firehawk350;1521813 said:
Okay, let me explain this to you in easy to understand concepts. Williams' cover-2 was predicated on having two safeties who can cover well.
And, I suppose that Gregg Williams has changed things up so much that he felt compelled to use the 6th pick in the draft to get a cover safety to go in his new scheme? He's really changing things up. [/sarcasm]
I mean, if he changed things that much, then why is this year's defense still predicated on having two safeties that can cover well?
From what I've been reading over at ExtremeSkins Williams has, in the past, used the LB's and DB's to get pressure on the passer. That is exactly why the Commander fans have been saying that getting Laron Landry and London Fletcher-Baker will help the pass rush.
Anyway, if that's what he's done in the past, and everyone in Commander land seems to think that their pressure will again come from the LB's and DB's... then what part of the scheme is changed? That, along with still needing two safeties who can cover wouldn't support your view that the scheme is changing.
Another thing is that when you talk about defensive scheme, most people start with saying a 3-4 or 4-3. That is the defensive line players and linebackers that are used to determine scheme. Nowhere really do you see anyone say their scheme is determined by their secondary... it is determined by their front 7.
So, in saying that you are changing schemes, are you simply saying that you are going to have a lot less cover two in your defense? If so, that is certainly a change in coverage... but I doubt anyone would really say that you're changing your defensive scheme. Changing defensive philosophy? Yes, as far as coverages go. Changing scheme? I don't think so, because nothing really will be different with your front 7.
You can run cover 2 out of a 3-4 or a 4-3. You can play man coverage out of a 3-4 or a 4-3. You can run a cover 3 out of a 3-4 or a 4-3. However, those teams still stay with their same defensive scheme... they just switch up the coverages. That sounds like what Washington is doing, to me.
I do realize that changing the coverage might change some things that your front 7 does... but that certainly wouldn't be a scheme change, I don't think... and considering Washington has done nothing at DL this offseason, I'd say you better hope Williams continues to get pressure from his LB's and DB's.
And you say that is a scheme change and we are still running the same thing in Dallas? Please.
With Dallas, they are changing the entire way the front 7 plays. The defensive line responibilities will change completely, for the most part. Last year, all three DL were playing two gap. They had to hold up the blocker, read the play, and then flow to the ball. It was a much more man-on-man philosophy than anything else. Just beat the guy in front of you.
This year, the DL will be, for the most part, choosing a gap and shooting through it at the snap of the ball. There will be a whole lot more line stunts. They won't have to control the blocker at the snap, but will instead immediately shoot the gap looking for the ball. The entire DL will play completely differently than they did last year. Even the NT will play one gap in a lot of situations. They all will use their athletic ability/speed much more and their strength/size much less.
The LB's will have different responsibilities as well. The ILB's will take on a guard much less often and will drop in to coverage differently, as well as blitz much, much more. They will flow to the ball, IOW instead of taking on blockers most of the time.
The outside LB's will still rush the QB like they did last season, but they'll do it much more. You won't see Demarcus Ware in coverage nearly as much this year... he'll be going after the QB most of the time. Again, flow to the ball.
If a Wade Phillips defense is working well, I think you'll see some blockers with no one to block because the guy they thought would be there will be shooting through a gap somewhere else. In Parcells defense, you never saw a blocker not on a defender. There was no doubt about who would block who when Parcells defense was on the field. No surprises for the OL at all. That was the reason offenses liked playing against it. Phillips will move everyone around constantly.
All the LB's will run to the ball much more. That's why Wade Phillips has had them all lose about 10-15 pounds... because what they'll be doing is completely different that what they've been doing in the past.
Phillips will use a wide variety of zone blitzes as well, which Parcells/Zimmer hardly ever did. You'll see a whole lot more of DE's dropping back in a zone and an ILB coming after the QB... or a SS coming... or a FS coming.
In other words... while Dallas still is in a 3-4, the resposibilities will be completely different for all of the front 7 players. They will play a number of different coverages out of that at different times.
So, while Washington is still playing a 4-3 and Dallas is still playing a 3-4, I think you'd have to say the team that is changing it's scheme the most, would be the team that has it's entire front 7 playing differently. The team that is having it's players change body weight in an effort to better fit the new scheme. Or, to make it easy, just look at which players are saying things like, "This new scheme much better fits my skill set".
I know several different Cowboy players have said they like the way they're being used in this new scheme. Has any Washington players said anything like that? Honest question... I really don't know.
Anyway, to sum this up: The scheme usually depends on what the front 7 players do in order to tell what it is... i.e., 3-4 or 4-3. No matter what the DB's play (cover 2, man to man, etc.), the scheme is determined by where the LB's and DL line up and how they are used. So, to say that changing coverages is changing schemes, seems to me to be much less than truthful.
