If the guard decides to climb for the Mike (illustrated), the 4i can easily get penetration and maybe even block or negate the pull (I have a clip of this later vs TCUs 11p single-back Power). After leaving FIU, Orlando went north to coach Utah State, where their defense ranked 7th and 12th in scoring defense during the 2013 and 2014 seasons, respectively. Though Todd Orlando's (DC, USC) time at Texas came to a screeching halt after the 2019 regular season, one thing is clear, the man can create pressure. Orlando's favorite scheme against the run in his multiple 3-4. Todd Orlando remembers feeling bad for Tom Herman. Two Former NBA Players Receive Prison Sentences For Fraud Scheme. Lets start with the base defense. Snow, at his fifth FBS post as defensive coordinator, has evolved his scheme to become more multiple and detailed. Considering how long players have had to learn the scheme, Orlando made clear he wont be as forgiving when it comes to forgetting assignments. Los Angeles Times USC beat writer Ryan Kartje offered this extended answer: Its important to remind everyone listening that I havent actually seen Todd Orlandos defense other than one practice during the spring Weve seen it all over the country that these offenses are running roughshod over defenses. Even for much of spring camp. At Texas, Orlando oversaw a defense that improved from 80th to 24th in points allowed. He wants to stop the run and make a defense one-dimensional. 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Its really hard to screw up a run play. Roach believes that Orlandos odd front didnt let the defensive line showcase their abilities. Stanley, he has natural mobility. Georgia and Texas used the front and similar coverage schemes as a base, with both finding themselves in BCfToys.coms top 10 in Defensive Efficiency (adjusted for the strength of opponent offenses faced UGA was #5 and Texas #6). This article appeared in Athlon Sports' 2018 Big 12 Regional Football Preview Editions. Orlando turned down that job, too. Weve changed that.. Phone. It is not going to be participation awards. Orlando said hes already adjusted his scheme, which relies on mixed fronts and aggressive blitzing, to fit USCs personnel. Gone were the experienced players in the secondary who could force the quarterback to hold the ball for an extra second or two. What I think were all starting to learn defensively theres some four-down stuff thats really good but the number of people you can get off the ball based on how the offense is attacking can be advantageous to you.. Up front, the Longhorns moved third-down specialist Breckyn Hager into one of the 4i-technique DE positions, where his scrappy playing style allowed him to battle bigger offensive linemen despite his smaller stature (6'2" 240). Pili underwent surgery last week on some broken fingers, which forced him to miss the game. The 404 alignment does several things for the box: 1) the offensive line cant climb because of the 4is, and 2) it frees up at least one of the inside linebackers (if not both). It also gives him the ability to put players in situations to take advantage of deficiencies within an offensive scheme or weaker/slower players. Orlando has a long coaching career with multiple stops across the country. * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). He served as the defensive coordinator at the University of Texas at Austin from 2017 to 2019 and the University of Southern California (USC) from 2020 to 2021. Thats where our emphasis is going to be this week.. USC's new defensive coordinator didn't waste time schooling Trojans on new scheme New USC defensive coordinator Todd Orlando didn't let the COVID-19 shutdown stop him from familiarizing the Trojans to his defense. Orlando has proven in previous stops that hes capable of a quick reboot; though, never quite under the current circumstances he now faces. The offseason plan was to mold Jefferson into the next star rover for Orlando, but circumstances over the course of the season resulted in Jefferson moving to the "mac" position to make room for fellow speedster and junior college transfer Gary Johnson. In reality, Texas players say their responsibilities change little from week to week. Through spring and summer, the physical, hard-nosed brand of defense Todd Orlando promised to bring to USC remained strictly theoretical. Just the traditional tailback running game, if youre not doing good you have no chance of playing elite defense. If you practice soft, youre going to play soft, Orlando said. The time is now! In the concluding 2019 Pressure Tape review, MQ will breakdown three Longhorn pressures against the now-famous LSU offenses (one of the best in history). No. To me, thats recruiting. And then Jamars just played that his whole life. Heres the cool part about this, every night after practice we watch every rep of every play that we have. Herman calls Orlando the best defensive coordinator in the country. Some of the stuff I was about to say, he was already thinking. He said of Orlandos teaching, He has one of