The NFL's # 1 Defense Thread

Originally posted by Joecool:


It won't matter if they all keep biting on a flea flicker or play action. I think we just need to let our CBs cover underneath with Safeties over the top and put in a 5th DB to help with the slot who will be trying to split the Safety cover 2.

4 DL and 2 LB's (Manny and Willis)

It would be a nickel cover 2.

5 DBs: Clements and Spencer can jam the receiver and stay for the screens and flat/short routes. Brown or Smith can take on the slot.

2 LBs: Manny can take on the TE or rush. Willis will be free to do whatever he wants mainly spying Jackson

4 DL: This should keep the rookie QB pressured having 4 DL while he's staring at DB's and LB's all over the field.

The goal is to keep the rookie QB from a lot of open looks while still having some sort of pressure on him.


Of course, we will probably do some sort of umbrella with 3 DL and be dinked and dunked all day until a flea-flicker comes in.

Sounds eerily similar to Nolan's "Big Nickel" defense. Good scheme concept, IMO. Poorly executed both with personnel and details by Nolan. I think you make it look better.

Originally posted by lamontb:

Originally posted by Joecool:

Originally posted by oldman9er:

Originally posted by Joecool:

It won't matter if they all keep biting on a flea flicker or play action. I think we just need to let our CBs cover underneath with Safeties over the top and put in a 5th DB to help with the slot who will be trying to split the Safety cover 2.

4 DL and 2 LB's (Manny and Willis)

It would be a nickel cover 2.

5 DBs: Clements and Spencer can jam the receiver and stay for the screens and flat/short routes. Brown or Smith can take on the slot.

2 LBs: Manny can take on the TE or rush. Willis will be free to do whatever he wants mainly spying Jackson

4 DL: This should keep the rookie QB pressured having 4 DL while he's staring at DB's and LB's all over the field.

The goal is to keep the rookie QB from a lot of open looks while still having some sort of pressure on him.


Of course, we will probably do some sort of umbrella with 3 DL and be dinked and dunked all day until a flea-flicker comes in.

You know, this is really... not bad at all. Hate to say that, as my dislike for you on Alex issues gnaws at me... but not bad. I don't know that this is the best matchup to pull this D out... meaning that we will probably need 3 LBs on the 2nd level for a pounder like Steven Jackson.

Who was to be your specific 4 man DL?

Eh, I only disagree with you on Alex Smith. Almost agree with everything else you normally say.

The main reasoning is to force the rookie QB to think more while still giving us an adequate chance at applying pressure.

As for Steven Jackson: their running game has had difficulty with getting to the 2nd level all year. Now we will have 4 DL who are very athletic in McDonald (LDE), Sopoagna (LDT), Justin Smith (RDT), possibly Parys Haralson or Amhad Brooks (RDE). DE's in a 4-3 only need to be around 250 to 260 and those two guys are up against LT's anyways. I don't know if this would make the best front 4 but I will leave that for you to decide as you know more about who would be best where.

Now factor in that Willis will be completely free to roam which will help a lot and Manny stays if the TE stays to block and we all know how effective he is against the run.

Only problem with that is getting contain on the outside, and finding 5 quality db's on this team.

It would be a cover 2. The CB would have the flat and contain the far outside as Spencer and Clements can handle their own against the run. Now if you are worried about off tackle, then we have Willis who is free to roam and the 2 DE's.

We can also have the defense slam to one side while Manny or Willis along with Flat responsible DB on the back side.

The Rams are a pass heavy team. They are averaging 36.5 attempts a game. Now knowing that almost all of those are under 10 yards, then a Cover 2 is ideal.

The Cover 2 was primarily implemented against the WCO to stop the YAC. This will be very affective against their favorite plays which are under 5 yards.

Originally posted by Wodwo:

Originally posted by Joecool:


It won't matter if they all keep biting on a flea flicker or play action. I think we just need to let our CBs cover underneath with Safeties over the top and put in a 5th DB to help with the slot who will be trying to split the Safety cover 2.

