Explaining the Edds pick with Nolan's D philosophy | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Explaining the Edds pick with Nolan's D philosophy

Ross

Ross

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In Nolan's defense the LB's have very different jobs. In the 3-4 the strong outside LB needs to be a great cover guy. His #1 priority is to cover the TE.

In the Nolans pass defense, the 2-4, the Strong inside LB must be able to run with the TE or RB in coverage.

Ireland says Edds he can play both inside and outside LB positions. It seems to me they picked a man taylor made for what Nolan expects from those two positions.
 
He's an excellent coverage LBer. Also, he was voted to the teams 12-man leadership council ALL 4 YEARS! He started as a true freshman. He's been called the coach on the field... excellent student of the game.

He was a very good team leader for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Because his primary responsibility was coverage and setting the edge, he didn't always get the publicity. He was almost never asked to blitz (None of Norm Parker's defenses do that). The guys he covered were almost never thrown to and when they were... he had 5 interceptions - which is pretty good for a LB.

I know we got a very good LB. :up:
 
Was so excited when I saw his name come up in the draft tracker on nfl.com.

I scared my wife with how I jumped up and cheered...lol.

Great pick and cant wait to see him play for us.
 
Actually, the strongside inside LB is the key guy for the TE matchup. The strongside OLB has some coverage responsibility, but his primary job is to set the edge against the run. The strongside inside LB (the "Moe") is the main guy responsible for coverage on the TE. Ireland talked about this in his pre-draft press conference. Someone asked him about playing Dansby outside, and Ireland explained that Dansby's experience outside wasn't relevant in our defense, because the pass coverage responsibilities he had outside in Arizona is what they ask their inside LB to do.
 
Ross said:
I hope he can get a lot of Playing time. Our LB's couldn't cover jack last year.
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I expect the pass defense to be vastly improved. Our 2 young CB's have a yr under their belt, we tweaked the safety position AND (most importantly) our LB's will play a major role.
That was the biggest weakness on this defense last season IMO. Ayodele and Crowder were liabilities in pass defense.
Misi, Edds AND Dansby are very good cover LB's
 
Plus, Will Allen should be an upgrade at nickel over Nate Jones.

Add in a less predictable defensive scheme that should supply more pressure, and I'd expect the pass defense will be vastly improved.
 
DKphin said:
No need to explain, he was the best pick of the draft!:up:
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You know after watching some film on this guy he might just be that. Watching him cover was like watching seasoned pro. He rarely just followed his man. If he was in zone he was watching the QB's eyes as well as watching the routes coming his way. And in man coverage, wow, the guy gets his head around fast and looks to catch the ball. Not just hoping he can get a hand on it to knock it down. Of course the NFL is a much faster game but I don't think the guy is going to need to be coached about getting his head around or paying attention to the receivers coming into his area. His radar looks like its already built that way.
 
jlfin said:
I expect the pass defense to be vastly improved. Our 2 young CB's have a yr under their belt, we tweaked the safety position AND (most importantly) our LB's will play a major role.
That was the biggest weakness on this defense last season IMO. Ayodele and Crowder were liabilities in pass defense.
Misi, Edds AND Dansby are very good cover LB's
Click to expand...

That was exactly what I saw at the games I went to. That and Ginn running for the sidelines as quick as possible. It is amazing how easy this is to see in person at the game, and how hard that is to pick up watching on TV.

This was known by the coaches and GM as well. They focussed this draft on correcting this major error and on getting the parts for Nolan's D. Jerry was the only piece that didn't fit this plan, and they drafted him only because he was too good to ignore in round 3. The staff watched him stuff D-Lineman all week at the Senior Bowl.
 
Edds had more INT's than Eric Berry last season. Am I saying he's better than Berry or a better ball hawk than Berry? No, not even close. But, 5 INT's for a LB is ridiculous. The guy makes plays in the passing game and is a very underrated athlete. Once our training staff gets him stronger, I think he'll be one of our starting ILB's. As it is, he'll see a lot of playing time and should contribute immediately.
 
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