Defensive front, versus, Defensive backfield

Whirlwin

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It’s been a debate for a long time.
Which group helps the other, more often
Getting after the quarterback, so the defensive backfield doesn’t have to cover as long.
Great coverage, allowing the defensive front to get to the quarterback.

It’s like having three excellent receivers on your team, on the offensive side of the ball
Your two best receivers usually get the two best corners.

And if you have an excellent, third wide receiver, he’s usually against a nickel, corner or a linebacker

So if your defensive front can get to the quarterback, quick enough,

He doesn’t have time to go through his possession,

Personally, I prefer a superior pass, rush, over backfield coverage

Obviously, it would be nice to have both
 
More effective pass coverage has a greater correlation to EPA (Expected Points Allowed)

It’s also harder to build and a single weak CB compromises an entire defense because opposing play callers and QBs will hunt that player constantly.

You can scheme a bit to hide a single weak pass rusher, much more so than a weak link at CB

Teams pay pass rushers more because in genres it’s more stable and predictable and an investment at EDGE is more reliable long term.
 
More effective pass coverage has a greater correlation to EPA (Expected Points Allowed)

It’s also harder to build and a single weak CB compromises an entire defense because opposing play callers and QBs will hunt that player constantly.

You can scheme a bit to hide a single weak pass rusher, much more so than a weak link at CB

Teams pay pass rushers more because in genres it’s more stable and predictable and an investment at EDGE is more reliable long term.
Somebody like Brown
Some say he is slow,
Could you imagine him against a linebacker, with a quarterback with enough time to go through their progression,
 
The year the Giants won the superbowl with that pass rush no one thought very highly of their secondary. Then the pass rushers got healthy and the secondary was suddenly very effective.

My theory is coverage can only last so long. Its a nearly impossible task. A strong pass rush minimizes the amount of time coverage is needed and creates chaos in general.
 
Can't think of even one super bowl that was won w/ the secondary. No, not the Seachickens. They had the deepest DLine in the NFL when they won it.

It all starts up front. Give a good Qb a clean pocket, and he'll find a way to beat a good secondary.

Disagree w/ the premise of the thread, that it's all about the secondary.
 
Can't think of even one super bowl that was won w/ the secondary. No, not the Seachickens. They had the deepest DLine in the NFL when they won it.

It all starts up front. Give a good Qb a clean pocket, and he'll find a way to beat a good secondary.

Disagree w/ the premise of the thread, that it's all about the secondary.
You should read it again, because I chose defensive front
 
You can scheme a bit to hide a single weak pass rusher, much more so than a weak link at CB
IDK .........you can help a weak link at CB with double-team ( happens all the time ). A strong secondary can force a QB
*** hold the ball longer
***check down
***lose patience/force some throws

Hell.....the Eagles D is built around two All-Pro CBs, LBer, and two DTs.
 
IDK .........you can help a weak link at CB with double-team ( happens all the time ). A strong secondary can force a QB
*** hold the ball longer
***check down
***lose patience/force some throws

Hell.....the Eagles D is built around two All-Pro CBs, LBer, and two DTs.
That’s a great Example of choosing the , backfield, they definitely complement each other
From building a team it’s tough to choose where to start
 
IDK .........you can help a weak link at CB with double-team ( happens all the time ). A strong secondary can force a QB
*** hold the ball longer
***check down
***lose patience/force some throws

Hell.....the Eagles D is built around two All-Pro CBs, LBer, and two DTs.
Not really, the Eagles D is built around up front disruption. One of the primary reasons their D dropped from #1 to #13 was the release of Milton Williams. Letting Sweat walk didn't help, and the Brandon Graham retirement hurt a lot more than they thought.
 
Not really, the Eagles D is built around up front disruption. One of the primary reasons their D dropped from #1 to #13 was the release of Milton Williams. Letting Sweat walk didn't help, and the Brandon Graham retirement hurt a lot more than they thought.
In defensive of coverage, the quarterback can always find someone to dump it off to
If you have a great defensive backfield, that’s less likely to happen,
It’s almost a 50-50
 
Youre right

I could put Prime at CB1…Revis at CB2 and Bailey at CB3 with Lott and Reed as safety

If you give them a poor rush they’ll give up tons of yards because you simply cannot consistantly cover for up to 7 seconds….its no longer about release, leverage, and knowing the route based on the formation its about freestyling and doing whatever
 
Youre right

I could put Prime at CB1…Revis at CB2 and Bailey at CB3 with Lott and Reed as safety

If you give them a poor rush they’ll give up tons of yards because you simply cannot consistantly cover for up to 7 seconds….its no longer about release, leverage, and knowing the route based on the formation its about freestyling and doing whatever
Correct.

All the D's I've seen built around coverage gave it up in the playoffs.

Generally, what happens is fans see the lauded Seachickens Legion of Boom and don't go any further than that. The Legion of Boom was made possible by a massive disruptive DFront. Funny thing is, when they started letting the DLiners walk so they could pay Sherman and Earl, suddenly those secondary players weren't that good anymore. Only thing I want to know is how did people not notice? I guess you only see what you want to see.
 
Not really, the Eagles D is built around up front disruption. One of the primary reasons their D dropped from #1 to #13 was the release of Milton Williams. Letting Sweat walk didn't help, and the Brandon Graham retirement hurt a lot more than they thought.
That's my point K........they don't have an elite pass rusher.
 
In defensive of coverage, the quarterback can always find someone to dump it off to
If you have a great defensive backfield, that’s less likely to happen,
It’s almost a 50-50
Can't agree. Basically, if your front is not disruptive, you need like 6 players to cover at a very high level for 6-7 seconds. Can you imagine even trying to find that many players who can mirror? Can't be done.
 

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