The whole idea of moving to the Tampa 2 style D and the current derivative of it we're running was to generate interceptions. It's clearly not working.
I think we're going to see Richards make some changes this week vs Miami with some zone blitzes by the linebackers and safeties. We're limited in what we can do in coverage so I don't expect any changes there. I think he wants to get these guys used to taking the ball away and Miami could be a good place to start.
- as I understand it, we don't play the Tampa Cover 2, .. we don't play off WRs but more so place more emphasis on bump, press and physical play hands
on with this Seattle/Richard -style coverage scheme than the old Tampa version.
Regardless of scheme, imo, the biggest problem with lack of INTs are;
1) a lack of ball hawks
2) the lack of pass rush
- it's not just INTs, but you'd like to have guys that have a penchant for punch-stripping the ball for forced fumbles (ala Xavier vs Barkley in NYG game) or can
physically punished receivers that collisions gets ball popped out.
- Our starting CBs Jones and' Cheeto " do not have that INT knack, they play far more for the knockdown than driving on the ball for the INT, they are not ball hawks.
and a good number of team INTs tend to start with the CBs. I do believe Jordan has the best INT skills among our DBs but his role is so limited, he's not going to on field enough
to exploit those ball hawk skills. Brown hands comes/goes. he can get the INT or he can drop the INT.
- if we had rushers upfront that could constantly harass the QB into throwing faster than he wants, or hurrying him into blindly throwing into a passing lane so quickly and careless
that he doesn't see a coverage defender there, we probably could get better chances for INTs. - even with the safeties with Xavier/Heath... even with LVE and Lee,
- Xavier has a penchant for creating turnovers- he's came close to forcing two of them in the first two games.
- Heath has shown INT skills, but I don't think he's gonna get near as many in his role as more the in-the box SS vs his previous centerfield role in the past.