Quote:Branch and Clemons were both better in the past. There has been talk of Clemons' age, but DEs don't usually decline with age that early. Branch should be improving.


 

Scheme? Probably not. Coaching? Very likely. A good coach uses his players in a way that maximizes their strengths and minimizes their weaknesses. There was very little variation in the way Branch was used compared to Clemons.

 

Branch's and Clemons' jobs primary mandate was to beat the guy in front of them and pressure the QB on passing downs. 

 

They failed to do that often enough to be considered even remotely effective.  Wash and Babich tried a number of things to help them be more effective, but nothing helped much besides sending six guys and leaving holes in coverage to be exploited.  And they were exploited too often to continue trying that against games with a competent opposing QB. 

 

If a pass rusher can't beat the guy in front of him - even when that guy is a back-up on a team that gives up plenty of sacks - there's only so much a coach can do.

 

(Personally - I wouldn't rule out Henderson as DC just yet over Wash anyway)  

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