4 DL and 2 LB's (Manny and Willis)

It would be a nickel cover 2.

5 DBs: Clements and Spencer can jam the receiver and stay for the screens and flat/short routes. Brown or Smith can take on the slot.

2 LBs: Manny can take on the TE or rush. Willis will be free to do whatever he wants mainly spying Jackson

4 DL: This should keep the rookie QB pressured having 4 DL while he's staring at DB's and LB's all over the field.

The goal is to keep the rookie QB from a lot of open looks while still having some sort of pressure on him.


Of course, we will probably do some sort of umbrella with 3 DL and be dinked and dunked all day until a flea-flicker comes in.

Sounds eerily similar to Nolan's "Big Nickel" defense. Good scheme concept, IMO. Poorly executed both with personnel and details by Nolan. I think you make it look better.

Yes but it's a small nickel. There's no SS in the box. The big nickel has primarily worked well against pass-heavy teams. We still played the run well. The problem we had with Nolan was the 8 yards of space the CB was giving their receivers. I say Jam the receiver which is the best thing to do against a team that throws short routes and a rookie QB that relies heavy on timing.

Originally posted by Joecool:


Eh, I only disagree with you on Alex Smith. Almost agree with everything else you normally say.

The main reasoning is to force the rookie QB to think more while still giving us an adequate chance at applying pressure.

As for Steven Jackson: their running game has had difficulty with getting to the 2nd level all year. Now we will have 4 DL who are very athletic in McDonald (LDE), Sopoagna (LDT), Justin Smith (RDT), possibly Parys Haralson or Amhad Brooks (RDE). DE's in a 4-3 only need to be around 250 to 260 and those two guys are up against LT's anyways. I don't know if this would make the best front 4 but I will leave that for you to decide as you know more about who would be best where.

Now factor in that Willis will be completely free to roam which will help a lot and Manny stays if the TE stays to block and we all know how effective he is against the run.

I think the best DL in this situation is this:

McDonald - Franklin - Sopoaga - Smith

This would be the most stout against the run, give the most protection to Willis, and put our best pass rusher on the edge on the blind side.

Originally posted by Joecool:

Originally posted by lamontb:

Originally posted by Joecool:

Originally posted by oldman9er:

Originally posted by Joecool:

It won't matter if they all keep biting on a flea flicker or play action. I think we just need to let our CBs cover underneath with Safeties over the top and put in a 5th DB to help with the slot who will be trying to split the Safety cover 2.

4 DL and 2 LB's (Manny and Willis)

It would be a nickel cover 2.

5 DBs: Clements and Spencer can jam the receiver and stay for the screens and flat/short routes. Brown or Smith can take on the slot.

2 LBs: Manny can take on the TE or rush. Willis will be free to do whatever he wants mainly spying Jackson

4 DL: This should keep the rookie QB pressured having 4 DL while he's staring at DB's and LB's all over the field.

The goal is to keep the rookie QB from a lot of open looks while still having some sort of pressure on him.


Of course, we will probably do some sort of umbrella with 3 DL and be dinked and dunked all day until a flea-flicker comes in.

You know, this is really... not bad at all. Hate to say that, as my dislike for you on Alex issues gnaws at me... but not bad. I don't know that this is the best matchup to pull this D out... meaning that we will probably need 3 LBs on the 2nd level for a pounder like Steven Jackson.

Who was to be your specific 4 man DL?

Eh, I only disagree with you on Alex Smith. Almost agree with everything else you normally say.

The main reasoning is to force the rookie QB to think more while still giving us an adequate chance at applying pressure.

