Stephen Paea is a nice addition to Ray Horton's defense. Per Dawgs By Nature, he was so-so in Chicago after they drafted him in the second round, until his contract year, at which time he went apeshit and was a top three NFL tackle.
Washington immediately overpaid him and put him in their 3-4, where he "disappointed".
His predraft scouting reports describe an immovable bull-rushing run-stuffing pocket collapser with a surprisingly explosive first step.
I'm not sure of Washington's scheme, but it probably isn't like Horton's. Paea's greatest success was as a defensive tackle in Chicago's 4-3, and here at right defensive end, nose tackle, and in the 4-3 he will do the same things.
Paea is very much like Jamie Meder, with freakish brute strength and great leverage. He's quicker out of the blocks and shorter, but doesn't have as much range.
One report expected him to rotate in on run downs, but he's a dusruptive force against the pass as well. Setting up between center and guard or guard and tackle, he gets penetration before a blocker can reach him. He can't be knocked off balance or rerouted with a punch.
And inside blocker can sometimes ride him outside, but gives ground and steps on the quarterback's toes. Because he's short with short arms, Paea can't disengage consistently, and he's quick, but not fast.
That is, he's explosive from a standing start, but can be outrun; he mainly penetrates in a straight line, messing things up, but if he doesn't nail somebody quickly that's usually it. He does force people into the arms of his team mates, though.
As a two-gapper, he's just about impossible to budge, as well.
Horton's inside down rushers are not required to get sacks, although he'll take what he can get. They are required to collapse pockets and make messes, and Paea can do that. He is 28 years old, and will upgrade two positions.
I insist that we have yet to see what X Cooper can do at RDE, but Shelton is making me nervous.
This signing wasn't "urgent", however, and the notion that the 6'1" Paea is here to replace Des Bryant is laughable. While Danny Shelton is making us all nervous (I keep thinking of that ankle flexibility thing), X Cooper is only a second year player you have circling the bowl already, Meder is here, and Hughes and Hassan--this is getting rediculous.
Fans seem to be ignoring the linebackers and blaming the lack of pressure on quarterbacks excusively on the defensive line. Last season, you blamed weakness against the run all on the defensive line too. I guess everything bad that happens is all the defensive line's fault.
Well, Virginia, out of the 3-4, the fourth passrusher is not a defensive lineman, and the defensive linemen are outnumbered. Nor do they all always attack, except on obvious passing downs.
The opposing offenses have been picking up and neutralizing the fourth passrusher (except for Cam Johnson, and more recently Shobert and Ogbah).
Well, Ogbah and Shobert haven't been used that way until now, get it?
Hughes, Meder, and (so far) Shelton aren't even here to rush the passer. While the defensive line does one-gap and penetrate, their object is to move the line of scrimmage back, forcing runs outside, or else driving offensive linemen into the pocket.
Ray dreams of guys like Hassan, who can actually turn that into sacks, but they're exceedingly rare (btw GOOD JOB SASHI BROWN).
Most of preseason has been vanilla on both sides so far. It's easy to see with the Browns, as there hasn't been much presnap motion (to help RG3 make his reads by exposing coverage), and the rarity of anything else fancy.
Defensively, Ray has done the same. MARK MY WORDS he won't have to "scheme" a passrush (by sending fifth and sixth passrushers etc.)
The experimental phase is over, and the cream has risen to the top.
I was wrong about Paul Kruger in game three. He was playing. It turns out, preseason game three was his final audition. Remember, that's when Ogbah replaced him.
Well, think back: Ogbah took to outside linebacker like a duck to water. They were especially impressed with his pass drops (which put him ahead of Kruger in that area immediately).
Ray runs 4 man fronts too, so when Des Bryant went down, they wanted to see Ogbah at 4-3 DE (which he played in college). Bryant's loss changed things, but no, Ogbah was never supposed to replace Des Bryant in the 3-4.
Well, they already knew that Ogbah could play outside linebacker, and that the outside linebackers in this defense sometimes become defensive ends ANYWAY, so...
Ogbah lost a couple preseason games worth of outside linebacker experience, but as you will see, he'll be the starter on opening day.
Well...I think so...
I'm not sure what Ray will do here. If this was any other 3-4, Ogbah starts weak or strong, period. But Shobert is a REAL total-package linebacker, and I can't put it past Ray to start him on the weak side.
That's because Nate Orchard is actually a viable strongside 4-3 linebacker, Ogbah a weakside 4-3 de, Hassan a terrific de period, and this defense is now four deep in 4-3 dt's as well.
Only one thing is certain: Every linebacker, defensive end, and safety can and will rush the passer. Every inside rusher can and will collapse the pocket. Stunts, fire zones, and the aforementioned players will pressure opposing quarterbacks, hopefully enough to make this secondary look at least average.
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