I've already made fun of the nimrod who declared that the loss of Danny Shelton created a "huge hole" in the interior defensive line.
(You know: that's why we need to sign a veteran free agent to a one year deal, so we can cut one of these bumbs Gregg Williams is stuck with😕?)
But Mary Kay wrote a solid defensive tackle training camp preview:
As usual, MKC isn't very opinionated, and packs her articles full of unedited quotes from the coaches...and you people who bash her are nuts.
Anyway, Danny Shelton was nothing special here. He was drafted for a 3-4 defense, and since Gregg Williams has been here, he's been outgunned by Meder and two rookies. He excels vs the run, but doesn't penetrate or pressure.
As Williams himself says (if you didn't believe me the last 11-15 times I told you), Gregg doesn't two-gap (much).
Yes, in the base set he has a 3-tech and a 1-tech, and the 1-tech lines up shaded or square on the right guard (showing "two-gap".)
But Gregg (a man after my own heart) has his 1-tech attack as well!
He just doesn't try to hit a gap like the 3-tech guy. He attacks the right guard, and tries to dominate him.
It gets complicated here, depending on where this left defensive tackle lines up, okay?
If he's shaded outside (on the guard's right shoulder), the line-calls will be a lot different than they would be if he's on the guard's inside shoulder (still with me here?)
That's "not so much" with more common 4-man "under" fronts, since that one-tech is a two-gapper who tries to clog stuff up by engaging the guard and forcing the center to help him...you know, like a Danny Shelton type?
But a Gregg Williams 1-tech attacks, even if it's right into the guard's face (at first). Gregg uses this guy to "dictate" to an offense; and anticipate how they will react...and head them off at the pass nevermind too deep sorry.
Nevermind anyway the Browns defensive tackles are very good, and Danny Shelton will not be missed (except for his gregarious personality and his smile).
I wasn't aware that Ogunjobi is being worked at left defensive tackle (Meder's position) (with Brantley/Coley at the 3-tech), but Williams calls them "interchangeable" (which should sound familiar to my readers -sigh- except for Meder, who is strictly a 1-tech)...
Ok ok the "one" conventionally lines up shaded to the right guard's inside shoulder (but still sorta in his face), ok?
He has inside leverage on the guard, and...way too deep sorry but just the base theory is that the center has to help the guard (and has to take a stride to his right to do it), so the 1-tech takes up two blockers (at least momentarily).
The 3-tech (right DT) lines up between the left guard and left tackle and seeks penetration. The left guard is isolated. He does have inside leverage, but that's not useful when the guy you're supposed to block already has his chest and shoulders past you 0.3 seconds after the snap but I digress:
Anyway this is strategy, and no war-plan survives first contact with the enema. Every offense has "countermeasures";
I never said that Gregg Williams' more aggressive use of the left defensive tackle would revolutionalize football (especially since he's been doing it all along). I never predicted that any Browns defensive tackle would get double-digit sacks.
I only said that Danny Shelton fits in New England a lot better than he fit here, and that the DT crew Williams has now are really good, and have a lot of upside left in them (especially Ogunjobi--he's already a beast!)
And here we go again:
Will Williams run four-man fronts as much in 2018, given how loaded he is at safetybacker and linebacker?
Right now, I think so. That four-man front is very deep and reliable (moreso than Williams has ever had before). Especially since he has signed and drafted two DT/DE's that can rush and stop the run outside or inside, and already had Nassib and Orchard...
I figure that Gregg Williams had a lot of influence with John Dorsey in the offseason, and Dorsey got him what he wanted.
I anticipate four down linemen at least 80% of the time. That's four built-in passrushers who can blow up runs too that he can count on.
4-3, 4-2, 4-1, 4-4 that's complicated.
As I posted a few weeks ago, Williams will need his two best man corners on the field at all times as well, but: Gaines and Carrie are kinda tied there; the "loser" should still play a lot.
Then there's Damarius Randall: I'm not all the way sold on him yet, but Boddy-Calhoun has proven himself, and has upside left.
Either Peppers or Kindred have to be part of almost every package too, so...
Well who do you bench? Schobert, Collins, Kendricks Kindred, Peppers...?
Poor Gregg Williams. I don't envy him, trying to figure out how to maximize all this talent.
I feel bad for John Dorsey too, because he's gonna have a bunch of pissed off stud players who feel like they got screwed.
Too much talent! Major problem! Poor guys...
Somebody or other ranked the Browns 2018 offense 13th.
That's not bad, but is still ignorant. If you compare the offensive lines, tight ends, running backs, and wide receivers as individual units, most are in the top six (at least), and every single one is in the top ten.
The 2018 Browns are ranked 13th because that's about where they rank Tyrod Taylor.
I get it. You've got 32 teams to look at, while I zero in on one (and the AFC North secondarily). But still...
1: DEFENSE matters: Is Tyrod going to be coming from behind, with bad field position a lot?
2: RECEIVERS matter: Tyrod never had a crew like this!
3: Njoku is better than Clay. LeShaun McCoy is awesome, but I reckon Tyrod can scrape by with Duke, Hyde, and Chubb somehow...
The Browns 2018 offense (and Tyrod Taylor) obviously belong at least in the top ten with Todd Haley calling the shots.
Even if Taylor was 13th-best, how the hell can you discount this offensive coordinator and all that talent!?! Do they expect Tyrod to get WORSE, or something?
Even my man Charlie Weiss on NFL Radio was pumping the brakes on the 2018 Browns. He said that after 0-16, you can't expect "that big a turnaround".
He says this after raving about the running backs, Njoku, and the wide receivers. Oh yeah and Todd Haley.
In the real world, coaching and talent matter the most, and what happened last season is irrelevant.
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