Video: Bradie James & Roy Williams

[theebs]

Kind of funny how "Cover 2" has become this rallying cry for Roy's worshipers as some inherently evil and flawed defense.

Especially considering the two teams in the Superbowl last year specialize in it as their base defense.

another thing to me is that we did not play cover 2 all the time. Sometimes we are in 2 man or cover 1.

People see two deep safeties and go cover 2. That is not always the case.

Roy Williams has to play better without question. Anyone who thinks he doesnt is crazy. At the same time he did make alot of big plays last year.

That last month of the season ruined everyones confidence in this defense and this team.

This team needs another pass rusher, two actually.

I dont think wade phillips has a magic wand and personally my concern lies with marcus spears as much as anybody else. Spears was getting thrown around the whole season. He was a slouch all year, you can blame it on scheme if you want but he played extremely poorly.

I can go back and make a video of marcus spears having his butt handed to him by every team in our division and many others if anyone wants, but I am way too lazy to do that.

 

[InmanRoshi]

Has anyone tried to excuse the Mack Strong play?

Or is this just one long Roy Williams *****-fest?

There's a whole season worth of James being worthless and making about zero plays to write home about - it's hardly three plays that are making people's minds over. These plays just evidence how inept James is in coverage, and how people can look at these plays and wail "Oh, Roy Williams!" when the thing that is getting exploited is an inherent flaw in the scheme, but can only be exploited when your ILB is as inept as Bradie James.

No, quite the contrary, it seems to be one long Bradie James *****fest. About 7 threads worth. I just got jumped on when I pointed out that I saw as many bad plays from Roy in the footage as I saw from Bradie.


I guess it just makes some people feel better when we can blame everything on Bradie James or "Cover 2" (whatever that even loosely means in these threads). I guess I ruined the party with some ugly truths.

 

[superpunk]

No, quite the contrary, it seems to be one long Bradie James *****fest. I just got jumped on when I pointed out that I saw as many bad plays from Roy in the evidence as I saw from Bradie.

He definitely had a chance to prevent a bad play from turning much worse in one or two of those clips.

If James could have just hung with the TEs to start with, it would have never been a bad play in the first place. That is what the problem is in the clips. Roy's inability to keep it from getting any worse is secondary, but still bad.

 

[InmanRoshi]

He definitely had a chance to prevent a bad play from turning much worse in one or two of those clips.

If James could have just hung with the TEs to start with, it would have never been a bad play in the first place. That is what the problem is in the clips. Roy's inability to keep it from getting any worse is secondary, but still bad.

Well, I guess I disagree.

I think Roy's lack of range so limiting that he can't cover a 15 yard area is primary, and Bradie James (or any ILB's) inability to cover an athletic TE 35 yards down field as secondary.

 

[WoodysGirl]

That last month of the season ruined everyones confidence in this defense and this team.

I agree. So now there's a lot of finger pointing as to who was the cause of the collapse. There were 11 guys that was on the field and they weren't playing in synch the last quarter of the season. You could say Bradie sucked, Roy wasn't making plays, no pressure from the DL, Henry getting burnt, T-New having one of his worst games of the season after speaking out. Right now, no should be unscathed based on their play. Some people taking stands as to who played the worst. When they're giving up records amount of yardage and points in a 4-game span, then they all should be painted with the same brush.

I dont think wade phillips has a magic wand.

Me neither. There's no way to tell how the D will adapt to his schemes and his playcalls until the lights go on.

 

[superpunk]

Well, I guess I disagree.

I think Roy's lack of range so limiting that he can't cover a 15 yard area is primary, and Bradie James (or any ILB's) inability to cover an athletic TE 35 yards down field as secondary.

15 yard area?

He's got half the field on those plays. If he doesn't take his primary responsibility (the outside WRs) then we have a situation where it's just lobbed over the top for a sure thing to the right-side-WR. That's why it is so imperative to have a good coverage ILB. It's also, come to think of it, why Parcells' method of building a defense and Zimmer's style of running a defense meshed so poorly - at least last year.

Brian Urlacher described his role in the cover two as basically running downfield full-steam with the TE and then coming back to the huddle and congratulating his teammates on making a play. Bradie should have been able (in that defense) to take the TE away. He can't. That's on him.

15 yards. 35 yards downfield. Watch it again.

 

[theebs]

I agree. So now there's a lot of finger pointing as to who was the cause of the collapse. There were 11 guys that was on the field and they weren't playing in synch the last quarter of the season. You could say Bradie sucked, Roy wasn't making plays, no pressure from the DL, Henry getting burnt, T-New having one of his worst games of the season after speaking out. Right now, no should be unscathed based on their play. Some people taking stands as to who played the worst. When they're giving up records amount of yardage and points in a 4-game span, then they all should be painted with the same brush.

Me neither. There's no way to tell how the D will adapt to his schemes and his playcalls until the lights go on.

Yep. My biggest fear with this new slanting and stunting scheme upfront is that spears continues to get thrown around like a rag doll.

