Much has been made over the retention of undisciplined freelancer Jamie Williams, as it should be. But nobody has yet put him together with Gregg Williams (I don't think; I couldn't access one article which might have addressed it).
Gregg talks about his 42 different fronts, but as I've posted a lot, his ideal is four down linemen, penetrating and attacking, as a base. If he has those four guys, and 2-3 rotational guys to keep them fresh, it makes things a lot easier.
This front applies in nickels, and sometimes in dimes.
As Terry Pluto documented, Gregg Williams does NOT always turn defenses around immediately. But in this case, he can and will.
Jamie Collins is integral to this. Jamie Collins is likely to be his MIDDLE linebacker (which is why mock drafters drafting inside linebackers 12th overall are on par with those who think Gramps Romo is a good idea).
Collins can play any linebacker position in any scheme, but is ideal right in the middle, with Demario Davis coming in when he moves around. These two are experienced veterans with some size who can call the plays (which Williams uniquely demands of his middle linebackers; they're like defensive quarterbacks who align the defense to what they see, and literally call plays).
Chris Kirksey has turned into a very good linebacker, but he and Schobert are smaller, and better suited to play weak outside in this scheme.
Jamie Collins could be on the strong side with Davis in the middle. Other possibles there are Nate Orchard and Cam Johnson.
Orchard and Johnson are both pleasant surprises. They're both converted passrushing defensive ends who were projected as 3-4 outside linebackers, but seem to move well enough to play that position in a 4-3 as well.
Johnson, in particular, became surprisingly good in coverage (although that's a "process", and none of them are where they need to be. I'm not sure what went on here, but Jamie Collins seemed to forget how to cover as soon as he came here. PFF said he just plain sucked. That's wierd, because he was excellent in coverage up until he put on an orange helmet.)
Williams may just want Collins in the middle. If he's directing the traffic, he can "freelance" all he wants, because he can call his own shots before the snap. This might have been one of the reasons he opted to sign an extention rather that testing the market.
If I'm correct about this, Ogbah is right (weakside) DE, Meder/Cooper right (under) DT, Shelton left DT, and Rodney Nassibfield left DE.
Kirksey (Schobert) weak outside, Collins (Davis) middle, and Orchard or Johnson strong outside.
Dominique Alexander is a wildcard here. He's similar to Kirksey.
Williams may well want to draft a true strongside linebacker and under-tackle (although I still have hope for X Cooper there), but this could be a very good front seven with Big Jamie in the middle of it running the show.
As I've mentioned, Gregg Williams loves pressure, and often sends five passrushers. Collins in the middle would be nearest the quarterback, and both outside guys can bring it from the edge.
SO it's ok if first overall you draft...
No comments:
Post a Comment