I'm expecting a clean or majority sweep of the coaching staff. This will focus on the defense:
Which scheme: 4-3 or 3-4?
Personally, I have to go with the 4-3. I feel Travon has gotten much more out of it being on the line rather than standing. Hines-Allen has also applied good pressure being on the line. There needs to be better play inside. That's going to be a key focus going into the offseason. Will Maason Smith show up? Will they kept Armstead around? Hamilton has not played well either. Looking forward to seeing what the next staff does with the interior DL.
Will there be plenty of substitutions and players out of their usual positions?
With Ryan gone, we can breathe a little better.
How does the second level look?
One of the main struggles with the LB group this year has been the pass defense. Devin Lloyd continues to struggle here. Miller hasn't been doing well either. Foye has had good and bad games in the passing defense. Muma in brief play, according to PFF, has shown to be the better of the entire group. No where near great though. However this team approaches their outside LBs, they need to key in on better pass defenders than what this team currently has.
And the secondary?
The FA acquisition of Darby has fell flat. Campbell has been on and off with nagging injuries. And the backup CBs? Well, playing like young backups. Safety play has been lacking. Cisco is taking a step back. Antonio tried. He's just a reserve player. Nothing more. Savage....hasn't impressed me either. This secondary should be looking at 2 new starters minimum next season.
Has the current scheme affected the players in a negative way?
Without a doubt. A new scheme for one to adjust to. Not having the correct personnel to run it properly. Lack of serious in-game adjustments in close matches. Too many awkward rotations and sub counts. Whole thing is messy.
I hope with whoever runs this defense keeps it simple and focuses on the fundamentals. Rather than trying to think too far outside the box. I expect the new staff to focus on putting Trevor Lawrence in the best situation possible. Can't expect the defense to be fixed in one offseason. We will still see a few starters we may not be happy with. I'm looking forward to seeing who the new DC will be and how he will approach the current roster.
I'm afraid you will be waiting awhile because no one is going to get fired. Trent,and all the coaches will say they had way to many injury's to key players,and due to that Khan wil lkeep everyone for a year in hopes injurys are less next season.
I lean 4-3, but I really don't care as long as we upgrade the 4 starting spots in dire need of talent and land a coordinator that can coach them up better than the current guy.
(11-20-2024, 09:52 PM)NYC4jags Wrote: [ -> ]I lean 4-3, but I really don't care as long as we upgrade the 4 starting spots in dire need of talent and land a coordinator that can coach them up better than the current guy.
The current coach plays what he calls position less defense. Meaning he is adept at asking players to play other positions they are not good at.
I don't give a flip what scheme we run. Figure out the scheme, though, and adapt your acquisitions to fit. If we have guys on the roster that don't pair well, time to move on instead of smushing that square peg into the round hole.
If we have a win-now mindset, you kinda have to figure out how best the roster is built and find a DC that is going to work within that structure instead of rebuilding over time to fit their strong suit.
I'm totally stumped. It seems there are so many things wrong with this team, it's impossible to figure out where to start. 3-4 or 4-3? At this point, that seems like such a trivial question.
Need a DT, Safety. I’d rather have the extra LB instead of Arik Armstead or Davon Hamilton.
(11-21-2024, 09:09 AM)The Real Marty Wrote: [ -> ]I'm totally stumped. It seems there are so many things wrong with this team, it's impossible to figure out where to start. 3-4 or 4-3? At this point, that seems like such a trivial question.
I think 4-3 fits the personnel better, but the truth is that 4-2-5 (aka. nickel) is always the most used defense. In terms of DL rotation, a lot of teams rotate the DL to keep fresh bodies on the field. The problem with Nielsen's rotation is that he's not putting in the best set for the most critical downs. In addition, the gap between starters to backups is pretty large which comes back to poor drafting and not finding cheap value picks in FA.
4-2-5 is the correct answer. We need a stronger base within the interior and a safety that can play like a LB within the box and cover like a CB within the secondary. Personel dictates this, but, if you give me some of these players in next year's draft? I could make it work as a coordinator.
