Difference between LDE and RDE

[Proof]

I see the arguments around Tacos fit and I've never really understood what the major difference is between the two as far as necessary skill set etc.

Educate me so I can pretend like I knew all along in real life and be condescending to my friends

 

[robjay04]

I see the arguments around Tacos fit and I've never really understood what the major difference is between the two as far as necessary skill set etc.

Educate me so I can pretend like I knew all along in real life and be condescending to my friends

I don't get it either, if you can play..you Ned to be on the field.

Guessing you want a more athletic pass rusher over an opposing teams LT since the LT tends to be more athletic.

I don't believe teams put as much weight on this as Cowboy fans do. Both spots should be interchangeable IMO

 

[CCBoy]

I see the arguments around Tacos fit and I've never really understood what the major difference is between the two as far as necessary skill set etc.

Educate me so I can pretend like I knew all along in real life and be condescending to my friends

...the burn barrel buddies.

 

[CCBoy]

I'm looking forward to a rotational group of 'dogs up front' and improved pressure.

 

[JeffInDC]

I see the arguments around Tacos fit and I've never really understood what the major difference is between the two as far as necessary skill set etc.

Educate me so I can pretend like I knew all along in real life and be condescending to my friends

RDE in normally on the backside of the QB since most QB's are right-handed. So, most want their best pass-rusher to play RDE. Many seem to be the faster of the 2 DE's. I believe that there is this misconception that every WDE/RDE is a speed rusher. Derek Barnett played RDE all 3 years at Tennessee and is NOT anymore explosive than Taco. Greg Hardy was a very successful RDE in Carolina and he's wasn't an explosive guy coming out of college. While speed is great, give me great technique and a motor any day.

LDE is generally considered the stronger of the 2, especially against the run. But, I would bet Michael Bennett and his 5.0 40 coming out of Texas A&M could easily play RDE for Seattle today.

Basically, it all boils down to the player - they're all different........just like the opinions as to what kind of player should play either spot are all different.

 

[haleyrules]

I'm looking forward to a rotational group of 'dogs up front' and improved pressure.

lol. I am dying to see how this defense shakes out. There could be some real positive surprises this season.

 

[CCBoy]

RDE in normally on the backside of the QB since most QB's are right-handed. So, most want their best pass-rusher to play RDE. Many seem to be the faster of the 2 DE's. I believe that there is this misconception that every WDE/RDE is a speed rusher. Derek Barnett played RDE all 3 years at Tennessee and is NOT anymore explosive than Taco. Greg Hardy was a very successful RDE in Carolina and he's wasn't an explosive guy coming out of college. While speed is great, give me great technique and a motor any day.

LDE is generally considered the stronger of the 2, especially against the run. But, I would bet Michael Bennett and his 5.0 40 coming out of Texas A&M could easily play RDE for Seattle today.

Basically, it all boils down to the player - they're all different........just like the opinions as to what kind of player should play either spot are all different.

Nice comment, guy...

 

[CCBoy]

lol. I am dying to see how this defense shakes out. There could be some real positive surprises this season.

Sarge, I'm in the fox hole with you...

 

[JeffInDC]

Nice comment, guy...

Thanks sir. I try my best. I think Taco's spot ultimately depends on how much he becomes like his comps - Mayock said Dunlap, NFL.com said Chandler Jones. Either guy, honestly, could be BEASTS at either side at this pint in their careers.

 

[CCBoy]

Thanks sir. I try my best. I think Taco's spot ultimately depends on how much he becomes like his comps - Mayock said Dunlap, NFL.com said Chandler Jones. Either guy, honestly, could be BEASTS at either side at this pint in their careers.

The upcoming months should be more than a ton of fun to watch and follow.

 

[Proof]

RDE in normally on the backside of the QB since most QB's are right-handed. So, most want their best pass-rusher to play RDE. Many seem to be the faster of the 2 DE's. I believe that there is this misconception that every WDE/RDE is a speed rusher. Derek Barnett played RDE all 3 years at Tennessee and is NOT anymore explosive than Taco. Greg Hardy was a very successful RDE in Carolina and he's wasn't an explosive guy coming out of college. While speed is great, give me great technique and a motor any day.

LDE is generally considered the stronger of the 2, especially against the run. But, I would bet Michael Bennett and his 5.0 40 coming out of Texas A&M could easily play RDE for Seattle today.

