Coples and Wilkerson

There's alot of speculation that Rex/Pettine are planning to use alot of 46 type looks. They think Coples/Wilk can both play the 3 technique & fill that Dan Hampton pass rusher type role.

This would explain why the jets went after all these hybrid LB/Safety types rather than rangy coverage safeties.

 

Rex has played primarily a 4-3 system at times in Baltimore. The Ravens were mainly a 3-4 team but when the personnel said 4-3 they went to that front. If one of the Jets linebackers goes down the Jets will be in a 4-3 front so fast it makes our heads spin.

 

They were in 4-3 some 40% of the time last year anyway. It's not so easy to slot this defense as one or the other. We're going to add more 46-style defenses and expect some crazy creativity.

 

Our defensive scheme doesn't subscribe to the conventional notions of the 3-4 just because that's the way the base D is labeled.

There is no "switching" to 4-3 because the defensive scheme runs essentially like a hybrid anyway. 1st down could be a 4-3 set, 2nd down could be a 3-4 set, and 3rd down could be max coverage with 5 backs.

Remember when Jenkins lined up at end when the Jets had 4 people on the line?

That's why Rex likes versatile players on his D.

But if Wilk develops further (I personally am very high on him) and Couples is what Wilkerson says he is (a much better player than he is) then good things should come.

 

Rex Ryan variant of 3-4 is somewhat of a misnomer in that, his 3-4 doesn't really have 3 down linemen. This is one of the reason Jets run defense took massive hit when Bryan Thomas went down.

In his 3-4, Ryan deploys Thomas along the 9-T spot, right at LoS. (This also means the 3 down linemen all shade the other way a little bit. This is also why we see Pouha and DeVito standing at the gap, shooting for the runner often. Unless you are running Phillips 3-4, you want your NT standing at 0 tech all the time.) He is not on 3-point stance so he is not a down lineman technically, but his job description is that of a weakside DE, sealing the edge to counter the runs outside.

Assuming this trend holds this year (and I think it has a good possibility, since Jets LBs lack speed in general) whoever lines up next to Thomas will assume the undertackle role. (Or that's my guess.)

 

Rex & Pettine will modify their plays and stances based on the talent they have. Whereas Mangina shipped off Vilma cause he didn't fit the scheme. Rex/Pettine wins.

I think the argument between 3-4, 4-3 and the other starting fronts is way overblown. Almost every team is using a combination and calling a D a 3-4 or 4-3 is only based on base fronts and occasionally personnel.

If a team stuck to a specific scheme the whole game the opposing O will eventually see it and exploit it.

 

Wilkerson is a prototypical 3-4 DE, and had an excellent first year, but he isn't an explosive player and not a pass rush threat. Coples is a prototypical 4-3 DE, and a bit small for a 3-4 DE, which is one of the reasons I thought his pick by the Jets was curious. I suppose on passing downs the Jets could go to a 4 man line of Coples, Ellis, Wilkerson, and Pace and present a decent rush.

BTW- the reason the 3-4 became more popular over the last decade is its ability to disguise where the rush was coming from. Unlike the 4-3 where you know which for guys are rushingm, the 3-4 allows you to send 4, but the offense can't be sure of which of the OLB's is coming.

 

I've heard the plan is for Coples to play 3-4 DE on 1st and 2nd down and 4-3 DT on 3rd down/obvious passing downs (alongside Wilkerson in the interior). Coples had more success in the interior of the line in college, I'm not sure why most people here are assuming he'll play DE in the 4-3.

Then again him and Wilk are pretty damn versatile so I'd imagine they can do all of the above to a degree.

 

They already use multiple fronts.

 

i personally think that hill has the potential to be the next randy moss. its all up to him if he wants to be great. every opportunity is what u make of it is what i believe. lets see what he does in training camp. im pretty fucking pumped for this season.

 

I disagree with you on Wilkerson, he lined up in quite few different places last year, and showed promise of being a disruptive interior presence in the passing game. Your point on Coples being too small doesn't really hold weight, when he's pretty much the same size as Justin Smith, the best 3-4 DE in the game.

People here shouldn't get too hung up on the 3-4 or 4-3 thing. Ryan uses concepts from both, and most of the game is played in sub-packages anyway. The reason the Jets drafted these guys is because they both showed the potential to be players you could play all over the LOS and be very disruptive.

 

What a totally relevant post

 

I don't get why people continually point out that Coples is "undersized" for a 3-4 DE. How many times should I point out that he is bigger than several Hall of Famers who played the position?

 

Too many min-maxing gamers I suspect.

 

Coples is under-sized for a 3-4 DE. The position has been getting steadily larger and larger, as have the rest of the trench positions, over the last decade. Shaun Ellis was prototypical size for a 3-4 DE when he was drafted in 2000 at about Coples weight. The average 3-4 end weighs close to 300 now.

 

It's difficult to make that comparison validly, as the players now are much bigger/stronger than in the past.

 

Coples is a lean 284, I'm sure he can put on 10 or 15 pounds with better strength coaches and more nutritional guidance.

 

I really think these guys along with maybin and dixon can really be a potentially sick group on passing downs.

On 3rd down you could have Maybin on the weak side and Coples on the strong. Along side Dixon and Mo in the interior this defense could finally get pressure with just the front 4.