how often are we in a 3 man front?
how often are we in a 4 man front?
if we are running 3 down linemen a significant amount of time, getting a true NT is a high priority.
NT is not Raekwon or Christian's best position (or even Godchaux if he comes back).
Great questions
@circumstances !
We play more nickel than base, and we play dime a bit as well. Nickel means 5 DB's so only a total of 6 players divided between DL and LB, which typically means only 2 LB's. Sometimes it's a 33, sometimes it's a 42, sometimes it's a 32 or 41. Our strength is our ability to morph into different looks and still fill the roles. An example would be Kyle Van Noy, he's an OLB much of the time, but plays as a DE quite often. When Wilkins is an LDE and Van Noy becomes a pass rusher, that essentially plays Wilkins as a LDT. Our defense is hard to prepare for because of our versatility, but even worse for offenses, we're incredibly unpredictable, because it's hard to identify traditional roles. Typically QB's want to identify the Mike (Middle LB) and the Safeties coverage, and if they can determine what the CB's are doing (Man vs. Zone vs. Combo). Those reads for the Mike and DL front are hard for teams against us, because our LB's can lineup as an OLB, and shift into an ILB or up to a DE, or slide back into a zone coverage. We might have a DT who drops into coverage over the middle and completely surprises a QB who doesn't expect them to be there ... and that sort of defensive unpredictability sometimes produces takeaways.
When we draft edge players, there aren't as many Emmanuel Ogbah DE types as we're looking for Kyle Van Noy hybrid OLB/DE types. Our defense is unusual, and extremely adaptable. It's not the most elite at anything, but it is designed to be good against everything and hard for teams to play against. Games like the Bills blowout don't usually happen. Having a combo like Byron Jones being a shutdown CB and Xavien Howard being a takeaway monster, this defense really can be a nightmare for passing offenses. When we lacked a pass rush, it simply didn't work. But with the additions of Ogbah and Van Noy as well as the emergence of guys like Van Ginkel, we've really forced QB's to get the ball out of their hands quickly, allowing Jones to blanket guys and cause 3-and-outs, or gamble on throwing at X and getting INT's, or throwing into the danger zone over the middle and never getting a bobbled ball, late throw, or fall victim to dropping DT's.
Our defense is like a minefield. They are forced to run through the minefield by our pass rush, and we blow up their offense quite often because of it.