We all know about Ryan's 46 defense. It's the "You go or I go" Ernie Shavers defense. Four down linemen check. Middle linebacker check. Where it gets crazy is that the two "outside" linebackers set up right on the line, side by side, next to the weakside defensive end.
The strong safety (46 was Doug Plank's number btw) sets up like a linebacker, off the line on the strong side.
Often, both those outside linebackers blitze (SIX man rush), and sometimes even the mike comes too.
You go or I go, right?
Essential here is that "special" strong safety, and a really good free safety, because NOBODY is double-covered, and the running back usually has nobody on him at all.
Free safety for the Browns is a question mark. If that guy misses tackles, or is out of position, it could be disasterous.
But they got the strong safety, the defensive line, and the linebackers to run it. It's nearly impossible to run against, but it also beats the hell out of quarterbacks.
The running back is left uncovered because he usually has to try to pick up a blitze, and if he does catch a dumpoff, it has to be to the strong side (towards the unblocked strong safety), with the mike reading it and moving to head him off at the pass.
It's far from perfect, especially when the other team has a skyscraper receiver with some speed.
Bud Carson is different. He built the Steel Curtain. He ran cover two. Two safeties, who are kind of interchangeable, instead of free and strong.
He blitzed a lot too, but from a more conventional front.
Gregg Williams has to have a special free safety to run antyting like his version of a 46, but can run the Carson stuff with the people he has now. Cover 2 safeties don't need to cover the whole field.
He could use Jabrill Peppers the way Bud Carson used small, super-fast linebacker David Grayson, if not as one of the twin safeties.
A note on that: Nobody thinks Peppers could play linebacker in the NFL because he's not big enough to shed blocks by centers and guards in the NFL. That might need a closer examination.
As Pat Kirwan noted on NFL Radio, many of today's weakside linebackers are smaller and quicker; selected for range and coverage skills more than for leverage and muscle. This is another adaptation to spread offenses.
An offensive lineman has no chance against them in space, and
Look, see, the spread and two tight end stuff, along with inside/outside zone blocking hell, the Pistol and Read Option have changed things. This isn't our Daddy's football any more!
Personal Opinion Alert (see disclaimer): I believe Gregg Williams is adaptable, creative, and ahead of the curve. Everything we have expected of him is based on his history.
Nothing wrong with that. But Gregg will check out the players he is stuck with, the Division he is stuck in, and build his defense accordingly.
I heard Hue Jackson describe Williams as a defensive version of himself. He meant, I'm telling you, that Gregg Williams will build his defense around his TALENT.
I need to study on this further, but for the moment, I can tell you that Williams might run a cover 2 scheme, at least sometimes...if a true center field free safety doesn't emerge, he might be more Bud than Buddy, see?
The one constant with Gregg Williams is pressure. Carson and Ryan were both all about the best defense being...a really offensive defense. The details of his coverage scheme have been over-stressed (including by my humble self).
I now think that a Malik Hooker was not as high on his shopping list as we all thought he was. If Gregg doesn't find an elite center fielder on the current roster, he might just run a cover 2.
Gregg probably wanted Adams more than Hooker, and possibly even Peppers more than Hooker too. Ok he might want to do Buddy Ryan in a perfect world, but he can fall back to Bud Carson if he needs to.
Poor Gregg. Forced to resort to the Steel Curtain wow that sucks, right?
I'll have to study on this more, and address it in another post. Gregg doesn't have as much talent to work with here as Bud Carson had on the Steelers?
Bullshit. Stay tuned.
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