After one year in this new exciting system I think it's time to debate some of it's aspects... the most important IMO is where is talent actually needed and where does the "system" make up for it. Summary (since I wrote a lot of stuff!): - Rex's D relies on a "designated blitzer" theory instead of a "everyone behind the QB" approach. THIS APPROACH NEEDS MANY PLAYERS TO BLITZ! - This concept and the system in general helps the DL & LB and can cover some of their weaknesses but because it requires many players up front it puts pressure on the DBs. - Although having Revis makes this system more bearable for the other guys in the back-field they still are under a ton of pressure - The best possible skill-sets to compliment Revis and Leonhard in this D are another solid corner (solid doesn't mean flashy) and a ball-hawking S (ergo not Rhodes). What they say about Rex's D is that he'll always send in one more guy than you can block (when he blitzes). That means that you don't need exceptional pass-rushing talent to play in this scheme because it makes up for it. Of course knowing how to shed a block is useful (right Mr. Gholston?) and will get you extra sacks but at the end of the day almost every player gets a sack in this system because the concept isn't "make the best pass-rusher make his moves to get to the QB" but " we rush 6 guys when you excpected 5, who are you gonna let through?". Of course the design isn't that casual... the plays are designed so that the best rushers (Pace, Harris and Ellis IMO) are the ones that are put in a position to get to the QB more often. By saying "put in" I mean that usually the idea when a team blitzes is to send say 5 guys and whoever gets to the QB I'm happy. Rex designs plays so that out of those 5 blitzers 3 of them are actually "fake-blitzers" because their job isn't to actually blitz the QB but rather create room for the "designated blitzer" to get to his target. This is a great concept IMO because instead of giving 5 players a 30% chance to hit the QB you give 1 guy a 70% chance... and that brings a lot more pressure to the opposing team. All this to say that even if you don't see guys like Scott or Douglas getting a lot of hits on the QB it isn't because they suck... it's just because in this "blitzing concept" we have their role is to be a "fake blitzer" and not a "designed hitter". if we have too many "designated blitzers" on the field we won't have enough "fake blitzers" to clear the way for them... this is why I don't think it's a priority to add another pass rusher. Note: Remember when in the off-season players where saying that it was great to play in Rex's D because every once in a while everyone got their shot at getting to the QB? What they meant was that on different plays different guys are the "designated hitters" so everyone gets a chance to be a star... While this concept puts less emphasis on the DL&LB innate ability to put pressure on the opposing O (the scheme kind of does it for them, whoever is playing) it puts a lot of pressure on the DBs. The DBs: To play a numbers game (how many guys will you send to chase the QB) you need you CBs and S to man up vs the WRs/TEs and not screw up their assignment. This is where talent is needed in a Rex's D. While it's true that when a QB is under pressure he won't have that much time to think and he might make mistakes it's also true that in this sort of scheme if someone screws something up in the coverage assignments it's not likely that someone else will be near to make a tackle. Therefore you CANNOT screw up!!! this is why a guy like Sheppard is a liability in our system... because sometimes he makes great plays and sometimes he gets burned... and while in a normal scheme he might have a S nearby to cover up for his mistakes, in our D he almost always doesn't. A scheme that puts so much pressure on the DBs is dangerous but Rex has one great advantage in NY, Revis. Having him take away 1/4 of the field makes it easier for our schemes to be succesful because safety help is almost never needed on Revis's side of the ball and therefore can almost always be there when the other CB fucks things up. Let's finish this thig by talking about the safeties... Leonhard fits perfectly into this D because with the pressure that's put on the DBs there needs to be a D's QB to put everyone in the right place. Leonhard is very good at doing that. Another thing he is good at is being that guy that will be there when the CB opposite to Revis screws things up. What we truly need is an Ed Reed type of player next to him... with the opposing O under a lot of pressure from the DL&LBs they will force throws and our other S should be great at making the most of those hurried passes. to do that you need to be reactive and quick and also study to know where the ball will most likely be thrown. I don't think Rhodes is particularly quick nor is he a great student of the game... I actually think he doesn't have very good instincts on where the ball is going. Sure he has the athletic talent to battle it in the air with WRs but what the S is asked to do in Rex's defense is to jump other routes (like Reed or Polamalu does) and to do that you need to have a nose for the ball. This is why I feel that Lowery could thrive as a S in our scheme but we are thin at CB so I won't get into that... So to sum it all up go draft us a friggin' CB and trade Rhodes to draft a more ballhawking S Tanny !
A Consistant Corner who can stay healthy and play all 16 games, and a dominant pass rusher. Than we will be fine. Oh yeah Jenkins needs to lose weight. He has had injuries to both knees, and playing at the current weight he is at will just get himself hurt again. also mate Revis will Serena Williams(i know it'll be ugly, but we need another CB for the 2032 season)
I agree. It's not a great passeusher that we need, Rex's schemes will put the pressure. What is needed is great secondary play. Everyone is pointing out our lack of sacks, but IMO constant pressure is more important than sacks. Our pressure is why great QBs (other than Manning) looked so bad against us. And if we could add another shutdown corner and a real ballhawking S we can give IND and all their options a real fight next year.
