Monday, June 1, 2020

Joe Woods Defense, Man Coverage, the. ODs, Dorsey vs Berry, Unreality Shows and Adults

Dan Justik says that the Browns don't need to sign Everson Griffen if a Clowney deal doesn't happen, and forced me to think about it.

Along with Griffen being 32, Dan also suggests that Adrian Clayborn (31) is already here to rotate with Pegleg Vernon to get him and his fragile ankles and knees off the field, and possibly keep him semi-healthy for more than half a season for once.

I can't argue with anybody who says that when he was healthy, Olivier Vernon was an excellent all-around football player, and PFF has recently told me that Adrian Clayborn is still a scary passrusher.

I'll even go so far as to say that Chad Thomas might yet become a decent player.

But I'd still rather have Everson Griffen instead of Pegleg for under 10 million in 2020.

Joe Woods also surprised me by going out of his way to say that Clayborn could play inside (like Garrett and Thomas -yawn-). It's sounding like Clayborn will play quite a few snaps in 2020.

I checked out Joe Woods some more in his 2 seasons as the Broncos Defensive Coordinator.

Woods ran a 3-4 under, which is a 4-3 under with one defensive end standing up.  The SAM lines up in a Tight End's face, so it's kind of a 5-man front, really.

But that's the base set.  I'm not sure how the 6-man nickel front would line up.  Will there be a SAM?

Well, probably: The SAM can prevent the TE from chipping the DE, jam the TE, and set the edge so that the DE can penetrate without sweating containment.

SAMs will often turn and run with Tight Ends in coverage too, but this is a favorite mismatch for Quarterbacks to exploit.

Woods also relied on man coverage (much moreso than Steve Wilks):

For the Browns, who have 3 very good man corners, this is a great fit.

Press/man attempts to screw up timing by delaying and rerouting a receiver.  The Corner uses inside leverage to prevent the receiver from crossing underneath for any quick releases, and then he has the speed to run with the WR down the sidelines, accidentally jostling him toward the sideline as they run.

The Quarterback has to throw over or through the cornerback, and his window shrinks with every step.

Off-man corners (like Richard Sherman) stay in front of the WR and force early underneath breaks, since there's no chance of getting deep or making a clean catch while running vertically.

It looks exactly like zone, except the DB never releases the receiver.  Greedy Williams might be even better at off-man than press/man.

Press/man only works well outside, because if the receiver has the whole field to work with, the DB has no leverage.  The receiver can just go where he aint and get a step on him.

Off-man works anywhere, as the "leverage" is really depth.  A good off-man corner will surrender some short completions, but never let a guy get past him, with or without the ball, and will usually nail him instantly.

Both types of man coverage are intended to stifle a receiver without help.

The ODs (Original Dawgs: Dixon, Minnifield, Wright, Rockins etc) are great examples of how this should work:

Minnifield and Dixon took out the top 2 receiving threats (for a little over 4 seconds--you need to get real about this stuff).  Opposing Quarterbacks had to hit Tight Ends or dump off or whatever,  SS Chris Rockins lurked "in the shallows" and hammered people, and Felix Wright came forward to decleat guys and nab interceptions, because he was truly free to truly play center field and go wherever it looked like the ball was going.

And then Clay Matthews Jr got more sacks because Quarterbacks, deprived of their top 2 weapons, had to hold the ball a lot.

Steve Wilks ran a 3-deep zone defense, and this is partly why Damarius Randall fell off the map.  Randall thrived under Gregg Williams because he was "free".  He was kind of demoted under Wilks, as he had specific assignments under specific circumstances.

(I'm not bashing 3-deep or Wilks her.e  Some great defenses run it.  But it wasn't good for Randall, Mitchell, Ward, or Williams).

Press/Man seems weaker against the run than zone or off-man because the 2 receivers have to turn their backs on the backfield and run away from it, but on the other hand, the deep safety can come forward and the linebackers can focus on the run more.

Seriously, the Joe Woods 2020 Browns defense could be a lot better than the 2019 Sreve Wilks Browns defense.

It's not just Phillips, Elliott, Joseph, Billings Clayborn, Sendejo and Delpit, but also making the most of the talent that's already here.

Albert Breer credits Howie Roseman and the Eagles Front Office for the structure Andrew Berry put in place here.  Apparently, Berry copied Roseman.

That doesn't neccessarily make Berry a talent guru or anything, but one thing Berry replicated was an actual "analytics" department which works hand-in-hand with the scouts.

The Eagles have had a lot of tough luck with Carson Wentz's health, and lost some talent to free agency, but they've remained in contention since their Superbowl victory, so the organizational model is worth emulating.  Berry's one-year sabbadical to Philly might be the best thing that ever happened to him.

