Venables' Oklahoma defense too complicated? |
The impression that many Clemson fans have is that former Clemson defensive coordinator Kevin Steele's defense was too complicated and had the defense thinking too much on the field. Brent Venables was brought in to simplify things and get the defense thinking less and making more plays. So it was interesting to see an article Tuesday from the Tulsa World that basically said Venables was Oklahoma's Kevin Steele.
Mike Stoops, said safety Javon Harris, "is more about, make the plays. You might fall out of position. The scheme might not go as planned. But go make a play." We have not come here to slay Brent Venables. His work ethic and preparation and precision and football intelligence are unparalleled. He is a gridiron savant. He could give a week-long symposium on blitzing the B gap. He's that smart, that detailed. But it sounds as though Venables had players thinking too much. The more complex offenses got, the more complex Venables' defenses got. Mike Stoops realized that when he returned, recognized that good players were playing bad football, and he slimmed down and simplified the game plan.
Players say the complexity of former coordinator Brent Venables' game plans caused too much thinking, too much analyzing, and thus prohibited pure playmaking.
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