those play calls where its constant blitzes. USC coach Clay Helton says hes noticed benefits from the Trojans unprecedented start to an unusual, pandemic-shortened season. Texas goal is to play fast on defense, forcing opposing QB to play slow. But Orlando paid Herman, a former QB coach, an even higher compliment than that. Todd Orlando, who has 16 years of experience as a collegiate defensive coordinator, was named USC's defensive coordinator in January of 2020. If that sounds like the start of a football romantic comedy, it isnt you wont find two more hard-nosed personalities than Orlando and Herman. Most offensive schemes in the Big 12 didn't have many built-in answers for a versatile safety floating in the middle of the field and thwarting their route combos or coming unblocked against the run game. After the opening weekend for USC, things looked good for the Trojans. Like Iowa State, Texas has a three-safety Dime package that they utilize against pass-heavy offenses (think Kingburys Tech) or in obvious pass downs where Orlando wants to drop eight and flood the zones. Written by Ian Boyd (@Ian_A_Boyd)for Athlon Sports. One it has practiced against every day for months. College football was temporarily revolutionized when hurry-up spread teams began to perfect the art of sending signals from the sideline to the field, allowing coordinators to make audibles and adjustments on behalf of their players. Theres a reason why he was let go. Follow Antonio on Twitter @AntonioCMorales. There's no better way to demonstrate that than to look at howTexas defended the run. The defense has numbers and is plus-one on the pulling guard. Aside from one spring practice, the intricacies of his scheme were installed only over Zoom. The guy could be a linebacker coach. Once at Texas, though, Orlando was inheriting a defense with great athletes but disparate pieces that hadn't been put together into a cohesive unit. By Coachlamons @nukeit1981 Dec. Orlando said the Big 12 is unparalleled nationally when it comes to offensive playcalling. But the play he makes at the end of the game, those are the two to three plays the really special players make. Orlando believes the only way a team will play fast and hard is if they do so in practice. Their camp D was a 3-4, but once the season hit, the packages started to proliferate. Hell then put on a video with several examples. It wont get any easier, either, with the trojans facing Notre Dame right after their bye and still have games against UCLA and Arizona State on the schedule. That safety, last year played by the hard-hittingJason Hall, helped support the run defending on his read. Every week is a challenge. Thats in large part due to the variance of the offensive minds. No. Clancy Pendergast there wasnt a lot of mystery to his defense. The Chargers based out of it for a whole game! Even the NFL saw many of its teams embrace a more open style of play. Innovation comes from desperation, and in the offensive gauntlet that is the Big 12, it has created an evolutionary playground for defensive (and offensive) football. Every time USC football scrimmaged, there was one side of the ball that dominated much of the live periods: the defense. Before heading to Utah State and learning the art of disguised zone blitzes and modern 3-4 defense from the Kyle Whittingham coaching tree in the early 2010s, Orlando was a traditional 4-3 coach. USCs defense got two hits on Daniels and forced three incompletions on those three plays. perspective, he's found Orlando to be a gem of an assistant for a variety of reasons. Preparing for his first season as defensive coordinator at No. Thats what practice is about. The Tite Front is becoming a popular way to defend the Spread; its important to understand how teams are going to attack it on the ground. Continue reading Attacking the Tite Front. Against the more run-heavy approaches from USC, Oklahoma and Kansas State, Orlando utilized his traditional blend of nickel defense, moving quarters coverages and zone blitzes. Herman just needed to know if the pair would mesh personally. But for now Orlando is sticking around in Austin to work with Herman. 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Its not likely to last forever. It took defenses a while to catch up, but Orlando is at the cutting edge with his defensive packages that can disrupt the process and even the playing field. The pairing, if things break right, could bring Texas back to where it expects to be annually. When you get players who can make throws and can run, you have to be mindful, Orlando told reporters on Wednesday morning. But Barry and USC opted not to continue their discussions, and Orlando became the leading candidate. But the Trojans just had a full, traditional offseason, from spring football to summer conditioning, creating The way you practice is the amount of plays youre going to get. The diagram below illustrates the fronts usefulness versus a popular Spread play, the Power Read. The image above shows the Longhorns base look against the ever prevalent Y-Off 20 pers. Then