xwalker
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It is a bit of a draft media misnomer that Sam Williams is not a good run defender.
The issue was that he played a 4i technique on run downs.
That's a technique normally played by 3-4 DE types that weigh 300 pounds.
- The Cowboys signed Brent Urban (6-7, 308) to play that position last year.
- Odighi ended up often playing that position when the Cowboys used that alignment.
There are not any 260 pound players that look great in run defense when playing 4i.
The reason a D-Coordinator would play an Edge player like Sam Williams at 4i:
- With a 4 man DL, there are 4 inside gaps and 2 DTs.
- The other 2 gaps are normally filled by off-ball LBs.
..........OT.....OG.....OC.....OG.....OT..........
.....DE..... B........A........A........B.......DE
By moving a DE inside to defend the B gap, a LB then moves outside to defend the C gap.
In the 2018 season playoff games between the Rams and Cowboys, the Rams schemed to target the Cowboys LBs horizontally.
- The Rams would kick out an OLineman to cut off the path of a LB to prevent him from moving outside or to keep him outside.
- Marinelli had no answer for the Rams running scheme.
- Then the Rams get to the Super Bowl and Belichick is ready for them.
- Belichick has his DE play the B gap and keeps his LB outside.
- That LB never needed to move back inside because all of his run assignments were outside.
- The Rams running scheme falls apart just based on that simple defensive adjustment.
- Then Jared Goff was useless without a dynamic running game.
The issue was that he played a 4i technique on run downs.
That's a technique normally played by 3-4 DE types that weigh 300 pounds.
- The Cowboys signed Brent Urban (6-7, 308) to play that position last year.
- Odighi ended up often playing that position when the Cowboys used that alignment.
There are not any 260 pound players that look great in run defense when playing 4i.
The reason a D-Coordinator would play an Edge player like Sam Williams at 4i:
- With a 4 man DL, there are 4 inside gaps and 2 DTs.
- The other 2 gaps are normally filled by off-ball LBs.
..........OT.....OG.....OC.....OG.....OT..........
.....DE..... B........A........A........B.......DE
By moving a DE inside to defend the B gap, a LB then moves outside to defend the C gap.
In the 2018 season playoff games between the Rams and Cowboys, the Rams schemed to target the Cowboys LBs horizontally.
- The Rams would kick out an OLineman to cut off the path of a LB to prevent him from moving outside or to keep him outside.
- Marinelli had no answer for the Rams running scheme.
- Then the Rams get to the Super Bowl and Belichick is ready for them.
- Belichick has his DE play the B gap and keeps his LB outside.
- That LB never needed to move back inside because all of his run assignments were outside.
- The Rams running scheme falls apart just based on that simple defensive adjustment.
- Then Jared Goff was useless without a dynamic running game.