Disclaimer: This is just something I have been thinking about. In no way do I believe this is going to happen. I just want some feedback on what I am thinking – talking out loud about. I know this is a Jets draft room and I don't mean to discuss anything except the draft, but I really respect a lot of you guys and would love to have your opinion on a few things. Imagine that Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis were in this draft and you guys needed OLB's. How would you rank them as OLB's in the 3-4? And what round grade would you give them. I absolutely love the 3-4 defense and I really can't stand this Tampa2 crap that we run anymore. I just love how much more you can do from a 3-4 scheme and all of the different looks a defense can show and then changeup. We are not switching to the 3-4, but it’s intriguing to think that if we did, what would we have to do in order to make the change? I think the only thing we would absolutely need would be a Big-Nasty-335lb-NT! Our DT’s can rush the QB and have some athletic ability, so I don’t think it’s a stretch at all to believe that we could move Johnson, Muir, and Moala to DE’s. We could pick up a guy like Mt Cody in the draft to anchor the middle. I think Freeney and Mathis could play OLB in the 3-4, but this is the biggest issue as we have a lot of money invested into these guys. I think Sessions and Brackett could hold down the middle. Our corners and safeties, I believe would be just fine. So really, in my opinion, we would only need a NT, plus pick up a LB or two for depth and possible future starters. It would be a lot of fun to watch Freeney playing OLB. What are your thoughts?
Session and Brackett are both undersized LBs (6' 235). Undersized LBs tend to struggle in the 3-4 scheme having to deal with more head to head combat with OL. It's not impossible for an undersized LB to play well in the 3-4 (Donnie Edwards), but more often than not it doesn't work out (Jon Vilma). Also, moving Freeney and Mathis to OLB would require them to roam in coverage occasionally. Not so sure that would work out well for you guys as both are pure DEs. Agreed that you'd need a 3-4 NT, that's the most obvious need. You'd also require some CBs who can play man coverage to enable more complex blitzes or the schme will fail. I'd say your team runs the Tampa 2 for the exact reason that the roster has Tampa 2 players. I think your D would need a complete overhaul to install a 3-4.
Thanks for your opinion. We have been getting bigger on defense lately, especially at DT. Appreciate the feedback. :wink:
All right... this is just me thinking, so take this with a grain of salt, if at all. 1. First of all, I have a strong suspicion toward Freeney/Mathis as OLB. True, OLBs should be able to rush the passer in 3-4, but they are Linebackers at the end of the day; meaning, they have to know how to operate in space. As DLs, I strongly doubt if they know how. If at all, watch how Gholston looks completely clueless in space (Yes... I'm going extreme, but you get the point.) So far, I have no reason to believe that either can operate in space, cover WRs/TEs and catch up with shifty RBs coming out of the backfield. As such, Freeney/Mathis as OLBs is but a questionable logic at best. Their only merit is that they can rush passers, but that's about all there is to it. I, for one, wouldn't endorse such a position change. 2. Colts D in general lack the size, and that will be a problem if they are trying to convert to 3-4. Current Colts D is built on speed at the cost of size - what you see is the crystallization of the speed over size philosophy. In order for that philosophy to work, your defenders cannot allow themselves to be dominated physically - thus they must learn how to shed blocks and converge on the ball carrier ASAP. Now... 3-4 defense - especially those in vogue - is on the other side of the spectrum. They force a match up that cannot be handled one to one. In Tampa-2 4-3, only one DT is two gap DT; both DEs and the shooting DT are all one gap linemen. In case of 3-4, all three of them should be able to handle two-gap responsibilities, unlike most 4-3. Their job is to draw double-team from the OLs and TE, so the 'backers can have a clear lane to the backfield. Of course, that doesn't always work, meaning the MLBs should be able to take on the OLs and shed the blocking when they are on the blitz. I strongly doubt if Gary Brackets has the size to do that. So... if Colts do decide to overhaul their defense a la 3-4, they will need not only NT, but two-gapping DEs as well. Gary Brackets might be just fine - but he won't be the run stopping MLB. He would have to be the coverage MLB as he lacks the size to deal with OLs. OLBs... that's again, 50:50 in my eyes. At the worst case, you'd need 6 new faces out of front 7. Not a good experiment, if I had to tell you.
I think you are almost better off running the cover 2 or a 4-3 defense these days. Just because everyone else is now running a 3-4. I can't imagine that its too difficult anymore to get the speedy undersized linebackers or smaller DT because nobody wants them. The only thing hard piece to get still is the DE. Even then I bet you could get some gems with the undersized defensive ends that didn't convert well to 3-4 linebacker. I'd imagine that at some point Gholston is gonna be given a shot to play DE again on a 4-3 team. I think if I was a new GM to a team that needed an overhaul I'd get a guy that can run a Greg Williams defense.
