What we're seeing is copycat league.

Pro Bowls follow success of the team as much as individual achievement. I found it interesting to follow the Pro Bowl selections of the Patriots OL as they were up/down. Years they won or went to Super Bowls, they'd also get selected to Pro Bowls. In off years, many of the same players would not.

So, I don't necessarily think it takes Pro Bowl players to run the 4-3 version we do. I think it's the by-product of success and a successful unit. Where I do think the difference is, deals with the roles and responsibilities. IMO it takes an even more precise skillset/player profile to fill those roles.

I can see where some would argue chicken/egg on that. I think you put the right people in the right situation you're going to produce a Pro Bowler. But again, that mostly follows unit/team success... if wins are scarce and the unit isn't top producing it's hard for an individual to stand out vs peers who are on successful units/teams. It still happens, it's just more difficult to get recognized.

There are guys who can produce no matter the situation or scheme. Campbell is a rare beast that can fit either front just as well. There are other guys who, due to their particular talents and/or limitations, may need the right fit to make the difference between really good and garbage. Linemen and backs in blocking schemes, secondary and linebackers in cover2/man, qbs and wrs executing what the playbook demands. We see in free agency all the time where a good fit gets paid then crashes and burns when put into a different situation that isn't quite the right fit. I think we suffered from a lot of that in the down years, trying to force fit guys into filling holes and not getting adequate production.

One of the fatal flaws in leadership is hubris. Yes, to be a leader you must be confident - otherwise you will not inspire others to follow. But with coaches, sometimes they get the attitude "he just hasn't been coached by me" or "we can make it work." That's backwards reasoning... you can only make those situations work because of the material you start with, that the guy is willing and able to be molded as you intend - the ability to execute what's asked at a high level. It's not your coaching "magic" that made it happen, it's that you had a clear plan and chose a good fit for that plan. I think that's where folks screw up the most and I think that's what Bradley's ultimate downfall was. Del Rio, too. "DO YOUR JOB!" Well, you're the coach. You should know that things worked out exactly as it was sloppily put together.

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