The results on the field were shocking. In a bad sort of way.
Despite
all the emphasis on turnovers, the defense failed to produce. The Gators
created a mere 14 turnovers in 2011. Couple that with the fact UF's
offense turned the ball over 26 times, and Florida finished 113th in the
nation (out of 120 teams) in turnover margin.
Unacceptable, Quinn says.
So,
Quinn and the Gators are back working on his obsession again in training
camp. One of the priorities on defense is forcing and creating
turnovers. It's a daily obsession.
“I'm
practicing and talking about it as much as I can,” Quinn said Thursday.
“I think the players on the field have done a good job doing that. There
has been good competition to create takeaways.
“I think
I'm trying to (emphasize) it more. You've heard the saying, ‘You get
what you emphasize.' I've really tried to hit it as hard as I can and be
as consistent as I can.”
There is
no well-defined explanation why the Gators came up with so few
turnovers last season. Despite great effort and emphasis, they simply
didn't happen.
The Gators will try again this season.
“We've been charting (turnovers) every day,” Quinn said.
Quinn
said there are two types of turnovers: those that come about through
unconscious effort (a dropped ball by a running back or an overthrown
pass that falls in the hands of a defensive back); and those that come
with conscious effort (where a defender strips the ball or is in a
position to get his hands on a pass).
The Gators, of course, are focusing on what they can control — the conscious effort.
Quinn's
big thing is trying to strip the ball. He's shown lots of NFL tape with
examples of how it's done, and the Gators practice trying to do it every
day in practice when the opportunity is there.
“Usually,
we talk about the second guy in,” he said. “The first guy is the
contact. We don't want to create situations where the guy going for the
tackle is going just for the ball and not tackling. We're a good
tackling team.
“We're working hard on that part, the second guy taking a rip when the ball-carrier is headed to the ground.”
The
defense produced four turnovers in last Saturday's scrimmage. The Gators
will look to create more in today's scrimmage and get a trend going
heading into the season.
“I'd
like to see us focus on some takeaways,” Quinn said. “Getting some hands
on some balls, whether it's fumbles or interceptions.”
