If Rivera gets an interview will this be the minority interview?

[Bungarian]

He is Puerto Rican. Will that count?

 

[superpunk]

Probably.

Rivera would be a terrible hire for our personnel, but his hiring would open up a litany of "some puerto rican guy...." jokes that I am having trouble resisting.

So I'm torn.

 

[juck]

why would he be terrible?

 

[cowboy4eva]

Yes. But there are so many great minority candidates the last thing the Cowboys need to do is worry about getting the minority candidate out of the way...

 

[Portland Fanatic]

Probably.

Rivera would be a terrible hire for our personnel, but his hiring would open up a litany of "some puerto rican guy...." jokes that I am having trouble resisting.

So I'm torn.

I don't understand why people are saying this??? We have a lot of talent and we could easily change to the 4-3.

DE's - Ware, Hatcher, Ellis, Spears
DT - Fergy, Canty, Ratlif (not matter what we need another DT here...if 3-4 is's a NT, if 4-3 is't an aggressive agile DT in the draft)

LB's - Burnett, Carp, Ayedele, James, Singleton, Fowler

CB's and safeties...no impact.

Burnett and Carp are both 4-3 guys (that can cover) that may be better in that scheme anyways and I've always thought Burnett needs to be on the field more anyways. Ayedele and James can both play weakside.

I can see him coming in here and slimming them down some like they did in Chicago, but we do have the personell to run his defense if we want too.

Either defense we need to move Henry to FS, draft a CB or FA, and get another stud DT and we are done.

 

[jgboys1]

Yes it would, so I would think Jerry would defiantly interview him for the job and I hope he gets it.

 

[stiletto]

Yeah a coach who has helped turned the Chicago Bears into a Super Bowl team in spite of its' QB with the defense and helped establish a dominant defense for 2 straight years would be "terrible". LMAO!!

 

[superpunk]

To run that defense effectively, you NEED a great MLB with great atleticism and range, good defensive tackles, and the abiltiy to create pressure with only your front four. I have zero confidence that we could manage that.

Otherwise, you'll end up getting run all over.

 

[Royal Laegotti]

I could care less what scheme we run because of the players we have, we were running the 4-3 just 2 years ago so I don't think scheme will be much of a prob.

I would lover Rivera, I think he would be aggresive and teach these players to be ball hawks and give them an overall animal instinct on D. On offense it would be nice if he could get a good OC maybe J. Garrett would work.

Rivera is young and would be a long term solution if he wins enough early on and if Jerry lets him do his thing.

Rivera has my vote no matter what the color of his skin is. Jerry BRING HIM ON.:starspin

 

[wileedog]

Yeah a coach who has helped turned the Chicago Bears into a Super Bowl team in spite of its' QB with the defense and helped establish a dominant defense for 2 straight years would be "terrible". LMAO!!

I don't think it would be terrible at all, but we would definately not be perfectly suited for Rivera's Cover 2.

Even if we move Henry to Safety, Roy is still a massive liability in that scheme.

As SP and others have said, I don't see a real 4-3 MLB in our group of LBs, we would need to get one. I also don't see Spears having the burst to be an edge rusher as a 4-3 DE - yeah he did it in college, but he's hasn't shown it yet in the pros. Also Canty definately doesn't have it and would need to be made a 3 technique DT, and who knows how that will go.

Ware in on every play at DE and you need to worry about him being run on constantly and worn down.

I think it can be done, and would take a solid coach like Rivera, but I don't think its a seamless transition either.

 

[Portland Fanatic]

To run that defense effectively, you NEED a great MLB with great atleticism and range, good defensive tackles, and the abiltiy to create pressure with only your front four. I have zero confidence that we could manage that.

Otherwise, you'll end up getting run all over.

IMO I think it's been the scheme that has held back our players more then the players themselves. It sounds like you think the players are the problem...until we get someone with an aggressive scheme in here we won't know the answer to this...

I just remember that Spears coming out of college was a beast at LDE, Ware is a beast, and I think Fergy, Canty and Ratlif can be good. I will agree we need an agressive stud at DT if going back to the 4-3...this is in FA or draft, but only one position of need.

I think we have potential trade bait in James, and possible Canty if we move back to 4-3.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Also Canty definately doesn't have it and would need to be made a 3 technique DT, and who knows how that will go.

at 6'7", yikes

 

[superpunk]

IMO I think it's been the scheme that has held back our players more then the players themselves. It sounds like you think the players are the problem...until we get someone with an aggressive scheme in here we won't know the answer to this...

I just remember that Spears coming out of college was a beast at LDE, Ware is a beast, and I think Fergy, Canty and Ratlif can be good. I will agree we need an agressive stud at DT if going back to the 4-3...this is in FA or draft, but only one position of need.