Basically, it all boils down to the player - they're all different........just like the opinions as to what kind of player should play either spot are all different.

Perfect, thanks. bout to print this off and read it in the mirror a few times

 

[jday]

I see the arguments around Tacos fit and I've never really understood what the major difference is between the two as far as necessary skill set etc.

Educate me so I can pretend like I knew all along in real life and be condescending to my friends

At one time, RDE was the speed rusher, weighing between 245 and 265 while the LDE was the run stopper weighing between 270 and 290. The idea was that you want the faster guy coming from the QB's blindside. But I think Marinelli has been moving away from that rule in favor of guys who have both the size and athleticism to play any position along the front four. That way he can doctor his alignment to create mismatches dependent on the offensive line he is facing in a given week. If you consider that the only true RDE he has likely will never play football again (Randall Gregory), along with the move to take Taco over Watt, that would be the only logical explanation. I have suspected this for some time, but was told repeatedly the Cowboys would be looking for a RDE, given the old specs, so I didn't do as much research on Taco. Following the draft, though, I found some very encouraging info on Taco's athleticism, beyond the 40, which really isn't a fair indicator of a DL's speed...or at least not until QBs drop 40 yards prior to setting up to pass. Given my belief, I think the Cowboys are planning on eventually moving Taco around to see where he fits best, but he does have the bend and short area quickness to play RDE and simultaneously has the size to not be a liability against the run.

 

[ThreeandOut]

At one time, RDE was the speed rusher, weighing between 245 and 265 while the LDE was the run stopper weighing between 270 and 290. The idea was that you want the faster guy coming from the QB's blindside. But I think Marinelli has been moving away from that rule in favor of guys who have both the size and athleticism to play any position along the front four. That way he can doctor his alignment to create mismatches dependent on the offensive line he is facing in a given week. If you consider that the only true RDE he has likely will never play football again (Randall Gregory), along with the move to take Taco over Watt, that would be the only logical explanation. I have suspected this for some time, but was told repeatedly the Cowboys would be looking for a RDE, given the old specs, so I didn't do as much research on Taco. Following the draft, though, I found some very encouraging info on Taco's athleticism, beyond the 40, which really isn't a fair indicator of a DL's speed...or at least not until QBs drop 40 yards prior to setting up to pass. Given my belief, I think the Cowboys are planning on eventually moving Taco around to see where he fits best, but he does have the bend and short area quickness to play RDE and simultaneously has the size to not be a liability against the run.

His 10 yard split and times in some of the agility drills were very encouraging.

 

[xwalker]

I see the arguments around Tacos fit and I've never really understood what the major difference is between the two as far as necessary skill set etc.

Educate me so I can pretend like I knew all along in real life and be condescending to my friends

I don't get it either, if you can play..you Ned to be on the field.

Guessing you want a more athletic pass rusher over an opposing teams LT since the LT tends to be more athletic.

I don't believe teams put as much weight on this as Cowboy fans do. Both spots should be interchangeable IMO

In Marinelli's defense, the LDE and RDE are significantly different.

The entire DL is basically shifted to the right. That moves the LDE in towards the OT and moves the RDE out away from the OT. Also, the scheme is different in how they handle LDE vs RDE. The RDE is often protected by a LB in run defense. This reduces the RDEs run contain responsibilities and gives the RDE more freedom to rush the passer without worrying so much about the run. The RDE can rush the passer from the snap and do things that take him out of the best position for run contain. He can crash down inside which means a LB has to set the edge if it's a run. He can loop wide because a LB will cover any gap to the inside of the OT. The LDE does not have that luxury on most snaps. The LDE generally has to set the edge against the run. If he goes inside or too wide outside, he leaves the defense vulnerable to the run. This was why after 2 or 3 games last season that Marinelli moved Crawford from DT to LDE. They had been getting gashed against the run and with that move, they immediately starting playing much better run defense.

The result of everything described above, is that the RDE can be smaller and less stout against the run than the LDE. Mayowa would not be a good option at LDE. A team like the Giants uses a more evenly balanced 4-3 alignment and both DEs have to play stout against the run. Even if Randy Gregory had been a model citizen, a team like the Giants might not have drafted him because he weighed 235 at the combine. The Cowboys liked Taco better, but the could have drafted a guy like TJ Watt; whereas, a team like the Giants probably would not have considered Watt (252 pounds) for their defense.