I don't think we do! Pace and Harris are enough... if we have too many "designated blitzers" on the field we won't have enough "fake blitzers" to clear the way for them... Exactly! What I think Manning was great at was understanding where our designated hitter was coming from and making his OL neutralize the unbalance on that side.
I agree. We only bring significant pressure when we blitz. We need one man who can pressure without throwing multiple guys at the QB. We also need a better corner opposite Revis. There's not enough balance now. Peyton Manning exposed that side but good. He was licking his chops. We need a better corner to completely shut down everything downfield.
This..but my wishes for an elite pass rusher is not just about more sacks as that does not tell the whole story. If you have Jenkins and one other guy constantly in their back field, you can blow up a lot of plays before they even get started. And if we have 2 dominant guys at the line, we wont need to send 1/2 our defense in on a blitz. Send Pace in on one side and Harris on the other, and I think we could really cause some havoc..............
another good dlineman.like maybe cody.if you rotate jenkins pouha and cody(or another nt.) with jenks or pouha playing time at de that should open up for the lbs to come in clean.pouha and jenkins are both much stronger than anything the lt usually see rushing on the end.so it would look like this: ellis on rt jenknis on the center with guard help pouha on lt with guard help.now harris just has to choose the right gap.i contend that if we could get pressure up the middle on peyton the secondary we had sunday would've been enough to get it done.
What's missing right now from this defense is a weakside pass-rushing linebacker. We don't have a Terrell Suggs to put pressure on the left side of the offensive line in passing situations. The cornerback situation is easily correctable because you don't need a stud back there opposite Revis if the pass rush is working without having to blitz 7 or 8 men to get to the QB. In a capped situation you can't afford to pay two topflight corners, and whether or not 2010 is capped the odds are pretty good there will be some kind of cap moving forward - or failing that a 5 team scramble to get to LA.
Who plays OLB opposite to Suggs? We already have our pass rusher in Pace. This D is designed to blitz many guys and put the DBs under pressure... if you negate this concept you negate our D style.
The defense needs an edge rusher. We need our Terrell Suggs like Rex had in Baltimore. Calvin Pace is a really good player, but he's more of an all around type OLB, not just a pure pass rusher who can rush from the edge. In the draft, a guy like Brandon Gibson could be available when we pick. We need a guy like that to be what Gholston was supposed to be.
I understand your idea for having a safety. Believe me I do, but I don't know how good this draft is for safeties. It looks deep. You certainly have some interesting prospects, but I prefer OLB first, or even OL. Our right side needs insurance.
thats the concept on 3d and long.send many make the qb throw before the receivers can get to the 1st down marker.but on 1st and second down we need to be able to get pressure without sending 6+.
When the Baltimore D was at their absolute best, they had 2 awesome OLB in Suggs as the pure edge pass rusher, and Adalius Thomas who they moved around a little bit and still blitzed plenty and picked up his share of sacks. I see Pace to be more in the mold of Adalius Thomas, and we still need the guy on the other side who is strictly a pass rusher and can raise some hell for a quarterback. Bart Scott and Harris are both good blitzers from the inside, especially Harris. Once we get Jenkins back, if you add an edge rusher opposite Pace, there can be pressure coming from all over the place, which is what we really need. Too many times the blitz was just totally stuffed right up the middle and there was nobody capable of coming around the corner.
This past sunday proved that they need more consistent pressure up front. Blitzing all the backfield personnel left guys exposed and Manning was able to pick them apart. Unfortunately JENKINS was sorely missed today as he could've collapsed Peyton's comfort zone. He's developing a track record of injuries so they'll have to consider grooming his replacement (although that will be very difficult)
when will people realize that pace is a very good rush LB? he had 8 sacks in 12 games. that projects to 10.5-11 sacks in 16 games, which is the same as DeMarcus Ware and Julius Peppers.
I wholeheartedly disagree. I think you're of the opinion that Rex attempts to mold his players around a scheme, instead of mold his scheme around his players. I don't think that's the case. If Rex has the ability to rush four instead of seven, still get similar pressure, and use the extra men in coverage, don't you think he would prefer that? I do agree that DB depth will be huge this upcoming draft, but I think an edge rushing must be considered the highest priority.
Like I said, Pace is very good.. but the difference between him and elite guys like Ware is offenses game plan around those rushers and know exactly where they are at all times. I don't think they worry about Pace that same way. Pace isnt the problem.. it's that we have nobody on the other side who can get any pressure consistently. Look at the Ravens D when they were at their best. They had Adalius Thomas on one side and Terrell Suggs on the other.
I think Mangini would prefer that... Rex wouldn't. He'd be happier because he'd be able to get more pressure but he'd still send 6+... IMO of course I think he "fits" them into his scheme...