As for Steven Jackson: their running game has had difficulty with getting to the 2nd level all year. Now we will have 4 DL who are very athletic in McDonald (LDE), Sopoagna (LDT), Justin Smith (RDT), possibly Parys Haralson or Amhad Brooks (RDE). DE's in a 4-3 only need to be around 250 to 260 and those two guys are up against LT's anyways. I don't know if this would make the best front 4 but I will leave that for you to decide as you know more about who would be best where.

Now factor in that Willis will be completely free to roam which will help a lot and Manny stays if the TE stays to block and we all know how effective he is against the run.

Only problem with that is getting contain on the outside, and finding 5 quality db's on this team.

It would be a cover 2. The CB would have the flat and contain the far outside as Spencer and Clements can handle their own against the run. Now if you are worried about off tackle, then we have Willis who is free to roam and the 2 DE's.

We can also have the defense slam to one side while Manny or Willis along with Flat responsible DB on the back side.

The Rams are a pass heavy team. They are averaging 36.5 attempts a game. Now knowing that almost all of those are under 10 yards, then a Cover 2 is ideal.

The Cover 2 was primarily implemented against the WCO to stop the YAC. This will be very affective against their favorite plays which are under 5 yards.

True, but you are forgetting that Willis doens't have free roam b/c there is an extra o lineman you aren't accounting for. If that guy blocks Willis there is a major whole in the defense.

Originally posted by Joecool:

It would be a cover 2. The CB would have the flat and contain the far outside as Spencer and Clements can handle their own against the run. Now if you are worried about off tackle, then we have Willis who is free to roam and the 2 DE's.

We can also have the defense slam to one side while Manny or Willis along with Flat responsible DB on the back side.

The Rams are a pass heavy team. They are averaging 36.5 attempts a game. Now knowing that almost all of those are under 10 yards, then a Cover 2 is ideal.

The Cover 2 was primarily implemented against the WCO to stop the YAC. This will be very affective against their favorite plays which are under 5 yards.

This, my good sir, is good football scheme.

I may have missed it, but who are your five defensive backs?

My suggestion:

CB: Nate Clements

Slot: Reggie Smith

SS: Mays

FS: Goldson

CB: Spencer

Originally posted by Wodwo:

Originally posted by Joecool:


Eh, I only disagree with you on Alex Smith. Almost agree with everything else you normally say.

The main reasoning is to force the rookie QB to think more while still giving us an adequate chance at applying pressure.

As for Steven Jackson: their running game has had difficulty with getting to the 2nd level all year. Now we will have 4 DL who are very athletic in McDonald (LDE), Sopoagna (LDT), Justin Smith (RDT), possibly Parys Haralson or Amhad Brooks (RDE). DE's in a 4-3 only need to be around 250 to 260 and those two guys are up against LT's anyways. I don't know if this would make the best front 4 but I will leave that for you to decide as you know more about who would be best where.

Now factor in that Willis will be completely free to roam which will help a lot and Manny stays if the TE stays to block and we all know how effective he is against the run.

I think the best DL in this situation is this:

McDonald - Franklin - Sopoaga - Smith

This would be the most stout against the run, give the most protection to Willis, and put our best pass rusher on the edge on the blind side.

I don't know. That would mean Franklin would be a 3-down guy: he will tire. And not sure if Smith (probably) and McDonald will have the energy to keep rushing the QB a max distance for Defensive Linemen. That's the reason I have Haralson there is because he has DE experience and he can always move to the other side to give McDonald a breather every now and then. I don't know.

Originally posted by lamontb:

Originally posted by Joecool:

Originally posted by lamontb:

Originally posted by Joecool:

Originally posted by oldman9er:

Originally posted by Joecool:

It won't matter if they all keep biting on a flea flicker or play action. I think we just need to let our CBs cover underneath with Safeties over the top and put in a 5th DB to help with the slot who will be trying to split the Safety cover 2.

4 DL and 2 LB's (Manny and Willis)

It would be a nickel cover 2.

5 DBs: Clements and Spencer can jam the receiver and stay for the screens and flat/short routes. Brown or Smith can take on the slot.

