I get the impression that Clay Matthews III isn't a candidate, but Ogletree (28) might be a good add, but hey guys:
Who is telling you that it's critical for one guy in each position group to be an older veteran "mentor"?
It's a good idea yes, but talent comes first, and young, cheap guys trump older guys in the age of the salary cap.
The Browns will not carry more than five linebackers, and Woods/co don't hate Wilson, Takitaki, or Phillips nearly as much as everybody else does.
It was very interesting that Joe Woods intends to work all the linebackers at every position at first to determine how to make the most of each player.
Most new coaches look at game films and history to determine where to use the players they inherit, but Woods clearly wants a clean slate, and to judge for himself real-time.
This is smart here, as Mack Wilson was forced into a role by injury as a rookie, and Takitaki didn't get that many snaps. Phillips was a 2-year college starter, and has a mixed bag of traits and skills himself.
As I keep repeating (even though it's obvious), young players progress rapidly in their first 3 NFL seasons. I love that Joe Woods knows that the players he gets in 2020 will be much different than those he has 2019 film on, and assumes nothing.
Chad Porto is raising a red flag in re Woods' proposed 4-2-5 and dime defense, as he correctly points out that Steve Wilks ran a very similar scheme last season (with Joe Schobert) and was 3rd worst in the NFL vs the run.
Chad got into more persuasive stats showing that the team won when it stifled the run and lost when it didn't.
But Chad overlooked some things:
1: Nickel defenses are neccessary vs commonly used personnel groups, including some teams' 2-Tight End sets. If you try to use linebackers in coverage, the other team won't bother to run the ball.
2: Lamar Jackson humiliates every linebacker who tries to contain him as a runner. A defensive back is nessessary for this. (If you don't believe me, axe Joe Schobert).
3: Size isn't all there is to stopping the run.
Nfl running backs average around 222 lbs and safeties around 208 lbs. Nobody is outweighed by 40 lbs.
Joe Schobert weighed around 240 lbs and still led the NFL in missed tackles, while a bunch of safeties were among the surest tacklers in the the league.
An offensive line can't block everybody, even in a zone scheme. There are five of them, and where there are 4 defensive linemen, well--you get the math.
Check back a few posts where I talked about edge-defenders narrowing the field and funneling runners inside by preventing the RB from turning up the sidelines. The guys who make the actual tackles here are unblocked linebackers and safeties.
Lighter, faster defenses can beat blockers to "spots", penetrate, and swarm.
Joe Woods was asked how he would stop his own team's offense. He all but punted in his overly evasive, nebulous response, but I can answer for him:
You use your 4 down linemen to do your passrushing and containment, run man outside, match up on the other receivers as well as you can, mix cover 2 with a single high safety, and use two linebackers like 3-4 Inside Linebackers (sorta).
Ok well not all 3-4s are alike. I mean they line up shallow, ready to react to a run (or blitze), or to backpedal (only a few steps) to set up in zones vs a pass.
Here, they're not specifically accounted for in the blocking scheme (well really no specific players are) if it's a run, but they're positioned to react to a run, and they overmatch the big uglies in space.
It gets too deep with too many variables, but the important thing here is that one linebacker is responsible for the cutback inside (if the DE succeeds in cutting off the edge and forcing it).
The offensive linemen have to seal the backside and deal with 3 defensive linemen, and one of those DTs is deliberately tying the guard or center who would block the linebacker up ok nevermind but (I believe) Joe Woods' linebackers are run-stoppers first and coverage guys second, ok?
I'm not sure about Mack Wilson, but Phillips and Takitaki are opportunistic gap-shooters who can sneak in between big uglies and blow stuff up (instead of just "staying at home" and waiting for the RB to come to them).
To be honest, I'm not too clear on the details of Steve Wilks's defense, but can guarantee Chad Porto that not all 4-2's are alike.
I know this much: Wilks ran cover 3 and the linebackers covered more and deeper than I guesstimate that Woods's linebackers will. (I believe that Schobert and Wilson missed a number of tackles because they were turning around out of coverage to stop shorter receptions and handoffs)
My clues to the Woods defense come from free agency and the draft: The Browns skipped all the freaky coverage guys and drafted Phillips. Their only free agent was Jameson--a Bengals run-stuffer.
Phillips has great straight-line speed and is 6'3", but his 3-cone says he can't sustain man with upper-echelon Tight Ends, or recover (ie if he bites on a fake, he's dead).
Woods also seems to genuinely like Takitaki--and now has announced "open tryouts" for every position...I'm confident that Woods and Wilks view linebackers differently.
But I digress: I disagree with Chad Porto. Some form of nickel defense is mandatory for every NFL team. Wilks and Woods are 2 of 20 or so DC's who will run 4-2 a lot. Woods (I believe) relies more on press/man outside and a true center-fielder than Wilks did, and will let his linebackers be old school linebackers and stop the run first.
In re stopping the run, I should revisit Elliott Kennel's article on DaQuan Jones (Titans DT).
My earlier analysis of Elliott's article wasn't as well-considered as it should have been.
Sheldon Richardson is 30 and expensive. Larry Ogunjobi has underachieved, and is a question mark right now.
Jones (per PFF) excels vs both the pass and run, is 6'4", 327 lbs, and is 28 years old.
Sheldon Richardson by himself is enough: He'll be 31 in 2021 and his release would return over 8 mil to the bank. DaQuon Jones ranks very close to Richardson overall with PFF, so if the Titans release him, the Browns should go after him.
And yeah--they might consider trading a 5th round pick or something for him if they can work out a long-term deal in advance.
Elliott is still too fixated on DT as the universal answer to the run, but in DaQuan Jones he found a real winner who could help out a lot long-term.
Elliott you da man! You too Chad--usually.
I'm greatly encouraged by Baker Mayfield's quiet offseason, and concur with MKC that it's a sign of maturity for him.
Don't get me wrong here: Everything Baker did or said was overinflated last season, and he really wasn't that bad (except for his feud with Grossi). But so far in 2020? Wow! And what Baker has said was all-business.
He hasn't responded to Colon Cowturd, or any of his much dumber permabashers either. I think I can soon retire my Punky Punkfield nickname for Baker if this keeps up!
Mary Kay thinks the Clowney thing is about money, and suspects that Clowney is just hoping to force the buffalo to crap another .5 mil or so.
I hope she's right, because that would make a Clowney signing much more likely, once he gives up squeezing that nickel.
Last resort is, of course, Olivier Vernon. I love Vernon!!! But I hate his ankles and knees (and I bet so does he).
Everson Griffen, come on down! Griffen and Vernon are mutually possible for 2020, by the way. They could do that and extend Garrett in 2020, and add Vernon's 15.5 mil to a still-significant carryover in 2021.
That's scary, aint it? Andrew Berry could still overspend "recklessly" in 2020 to get all up in Big Ben and Jackson's faces and make the playoffs.
What if Everson Griffen had been here in 2019? To replace Vernon and/or Garrett? I know, taking the AFC North Title away from the Ravens is a tall order in 2020, but sweeping the Steelers (and retiring Big Ben) isn't.
Do you understand this? Andrew Berry can still go for all the marbles in 2020 (overspending) while extending Garrett without denting his 2021 cap whatsoever.
As long as he doesn't trade high draft picks and young, ascending players for overpriced injury-prone geezers and overpay free agents like some people I know), Berry could go bonkers on a couple more 1-year contracts and maybe a DaQuan Jones 3-year deal and even possibly Clowney...
Ok I'll stop. You're welcome.
Playoffs in 2020 is a realistic target. A Superbowl in 2021 is also realistic.
I HAVE SPOKEN
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