Next Defensive Innovation?

[SF Dolphin Fan]

I'm reading articles and hearing talk about how the Dolphins need to match Indy and New Orleans offensively. While Miami legitimately needs playmakers on offense, the true question is how do you build a defense that can best defend these types of offenses. The defensive coordinator who figures that out will quickly become a head coach somewhere. I was thinking about all the defenses we've seen here over the last 10 years or so. Jimmy Johnson's would match up best IMO. You need players in the secondary that can make the opposing quarterback pay and you have to have plenty of pass rushers. Pass rushers are like pitchers in baseball - you can never have enough and these are the guys who mess up the qb's rhythm. In my ideal world, I'd go with a base 4-2-5 defense with essentially 5 corners all with ball skills to intercept passes. It's tough. So many quality receivers have come out of the college ranks over the last 5-10 years and they far outweigh the number of quality corners. We need to essentially "corner" the market and have enough talent to cover those top wide outs.

 

[RobertHorry]

A 4-2-5 would get destroyed unless the corners have tackling abilities like Vontae Davis.

 

[Rhody Phins Fan]

Losing that linebacker would make us suceptible to the run. It would certainly be somewhat useful against the Colts. I think the Jets used 5 dbs on Sunday against them.

 

[TurkishFin99]

We wouldn't be able to run a base 4-2-5 because we would give up way too much on the ground. It would go totally against the philosophy of the coaching staff. Now a 4-2-5 formation in passing situations wouldn't be a bad idea. It could compensate for some of our lack of speed in the linebacking corps, which is hopefully somthing our FO is looking to upgrade this year. We would just need a lot of guys that could really ball in the secondary, though.

 

[Zounds]

I could see nickle and dime packages on first and second down, with blitzing safeties and corners, especially how the NFL has become a pass first league.

 

[utahphinsfan]

A 4-2-5 base where all 5 secondary members are CB's are foolish IMO.

If there were 2 safeties in the secondary like Polamalu, John Lynch, or Bob Sanders then maybe. Also, the FS would have to be a FS/CB hybrid; Ronnie Lott comes to mind.

Pasqualoni's problem IMO was he was too conservative and did not adapt which is fine w/ a 4-3 Tampa cover 2. But, you notice even the Colts got more physical.

However, the 3-4 by nature is meant to be flexible and aggressive. That is the positive to hiring Nolan. He brings that aggressive go get 'em philosophy that we have come to expect from the Ravens, Steelers, & the Rex Ryan led Jets.

 

[finnns2000]

Pasqualoni's problem IMO was he was too conservative and did not adapt which is fine w/ a 4-3 Tampa cover 2. But, you notice even the Colts got more physical.

However, the 3-4 by nature is meant to be flexible and aggressive. That is the positive to hiring Nolan. He brings that aggressive go get 'em philosophy that we have come to expect from the Ravens, Steelers, & the Rex Ryan led Jets.

Not defending Pasqualoni, but he was working with chicken #%!% at LB. All 4 of his starting LBs were mediocre. JT? Not the same JT. Porter? WASHED up. Crowder? Mediocre. Ayodele? Atrocious.

 

[JT-forpresident]

Not defending Pasqualoni, but he was working with chicken #%!% at LB. All 4 of his starting LBs were mediocre. JT? Not the same JT. Porter? WASHED up. Crowder? Mediocre. Ayodele? Atrocious.

pass rushing as a team is much more than what one individual can do...

sure, porter, taylor are not what they used to be, but pasqualoni should've been aware of that and stop hoping that they could beat out double teams for sacks, then again, just pressure, like they used to do back in the days...

the jets' pass rushers are nothing spectacular, their scheme though (well, the blitzing part of it) is very well designed and it is the main reason for their success at getting to the quarterback

overloads, twists and stunts, delayed blitzes, zone blitzes, you name it, they did it. I'll rephrase that, they did it, as a unit


as for the dolphins, i'd have to use about 50 pair of hands to count the number of times we were in 3rd or 2nd & 10 and we'd rush 4 ... and most of the time i could even predict it. No, i don't consider myself a football genius... so if an average joe like me can see it coming, don't you think an NFL offensive coordinator knows what he's going to see on those situations ? ... :facepalm:

 

[SCLSU Mud Dogs]

I'm actually a fan of the 1-5-5 myself

As for a base defense though? no. It would be a great change up option on defense though

 

[Nick13]

a 4-2-5 could work, but I think you'd need to have your strong safety play more like a 'rover' where he can cheat up and play like a linebacker on running down and distance plays, but just as easily drop back into coverage. It's not unfathomable, but you would REALLY need to have the PERFECT personnel for it to not be exposed.

 

[Tallow]

A consistent pass rush is the way to shut down a QB.

The next evolution is finding a way to stop the QB....not falling for play action, while still stopping the run.

 

[NY8123]

Here is a defensive revelation, disguise your blitz! You know send a corner from time to time or maybe a safety. Drop a big fat guy back to swat the ball down in the middle of the field when the ILB loops around the end.

You know the little things in life.

 

[3rdandinches]

What does Peyton do to beat teams? He watches game film to see your tendencies, he watches game film from 2/3 years ago, game film from new coaches and what they did back at their old teams. So you should do the same to figure out what his go to play is then on certain plays your defense runs. Show Peyton what he thinks is a disguised defense and jump his train of thought. Do something you've never done before all game long so he doesn't have a read on it. BB took R.Harrison and made him a CB against Peyton in the playoffs, he'd never saw that before and was trying to figure out the defense off how the safeties we're lined up but was reading it wrong because one of them was actually a CB (R.Harrison). Peyton struggled most of the game and lost, making great players uncomfortable is the best way to win games. BB showed him something he's never seen before, that's what you need to do....be one step ahead of their thought process, easier said then done but that's why they pay coaches so much!

 

[Butterfrog 2.0]

The only thing you can do to stop teams like that is get superior players on defense. If you had Darrelle Revis, Nnamdi Asumgha, Ed Reed, Troy Palamalu all on the same team with good LB's and a front 4 that can terrorize a QB then no offense would move the ball on them lol... but no seriously... That defese we had with Surtain, Madison, Marion, JT, Ogun or Armstrong, Zach, Bowens, Chester.... those guys made life miserable for opposing offenses at times. When you've got 2 very very good press CB's and your front 4 is getting into the backfield harrasing the QB it's just tough to do anything on offense. They weren't the best defense in the NFL but at times they looked like it. As far as schemes that will get it done, there really are none. Peyton will pick apart anything you do on defense if you give him time to throw the ball.

 

[j-off-her-doll]

Look at Nolan's track record against the pass. He seems to understand the balance between applying pressure and not giving up the big play about as well as anyone. He also creates a lot of TO's.