So if the defense is terrible again this season?

[3irty1]

You scheme against the biggest threats but that changes each week. I'd argue the better philosophy is to achieve balance in your own personnel. If you've got an embarrassment of riches in run defenders you can sell out against the pass, knowing you'll be able to be somewhat effective against the run if it comes. This was us in 2010 after a 2009 of dominating against the run. The problem with those teams is that while you can sell out against the run effectively, you can sell out against the pass to achieve balance, but you've run out of trade offs to make when you absolutely must stop the pass. This is the story of 2011, the offense was good enough to force other teams to pass and even when we knew it was coming we couldn't do shit to stop it.

Judging by the personnel changes this year it looks like a roster that no longer needs to sell out against anything just to achieve balance. If anything, we may end up putting strong pass rushers in a 3-4 or even 2-5 Eagle type D to keep the run at bay depending on how Raji and the new beef perform without Pickett or Jolly.

[pbmax]

Judging by the personnel changes this year it looks like a roster that no longer needs to sell out against anything just to achieve balance. If anything, we may end up putting strong pass rushers in a 3-4 or even 2-5 Eagle type D to keep the run at bay depending on how Raji and the new beef perform without Pickett or Jolly.

I think there is something to this, and might be the most telling thing about the offseason, not Peppers or less scheme/volume/whatever.

More versatile lineman on the field more. This could mean more base but no one has publicly contemplated that. But it could mean less beefy nickel except in obvious run situations.

[wist43]

I think there is something to this, and might be the most telling thing about the offseason, not Peppers or less scheme/volume/whatever.

More versatile lineman on the field more. This could mean more base but no one has publicly contemplated that. But it could mean less beefy nickel except in obvious run situations.

It's a "less beefy" nickel if all you do is substitute say Boyd and Guion for Pickett and Raji, and leave the same pedestrian ILB's on the field. What they should be doing, is shitcan the "Jumbo 2-4 nickel" and replace Pickett, Raji, and one of the ILB's with Daniels, D. Jones, and now Thorton. Your OLB's would be Matthews and Peppers, and pick your poison at ILB.

That would not be a "less beefy" nickel b/c Daniels, D. Jones, and Thorton offer size and agility in place of size (Pickett and Raji) and pedestrian (Hawk or Jones).

I'd rather have 3 DL on the field in those situaitons to deal with run/pass - and if you think it is more likely pass there is no rule against lurking your SS near the line. It would allow the defense to show more looks, instead of that mind-numbing static 2-4 down and down.

That's been my bitch about how Capers has run the 2-4 all along.