DKphin
Club Member
The Dolphins will still play the 3-4 scheme preferred by Parcells, but Nolan is giving defenders more freedom, and there will be more players involved in rushing the quarterback.
"There's a lot of excitement," Dansby said. "We're trying to fly around. We've got a chance to be great. That's our goal."
The approach is a big change for Dansby's partner at inside linebacker, holdover Channing Crowder. In the past Crowder rarely blitzed — and rarely made big plays. In the last four years he totalled one fumble forced, one recovered and one interception.
"The whole mentality of Nolan's is to have an offensive mentality on defence," Crowder says. "We get after it. It's more of hybrid 3-4, with a lot more blitzing. It's a fun defence to play, and it should be fun to see what we can do."
One objective is more takeaways. Miami's 21 last year tied for fifth-fewest in the league.
"We need to force turnovers and have an aggressive mindset when we get the ball in our hands," Sparano says.
Consistency is another goal. Lapses in the secondary proved especially costly in 2009, with Miami giving up 57 completions of 20 yards or more, third-most in the league. Those plays averaged a whopping 35.9 yards, and 14 resulted in touchdowns.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5hPgrOI6edAq3BzcZaXrcVQEQ_J7w
"There's a lot of excitement," Dansby said. "We're trying to fly around. We've got a chance to be great. That's our goal."
The approach is a big change for Dansby's partner at inside linebacker, holdover Channing Crowder. In the past Crowder rarely blitzed — and rarely made big plays. In the last four years he totalled one fumble forced, one recovered and one interception.
"The whole mentality of Nolan's is to have an offensive mentality on defence," Crowder says. "We get after it. It's more of hybrid 3-4, with a lot more blitzing. It's a fun defence to play, and it should be fun to see what we can do."
One objective is more takeaways. Miami's 21 last year tied for fifth-fewest in the league.
"We need to force turnovers and have an aggressive mindset when we get the ball in our hands," Sparano says.
Consistency is another goal. Lapses in the secondary proved especially costly in 2009, with Miami giving up 57 completions of 20 yards or more, third-most in the league. Those plays averaged a whopping 35.9 yards, and 14 resulted in touchdowns.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5hPgrOI6edAq3BzcZaXrcVQEQ_J7w