How do you guys think this will work out long-term? Usually 4-3 DE tend to weigh less and are a little faster. Do you guys think he will translate just fine as a 4-3 DE full time? I'm sure with Davis and Coples we will be using the 4-3 base formation more next season with Pace and Scott gone ... I just don't want to go through the same thing when switching defenses from 3-4 and 4-3 and losing great players along the way (Farrior, Vilma, Abraham) Wilkerson - DeVito - Ellis (and Pouha) - Coples in a base 4-3 set?
Yes actually he would as a 4-3 DT you are correct I forgot to think about that So Coples can be a 4-3 DE and a 4-3 DT, as he's very versatile even back to his days in UNC. I just want to see the long-term effects for this defense. Is this really the correct decision? Hopefully Rex stays to see this come to fruition. So more than likely we'll have to draft ANOTHER 4-3 DE that has pass rush ability, not so much the 3-4 OLB that we've been searching for the past 4 years ... I've been checking out prospects, just as you guys have - I understand all the multi-fronts, but transitioning, I always have trouble understanding that ... for examplethe "Nascar" package the Giants have, hopefully we can have a special pass-rush package ourselves.
We aren't switching to a 4-3 team anytime soon, unless Rex is fired. We'll obviously use 4-3 fronts, but he mixes up fronts as much as anyone if not more.
So you would assume depending on the player in the draft (not necessarily this draft of course), if he's the best pass rusher on the team, I'm assuming we'll put him in a situation to thrive, where-ever it be in a 4-3, 3-4, 5-2, Nickel, etc. I'm just interested to see when it's 3rd down going forward how this will work out. I understand we have all these different packages, it would be nice to get pressure sending just 4 instead of 6-8 guys. Even with a stellar secondary. When I mean switching to 4-3, I meant that as a base package. I guess you could call it our base front the Hybrid Multiple Front (like in Madden). With all the OLBs that have been selected in the past that could of helped us (Brooks Reed for example), I guess Rex was still looking for that guy that can create pressure from within, instead of outside pressure ... I think we got that in Coples.
Both Coples and Wilk would have been DTs if drafted by 43 teams and very good ones at that. Rex thinks having guys like Coples will improve the numbers of others. Coples and Wilk may neve put up ten sacks, but what they can do is provide pressure on passing downs. If you single block them they create havoc with pressure up the middle, if you double them then the blitzers are facing inferior blockers. That is what his defense is intended to do. This is also why Rex likes more versatile OLB's. He truly feels that his scheme can provide pressure and he does not need a world beater out there. He wants guys who can set the edge as well as rush, but very few excel at both.
Coples was highly regarded as one of the best pass-rushers in the draft in the past 2 or 3 seasons though. Why wouldn't we put him in a situation where HE'S the guy getting sacks, not allowing someone else to do so? In the 3-4 that was their duty to create holes for the outside linebackers to make plays. I just see Coples as that guy who can get to the QB, so we should be lining him up against the offensive line's worst player, like opponents do to us. Rex as always has great ideas, but there's only so many times where you can confuse a QB. Plus I was thinking Wilkerson and Coples are two of our most athletic defensive lineman, wouldn't it make more sense to put him on the outside as DEs on some plays and not so much DTs? Pouha and DeVito can distract the inner offensive line man eating blockers so Coples and Wilkerson to come outside and get to the QB. No reason why we shouldn't be able to put those two in that situation, but I do understand where your coming from with the OLB being a versatile 3-4, not so much a pure passer rusher that is a world beater. I would like to see us have something, that we can go back to time and time again as our bread and butter you know?
Wilk is probably one of those guys who would get moved all over the place on the 4-3 DL by any DC. He's very versatile. In 34 he's def a DE.
The awesome thing is despite being 315 pounds he has the athletic ability to play as a 4-3 DE too. A multi-facet weapon. Rex needs to utilize this guy to his full potential. Line him up everywhere on the line so he gets as many cracks at the QB as possible. Same with Coples. With the acquisitions as of late, it just seems like we're slowly making a transition with Davis and Coples. When we draft linebackers this April, we'll have a better idea I suppose as well.
Wilkerson is the guy I'm most happy about this year on the entire team. He's been stepping it up big time. If Coples can even come somewhat close and we draft some OLBS we have a very bright future ahead. I'm sure Rex will keep switching it up with 3-4 and 4-3.
Switching full time to a 4-3 is a possibility but we need 2 faster 4-3 line backers, don't know if Harris fits there, maybe he does. Then we need need a legit 4-3 end move Wilk inside Po as well and have Q at his true position at 4-3 end.
Dear God no. If we're ever to transition to a 4 man line I hope Wilkerson and Coples are in the middle with DeVito (if re-signed) and Ellis rotating in. Maybe Wilkerson could be on the outside in rushing situations? That's it though. Defensive ends will have to be found elsewhere.
1 more defensive end along with 1 or 2 linebackers that can cover. Harris and Davis can play 4-3, Harris isn't the best at coverage, but he can at the worst cover 5 yards down and stop the run. Getting a stud linebacker that can cover can easily mask that I think. Davis is a good 4-3 linebacker. Even if Rex doesn't come back in the near future, going to a BASE 4-3 defense would be a good idea
Not this upcoming season, but next. I doubt he finishes that contract here in NY. Ellis should get more reps as well as times goes on. The defense line has tons of potential when it comes to pass-rush and versatility - Rex needs to build on that and get some linebackers to help stop the run and cover down the field
Pouha is probably a cut after the season. He's got a big cap number next year but a small amount of dead money. He's exactly the kind of player who the Jets will let go of as they manage the cap issues for the season.
