What’s up with North Penn D ?
- Thread starter ramgreen
- Start date
I watched a little of the Ridley/N Penn game on You Tube, so wasn't a clear picture. N Penn didn't seem to have any bulk on the d line, choosing to go with smaller, quicker players. I also think they lack physicality on that side of the ball. If I was Beck I make two phone calls, one to Mike Carey, the other to Doug Powell, the ex Easton defensive head coach, and hope that one wants the job.
Good point sh. When you play good teams offense can overwhelm defense especially if one is a good passing teams. How many quality DBs are there in HS? Plus defenses are now caught between a rock and a hard place prepping for Wing-T and Spread offenses.
As an indicator without getting into yards per play, turnovers, etc, Points Allowed tells you a lot. North Penn ended this season allowing 19ppg. Not bad, not great but not bad. Your don't often get to 11-1 with a crappy defense. The previous 5 years they ended at 22, 22, 19, 27, 16 (2020-2016).
** Using St. Joseph's Prep as comparison, 2021 to 2016 allowed 13.3 to date this year then 17 in 2020....17, 14, 13, 16, against serious comp.
** Harrisburg same duration: at 15 ppg thru last night's win vs Hempfield and counting the 49 allowed to Governor Mifflin, then 9 last year (covid shortened), 16, 13, 11, 15 through 2016 against Mid Penn comp and strong non conf.
These teams obviously have good personnel/coaching looking at their bottom line making defense a choice. St. Joe's Harrisburg and many others throughout the classifications choose to play defense, North Penn does not.
It's pretty obvious about the North Penn defense: they are a public school and play with the kids in their school district. They can't go out and recruit players like Wood, The Prep, etc. They line with what they have, it doesn't matter who the coach is. The NP coaches are fine.
So the only real reason North Penn has had problems on defense all year--a year when they played only other public schools--and, in particular, gave up 56 points to Ridley is that they (still the largest high school in Pennsylvania?) can't recruit outside their district? Can anyone imagine a more convincing explanation?
Does NP two platoon ? I note most teams that do tend to put their better athletes on offense, so naturally the offense will be ahead of the defense. If my best running back is also my best DB, but I don’t play him, that weakens the defense
99,
My point is you play with whoever you have, it doesn't matter if you have 800 kids or twelve hundred. Bigger doesn't necessarily mean better. A team like Pennridge has smaller numbers but they have way better talent defensively than NP. I think we jump way too much to coaching when it isn't merited.
Fair enough. Generally speaking, based on law of averages, bigger schools should have more talent to draw upon. I don’t know a ton about Pennridge, but I didn’t think NP lacked talent on the defensive side of the ball. It looked like a lot of big, athletic kids out there. But I take your point; it is unfair to always blame coaching. Talent usually wins out.
jhoops, So by saying " A team like Pennridge has smaller numbers but they have way better talent defensively than NP" you're either saying the Pennridge population-demography is better suited to play defense than the Lansdale population (genetics), or....that there is another factor effecting defense. Given what you said, how can it be anything but coaching?
NP is a great program and no one can dispute their success. What I'm saying is defense is not a priority there. If you can outscore the other guy, and that's what most contests in any sport are about, fine. But sometime you run up against another offensive juggernaut and that's where defense makes its presence felt.
It’s not just this year or NP. It appears teams don’t put their best athletes on D and they don’t seem to care. Also, with all the spreads and lots of passing I suspect the best athletes would rather be on that side of the ball. It’s probably the times.
But It’s been apparent to anyone who has watched over 20 years or so defense is no longer a serious priority along with special teams
NP kept almost all its prior opponents in check, so what does that suggest?
Maybe a wake up call to SOL?
We should use Covid as an excuse like everything else.
😀
But It’s been apparent to anyone who has watched over 20 years or so defense is no longer a serious priority along with special teams
NP kept almost all its prior opponents in check, so what does that suggest?
Maybe a wake up call to SOL?
We should use Covid as an excuse like everything else.