Spears was given the opportunity to rush the passer in the nickel here and there and he cant do it. I think the reason he was drafted was to be a space eater, the guy is enormous, when he was drafted he said he would be happy to take out the trash, then this past year when asked to do that he complained constatnly on his radio show.

Kenyon coleman in my opinion outplayed spears, and the reason coleman wasnt traded during the preseason was because of spears camp injury and then poor play when he returned. He has not been a force of any kind.

I really think that if spears plays poorly again, this team will struggle against the run. Without colemans size and ability backing him up it could become a major problem. I think ratliff and hatcher could player there if they had to but, that is not ideal.

I do think we will get more pass rush out of ratliff, hatcher, burnett and ellis with this scheme, but I dont think it is going to be this life altering change and we will be overpowering up front.

Getting two more pass rushers in this draft to put pressure is what will change this defense.

 

[theebs]

15 yard area?

He's got half the field on those plays. If he doesn't take his primary responsibility (the outside WRs) then we have a situation where it's just lobbed over the top for a sure thing to the right-side-WR. That's why it is so imperative to have a good coverage ILB. It's also, come to think of it, why Parcells' method of building a defense and Zimmer's style of running a defense meshed so poorly - at least last year.

Brian Urlacher described his role in the cover two as basically running downfield full-steam with the TE and then coming back to the huddle and congratulating his teammates on making a play. Bradie should have been able (in that defense) to take the TE away. He can't. That's on him.

15 yards. 35 yards downfield. Watch it again.

honestly that is not bradies game, and no ilb can run with tight ends for 30 yards. That is asking way too much.

Urlacher can do alot of that stuff for 15 yards because of the pass rush out of there front four.

 

[superpunk]

Spears was given the opportunity to rush the passer in the nickel here and there and he cant do it. I think the reason he was drafted was to be a space eater, the guy is enormous, when he was drafted he said he would be happy to take out the trash, then this past year when asked to do that he complained constatnly on his radio show.

Yeah, that was unfortunate. I could handle the complaining if he ever actually did....anything of note. It rings hollow coming froma guy who has accomplished nothing.

I think, aside from extra pass-rushers, just blitzing more is going to make us more effective against the run. Wade's mantra in the Phillips 3-4 is something like stop the run first and at all costs, although it's put in much more entertaining turn of phrase. I mean, realistically, who the hell is Shaun Phillips?

I think on the whole, our group of LBs is more talented than San Diego's. They've got us beat pretty bad up front, though.

 

[superpunk]

honestly that is not bradies game, and no ilb can run with tight ends for 30 yards. That is asking way too much.

Urlacher can do alot of that stuff for 15 yards because of the pass rush out of there front four.

It's not thirty yards.

Bradie can't even turn his hips in those plays. Can't even lay hands on the TE to give our pass rush a chance.

 

[theebs]

It's not thirty yards.

Bradie can't even turn his hips in those plays. Can't even lay hands on the TE to give our pass rush a chance.

Im not really trying to defend bradie. I think like many he just went to hell in the end of the season.

But asking them to cover 30 yards is insane. I know you dont think they can do that.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Brian Urlacher described his role in the cover two as basically running downfield full-steam with the TE and then coming back to the huddle and congratulating his teammates on making a play. Bradie should have been able (in that defense) to take the TE away. He can't. That's on him.

15 yards. 35 yards downfield. Watch it again.

I think it's very important to understand that the Bears play a Tampa2. That is not the same as a Cover2. We don't play a Tampa2. We play a Cover2. The responsabilities of the Safeties and the MLB or ILB are different.

I watched the release of Stevens, the chuck of the line and the trailing position of James on that play and to be honest, I agree with Rosh. There is no way you can expect an ILB or MLB to cover that route from the defensive posture you have your LB in. It simply will not work unless you have a safety supporting the play over the top.

 

[superpunk]

Im not really trying to defend bradie. I think like many he just went to hell in the end of the season.

But asking them to cover 30 yards is insane. I know you dont think they can do that.

It's not about covering 30 yards downfield.

You chuck him and run with him. Take that option away from the QB for a split second and make him look elsewhere, giving our rush a fighting chance. Bradie has such poor movement in those clips, he couldn't even lay hands on the TE. The QB knows that from the snap. The weakness in our covertwo is the deep middle. All the QB has to do is identify the coverage, note Bradie James' inability to do *anything*, and it's a huge play. The safeties cannot take away the WRs and the deep middle. I don't even think that's physically possible.

 

[InmanRoshi]

It's not about covering 30 yards downfield.

Bradie has such poor movement in those clips, he couldn't even lay hands on the TE.

Because the TE didn't get into his zone until he was well past 5 yards past the line of scrimmage. "Laying hands" on him at that point is what's known as illegal contact, and its an automatic first down.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

It's not about covering 30 yards downfield.