I won't pretend I didn't call Roseman a "sucker" after the Wentz trade...

In fact I still question it.  But at least Howie was going "all-in" on a DRAFTED Quarterback he thought had it all (*hell so did I! But all those draft picks...)

Chad Porto compares the 2019 and 2020 offseasons and (like a certain humble DaVinci-like genius we know -blush-blush-) found John Dorsey wanting.

Berry didn't swap talent to improve positions.  John Dorsey traded Zeitler and Jabrill Peppers away as part of the OBJ and Olivier Vernon deals.

Chad is wrong about just one bad offensive lineman making an offensive line suck.  That weak link's line-mates automaticly help him out, and the coach schemes around him.   Moreover, five average offensive linemen who have played together for a couple seasons can be downright dominating.

But yeah Zeitler hurt, and Peppers hurt worse.  Again, this was Dorsey purging guys without his name on them, just out of sheer ego.

Next, Chad discusses "valuing the draft".  Well yeah: In the same purge trade, Dorsey traded away his 2019 1st and 3rd round draft picks!!!

Reminder: OBJ and Vernon were injury-prone and overpriced, and Vernon was in decline.

Chad listed a bunch of players the Browns could have drafted 17th overall.  His favorite was TE Noah Fant.

Regardless of who that 17th overall 2019 draft pick would have been, he would have cost a fraction of Vernon's or OBJ's salary, and been under contract for 5 years '$(÷*@!?;!?!

Then Chad cites chemistry:  Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski are kind of in lockstep, while (per Chad) Kitchens and Dorsey were not.

Nooooo: John Dorsey named Freddie the interim Offensive Coordinator and then the new Head Coach.  He overrode Paul DePodesta (who wanted Stefanski then too) and took a lot of heat from real experts for it as well.

According to (fired) Offensive Line coach Bob Wiley, the post-Haley 2019 offense was really QB Coach Zampese's---but regardless of that, the 2020 offense was radically different (and not Mayfield-freindly at all).

I do wish they taught Critical Thinking, but get that next to the Constitution, that's a non-starter in Amerika these days:

Anyhow, Dorsey guy OBJ was THE guy now.  Non-Dorsey guys Higgins and Njoku were persona non-grata.  Darrin Fells was released for another Dorsey Tight End (who flopped while Fells prospered--again. Predictably.)

Who was running this offense, Sherlock?  

At least after bashing our favorite punching bag some more, Chad wrote  Dorsey was a huge problem, so he almost gets it.

It does read like a really bad unreality script, right?  This insecure neurotic control freak running an NFL franchise like a Banana Republic--purging people just because they weren't his?  How tf could somebody with the emotional maturity of a 7th-grader function at that level?

The answer?  Now we know what would have happened to the Kansas City Chiefs if Andy Reid hadn't been the Head Coach!

Andrew Berry and Paul DePodesta are adults.  So is Kevin Stefanski.  You have no idea how RARE that is among people who play games for a living!

The scouts talk to the analytics guys.  The personnel people talk to the coaches:

"Hey we like these 2 linebackers for what you said you needed.  I sent you the package.  Check it out and let us know what you think."

You'd think that's typical, but it isn't.  Remember the "Hard Knocks" episode where the assistant coaches started to ask Hue Jackson about giving older players days off, and he interrupted them with this "I'm driving the bus" schpiel?

Don't you know that that's how Dorsey was talking to Jackson too?

Is it Cell Block C or PS 9 Middle School--I'm not sure which.

I'm extremely optimistic about actual adults running this NFL Franchise.

Myles Garrett I love you man but do a little research ok?  Your people are not being systematically murdered or even oppressed by police.  Every high profile case (from "hands up don't shoot" on) has turned out to be bullshit until now.

Yeah send that idiot to prison and his accomplices too, but don't keep telling yourself this is the 60s and this is the rule and not the exception.

Cops are people and screw up sometimes.  Check it out I bet the majority of "bad shoots" killed white people.

This is a manufactured, false, "crisis" and you just took the cheese.

I get part of it: What tf was that gaping rectum THINKING?  WHY did he think he had to keep George pinned down like that with handcuffs on and stuff?  How can 4 other cops just stand there and IGNORE it!?!

What were they talking about while Floyd was dying?  How the Vikings were looking?  I hear you: if they don't go to prison too, that's bullshit.  And I get why you think they'll skate.

But no Myles: This aint the 60s.  Please examine some statistics on death in custody and bad shoots from credible sources (ie NOT "Black Lives Matter") before you help perpetuate this LIE.






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