Video: OTA video of Dak, Kazee, Neal and Jaylon

[TheMarathonContinues]

Dak shouldn't be losing weight.
He should be bulking up.
He looked like a Linebacker playing QB last season.

No he didn’t....he looked like one his rookie year but he’s been losing weight every offseason....

 

[links18]

"He's more quick than fast." That has to be the most overused cliche in sports analysis.

 

[xwalker]

Even though I've been expecting Kazee to be the starting free safety, I've kind of been ignoring Neal or maybe at least underestimating how much he'll play. It's easy to forget that he was the 17th overall player taken in 2016. I've had him in my mind playing a subpackage role as a coverage linebacker, but who knows, he might bump Jaylon or LVE out of a starting spot, relegating one of them to rotational snaps. Or since we'll be in nickel 60 to 70 percent of the time, he may just be out there for that along with Parsons, meaning less snaps for Jaylon and LVE anyway.

That's if he can stay healthy, which has been a big if with Neal.

3-4:
The 3-4 OLBs play DE in Nickel.

Quinns 4-3 that looks like a 3-4:
1 "3-4" OLB plays DE is Nickel.
1 "3-4" OLB plays LB in Nickel.

I think they envision Parsons as that 4-3 type LB that plays like a 3-4 OLB in base.

DLaw and Gregory are going to start. If one plays DE in base and one is the DE playing like a 3-4 OLB then there will be more snaps for off-ball type LBs than if both DLaw and Gregory play 3-4 OLB like they did last year.

Based on reviewing game footage of Quinn's defenses I also expect them to often play 3-3-5 Nickel instead of only 4-2-5 Nickel. Both Gregory and DLaw would be DEs in that package.

Against some offenses they might play the 4-3 that looks like a 3-4 as the base and primarily 3-3-5 as the Nickel. That would keep 3 off-ball type LBs in the field the majority of the snaps. Having big off-ball LBs gives them more flexibility. LVE, JS and Parsons are all in the 245+ range and between 6-2 to 6-4.

In recent years Belichick has played what I call the Big LB Defense. It is designed around having 250+ LBs with only 1 LB under 250 playing significant snaps and he was a coverage specialist. BB literally played 1-6 at times and often 2-4. Obviously some of those are LBs are DE/LB types and some are off-ball types but because the off-ball LBs are big it gives BB a lot of flexibility.

BB also often plays his SS like a LB up on the line. When in Nickel they often have the NCB back in off-zone to allow for having the SS up on the line. Sometimes they do that with a Safety at NCB.

BB's SS often plays a LB type role and the NCB often plays a Safety type role.

Quinn might call that SS up on the line a LB which is a perfect spot for Neal. The NCB playing off might be the role that Lewis described when he talked about moving around the field.

Modern offenses have become complex and most have developed the ability to use both zone run blocking and man blocking.

Modern defenses must have the flexibility to defend all of the various types of offensive plays.

We saw in the 2018 season playoff game that the Rams dominated the Cowboys because of their offensive scheme vs the Cowboys too-simple defensive scheme.

The Rams didn't really have very many elite players on that offense. The OL was physically average but the scheme allowed them to dominate that season...until they met up with BB in the Super Bowl....BB changed his defensive scheme and the Rams precision run blocking didn't work and their QB was not good enough to win without a dominant running game.

After that season more offenses focused on zone run blocking.

In 2019 the 49ers dominated with their version of the zbs. In 2020 even more offenses focused on zone run blocking.

The defensive solution is flexibility with multiple front defenses.

 

[Typhus]

I’m honestly amazed Kazee is out there running like he is just 7-8 post achilles injury/surgery.

If you seen him move in some of the videos you’d have no idea dude is coming off a serious injury in such a short amount of time.

He really could be our best play making free safety since.....

7-8 months?