Saleh comes from the Pete Caroll “Cover 3” or “4-3 Under” Defensive ideology. Basically this means there is a single high safety in zone coverage, and usually the 2 CB’s drop back into deep zones on either side. They will act as if it’s man coverage depending on the situation but that’s the basic secondary look. There are generally 4 DL (DE, DT, DT, DE) on the line, but then one of the linebackers is in a 2 point stance (standing up) on one end of the line so that it functions more like a 5 man front. That player is the “Leo” that you may have heard of before. Then there are 2 off-ball linebackers, and a SS in the box sort of like a 3rd LB. This is effective vs the run but asks a lot of the secondary. Coverages are not usually heavily disguised nor is there frequent blitzing. Saleh ran this as an assistant in Seattle, and as LB coach in Jacksonville. He also ran it early on as DC in San Francisco, however as the players developed and they increased the talent pool, they ended up transitioning to “Wide 9” which basically means it’s 4 DL’s and both DE’s are at 9 Tech, which widens the DL but also leaves large gaps. It helps pass rush but makes run defense difficult for DL. It requires a lot of speed and instinct from the LB’s in run support. However on the back end, it gives you opportunities to run lots of different coverages, and mix in blitzes as well. Im not sure how Saleh will approach his first year or two with the Jets D. My guess is that we will see more of the Seattle version since the Jets don’t have a very good LB corps.
The 4-3 Under to me is not too different than the 3-4 or hybrid fronts we've been playing. You have 5 bodies on the LOS, usually with one of both Ends/LBs standing. Personnel wise it won't make many of our existing players obsolete which is great, and either way we needed an edge burner or Leo. Secondary wise, more Cover 3 zone, which may be better fit personnel wise as we don't have good corners for bump and run. We need better CB's no matter the scheme though. The Wide 9 I'm not a big fan of really. As mentioned above, leaves wayyy to make gaping holes to exploit. Something different I've noticed with 49er games, Saleh doesn't seem to blitz much. That could be due to the good front 4 they have to organically generate pressure, so not sure how he'll proceed in terms of aggressiveness here.
The Jets would need a weak side DE and a Leo. Also, they need another CB. Ashtyn Davis has the ideal physical traits for the cover 3 safety but I’m not sure what you do with Marcus Maye. I’m not sure Davis would be the right fit as the box safety, but maybe it could work. They are ok on the interior for now. They are young team and will only get younger after this draft.
Agreed, we really needed an edge rusher and CB almost regardless of system. So they can tailor that selection to Leo and a zone corner now. For the weakside end, maybe Jenkins? I don't know. I agree they match up will with interior DL talent, with Williams perfect for the 3 tech, and plenty of options on the 1 and 5 tech. Maye I feel good about at either S spot. The question becomes what can Davis do. This season Maye started out in the box, but Davis really couldn't handle Cover 1 deep when we blitzed. I believe they switched Maye back to FS for that reason. This won't be an issue in Cover 3, so my bet is Maye in the box and Davis playing Cover 3 S. Little irony....Jamal Adams is absolutely perfect for this D, but of course that's why Seattle wanted him lol.. I feel good about this D all in all....just hope it's not Wide 9.
Just thinking......Can Franklyn-Myers play weakside DE in this system? Can't recall if this DE responsible for contain. If so, probably not a good option.
The Leo is more of hybrid rusher who will need to be versatile with some movement skills, and while important I’d prioritize the weak side DE. I would see JFM as more of a strong side DE, who could kick inside on 3rd/passing downs. It depends on who’s available in the draft but I would be into Kwitty Paye if they could snag him. Joseph Ossai or Zaven Collins would interest me for that Leo role though. Based on what the Jets roster looks like I’d pencil in as follows Leo-SDE-DT-DT-WDE XX-JFM-Fatukasi-QW-XX That WDE would hopefully be your big time pass rusher. Wide 9 has clearly worked very well for the 49ers but they also have a plethora of talent across the defensive line as well as LB.
Pretty much every NFL defense is playing multiple fronts at this point. The 4-3/3-4 argument is a little dated.
Actually that argument is what is dated. We had that conversation 12 years ago when Rex Ryan was hired. Sure, most DCs have to be versatile and be able to throw different looks at an offense to be effective, which means changing gap assignments and personnel sets on the DL and shifting their LBs and coverages to compensate. However I think you'll find that most DCs stay true to a base defensive philosophy or they are forced to stock their roster with hybrid players that can play in every front and that is just not realistic.
