to put as many of your best players on the field at once makes the often complicated strategy of the game easier to understand. Of course there are limits to this. I doubt Ole Miss runs out in a 2-9 formation this year. And, yes, there will be times in which the Rebels will see offenses that will force them out of it. When that happens, it will be interesting to see how the defensive line and its depth holds up. But this was undoubtedly an effective strategy and a shrewd move that fit this defense’s strengths.
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Kiffin weekly presser highlights
The schedule is a little off this week with the long weekend and Ole Miss having played Monday night, but Kiffin held his weekly press conference on Wednesday. Some highlights:
Ole Miss is only had one real practice this week (that Kiffin wasn’t able to attend due to still being in COVID protocols). It’s not a huge deal given the opponent, but certainly different than a normal game week.
On the broadcast Tuesday night, Kiffin snuck in a couple of well-crafted wise-ass remarks regarding the BIG 10 crew and the way it handled the targeting penalties Ole Miss was subjected to in the game. He was asked yesterday if he addressed it with the team:
"No. I mean, we aren’t stupid,” Kiffin said. “We aren’t going to get penalties. Unusually, that was the first time I was seeing better on TV rather than just on film. We addressed it this morning. Those are the rules. You may not agree with them, but those are the rules. You have to change. That can be done. But there will be times… the game isn’t played slow motion. When people want to say ‘oh, it’s easy to enforce the rule.’ The game isn’t played in slow motion. So when it happens in a split second and the guy drops his head, and the target moves, it is a little difficult. We don’t get instant replay to change our mistakes. The player doesn’t get replay to change it when he misses an assignment and screws up.”
You don’t really have to be a genius to read this as Kiffin finding the way the rule is enforced to be completely moronic, as does the rest of the viewing public. I imagine it will end up being like anything else in life: it will take time for the rule to change even though most rational people can see it makes no sense. So it goes.
Kiffin was asked about Tywone Malone. He said Malone has been hampered with an injury and that they hope to see more of him in the coming weeks as he is now healthy again.
need all @OleMissFB fans here Saturday 🔵🔴 @katyperry come back we will pay for corn dogs 😂😂 #ComeToTheSipDontario Drummond surprised Dontario Drummond
The senior didn’t figure he’d have so many footballs thrown his way.
“I kind of surprised myself,” Drummond said. “I was surprised I got that many targets.”
Still thinking about this throw and catch from Monday night. #OleMiss The confidence and arm talent from QB Matt Corral. 📈 The hands and focus from WR Dontario Drummond. 📈Kiffin and Jeff Lebby have used Drummond quite a bit in the slot and even some in a pseudo H-back role. He’s a larger target than some slot receivers and his sure-handedness is particularly helpful when he lurks over the middle of the field. Elijah Moore played the same role a year ago. It’s foolish to compare what Moore did a season ago to Drummond having one game, but it is interesting to see how a different body type is used in a similar role that saw so much success in 2020.
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Who is Austin Peay?
As I mentioned last week, this space will be more in-depth for SEC opponents. I don’t think anyone wants and needs 800 words on Austin Peay’s scheme. But here are some quick hits on the Governors:
- Austin Peay beat Chattanooga 30-20 last week. Chattanooga was a top-20 ranked team in most FCS rankings. Austin Peay is ranked as high as 17th entering the week.
- Their quarterback is Draylen Ellis, and Olive Branch native, who started all six games of the spring season. He went 23-33 for 325 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions.
- AP’s head coach is Scotty Walden, who is the youngest D-I head coach (30). Walden actually served as Southern Miss's interim coach for three games after Jay Hopson was fired, but then left in the middle of the year to take this job, as if you needed another reminder of just how weird 2020 was. Kiffin can relate to this. He was the youngest coach in NFL history in 2007 when he was hired by the Raiders. Kiffin was asked about this yesterday.
“It was difficult,” Kiffin said. “There is no recipe to create experience. I’ve realized that’s just part of it. It’s life, really. Coaching, parenting, whatever your job is. It takes experience and going through things to learn how to handle them. You can read and prepare. That is helpful, but a lot of times you have to go through it and figure it out on your own. I would advise utilizing people’s opinions who have done it before.”
Ryder Cup Captain’s picks announced
In what has predictably turned into a debate about Patrick Reed, USA Captain Steve Stricker announced his picks for the Ryder Cup in two weeks: Daniel Berger, Harris English, Tony Finau, Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth. They’ll join Collin Morikawa, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas and Patrick Cantlay , who were automatic qualifiers.
This, of course, turned into a not real but sort of real internet debate about leaving Patrick Reed, aka Captain America, off the team.
"Patrick Reed… That was a very, very difficult call,'' Stricker said. "Kind of lost sleep over that one. He's a tremendous competitor. He brings a lot of match-play golf. His record at the Ryder Cup is pretty darned good. It was a very difficult call. It was just the uncertainty of his health and really the lack of play that led to our decision down the stretch.''
Reed, of course, handled this gracefully by liking various tweets calling Stricker a coward, among other things.