2 LBs: Manny can take on the TE or rush. Willis will be free to do whatever he wants mainly spying Jackson

4 DL: This should keep the rookie QB pressured having 4 DL while he's staring at DB's and LB's all over the field.

The goal is to keep the rookie QB from a lot of open looks while still having some sort of pressure on him.


Of course, we will probably do some sort of umbrella with 3 DL and be dinked and dunked all day until a flea-flicker comes in.

You know, this is really... not bad at all. Hate to say that, as my dislike for you on Alex issues gnaws at me... but not bad. I don't know that this is the best matchup to pull this D out... meaning that we will probably need 3 LBs on the 2nd level for a pounder like Steven Jackson.

Who was to be your specific 4 man DL?

Eh, I only disagree with you on Alex Smith. Almost agree with everything else you normally say.

The main reasoning is to force the rookie QB to think more while still giving us an adequate chance at applying pressure.

As for Steven Jackson: their running game has had difficulty with getting to the 2nd level all year. Now we will have 4 DL who are very athletic in McDonald (LDE), Sopoagna (LDT), Justin Smith (RDT), possibly Parys Haralson or Amhad Brooks (RDE). DE's in a 4-3 only need to be around 250 to 260 and those two guys are up against LT's anyways. I don't know if this would make the best front 4 but I will leave that for you to decide as you know more about who would be best where.

Now factor in that Willis will be completely free to roam which will help a lot and Manny stays if the TE stays to block and we all know how effective he is against the run.

Only problem with that is getting contain on the outside, and finding 5 quality db's on this team.

It would be a cover 2. The CB would have the flat and contain the far outside as Spencer and Clements can handle their own against the run. Now if you are worried about off tackle, then we have Willis who is free to roam and the 2 DE's.

We can also have the defense slam to one side while Manny or Willis along with Flat responsible DB on the back side.

The Rams are a pass heavy team. They are averaging 36.5 attempts a game. Now knowing that almost all of those are under 10 yards, then a Cover 2 is ideal.

The Cover 2 was primarily implemented against the WCO to stop the YAC. This will be very affective against their favorite plays which are under 5 yards.

True, but you are forgetting that Willis doens't have free roam b/c there is an extra o lineman you aren't accounting for. If that guy blocks Willis there is a major whole in the defense.

Their OL is going up against Smith, ICE and McDonald and Haralson. These guys are basically all 4-3 DT's (minus Haralson) that are VERY athletic and ICE is a possible NT at 300+. If they want to decide to man-up on each knowing that they will be slamming 1-gaps, then advantage us.

Originally posted by Wodwo:

Originally posted by Joecool:

It would be a cover 2. The CB would have the flat and contain the far outside as Spencer and Clements can handle their own against the run. Now if you are worried about off tackle, then we have Willis who is free to roam and the 2 DE's.

We can also have the defense slam to one side while Manny or Willis along with Flat responsible DB on the back side.

The Rams are a pass heavy team. They are averaging 36.5 attempts a game. Now knowing that almost all of those are under 10 yards, then a Cover 2 is ideal.

The Cover 2 was primarily implemented against the WCO to stop the YAC. This will be very affective against their favorite plays which are under 5 yards.

This, my good sir, is good football scheme.

I may have missed it, but who are your five defensive backs?

My suggestion:

CB: Nate Clements

Slot: Reggie Smith

SS: Mays

FS: Goldson

CB: Spencer

Yes but for the Slot, whichever would be better, Brown or Smith. Actually, Brown has also been decent in helping with the run so maybe even having Clements at slot with Brown at CB as Browns responsibilities there won't be difficult.

Originally posted by Joecool:


Yes but it's a small nickel. There's no SS in the box. The big nickel has primarily worked well against pass-heavy teams. We still played the run well. The problem we had with Nolan was the 8 yards of space the CB was giving their receivers. I say Jam the receiver which is the best thing to do against a team that throws short routes and a rookie QB that relies heavy on timing.

