The unofficial online home for fans of the UAB Blazers. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

Matt and Scot ‏@MASSonJOX
...UAB Defensive Coordinator Reggie Johnson: "We are excited about the direction Coach McGee is having the team going in"
...Johnson: "Our most experience that we have on the defensive side of the ball is up front on the line"
...Johnson: "Scheduling big name teams offers big game atmosphere"
...Johnson: "We always tell our guys that you never know what is going to happen on any Saturday so just go play"
...Johnson: "We have a ton of guys that can make plays on the offensive side of the ball, that shows in a guy like Darrin Reaves"
...Johnson: "This is a new group of guys and a new team, this group of guys has never been beaten"
...Johnson on if they can compete to win the C-USA championship: "Why Not?!"

Unlike last year, hopefully his unit will not give up 40+ points to bad teams like Memphis and Tulane. I want him to prove why he is making way more than any of the other assistants. If he is worth what they are paying him, his side of the ball should show some marked improvement this year.

Memphis, I'll concede, but then nobody showed up. As far as Tulane, the 9 billion turnovers didn't help much.

The D was better than the year before. I think it will be significantly better this year.

I hope you are right, and I'm sure you probably are, as UAB played a lot of 1st year players on defense. The S&C seems to be kicking in well too. I also like the hire of Peoples........known to be a very good DL coach. Williams will be more at home coaching LB's too.

I was at the Tulane game and the gazillion turnovers made that score skewed. We also allowed a special teams TD. That one was also not on the D. We don't turn it over and we win by at least two touchdowns. Troy we had 5 turnovers that I remember. The offense certainly did no favors for the defense last year. That said from what I have seen the D is a lot better.

The offense simply cannot keep putting the D back on the field and cannot give the other team short fields. IF Austin is the starter and he keeps throwing picks and taking sacks he will get the quick hook this year. I think our special teams will be solid.

All that said to say this. It won't be the steel shield but it will be good enough to compete for a championship in C-USA.

On a side note Matt and Scott have been pretty UAB friendly showing up for several UAB basketball games and including UAB in the news.

the entire defensive coaching staff spent a week with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dick LeBeau. For those of you who don't know LeBeau is he is considered one of the best defensive minds in the history of the NFL. if our coaches didn't learn anything from LeBeau that makes our defense better they all need to be replaced.

Ha ha good point.

I didn't know that and I find it very encouraging. LeBeau pretty much invented the zone blitz, where the offense never knows where the blitz may come from. His defenses give up very very few long gains, and the result is that the average offensive gain against his defense is usually near the top of the NFL stat list.

If we can learn to do that...

(07-27-2013 09:37 AM)UAB Band Dad Wrote:  I didn't know that and I find it very encouraging. LeBeau pretty much invented the zone blitz, where the offense never knows where the blitz may come from. His defenses give up very very few long gains, and the result is that the average offensive gain against his defense is usually near the top of the NFL stat list.

If we can learn to do that...

you have to have the players to make it work but its got to help. HCGM went along. He and Tomlin are only a year apart in age. if they got along well we might end up with more knowledge coming our way. it also cant hurt the players if that coaching staff gets to know who our guys are.

That is very encouraging ............you are correct about Austin, I know he can be very good, BUT he has to cut down on getting sacked and the INT's.

In fairness to Brown, he didn't start until well into the season. Before that, he hadn't played a down of live ball in two years, and the last time he did was against high school defenses.

Once he gets that clock in his head calibrated, I think he'll be fine. The game was just a helluva lot faster than the one he last saw live.

As for the D, I love the zone blitz. I like opposing QBs to know doom is coming, but not from where.

(07-27-2013 10:28 AM)Bham Blazer Wrote:  That is very encouraging ............you are correct about Austin, I know he can be very good, BUT he has to cut down on getting sacked and the INT's.

Freshman QB's make mistakes. The INTs and sacks he took as a freshman teach him the hard way.

Yep, he'll probably be a lot better this year. I agree with Smaug on the Zone-Blitz........as much speed as UAB has on defense, it could work out very well for some big plays on defense.

We are seeing the reality that UAB has the potential to become the #3 D1 team in Alabama by 2020 and perhaps the largest enrollment school of all by 2025 to 2030. Our chief competition over that time may well be USA, not Troy, since so much industry is blooming down near the bay (and they don't have anyone 60 miles away telling them "NO!!").

I figured we were already #3.......surely the heck we are currently ahead of Troy.

The guy who wrote Cocaine died.

(07-27-2013 08:23 PM)Bham Blazer Wrote:  I figured we were already #3.......surely the heck we are currently ahead of Troy.

Haven't proved it the last two years.

(07-27-2013 08:23 PM)Bham Blazer Wrote:  I figured we were already #3.......surely the heck we are currently ahead of Troy.

UAB is the number three university but we have not become the number three football program.

(07-27-2013 08:41 PM)blazertke Wrote:  

(07-27-2013 08:23 PM)Bham Blazer Wrote:  I figured we were already #3.......surely the heck we are currently ahead of Troy.

Haven't proved it the last two years.

I really like what UAB is doing under McGee. Hard for me to say that as a Troy fan, but when in-state schools do well, it's just good all around. As far as #3, Troy has taken 3 of the last 4, and the one we lost, we lost by a single point. Conference alone does not put UAB ahead of Troy.

That said, if any of you come by my tailgate, I'll gladly offer you a beer and we'll have a good time. I tailgated with a few UAB fans last year and had a great time. And please, bring as many people as you can. I want a full house on opening day. Troy will have at least 20,000 against instate UAB (we had 17,000 midseason vs FIU, and we know less than 500 were FIU fans). If you just bring 10,000K we'll be at max capacity and just might be the loudest its ever been in Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Good luck the rest of the way after Game 1. Cheers.