the injuries and attrition reduced depth at linebacker while inexperienced players tried to fill in, resulting in Orlando moving his best natural pass rusher, B-backer Joseph Ossai, to multiple positions around the field that kept him from attacking downhill. If youre thinking in football, youre playing slow.. New USC defensive coordinator Todd Orlando, shown during his tenure at Texas, didnt let the COVID-19 shutdown stop him from familiarizing the Trojans to his defense. He beats the tackle clean, forces the throw fast and its an incomplete. A good run defense has been a calling card of. We are excited to have Todd join our Trojan football program, USC coach Clay Helton said in a release. A look at how Texas defenders fit in Todd Orlando's scheme The Longhorns have plenty of returning talent for the prospective defensive coordinator to utilize. One thing to not overlook is the away side 4i who has leverage on the away side tackle. But players say Orlandos greatest strength is the ability to break down complicated concepts into digestible pieces. Is USC defense ready to take a leap in Year 2, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window). Nearly every defensive coordinator will say theyre multiple in the various looks theyll give an offense. Orlando has always been multiple, but it seemed like in the end there was just too much going on which was evident by Head Coach Tom Hermans decision to go with Chris Ash as the DC who is known for a simpler style reflecting Ohio State (with more of a Quarters base). Theyre helping us as a coaching staff and that stuff, you cant put a price on those things.. The Longhorns tried a few different alignments in the secondary, ultimately reverting back to their standard starting group while inserting tweener senior Jason Hall, a 6'2", 220-pounder with physicality and some coverage ability, into the dime role and then expanding that role beyond the robber alignment based off his particular skill set. A clearer picture of USCs new defense should crystallize in the coming days, with contact no longer limited. He knows everything thats going to happen. Texas junior defensive endMalcolm Roachsaid an Orlando film session is everything youd want it to be. That means a detail-oriented outlook focused to the point where Orlando will call out a player for a 12-inch step instead of a 6-inch one. It made it a lot easier for me to make that decision (to stay).. Gone were the inside linebackers who were so effective as blitzers. Eventual Florida defensive end signee Princely Umanmielen cited the three-man front as one of the reasons why he decommitted from Texas back in October. FAU brings back a solid core talented defenders in their front seven and have also added numerous former blue-chip transfers to solidify their front seven. How you practice around here is going to be how many reps you get, Orlando said. The only two Pac-12 schools behind them are Cal and winless Arizona. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Youre in this area and theres some really good high school players in this area, the top guys. Adam Grosbard covers USC athletics for the Orange County Register and Southern California News Group. But we understood why we were running it. Its very unique, added Texas senior safetyP.J. Schemes aside, Orlandos defense is built on one thing above all his players flying to the ball. Theyre not only making plays, but theyre trying to help other guys. Get full team. The initial conversations went well. I feel the 4-3 will help those guys to show their talents and more people will come out of Texas.. USC had problems getting aligned on Saturday, and one of its alignment busts led to an Arizona State touchdown in the second quarter. Orlando took a job as the linebackers coach and assistant head coach at Texas Tech soon after. The notion that the Big 12 doesnt play defense is false. As I wrote in early 2019 after Texas defeated Georgia, Orlandos defense uses hybrid players and different alignments to put pressure on offenses. groupings are being countered by many defenses basing out of a Nickel defense. Texas removed what would often be a disadvantaged linebacker in pass coverage and added a dime safety as a robber in the middle of the defense. Imagine if this actually happens. Figueroa had a breakout 2020 season and since then has added 15 pounds of muscle to give himself the flexibility to line up at his natural defensive end position or slide inside to play tackle. Orlando, 48, spent the last three seasons as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Texas, where he was one of the highest paid assistants in college football. Previously, he spent three years at the Clarion Ledger in Mississippi, where he covered Ole Miss for two seasons and Jackson State for another. In fact, they often had little to no idea how to defend the run in Texas' exotic defenses, and the Longhorns were regularly trashed by teams with multiple run games that could cause confusion. However, although Hill called Orlandos scheme gimmicky, thats not really true