Marrone confirms change in defensive scheme and other stuff

[hondo in seattle]

How much of a grasp of the previous scheme do you have? How much of a grasp of the new scheme do you have? I am sorry, but you are bringing more emotion than critical thinking to these types of discussions. You act like these NFL defenses are so alien to each other. Ask yourself how players can possibly grasp playing a 3-4, then a 3-3 nickel on second down, then a dime package with a safety in the box, then back to a base look with RE a step wider than the previous first down with the NT 2 gapping inside? It's not the big deal you want to make it out to be. Just look at all the sub-packages that every DC uses from one play to the next. There comes a point when even young players have done it all, it's more of a matter of terminology. The same goes for offense. Try to relax about it. I doubt the players are sweating it.

 

The ad hominem stuff wasn't necessary but you make a good point. Pettine's D was very flexible with a variety of alignments. Many D's use multiple fronts. With teams passing more than they run, defenses these days play nickel and dime about 50% of the time rather than a standard 4-3 or 3-4. No team runs the same defensive alignment play after play. So until I see what Schwartz actually does as the Bills DC, I'm not going to worry about how our players fit his scheme.

[RealityCheck]

I don't have a link, but Pete Carroll made an important, and very concise statement pre-Super Bowl that summed up their base defense philosophy and how they relate it to their personnel, thus who they acquire to play in it. He said that they run a 4-3 with 3-4 personnel. Meaning they have DT that can 2-gap and single gap. They have OLBrs that can put their hand in the dirt, stand up and rush, and also flex to the slot and play zone coverage. Their inside LBrs are a little smaller and have range and coverage ability, and fill their gaps effectively against the run. They constantly rotate guys and almost everyone on the defense has at the very least an occasional role in basic sub-packages. Another words, they have versatile players that can rush and cover from a variety of spots without too many exotic looks, and have DTs that occasionally get used to 2-gap. I expect the Bills to employ their tweeners in a similar fashion and expect CB, S and LBrs to be inter-changeable when in Nickel and Dime packages. Let's not forget that Quarters offers a myriad of coverage/ rush combos that can be deployed. I am also assuming that Marrone was referring to the base run defense as where it will be less "cute" so to speak with their frontal alignments. These are my words of course, and not his. In short, I think the Bills are likely to play "shells" that are similar, with a wide variety of personnel combos and utilize just enough wrinkles in assignments to not outsmart themselves and get hammered in the run game.

[hondo in seattle]

I don't have a link, but Pete Carroll made an important, and very concise statement pre-Super Bowl that summed up their base defense philosophy and how they relate it to their personnel, thus who they acquire to play in it. He said that they run a 4-3 with 3-4 personnel. Meaning they have DT that can 2-gap and single gap. They have OLBrs that can put their hand in the dirt, stand up and rush, and also flex to the slot and play zone coverage. Their inside LBrs are a little smaller and have range and coverage ability, and fill their gaps effectively against the run. They constantly rotate guys and almost everyone on the defense has at the very least an occasional role in basic sub-packages. Another words, they have versatile players that can rush and cover from a variety of spots without too many exotic looks, and have DTs that occasionally get used to 2-gap. I expect the Bills to employ their tweeners in a similar fashion and expect CB, S and LBrs to be inter-changeable when in Nickel and Dime packages. Let's not forget that Quarters offers a myriad of coverage/ rush combos that can be deployed. I am also assuming that Marrone was referring to the base run defense as where it will be less "cute" so to speak with their frontal alignments. These are my words of course, and not his. In short, I think the Bills are likely to play "shells" that are similar, with a wide variety of personnel combos and utilize just enough wrinkles in assignments to not outsmart themselves and get hammered in the run game.

 

Good post. Sometimes people simplify Carroll's defense - especially after the WSJ article came out - by saying they have aggressive corners who commit PI on every play knowing they won't be called for it. There's so much more to what Pete's doing with the Hawks and, given their success, I'd love to see Schwartz incorporate some of their concepts.

[K-9]

Apparently people are misunderstanding what I said or I did not communicate it well.

 

Marrone's quote from yesterday's meetings

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I never said that we won't be in nickel or dime or have any other personnel packages. Obviously we're not going to exclusively be lined up in a traditional 4-3 front but in comparison to last year, the 4-3 will be our base and you will see a lot more 4-3 looks.

 

Sounds like they'll try to match power run sets with bigger personnel. That's all well and good, but teams like NE* exploit that all time by flexing their TEs when in 12 personnel groups for example. We need good coverage LBs to make it work.

 

GO BILLS!!!

Edited March 26, 2014 by K-9

[RealityCheck]

Good post. Sometimes people simplify Carroll's defense - especially after the WSJ article came out - by saying they have aggressive corners who commit PI on every play knowing they won't be called for it. There's so much more to what Pete's doing with the Hawks and, given their success, I'd love to see Schwartz incorporate some of their concepts.

Again, I don't remember where I saw this. Maybe it was a short video on the NFL website. They showed some of their cover-3 concepts and the manner in which they employed press coverage, and then how the DBs and LBrs would pass guys off to each other and seemed to clog up every passing lane. It blew my mind watching a simple coverage being so unbelievably effective. When I think of how Wanny employed that same cover-3, but had everyone playing off, it blows my mind even more. You make a great point about the perception of Seattle's secondary. It's credit where it is due. I also think that you are right in that the Bills have the players to take advantage of that approach if Schwartz goes that way. I am definitely optimistic. I love Spring!