Full Contact Practices and Good Tackling

Cougar Football
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I recall how soft the D was under Briles. We had non-contact practices. He did not want to get players hurt in practice.

I can’t recall what Sumlin did

Herman encouraged toughness, not only with tackling in practice, but in the “bill ring” competition between the O and D players.
Even Greg Ward participated.

It seemed like if someone DID get hurt, the next man up was ready to hit someone.

You are god at the things you practice. If you don’t practice hitting and tackling in real speed at the big boy level you will not be ready when the lights come on. See Belk D.

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Herman also had a problem with concussions and injuries as a result. Maybe it’s a tradeoff we’re okay with, but it’s worth pointing out.

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And the next man up stepped in and did a great job.
You have to hit and tackle in practice if you are going to effectively hit and tackle in the game.

I’m not downplaying concussions, but if you can’t pass the protocol after it happens, you are done with football…and rightfully so. But this is a game where that happens.

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Tackling is a technique and want to. When you do your own thing, then it don’t matter how many times you practice tackling. You don’t have to practice tackling all the time if you trust the technique. Just my opinion

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5

My career was limited to HS. We had one coach who did not practice full contact. When I got into the game against the first real good team I was shocked at the physicality. It took a little while to get my head right.
You can have great technique, but when you get plowed the first time by people that practice hitting you are already a couple steps behind.

Might just be me.

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Out defense under Herman intimidated many teams with their hitting. They just weren’t used to being hit that hard.

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Elandon Roberts looked like he was shot out of a cannon when he hit people. They KNEW they were hit!

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That hit on Perine changed the OU game. They were rattled.

God that was fun.

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Isn’t this just the age old question of talent vs coaching? Sure you can improve technique, but don’t discount the fact that better players can get into better position to make the tackle.

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Also, if you watch the official Peach Bowl video highlight montage, that FSU running back that was “SUPPOSED” to shred the Coog D was running TIMID, you can see it in the highlights.

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It’s a violent game and better to be dishing out the violence than taking it. Pulling up is how you get hurt.

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That’s a mentality my friend, my freshman year at UH I was 200 lbs and I feared no one! Jackie Battle hated going against me and he was way bigger than me. But maybe my mindset was different.

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I grew up with big brothers. Big guys were always surprised i wasn’t Intimidated by them coming right at me. You can’t let physicality turn into a mental edge.

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Herman also had Ed Oliver disrupting everything in a league that was salty but still the AAC at the end of the day. Makes any coach (and D) look good

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He did not have Ed the year we played in the Peach Bowl.

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Ah that’s true, stand corrected :+1:t3:

Cuz now I’m reminded of the “Applewhite-jacket fiasco”

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17

Watch past coaching highlights and we put some hard hits on the opponents (Sumlin and Herman).

Watch current games and it seems like we play a lot of bumper car defense, hit the ball carrier and hope he falls down. We used to be better at wrapping up a ball carrier to get a tackle or at least slow him down so others could help.

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True he didn’t have him when we beat #9 Florida state but he had him when we beat #5 Oklahoma and number #3 Louisville.

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Never thought of that as a fiasco. Ed refused to take off the jacket when asked by the equipment manager, so the head coach took it off for him as he should have done. Ed didn’t think he needed to follow the rules like everyone else on the team.

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I had the pleasure of watching Yeoman and Pardee teams.

Their defenses hit, Hard and often. We were not intimidated by any opponents. Watch(YouTube) our 1979 team tackle Nebraska on 01/01/1980. It truly is astonishing. David Hodge at LB was unbelievable.

We need that again. Maybe we cannot ever have that again. Wish for it.

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