I was sifting through some old work and found this:
2000 Team
- Thread starter theProducer
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Man, if that 2000 team had Mike Hankwitz instead of Colby Swiss at the helm of that D. What could have been.
Imagine the 2000 Offense paired with the 2015 Defense. We would have been playing and beating Clemson for the National Championship.
Imagine the 2000 Offense paired with the 2015 Defense. We would have been playing and beating Clemson for the National Championship.
Not 2000, but BTN had a replay of the 2007 MSU game on over the weekend. Similar theme though, bacher was just picking apart MSU but then we'd go on defense and give up 80 yards and a TD in what seemed 5 or 6 plays. That Colby defense was just horrendous - what a shame.
I enjoy defending the cheese man as much as anybody here, but I would be remiss if I didn't correct you and let you know that that was coach Jerry Brown's defense. Brown was fired/promoted after the 2001 season.
But his point was to shoot another arrow at Colby, who I agree with hi was not a fantastic DC. So -1 for ECat.
That defense was trash, and also sent five guys (Napoleon Harris, Kevin Bentley, Harold Blackmon, Dwayne Missouri, Javiar Collins) to the nfl.
The LBs had substantial careers. I'm not sure Missouri made a team, though he was drafted. I'm 85% that Collins was a ndfa who got a year or two with the Cowboys. Blackmon was a seventh rounder who may have lasted 2 seasons.
Draw whatever conclusions about coaching, recruiting, and talent development that you will. (I'm not sure there are any to be drawn.)
And let's not forget MLB Silva who was projected to go to the NFL but sustained career ending knee injury at end of 2001 season....Also, should remember, if I'm not mistaken, Rashidi Wheeler incident was part of this team just prior to 2001 season! Discount if you wish, but team had challenges dealing with Rashidi's death at beginning of 2001 season...
Thanks for the memories!
I suspect history was made in 2000 with Northwestern being the only team in the country to have two consecutive games declared "Instant Classics" by the network. Doubt it has ever been repeated since either.
If the Victory Right clip at the Metrodome had extended a few more seconds you would have seen me in my inaugural TV appearance seated along with my then NU attending son and his friend as the camera zoomed in on us cheering the play. (As he reflected to me at the time, "I never went from such a low low to such a high high." After the game he got calls from multiple friends who had watched the game on campus alerting him as to his new found fame. That was before text messaging had been invented.)
In the clip from the following week with the goal posts being rushed by the NU students after our second "Instant Classic" game, this one at home against Michigan, my son is there in the fray, though I remained in the stands.
I suspect history was made in 2000 with Northwestern being the only team in the country to have two consecutive games declared "Instant Classics" by the network. Doubt it has ever been repeated since either.
If the Victory Right clip at the Metrodome had extended a few more seconds you would have seen me in my inaugural TV appearance seated along with my then NU attending son and his friend as the camera zoomed in on us cheering the play. (As he reflected to me at the time, "I never went from such a low low to such a high high." After the game he got calls from multiple friends who had watched the game on campus alerting him as to his new found fame. That was before text messaging had been invented.)
In the clip from the following week with the goal posts being rushed by the NU students after our second "Instant Classic" game, this one at home against Michigan, my son is there in the fray, though I remained in the stands.
But the case can be made: a good offense makes for a bad defense. The fast paced 1990-Loyola-Marymount-basketball-esque offense put the defense on the field early and often. The game rhythm dictated it. Simply, there were significantly more total plays in those games.
If that were true, how do you explain the overall success of other fast-paced teams of recent vintage?
Just look at the 3 losses last season. The defense was out there a lot. Three-and-out versus (what seemed like in clock time elapsing) three-and-touchdown, it's all the same.
I don't believe that trash. It's not mutually exclusive to have a world class defense paired with a world class offense. See Clemson and Alabama.
To suggest that offensive capability has limited influence - or no influence altogether if I understand "mutually exclusive" correctly - is shortsighted. How do you explain the Iowa and Michigan blowouts? The defense played decently but then ran on empty in the latter halves of those games. That's why time of possession is so sacrosanct. If you have a modest offense that's effective at ball control, you tend to see better and fresher defensive play.
You're arguing something else. I never said that offensive capability doesn't have limited influence.
Our 2000 defense didn't suffer so much from a putrid offense (like we did in the blowout losses this year). They were just poorly coached and didn't play to their NFL ability. It's not like the D in 2000 had to deal with tons of 3 and outs and were left on the field for massive amounts of time, or getting demoralized as soon as they were down a couple of scores because they knew the O couldn't keep up..
If you have a great defense and a great offense, then problem solved. Great offenses can move the ball and score at will. The defense can get it's rest, they know if they get a stop, they can win (versus going through the motions because ball game is over with a couple score deficit). Opposing offenses can't just go heavy on the ground game to run clock because the NU O is gonna catch and fly by them.
My point is - there is NO REASON why we can't have a great offense AND a great defense. We didn't have it in 2000 and we didn't have it in 2015. We came a lot closer in 1995, but the O while very good wasn't elite to match the D. If it were, we wouldn't have lost a game, including USC and would be national champions.
Hank running that D with that type of talent - do I think we would have been better in 2000 and contending for the national championship. You bet.
NOPE!
The 2000 defense would have been a hell of a lot better if they had two solid defensive tackles that controlled the middle. Chapman was often overmatched and Collins was playing out of position (which was rectified as he was switched to OG [which is what everyone thought he should play] in the NFL). Our lack of stoutness up the middle was what hurt us in 2000.
Our defensive backs needed work as well.
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