The article would have been a whole lot more helpful for people if it showed which gaps were each linebacker's responsibility. You can just see which ones are empty and figure it out, but what the hell else is the writer getting paid to do?
Defensive line coach Williams offered this soliloquy on defense when asked if there is a gap in the middle of a Wide 9 defense, which Miami will use:
"There is no big gap. Here's something - and listen, you can report it or write it, whatever you guys want - I think sometimes when people watch football, especially on TV, they see things that aren't necessarily true. We know exactly what we're seeing, and there is no big gaps in the middle. The only difference between playing a 9-technique and a 6-technique - which means you're head up on a tight end - is one guy is a little bit wider, and now they just switched gaps.
“The off-the-ball linebacker now has the inside gap; the other guy has the outside gap. The Wide 9, there's no big deal about it. We just want our guys to play fast. You look at 'Wash's' (Jim Washburn's) history playing this defense - which he has done a good job (with) - they've played great run defense. It's not what people think. It's kind of an illusion a little bit. I hear about the Wide 9 and stopping the run. In (Ndamukong) Suh's last year in Detroit, they were in the top five in the history of pro football in run defense. You can stop the run, it's just about attitude. I don't care if it's 3-4 (defense), Wide 9, 6-2, whatever it is, it's just about who's lining up and kicking the guy's butt in front of them."
Williams said the Wide 9 “gives them some angles as far as pass rushing, but it also gives them some angles in the run game as far as coming off and being physical with tight ends and tackles. We have the personnel to run that defense, and it's smart for us to do what our personnel is capable of doing."
• Williams offered this prediction: “I don't think we're going to have any problems stopping the outside runs. We're out there playing with guys that are big, physical guys, so they're forcing everything inside. We shouldn't have any problems stopping outside runs."
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