Quote:This. 

 

There is no scheme that is going to save you when a well-over-the-hill Clemons and a flailing,windmilling  Andre Branch are your "edge threats." 

 

And don't tell me they didn't adjust the scheme. They tried a number of different 3rd down packages, four or five different ways of sending the nickel or corner on a blitz, and they mixed up the guys in the middle quite a bit too trying to find someone that could disrupt remotely like Marks.  They even kicked Odrick inside at times. 

 

If there was any real opportunity for Gus to intervene in  a "square peg/round hole" situation it would have been putting the kibosh on Babich's overuse of soft zones.  (he did eventually) But - ironically - it seemed that those zone coverages were actually Babich's answer to having square pegs -  (one good corner, one young ascending corner that's better at nickel, and a dumpster fire at free safety.) His idea didn't work  and late season adjustments barely helped because no one's gonna cover Hopkins, Cooks, and Julio when their QB has 4 or 5 seconds to find them. 

Not having any good pass rushers is a dilemma, that's for sure. You and 'iapetus ' are right... without competent pass rushers, no defensive scheme is going to bring good results. So I'm thinking that there is necessarily a 'priority of order' when it comes to addressing the defensive issues. First, we have to get some more decent players on defense, no matter what type scheme we run. If this need is successfully addressed in the off season, then the type scheme should be reconsidered. Dave has said that finding a top end FS is as hard as finding a franchise quarterback. For the defensive scheme that Gus has installed here to work, a top end FS is mandatory.

 

Gus did throw in some different looks on third down situations... and mostly they failed. But those were more like 'desperation strategies' and not the norm.

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