Travis Hunter at CB.
Mason Graham or Will Johnson from Michigan to help at DT or CB.
Nick Emmanwori from South Carolina or Xavier Watts at S from Notre Dame.
Any one of those guys above would help this defense out perfectly. I would be happy with Hunter or Graham in RD1 with Emmanwori or Watts the next day in RD2 early. Our secondary and interior defensive line play is bad this year, just like it was last year. I feel like safety play is more important at the moment.
(11-21-2024, 11:40 AM)cland Wrote: [ -> ] (11-21-2024, 09:09 AM)The Real Marty Wrote: [ -> ]I'm totally stumped. It seems there are so many things wrong with this team, it's impossible to figure out where to start. 3-4 or 4-3? At this point, that seems like such a trivial question.
I think 4-3 fits the personnel better, but the truth is that 4-2-5 (aka. nickel) is always the most used defense. In terms of DL rotation, a lot of teams rotate the DL to keep fresh bodies on the field. The problem with Nielsen's rotation is that he's not putting in the best set for the most critical downs. In addition, the gap between starters to backups is pretty large which comes back to poor drafting and not finding cheap value picks in FA.
The fix isn't that hard.
First, the line. If Smith and Jefferson aren't the guys in the middle then find some who are in free agency. Armstead should be the rotational 3rd guy inside. Hamilton is the 4th man at best, maybe eat his dead money in the offseason. Find a 3rd pass rusher to rotate the ends like they tried and failed with Gipson. Guys like Ledbetter and Omu just aren't sufficient.
Secondary: Get another CB who can push the Buster/Jones/Prince group for the #2 spot opposite Tyson and you have a decent five. Sign or draft two safeties. Let Cisco walk, keep Savage and Johnson for another year, keep Dewey and Thomas for depth/Teams if they are better than the two new guys.
LBs are fine with the 5 or 6 they have.
(11-21-2024, 12:56 PM)Caldrac Wrote: [ -> ]4-2-5 is the correct answer. We need a stronger base within the interior and a safety that can play like a LB within the box and cover like a CB within the secondary. Personel dictates this, but, if you give me some of these players in next year's draft? I could make it work as a coordinator.
Travis Hunter at CB.
Mason Graham or Will Johnson from Michigan to help at DT or CB.
Nick Emmanwori from South Carolina or Xavier Watts at S from Notre Dame.
Any one of those guys above would help this defense out perfectly. I would be happy with Hunter or Graham in RD1 with Emmanwori or Watts the next day in RD2 early. Our secondary and interior defensive line play is bad this year, just like it was last year. I feel like safety play is more important at the moment.
Travis Hunter would be fine if you can trade down 5 spots to gain some picks and still get him. Otherwise he's another useless little guy who won't be worth a damn because the big guys suck.
(11-21-2024, 12:56 PM)Caldrac Wrote: [ -> ]4-2-5 is the correct answer. We need a stronger base within the interior and a safety that can play like a LB within the box and cover like a CB within the secondary. Personel dictates this, but, if you give me some of these players in next year's draft? I could make it work as a coordinator.
Travis Hunter at CB.
Mason Graham or Will Johnson from Michigan to help at DT or CB.
Nick Emmanwori from South Carolina or Xavier Watts at S from Notre Dame.
Any one of those guys above would help this defense out perfectly. I would be happy with Hunter or Graham in RD1 with Emmanwori or Watts the next day in RD2 early. Our secondary and interior defensive line play is bad this year, just like it was last year. I feel like safety play is more important at the moment.
All of this
It won't matter if the two DTs aren't waaaaaaaaaaaaaay better then Hamilton. Even on his best year he wasn't what a good defense needs in the middle of the defense. Bigger and stronger than the OLineman that's blocking you.
Doesn't matter which one so im voting for the song. Most teams play base nickel so a little more irrelevant.
The real key is that the front office and head coach are in alignment. Front office scouts for players that fit the scheme. Head coach hires assistants for that scheme. And everyone is in agreement on the broader philosophy of what type of players they are looking for.
