First, a note to Oblivions:
The Browns are unlikely to carry six active wide receivers, so stop saying that.
While you were busy living life in Oblivia, the Browns designated Duke Johnson as the primary slot reciever, added tight end Njoku to Seth DezValve, and have indeed been practicing a lot of two-tight end offenses (even with Njoku dinged and unavailable).
I know this seems unfathomable, but you see, even two actual wide receivers will have a hard time getting on the field at the same time in this offense. The Browns will probably hold onto four tight ends (note: tight ends catch passes too!).
They're all fixed for waterboys and equipment managers, so it will be hard to make room for a fifth, let alone sixth, wide receiver.
I read a good article on Gregg Williams last week:
We already know that he has no set scheme, and adapts his basic defense to make the most of what talent he has available.
All defensive coordinators say that, but Williams walks the walk.
This is why I told you as soon as he was signed that he would run a 4-2 base. Long before anybody else caught on...
He further tweaks his scheme from week-to-week (and down-to-down) based on offensive personnel and individual mathups (the latter is another reason why every defensive player learns two or more positions).
As I've said, here, with these players, Gregg will probably almost always have four down linemen, even if one or two of them stand up occasionally. Why mess with a strong unit and complicate things?
I told you that before they drafted Garrett and two 3-tech defensive tackles, and stole another defensive tackle from the Ravens remember?
But what I was thrilled to hear Williams say was that he wouldn't be running any of his defensive players into the ground.
I believe I read somewhere that last season, Danny Shelton played 95% of 2016's defensive snaps. I was outraged. Especially with this specific player, who's extra-heavy, and was getting double-teamed most of the time.
Gregg pointed to Myles Garrett, playing around 80 snaps per game as a college senior, and managed to edit his opinion of that down to "that's too many".
Terry Pluto misread Gregg's comments on rotations: Gregg never said he wanted to limit his players to 50% of the defensive snaps. He just used "fifty percent" as a very generic example.
The main point is that Gregg won't be setting up weekly fourth-quarter defensive collapses because Shelton's legs have turned to spaghetti, Haden with his twin groin injuries has played every single snap, etc.
Every DC rotates his defensive line to keep them fresh, but they usually run their defensive backs and linebackers into the ground for some reason.
Williams is different. This is partly why he says "forget starters". For all his bombacity (yeah I know I invent words get with the program), Gregg Williams is extremely smart. He is a "football guy" who fits right in with "analytics" (kinda like that Belichick guy)...
Anyway here it is:
Myles Garrett is the best defensive end here. But unlike everybody else but me, he knows that he's got FIVE more guys who are like 75-80% as good as he is.
Well now, Garrett on snap one is that much better. On snap five, the guy who's been just hanging out might be as good as Myles is, because Myles is getting tired.
Williams will have Garrett in in every third and long (I'll bet at defensive tackle in a "Nascar" package, because he's solid muscle and Gregg is eyeball-deep in edge-rushers he's dying to use), but he might take him off the field in short yardage.
Garrett might play 75% of the snaps. Shelton is one guy who might get 50%.
But I'll bet you that Jamie Collins and the defensive backs won't exceed 80% either.
Gregg Williams understands exactly why fourth quarter and late season defensive collapses happen: Hero-worship. Most coaches ride their best players into the ground.
They want to let the younger guys play, and rest the top guys, but as the game unfolds, every down just looks too important, and they get "whatifitis". Perhaps even the majority of them would play Garrett, Shelton, Collins, Haden, etc. on every single snap.
Guys like Orchard, Johnson, Holmes, Currey, Nacua, and even Schobert might not play at all.
I love Gregg Williams, because he lets everybody play. This is one of the reasons why all of the players who played for him love him.
If you screw up, you're benched, of course, and he won't use you if you don't show up in practice either.
But the veterans loved him because he prolonged their carreers and didn't humiliate them by wearing them out and getting them burned, and the young guys loved him because he gave them a chance.
I can't wait. The Browns lost so many games at least partly due to late defensive collapses (vs the pass and the run alike). I guarantee you: Whatever else happens in 2017, this defense will not cave in in the 4th quarter, and won't weaken significantly if key players are injured.
Nevermind what he said to Joe Haden: "I would have cut you if you hadn't played hurt". I'll tell you right now, Gregg would have benched Joe as soon as he saw he was ineffective. He was only referring to Haden's guts and heart.
(In fairness to Ray Horton, he had Calhoun, but really nobody else who was actually better than even the lame Haden, so I'm not bashing him for that).
But that's another thing: Gregg Williams has a lot more talent than Ray Horton had to work with. He has LOTS of cornerbacks, for one thing, plus Peppers.
Ray kinda had to run a 3-4 too. Bryant and Orchard weren't here. Collins came in late. Nassib fell off the map...Ogunjobi, Brantley, Coley weren't here, Cooper disappointed, Shelton could play nose, and...just trust me Horton isn't a bumb is all I'm saying.
I do think Gregg Williams is better: His record backs me up. On top of that, though, he's got Garrett, an experienced Ogbah, Orchard and Scobert back where they belong, Holmes, three new defensive tackles, a healthy Kindred and Haden, McCourtey, a settled in Collins, Peppers, Wilson on-deck I mean can you see why he can't stop smiling?
Gregg Williams died and went to heaven. He has outstanding depth and versatility throughout his defense, and can lean hard on a four-man front to make it easier.
Ok see a 4-man defensive line is a foundation. It automaticly generates a 4-man passrush, and gobbles up the offensive line vs the run. Edge-rush check. Inside rush check. If you have that, you can concentrate your indidious diabolicality on the back 7 and be even sneakier!
But I semi-digress:
I hereby predict that at the end of 2017, the Browns defense will rank no lower than 15th overall, and will rank in the top ten in turnovers.
I also need to explain critical analysis 101 to a lot of pundits:
If Brock Osweiler plays well, he can be traded for a decent draft pick OR can win games for the Browns. Kizermaniacs tend to overthink this. Look up "OR" in your Funk&Wagnall. A trade is NOT the only conveivable reason for Hue starting the worst quarterback in history over the best ever.
Listen to Hue Jackson, in his own words. He will serve no quarterback before his time, and Kizer is not ready, in Hue's opinion. If you think you know better...well that's just sad.
The Giants offense is scary, and will sorely test this defense...
Well maybe not, because they might not use several of their veterans including Manning, Marshall, Lyte or Beckham at all...ok nevermind.
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