Right, that's what I meant by Nolan f**king up the personnel and details of coverage.

This is a very well thought out scheme against the Rams.

My scheme was meant as more of a generic "base" cover scheme to best utilize the strengths of our coverage unit, while also eliminating that icepick in my brain soft zone.

Originally posted by Joecool:


I don't know. That would mean Franklin would be a 3-down guy: he will tire. And not sure if Smith (probably) and McDonald will have the energy to keep rushing the QB a max distance for Defensive Linemen. That's the reason I have Haralson there is because he has DE experience and he can always move to the other side to give McDonald a breather every now and then. I don't know.

Oh, I meant on base downs. On passing downs, you have to move McDonald and Smith inside and put Haralson and Brooks on the edges.

Franklin can be subbed with RJF with no big problems.

Smith does not tire. I remember reading somewhere that he's toward the top of the list of lineman who play the most percentage of snaps.

McDonald is the one I worry about fatigue. I don't think he's ever been even close to an every down guy. RJF can sub there, too. He has great endurance.

Originally posted by Joecool:

Their OL is going up against Smith, ICE and McDonald and Haralson. These guys are basically all 4-3 DT's (minus Haralson) that are VERY athletic and ICE is a possible NT at 300+. If they want to decide to man-up on each knowing that they will be slamming 1-gaps, then advantage us.

Even better if you use my line set.

Originally posted by Wodwo:

Originally posted by Joecool:


I don't know. That would mean Franklin would be a 3-down guy: he will tire. And not sure if Smith (probably) and McDonald will have the energy to keep rushing the QB a max distance for Defensive Linemen. That's the reason I have Haralson there is because he has DE experience and he can always move to the other side to give McDonald a breather every now and then. I don't know.

Oh, I meant on base downs. On passing downs, you have to move McDonald and Smith inside and put Haralson and Brooks on the edges.

Franklin can be subbed with RJF with no big problems.

Smith does not tire. I remember reading somewhere that he's toward the top of the list of lineman who play the most percentage of snaps.

McDonald is the one I worry about fatigue. I don't think he's ever been even close to an every down guy. RJF can sub there, too. He has great endurance.

That would work.

Originally posted by Joecool:


Yes but for the Slot, whichever would be better, Brown or Smith. Actually, Brown has also been decent in helping with the run so maybe even having Clements at slot with Brown at CB as Browns responsibilities there won't be difficult.

I don't know about Brown. I think he's burnt toast right now. That's why James upped him on the depth chart.

Reggie Smith has CB experience and is better against the run.

Anyway, if this is our base set, he's not even a true slot guy. He's still basically a third LB. He just covers like a corner.

f**k, I hate myself for this, but "Big Nickel" actually sounds like it might be better on base downs. Reggie Smith at SS and Mays as slot/LB. You want to make Bradford soil his shorts, send Mays on blitz a couple times on base downs.

I still hate myself.

Originally posted by Wodwo:

Originally posted by Joecool:


Yes but for the Slot, whichever would be better, Brown or Smith. Actually, Brown has also been decent in helping with the run so maybe even having Clements at slot with Brown at CB as Browns responsibilities there won't be difficult.

I don't know about Brown. I think he's burnt toast right now. That's why James upped him on the depth chart.

Reggie Smith has CB experience and is better against the run.

Anyway, if this is our base set, he's not even a true slot guy. He's still basically a third LB. He just covers like a corner.

f**k, I hate myself for this, but "Big Nickel" actually sounds like it might be better on base downs. Reggie Smith at SS and Mays as slot/LB. You want to make Bradford soil his shorts, send Mays on blitz a couple times on base downs.

I still hate myself.

I hope our coverage flusters the s**t out of him and we keep the CB's home for the short s**t.

Man, we have great personnel if we want to run a 4-3.