It's weird because Travon Walker is FAR better with his hand on the ground in a 4-3. Josh Allen is more comfortable in a 3-4 rushing from a standup position (JHA is more effective in a 4-3 hand in the dirt than the reverse of Travon standing up for what that's worth) which is a catch-22 as the 2 best players/pass rushers thrive in opposite schemes.
I'd prefer a 4-3 as I feel it better fits our LB talent. We'll be in base nickel most of the time and Foye & Miller are the 2 I would utilize there. Have Muma back up both spots, and if we're in a "true 4-3" personnel I would have Lloyd play the SAM linebacker and have him walked up to the Line of Scrimmage so he can rush the passer a little more.
The biggest question is at DT. Arik Armstead needs to play the 3 technique or inside in any fashion. This NONSENSE of him playing DE or on the edge needs to stop. He's not Calais Campbell and is a waste of $17 million a year playing out of position. If he refuses then just cut him, or better yet suspend him for conduct detrimental to the team; hit him in the wallet if he won't play the position that helps the defense and the team win. If he wants to Hugh Douglas and cash checks on the edge to "extend his career" he can do that elsewhere and seek a trade or sit in the press box suspended for thinking he's above the rest of the unit.
We need a true NT or someone who can collapse the pocket. We are SOFT in the middle of the Dline. If the 2 LSU DT's can't develop into the 2 guys on the interior at the Nose & 3T we're in trouble as we spent some high picks for it to still be a huge need. Hamilton flashes but also gets pushed around a lot of the time; he's solid enough that I wouldn't replace him but I would definitely seek an upgrade rather than pay $10 million a year for average production. We also are lacking a true CB2; and after this season both safety spots will need to be addressed as I think Cisco won't be worth his price tag and Antonio Johnson/Darnell Savage just aren't the long term solution at SS.
if we want to get fancy with things; id consider a 3-3-5 type defense with a Dline of: Walker-Hamilton-Armstead with LB core of: Foye-Miller-Josh Allen and then 5 DB's (2 CB's - Campbell & Montaric Brown; 2 SS/Nickel types to cover the slot and set the edge vs the run - Savage & Johnson for now. and then a Ballhawk FS - Cisco for now) This alignment makes them versatile enough that they won't have to substitute as much, they'll be better equipped to defend TE's and the prevalance of spread offenses/multi WR sets the league is trending towards. And most importantly, it puts both Walker & Allen in the position that best suits their skillset!! It would require a commitment and drafting players at the SS/nickel spots that have the athletic traits to play the spot. There would definitely be growing pains the first year or two, but once they learn the playbook and have the experience and chemistry to communicate for unusual situations they see I think it would really pay dividends as they'd be drafting "tweener" guys that best fit this scheme that would likely go overlooked and slide down in the draft as they're not a fit for teams running a traditional defense. This is exactly how the Seahawks Legion of Boom, the 2002 Bucs "Tampa 2" defense etc. got built. They picked a scheme that works against league trends on offense, but utilizes players not prioritized by other teams around the league so they could build an effective unit while burning less resources.
You guys are patching holes in the Titanic.
(11-22-2024, 05:06 PM)The Real Marty Wrote: [ -> ]You guys are patching holes in the Titanic.
It's okay. Our life raft is the Kismet.
(11-22-2024, 03:24 PM)AnOldBrownie Wrote: [ -> ]It won't matter if the two DTs aren't waaaaaaaaaaaaaay better then Hamilton. Even on his best year he wasn't what a good defense needs in the middle of the defense. Bigger and stronger than the OLineman that's blocking you.
Jefferson put up 34 reps. That's 94.5 percentile. Armstead is a good 3 tech, he's not a edge and I'm sure the new coaching staff will move him back to DT. With that said I'd love to add Alfed Collins in the 3rd for our NT. We might have to trade up into the 2nd for him.
Well, it’s easier to find four good linebackers than it is to find four good d line. Anyways the next coach needs to attack with blitzes. That’s so important.