You chuck him and run with him. Take that option away from the QB for a split second and make him look elsewhere, giving our rush a fighting chance. Bradie has such poor movement in those clips, he couldn't even lay hands on the TE. The QB knows that from the snap. The weakness in our covertwo is the deep middle. All the QB has to do is identify the coverage, note Bradie James' inability to do *anything*, and it's a huge play. The safeties cannot take away the WRs and the deep middle. I don't even think that's physically possible.

In a Cover2, it's actually the CBs responsability to re-route the WR to an inside release. It's hugely important for the CB to play good technique here. He must make the WR release inside so that the Safety has a chance to position himself in such a way that he can play an inside release on a TE/Slot WR or the deep ball to the outside receiver to his side of the field. Ideally, the Safety should always be in a position to cover either contigency. The Safety should be able to run to the ball and make impact of play on the ball before the pass can be caught to any deep part of the field. Now, this is how it should be played ideally. It doesn't always happen that way but that's how the Cover2 is designed to work.

 

[superpunk]

Because the TE didn't get into his zone until he was well past 5 yards past the line of scrimmage. "Laying hands" on him at that point is what's known as illegal contact, and its an automatic first down.

Maybe on those - I didn't take note of the yardage passed. In any case, there is some leniency with LBs and TEs that corners don't receive, and 5-8 yards seem to be a grey area where some contact is allowed.

ALl I know is I see Bradie James lumbering and wearing the "Oh ****!" face in all those clips cause he couldn't turn and run with the TE. Maybe he's just that unathletic, maybe it has alot to do with Kitna's observation. But that deep middle, and the TEs that are abusing it - are his responsibility primarily. That is indisputable from that defense.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Maybe on those - I didn't take note of the yardage passed. In any case, there is some leniency with LBs and TEs that corners don't receive, and 5-8 yards seem to be a grey area where some contact is allowed.

ALl I know is I see Bradie James lumbering and wearing the "Oh ****!" face in all those clips cause he couldn't turn and run with the TE. Maybe he's just that unathletic, maybe it has alot to do with Kitna's observation. But that deep middle, and the TEs that are abusing it - are his responsibility primarily. That is indisputable from that defense.

If you have a slow ILB and you have a slow Safety and your expecting them to be succesful against athletic TEs or slot WRs, who's at fault here? At some point, you have to identify the inability of the personel in coverage and decide to use other personel or move away from that scheme. James is only going to run as fast as James can run. Same with Williams. If they can't run fast enough, then something has to change.

 

[theogt]

Kind of funny how "Cover 2" has become this rallying cry for Roy's worshipers as some inherently evil and flawed defense.

Especially considering the two teams in the Superbowl last year specialize in it as their base defense.

I think most people are *****ing about the Cover 2 because of the responsibility it places on James. The only thing it has to do with Roy in my opinion, is that Roy gets blamed occasionally for James getting beat in the deep middle when his responsibility is his deep half, especially when there are two WRs coming into his zone on the outside.

 

[theogt]

And this is what I'm talking about. People are so intent on blaming James, a player I am not in love with BTW, for not being able to cover one of the most athletic TEs in the NFL 40 yards down the field when in truth, there aren't 3 LBs IMO, who could cover that pattern the way the defense was designed to play it. I mean, the only way Brady has a chance on that play is if he's 20 yards off the ball playing where a safety should be lining up. The chuck on the TE also sucked but that's fine. I guess what I'm saying is if you expect James to be able to cover that, then you gotta give him a chance to cover it and in the location on the field James was lined up, there is no way he could not have been in a trailing position on that play. You would have to have help from the Safety. BTW, we don't play a Tampa2, which is the defense designed for the MLB to play the deep deep zone. Cover2 and Tampa2 are two different coverages. This has all been gone over and explained but to no avail. So, if Brady was so far out of position on the play, why didn't anybody call it out? Why didn't the team call a TO to get the alignment right? My guess is because that's the way it was designed to be played. Brady James is not my ideal player but I think it's rediculouse to throw him under the bus for that play. James was in about as good a trailing position as you can be for that play if your a MLB. The only way that play is completed is if the ball is out in front of the TE. In a situation like that, you must have a Safety coming up to lay the wood. Otherwise, your asking to get beat. Basically, your designing a defense that can not succeed. Or could it be, that there should have been help for James over the top on the deep seam?

Hey, if this was Bradie's only problem, then yeah I could see someone claiming it's not that bad, but the fact is he can't cover anyone anywhere. He can't cover the RB in the flats. He can't cover RBs in the shallow zones. He can't cover TEs up the seam. He's simply not agile/fast enough to cover anyone.

Thankfully, the Phillips' 3-4 doesn't place a premium on ILBs that are 260 lb. sluggers in the run game. He wants nimble LBs that can cover, because that's simply their responsibility a lot of times.

 

[Apollo Creed]

Coaching has a lot to do with it. I'm sure teams like the Pats and Ravens have weak spots in their defense - but they disguise them well. They know how to compensate for their weaknesses, something BP and Zimmer had no idea how to do. Zimmer got way too much blame, that was Bill's defense last year. Man to man, our guy is going to beat yours, and thats why we had Jon Kitna (of all people) talking about how our guys looked lost.