I don’t have a nuanced take on this that you haven’t already seen. Reed finished 11th in the Ryder Cup qualifying standings (remember, six guys automatically qualify based on this points system and six are picked by the captain). Four of Stricker’s six picks were guys that ranked ahead of Reed. The two exceptions were Berger (12th) and Scheffler (14th). I don’t see how this is some sort of earth-shattering decision but I also understand why it is at the same time. The only likable portion of Patrick Reed the golfer is his inner red-blooded American male coming out at Ryder Cups over the last decade. I loved it too, but 2016 — the last time he was actually Captain America — was a long time ago. Now, he’s just an asshole that has trouble getting along everyone. Oh, and he was in the hospital with pneumonia less than a month ago. That is its own controversy, mostly due to Reed saying last week that he feared for his life, was vaccinated for COVID-19 and was not tested for it while at the hospital. The latter two statements don’t seem to add up to say the least, but I don’t want to get into all that.
Does this USA Team that features the DeChambeau-Koepka dynamic, the DeChambeau-Cantlay dynamic, plus whatever beef D.J. and Koepka seem to have, really need another guy like Reed in the room?
This comes on the heels of a sound defeat in 2018 in which there was dysfunction amongst the team and disagreement on strategy. Reed can say he got screwed all he wants, but he brought it on himself from a personality standpoint, and being a couple weeks removed from thinking he might die in a hospital — which I am not questioning at all and am glad he is out of the hospital and healthier — didn’t make him a logical choice.
And in perfect Patrick Reed fashion, he’s prematurely digging his own grave. He was likely the 13th guy on a team of 12. Well, there’s a chance Koepka can’t play due to injury. If a replacement is needed, do you think Reed’s chances are improved by him liking Tweets calling Stricker a coward? Of course now, but welcome to the Patrick Reed experience.
The NFL returns tonight
I hope everyone got their fantasy drafts in. In my opinion, there is no greater entertainment on earth than the NFL. There isn’t a league that’s successfully created parity like the NFL. There isn’t a regular season that compares to the NFL and there isn’t another league that can draw millions viewers to a random game they have no stake in like the NFL. It’s the greatest. So, with that said. Here are my division picks that will most definitely be wrong.
NFC East:
Washington Football Team
Dallas Cowboys
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
I don’t trust Dallas despite having the best quarterback in the division. I don’t really see it with Daniel Jones or Jalen Hurts, so why not go with the team that won the division last year with arguably the league’s worst quarterback play. The WFT upgraded by signing Ryan Fitzpatrick. They’re the safest bet.
NFC South
Buccaneers
Saints
Falcons
Panthers
We’ve never seen a Super Bowl champ quite literally run it back with all the same pieces. I am higher on the Saints and the Jameis experience than most and think there’s a chance this division has two or maybe even three playoff teams. The Panthers won’t suck either but are in a brutal division.
NFC North
Packers
Vikings
Bears
Lions
Aaron Rodgers will have a combination of a farewell (to Green Bay) and F-you tour that will be awesome to watch. I have no idea what to make of a Kirk Cousins-led team. Chicago can’t block and the Lions might have the worst skill position players in the NFC.
NFC West:
LA Rams
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
Arizona Cardinals.
I am all in on the Rams. They upgraded at QB by trading for Matthew Stafford and the defense might be the second best in the NFL. This division is ridiculously loaded. I like both Seattle and San Francisco, but gave the 49ers the nod due to Kyle Shanahan seemingly being able to manufacture points with any halfway decent quarterback. I think Seattle will be good and I wouldn’t be shocked if Arizona made the playoffs, but I think Kinsbury is the weakest coach and I’d like to see Seattle play competent offense for four months instead of six weeks.
AFC South
Titans
Colts
Jaguars
Texans
If the Titans don’t win this division, lord help them. I don’t buy the Carson Wentz resurgence. Jacksonville is just hoping its offensive line doesn’t get Trevor Lawrence killed and the Texans are, well, a mess.
AFC East
Bills
Dolphins
Patriots
Jets
The Bills have the most complete roster and a potential MVP at quarterback. I’d like to see Mac Jones for a month in games that count, though I think he’s a good fit. I am higher on Tua and Miami than most. I watched Tua in college. I think last year was a coaching issue. They didn’t let him do anything and there seemed to be a weird dynamic between the front office and the coaching staff in which the owner wanted Tua to play but the staff felt Fitzpatrick gave the team a better chance. The front office won and the coaching staff, by their own admission, did nothing to play to Tua’s strengths. I think that changes this year. The Jets will suck but could be a fun offense.
AFC North:
Browns
Ravens
Steelers
Bengals
Cleveland is a Super Bowl team everywhere but quarterback. Baltimore has had some crap injury luck in camp and their quarterback isn’t vaccinated which is a competitive disadvantage, regardless of anyone’s thoughts on the vaccine. Big Ben looked old last year and while I think Najee Harris is a hell of a running back, I am not sold on the offensive line. As for Cincinnati, please don’t get Burrow killed again this year. That was horrific to watch last fall.
AFC West:
Chiefs
Chargers
Raiders
Broncos
Kansas City’s offensive line is shaky and it might fall under its win total, but will still win this division. The Chargers will push them now that they have a competent head coach. Herbert looked awesome as a rookie. I don’t hate the Raiders roster, but they have fizzled out by Thanksgiving every year under Gruden and I find the Broncos to be perpetual under achievers with a bad coach, even though I like Teddy Bridgewater.
On the horizon
- Friday picks and preview pod
- Football-heavy newsletter tomorrow
- Some great golf content coming in the next couple of weeks.
That is all from me today. Thanks for being a loyal subscriber. Send to your friends and tell them to join in on the fun. Back with more tomorrow.