Why do teams with the spread offense seemingly have no defense?

[hawkaeg80]

Can't these teams recruit better defensive players? Are their schemes that bad? Are they tired because the offense moves so fast? Georgia played great defense against the spread, but the SEC tends to be far better with their defenses. These teams with horrible defenses are crying that if they just had a defensive pulse they would win more games than not. The exact opposite problem the hacks have.

 

[Slappy Pappy]

I have heard that due to going 5 wide all the time, they have to use schollies on many many more wide receivers, and thus have that many fewer for linemen and the defensive side.

 

[yrunvs]

Can't these teams recruit better defensive players? Are their schemes that bad? Are they tired because the offense moves so fast? Georgia played great defense against the spread, but the SEC tends to be far better with their defenses. These teams with horrible defenses are crying that if they just had a defensive pulse they would win more games than not. The exact opposite problem the hacks have.

I hope that is a typo if not then........

 

[SA_Hawk]

I think the mentality is why play defense when we will just outscore them anyway.

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

I think the mentality is why play defense when we will just outscore them anyway.

There's some truth to what the poster above mentioned about scholarships, but also you have to figure a coach implementing the spread is an offensive minded coach, or at the very least, is open-minded enough to bring in the right OC to establish that offense.

Thus there is less focus on the defense, and it falls solely on the DC and his staff to install their own philosophy and make it work.

I think the closest example we can use is over in Ames. ISU is more or less a spread team and Campbell is more of an offense-oriented HC, but Jon Heacock has quietly, but routinely, produced solid defenses (statistically), including this year's unit that's been ranked in the top 15 for pretty much the whole season.