Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve W
Defense is not ramming other robots. If you watch any of the matches that Team 48 at GTR you will see excellent defense. I hate to blow Team 48's horn (man do their heads swell) but they played the best defense next to Team 4 that I have seen this year. They play smart and clean not rough. A lot of the time they just kept between the Rack and their opponent. If anything the opponent was ramming them trying to get by or push them to the rack.
Disclaimer - this post was in no way meant to allow the swelling of Travis's head. Man we all know how big it is already.  |
I don't think we are God's gift to defense (thanks for the compliments, though!), although I am obviously very proud of the safe, effective strategy our drivers employ. I hear the compliments from the "defended" and am happy our kids have figured out how to defend without overdoing it. Our buddies on Team 379 have also shown a knack for laying down the D. We here in the FIRST community are constantly complaining about teams who play defense the "wrong way". If we are to change this nasty habit, then instead of simply saying "get rid of defense", I'd instead like to start highlighting those teams who know how to play it THE RIGHT WAY. I'd gladly love to hear more examples and watch more videos of effective and safe defense from other teams (such as Steve and his compliment of Team 4). I'm sure there are many fine examples out there - let's publicize them and use these examples to educate.
This thread is all about opinions on how the season has played out. As stated above these posts aren't meant to promote our team, although I can see that it is a byproduct of what I am trying to say and how I'm trying to say it. If anyone takes these statements the wrong way, I can't do anything about it. I will not retract what I have said. I'm just trying to defend the "Way of the Defender" as a viable strategy to put up against the potent offensive alliances. I have definitive proof it can work. Will such a team defensive strategy work in Atlanta? Again, we'll find out.
By the way, this has been woven into the fabric of my comments all along, but many of you who don't know me may fail to understand how I truly feel - none of the success we've achieved this year could have been accomplished without great defensive partners working alongside us in the eliminations- thank you Teams 222 and 379 - and our offensive bot scoring behind us - thank you Teams 1038, 291, and 1006 - it was our teamwork that made our strategies effective! We all shared equally in the tasks, and we all received the same rewards as a result of our efforts. It's also this teamwork and communication on the field and during our strategy meetings that has made this game and this season so much fun for me. Dave and the GDC deserve credit for creating a game in which both offensive and defensive alliances can be successful.