😀
D1, i was at the game, and I am going to respectfully disagree. Ridleys starting center weighs 167 pounds, and the guard they had in is about 175 pounds. And those kids pushed around bigger NP kids pretty much all night. Beck got completely outcoached....that may be tough for some of the North Penn people to admit, but its true. It happens to all coaches at some point, I'd imagine. He still a great coach and runs a great program. This doesnt change that. But, lets call it for what it is.
Maybe solfootballfan with times changing. Can say Coach McNamee at Central Dauphin use to put his best players on D, with best going both ways as well.
If I'm getting your point about "NP kept almost all its prior opponents in check, so what does that suggest?" Agreed! NP is the SOL (more recently) and Pennridge, Upper Dublin sad as it is to say with blips from Qtown, Souderton, Abington. I think Neshaminy is just dipping given their long and steady history of success and have no clue on Pennsbury.
The cyclical argument is often used but that's typically for individual teams that dip for 2-3 years, not entire conferences. Central Dauphin is always Central Dauphin as is Garnet Valley, Clearfield, Wilson, Parkland, McKeesport, Ridley, Thomas Jefferson, Aliquippa, Old Forge, North Schuylkill, etc throughout all the classifications.
I like CatholicLeague1's mention of the weights of Ridley's O-Line, how they handled NP's larger people. Without heart, none of it matters.
NP has had lots of issues in the past with Ridley. It’s all about matchups. NP plays a much different game now than say 10 years ago. GV might of been a better matchup, but I think they demolish any SOL team this year. SOL is in the toilet now.
In watching North Penn football over the last 5 years I would say, defense has definitely been their Achilles heel. Since we are just discussing this year's group, I'll try and just stick to this year but I think it goes back 5 or 6 years honestly.
First thing I saw last week was that they struggled to get lined up when Ridley came out of the huddle and lined up. I realize Ridley runs a version of a "sugar huddle", but at any level of football, if you can't get lined up correctly to formations run by the offense, you are going to be in trouble. Coaches would see this on film from the previous weeks and know that they would need to make adjustments I would think. After alignment, you have to carry out your assignments. As a Dlineman, what gaps are my responsibility? Linebackers have reads and keys. What are they? Are they correct. What is my coverage responsibility against the pass? I don't see these things when I watch North Penn defense. I see alot of free lancing. How much practice time do they put in during the week to prepare for these games?
I dont remember too many times over the past 5 years where North Penn was out athleted as some have suggested on this post. Probably the Coatesville championship game and the Upper Dublin championship game a few years back. Otherwise, they have jist been getting their tail handed to them on that side of the ball. I remember the Garnet Valley comeback, the Downingtown East but kicking and the Coatesville mercy rule game. Now add Ridley putting up 56 points on them and another early exit from the playoffs. Definitely would not have happened 10 years ago. I just dont think they have a sound defensive scheme. Not sure why? Not sure who is responsible but I can tell you that the athletes they put on defense were just as athletic or more so than most if not all teams in District 1 this year.
First thing I saw last week was that they struggled to get lined up when Ridley came out of the huddle and lined up. I realize Ridley runs a version of a "sugar huddle", but at any level of football, if you can't get lined up correctly to formations run by the offense, you are going to be in trouble. Coaches would see this on film from the previous weeks and know that they would need to make adjustments I would think. After alignment, you have to carry out your assignments. As a Dlineman, what gaps are my responsibility? Linebackers have reads and keys. What are they? Are they correct. What is my coverage responsibility against the pass? I don't see these things when I watch North Penn defense. I see alot of free lancing. How much practice time do they put in during the week to prepare for these games?
I dont remember too many times over the past 5 years where North Penn was out athleted as some have suggested on this post. Probably the Coatesville championship game and the Upper Dublin championship game a few years back. Otherwise, they have jist been getting their tail handed to them on that side of the ball. I remember the Garnet Valley comeback, the Downingtown East but kicking and the Coatesville mercy rule game. Now add Ridley putting up 56 points on them and another early exit from the playoffs. Definitely would not have happened 10 years ago. I just dont think they have a sound defensive scheme. Not sure why? Not sure who is responsible but I can tell you that the athletes they put on defense were just as athletic or more so than most if not all teams in District 1 this year.