In theory, Marinelli's defense allows for a wider pool of players that can play RDE. Parcells theory was that the 3-4 allowed for picking OLBs that would be tweeners in a 4-3 defense. The problem with that is that those players now have to be able to drop and play coverage which again limits the pool of players. We saw it with Anthony Spencers role in the Wade Phillips and Rob Ryan defenses. Spencer was difficult to replace because he was a 3-tool player (pass rush, run defense and pass coverage). The LOLB (Strong Side OLB) in those defenses required a player that could read the offense and make a quick decision to rush, set the edge against the run or drop in coverage. It turns that not many players can perform that role and they ended up Franchising Spencer twice despite the fact the he was not an elite pass rusher.

Keep in mind that what I described is the general theme of Marinelli's scheme, but there are many variations to the DL alignment and responsibilities depending on the situation. One example is that in obvious passing situations they often play both DTs as 3-techs instead of having one play as a 1-tech. That generally pushes the LDE out a few inches wider than the base alignment.

 

[Proof]

At one time, RDE was the speed rusher, weighing between 245 and 265 while the LDE was the run stopper weighing between 270 and 290. The idea was that you want the faster guy coming from the QB's blindside. But I think Marinelli has been moving away from that rule in favor of guys who have both the size and athleticism to play any position along the front four. That way he can doctor his alignment to create mismatches dependent on the offensive line he is facing in a given week. If you consider that the only true RDE he has likely will never play football again (Randall Gregory), along with the move to take Taco over Watt, that would be the only logical explanation. I have suspected this for some time, but was told repeatedly the Cowboys would be looking for a RDE, given the old specs, so I didn't do as much research on Taco. Following the draft, though, I found some very encouraging info on Taco's athleticism, beyond the 40, which really isn't a fair indicator of a DL's speed...or at least not until QBs drop 40 yards prior to setting up to pass. Given my belief, I think the Cowboys are planning on eventually moving Taco around to see where he fits best, but he does have the bend and short area quickness to play RDE and simultaneously has the size to not be a liability against the run.

look man, I don't have time to incorporate this into my presentation, but I appreciate it all the same.

 

[gmoney112]

Usually you want your blindside guys (RDE) to be the more athletic/quick ones since there's more opportunities for sacks/turnovers.

Strongside guys (LDE) are usually better in run defense because they need to hold the edge a little better, especially if you're rolling out a base Nickel since you won't have a SAM linebacker behind him.

Optimally, you want your ends to be good at both.

 

[fishspill]

It seems most teams play match-ups as much as anything nowadays. Sometimes you want your best pass rusher on the RT if you think the RT is worse at pass blocking. Seems like a lot more moving guys to either end spot goes on.

Now what things seem and how they are can be 2 entirely different things. Where guys line up here will depend on how they manage the spot on a given play.

 

[JeffInDC]

The Taco Charlton that I saw against Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Florida State CAN play RDE in the NFL - he was I the backfield from the RDE position quite often in those games. The consistency of that type of play is what is needed. That's were good coaching comes into play.

 

[BAT]

The Taco Charlton that I saw against Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Florida State CAN play RDE in the NFL - he was I the backfield from the RDE position quite often in those games. The consistency of that type of play is what is needed. That's were good coaching comes into play.

Marinelli plays strong side or weak side DE in his base 4-3 under front, which changes depending on where opposing pffense lines up TE. Just because a DE is lined up on right side does not automatically mean he is the rush end (as opposed to anchor).

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I see the arguments around Tacos fit and I've never really understood what the major difference is between the two as far as necessary skill set etc.

Educate me so I can pretend like I knew all along in real life and be condescending to my friends

Generally speaking the LDE needs to have the ability to anchor against potential double teams because the TE is flanking him on the line.

The RDE doesn't in a perfect world so they can get away with being smaller. It's more about you can get away with a smaller guy on the weakside so you want someone that is lightning quick to beat LT off the snap. Pass rushers are hard to find and SDE that can rush consistently are the rarity.

There is no reason whatsoever that the RDE needs to be smaller particularly considering how teams motion and flip formations around. It doesn't matter how you get to the QB as long as you are doing it. That is the benefit of the Bosa, Wake, and Hardy's of the world: they can play either side.