I think we have potential trade bait in James, and possible Canty if we move back to 4-3.

Maybe in another 3-4 scheme they would be unleashed. Or even more of an aggressive 4-3. Chicago's defense works because of Brian Urlacher, and the phenomenal pressure they get from their front four linemen. Ellis is not a guarantee next year, Spears has shown me nothing that says "competent apss rusher", and I have no idea who would put rpessure on the QB from the DT spot.

Would Carpenter be an effecitve roaming MLB? Would Burnett? I don't know. But that is the biggest key to that defense, a player who is every bit as good against the run as pass, and athletic enough to cover the deep middle.

I just don't see where these players come from on our team.

 

[baj1dallas]

I just remember that Spears coming out of college was a beast at LDE, Ware is a beast, and I think Fergy, Canty and Ratlif can be good. I will agree we need an agressive stud at DT if going back to the 4-3...this is in FA or draft, but only one position of need.

When was Spears ever "a beast"?

 

[wileedog]

IMO I think it's been the scheme that has held back our players more then the players themselves. It sounds like you think the players are the problem...until we get someone with an aggressive scheme in here we won't know the answer to this...

Not to speak for SP, but IMO the problem is not the aggressiveness of the scheme, its that some of the guys we have don't fit well into what Rivera does, namely a 4-3 Cover 2.

Its not insurmountable, but I don't think its simply flipping a switch either.

I just remember that Spears coming out of college was a beast at LDE, Ware is a beast, and I think Fergy, Canty and Ratlif can be good. I will agree we need an agressive stud at DT if going back to the 4-3...this is in FA or draft, but only one position of need.

We are going nowhere without an absolute stud MLB, and we are taking a chance that Spears and Canty can make the switch. Again it may work, but there is a chance it won't, and that sets us back a year or two.

I think we have potential trade bait in James, and possible Canty if we move back to 4-3.

We aren't getting anything for James after the contract he just signed and the 5 game stretch he had down the end of the season. When John Kitna is on the radio saying "number 56 just looked lost out there" its a pretty good bet the league has caught on.

Canty maybe, but he hasn't done anything worth even the lawyer fees to make a deal.

I like Rivera, I like his attitude and coaching style. But if we go that route we should be prepared for a possible step backwards before moving forwards.

 

[wileedog]

at 6'7", yikes

Good point.

 

[Royal Laegotti]

Maybe in another 3-4 scheme they would be unleashed. Or even more of an aggressive 4-3. Chicago's defense works because of Brian Urlacher, and the phenomenal pressure they get from their front four linemen. Ellis is not a guarantee next year, Spears has shown me nothing that says "competent apss rusher", and I have no idea who would put rpessure on the QB from the DT spot.

Would Carpenter be an effecitve roaming MLB? Would Burnett? I don't know. But that is the biggest key to that defense, a player who is every bit as good against the run as pass, and athletic enough to cover the deep middle.

I just don't see where these players come from on our team.

I don't believe a team has to have a great MLB to run the 4-3 successfully, Robery Jones was not elite and Dallas won 2 SBs with him at MLB. The first SB was R. Jones rookie year. The other year we had K. Norton, now he was elite.

 

[stiletto]

Some of you people are idiots... who says just because we hire Rivera that we have to switch to his scheme? He won't be the defensive coordinator. We can always hire a 3-4 guy or 4-3 guy. I'm interested in Rivera as a motivator of men in general. The players in Chicago love the guy and perform well for him. The results DO NOT lie. As a HC he might have a positive effect on the whole team. We can always find someone to coach the defense and I'm sure Rivera is not afraid of any scheme we use.... he even said so in an interview today with LBOH....wake up people. Give me the Rivera's, Payton's, Lewis', Tomlin's of the world over retreads like Norv Turner any day!!! Anyone calling him a terrible hire are probably just parcells lovers/homers....period.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

good points stiletto, and Rivera already has stated that he doesn't mind which scheme we run, he could coach either

this is just a simple debate of people who were against the switch to the 3-4, wanting to go back to it

 

[superpunk]

I don't believe a team has to have a great MLB to run the 4-3 successfully, Robery Jones was not elite and Dallas won 2 SBs with him at MLB. The first SB was R. Jones rookie year. The other year we had K. Norton, now he was elite.

No. You don't need a dominant MLB to run the 4-3 successfully.

But Rivera's version of it requires it. You have to have a guy who covers well and plays the run equally as well, because your front four are pressuring before they play the run, and you're not run blitzing. You need a very athletic player for that spot. I have no idea who that would be. And since that is such a key componenet in the defense, I think it's a bad idea to go to that without that guy already in place. Ryan would make alot more sense, although we're short the pressure guys to run that as well as it could be run.