Baylor and Iowa State both had highly productive defenses in 2019 with similar schemes. The Longhorns sessions reflect that. Gambling problem? With Gary Anderson and Dave Aranda's exit to Wisconsin in 2012, the door opened for then Offensive Coordinator Matt Wells to ascend to the Head Coaching position. #FightOn pic.twitter.com/Jorj04g0b6, Orlando will take over a talented Trojans defense that progressively declined over Pendergasts four seasons. After holding Oklahoma State to 10 points in regulation, Orlando set about tweaking and retooling the base defense around the 3-2-6 lightning package and the robber coverage. Herman brought Orlando along with him to Texas, where a brilliant Year 1 netted the Longhorns defensive coordinator a raise to $1.7 million per year through the 2021 season. The Panthers defensive ranked 11th in scoring defense that season. And that might just be the way it is moving forward. But it can look that way. This is something, until this year, fathomable only on a 3rd and Long or an end of a half situation in the NFL. The "mac" or middle linebacker helps call the defense and serves as the "first responder" for the defense against the run, looking to plug gaps and spill blocks to the outside linebackers (or nickel and dime defenders as the case may be) and his partner the "rover" linebacker. Orlando sorts film breakdown by position. Orlando, 47, is considered a rising head coaching candidate, and his contract reflects that. I wrote about Orlandos prowess as a DC in my article discussing how teams attack the Tite Front, the Longhorns base defense, but it is his use of multiple personnel packages within a game that truly shows his knack as a DC. Those disguised blitzes are a favorite ploy. He was also inheriting a schedule that included Sam Darnold and USC, Jesse Ertz and Kansas State, Baker Mayfield and Oklahoma, Mason Rudolph and Oklahoma State, Kenny Hill and TCU, Will Grier and West Virginia and ultimately Drew Lock and Missouri -- essentially, some of the cream of the crop in terms of modern spread offense and spread quarterbacking. Herman starts most practices with a variation of the circle drill (essentially a one-on-one meeting in a small space that Herman calls out one by one) to ramp up the energy. Are Dejon Benton and Kobe Pepe ready to play? Drake Jackson, who spent last season as more of a strict defensive. Playing defensive end Marqez Bimage in a similar role produced better results for Texas late in the season. We just had to learn to embrace it, and now we look forward to it.. Todd Orlando sees USC defense as work in progress USC defense showed positive signs in opening win over ASU Coach Todd Orlando of the USC Trojans during USC football practice at the. We try to take the philosophy of trying to make people one-dimensional, run the football on you and control the clock, because, in my opinion, there are less mistakes made on you when you turn around and hand the ball off and they can get seven or eight yards.. That was the biggest thing that we got caught up in, not using our weapons to our full advantage. Some offense will come out and run the triple-option, which is really different and as a defense really strains us, Orlando said. Orlando will get his first chance to determine the impact of the tradeoff when the Trojans begin their truncated season . Of course, the weight loss and new position might cause some in the fan base to wonder if Jackson is being utilized incorrectly if his production dips, but for now, his responsibilities dont seem much different than last year. Its the reason one of the worst defenses in program history in 2016 transformed into one of the best with the same players in college football's most potent offensive conference. And sometimes they went with a 3-4 look with its normal defensive line (Figueroa, Marlon Tuipulotu and Caleb Tremblay) and Jackson and Hunter Echols as outside linebackers. So what did game No. Under Orlando's direction last season, Texas run defense jumped to eighth nationally from 76th the year prior. Bastrop Cedar Creek defensive end Alfred Collins said new defensive coordinator Chris Ashs even front as a reason why he signed earlier this month. Orlando is a linebackers coach in a defense that asks the linebackers to be the primary playmakers on the team. A good run defense has been a calling card of Orlandos units at his previous stops. When we sat down and started to talk it was just so similar, Orlando told 247Sports. Todd Orlando was announced as USC's defensive coordinator Friday, ending a lengthy search for Clancy Pendergast 's replacement that had dragged into its fourth week. Arizona State just out-executed the Trojans defense in the run game. Theyre the best in the country. He's previously covered his alma mater SMU and the WNBA for the Dallas Morning News and high school sports for the Long Beach Press-Telegram. Herman knew within 10 minutes of talking with Orlando hed found his defensive coordinator. Then well get an idea of what the defense is truly capable of after losing contributors like DT Marlon Tuipulotu, CB Olaijah Griffin and Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Talanoa Hufanga. One question I am asking to college football experts is this: Should Todd Orlando emphasize complexity of scheme or simplicity of scheme against Jayden Daniels and the Sun Devils on Saturday? Herman brought Orlando along with him to Texas, where a brilliant Year 1 netted the Longhorns defensive coordinator a raise to $1.7 million per year through the 2021 season. If you allow that to happen and know its going to happen, thats a crime in my opinion. In fact, Todd Orlandos defense is towards the bottom of the conference in points allowed per game, per SportsPac12s latest. 