First of all, shout out to my buddy
@fivetwos for coming up with the line, “
One of the rarely mentioned questions about this season is running Zimmers scheme with Quinn’s players.” He made that statement in a thread earlier today when discussing LB DeMarvion Overshown, a speedy but smallish LB out of college who has apparently added some weight this off-season.
That statement led me to write this post as a legitimate question going into this season -
How successful Will Mike Zimmer’s defensive schemes be with a lot of players Dan Quinn wanted here?
Most defensive coordinators in the NFL have certain physical traits they favor in players who run their schemes. Jimmy Johnson and Dave Wannstedt back in the 90s loved speed and depth on those early 90s defenses. Wade Phillips, one of the gurus of the 3-4 defense always favored having a road grader NT and a speedy DE/LB (like DeMarcus Ware) who could rush the passer. Dan Quinn‘s schemes liked having a lot of guys who were great pass rushers and a secondary who could handle one on one coverage a lot. He liked tall corners, fast LBs who were almost Safety/LB hybrids that could cover and tackle. Getting turnovers was one of his best features while here.
Now we have the schemes of Mike Zimmer who runs a 4-3 base with a bit less aggression as we saw with Quinn. Zimmer has always preferred bigger DL and LBs who are built to stop the run. In fact one characteristic of Zimmer's defenses in the past is that the role of LB is most important and he prefers big hitters in that regard who can aggressively play sideline to sideline. But his defenses have never been known to force a ton of turnovers, as was the centerpiece of the Quinn years.
So, here are some key questions as we switch to the Zimmer defensive philosophy:
- How Will Zimmer use Micah Parsons? The most gifted player on the defense has disappeared at times as his frame wears down as the season progresses. Will Zim play him less on the DL and in more traditional LB roles? Obviously MP will be used as a pass rusher. But will it be less often?
- Will a bigger Mazi Smith be better suited for a 1 tech role in Zimmer’s plans? And will that make Mazi’s development better suited to his size and skill set?
- Can a 32 year old Eric Kendricks be the monster LB Zimmer prefers to plug the middle or will someone else eventually assume that role?
- Will guys like Osa Odighizhua and Chauncey Goldston be more or less effective as run stuffers in this new scheme?
- Will rookie Marshawn Kneeland be more like a DeMarcus Lawrence type DE who is better against the run?
- Will we see less turnovers in this system?
Obviously all these questions won’t be answered until the regular seasons starts. But it will be very interesting to see how this unfolds.