9 Texas hosts No. Learn more about troubleshooting WordPress. Texas didnt do much to stop the onslaught late in the game (no one did), but there are some definite takeaways. Its a combination that spurred a defensive transformation at Texas. Two things generally forced USC to shift out of its base defense. - Darnold completed 57.1 percent of his passes against Texas (third worst of the year) and threw a season-high two picks. 16.2ASU19.6Washington21.8Oregon23.0Utah23.2OSU23.8Colorado24.8WSU26.5UCLA27.0Stanford27.3USC27.6Cal31.6Arizona, SportsPac12 (@SportsPac12) October 10, 2021. It comes as no surprise that in a league that is at the forefront of the evolution of the Spread would feature unique defenses within the league to counter the offensive onslaught. For example, to counteract the speed of the Ravens Lamar Jackson, the San Diego Chargers went uber-small and put up to SEVEN DBs on the field at a time. Get full team previews, schedules, scouting reports, conference predictions, and national rankings. Even further, turn on a Cowboys or Seahawks game and you are likely to see multiple ways to run the Zone or Arc Read. Orlando said he's already adjusted his scheme, which relies on mixed fronts and aggressive blitzing, to fit USC's personnel. In watching ITS throughout this fall camp and knowing that he has a sense of urgency to really capture that position as well as be elite at it has been really nice to see.. But mostly, Halls role was to stay in the middle of the field to aggressively close on the many quick-hitting passes the Cowboys employed and discourage the posts that defined the offense. Herman isnt shy about issuing compliments to his defensive lieutenant. It makes a QB think, said Texas senior defensive endCharles Omenihu. Antonio Morales covers USC football for The Athletic. Mason Rudolph, a third-round pick of the Steelers, failed to clear the 300-yard mark only twice in 2017. 3 overall pick),Baker Mayfield(No. The Cowboys averaged more yards passing than any team in the country. USC essentially ran a 4-2 front last season under former defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast. After missing the first week of camp in health and safety protocols, Jackson was practically unblockable in practices, using his finesse moves on the edge to cause havoc in the backfield. A safety begins with his role in installation before even glancing at another spot. Before that, his inaugural Utah State defense ranked seventh in points allowed. USC defense has different feel in camp after full offseason Due to the pandemic, USC was unable to implement new defensive coordinator Todd Orlando's scheme in person before the 2020 season, so players were learning on the fly as they prepared for the delayed season. Orlando walked into the interview room and saw his Aggie defensive film already on the screen. Theres a little bit of schematics into it. LOS ANGELES USC has its new defensive coordinator, Todd Orlando. 3. Sometimes when youre a good player, youre just worried about yourself and making your plays, Orlando said. 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LOS ANGELES USCs season-opening 28-27 win over Arizona State offered a glimpse of what first-year defensive coordinator Todd Orlandos defense will look like. And as Saturday showed, thats a group with a long way to go. If you dont, its going to be limited. Toughness is for naught if the player and coach relationship isnt strong enough to offset those consistent practice blows. The main difference here is Jackson is playing as a standup linebacker instead of lining up with his hand down like he did most of the time in 2019. He dropped into coverage just twice against Arizona State, by The Athletics very unofficial count. What is the current state of play for one of the elite QB prospects on the board? Ryan Kartje is the USC beat writer at the Los Angeles Times. That wasnt happening before Hermans arrival in Austin. Aggressive, physical, unfearing. Then, facing the ultra-explosive Oklahoma State offense, he made a big change to his defensive structure that probably revolutionized his own philosophy and perhaps changed prevailing best practices across the college game from here on out. In both cases, Orlando said, those defenses simply needed a kickstart., I think thats what [Ive done], the places Ive been coming into, is just to try to free these guys up, Orlando said.