I am sure there are a lot of people scratching their heads with the Hawks playing in their base against 3 and 4 WR sets. Jamar Taylor is a more than capable nickel back, but it's because of the Rams offense.
Last year the Rams were carving up teams with Gurley against Nickle defenses, and then they would run playaction pass with Goff when teams went base. With some motion trickery mixed in, to get people misaligned. It was a ridiculously simple thing that teams eventually figured out, after the film piled up.
The Bears last year cracked the code. Just play your base defense. Gurley can't feast, and expect pass/playaction, it worked. The Rams haven't been the same since on offense. Now I am over simplifying it for brevity's sake. But it is real.
Goff just isn't good enough to make consistent tight window throws and go through his reads. He is the one that needs a run game. (Tical lol). He needs McVay to tell him the coverage before his mic cuts out, and is scared of his own shadow when pressured.
So Pete has been playing 3 backers to get them used to it and more comfortable (both the players and the coaches). So they could be prepared as much as possible for their incredibly important divisonal matchups against the Rams, and even the 49ers. (I am not going to get into that one yet.)
For those that don't know, McVay's offense tore Pete a new one last year, and the adjustments he has made have primarily centered around stopping McVay's scheme and, stopping Shanahan's run game.
476 yards & 33 pts.
467 yards & 36 pts.
They surrendered to McVay last year.
Pete is very smart on the defensive side of the ball, and this plan of his to play base defense inordinately is going to pay dividends against the Rams.
The other layer to this is Pete is making teams one dimensional in general. Opposing OCs see 3 LBers on the field, and they are going to want to throw it. Since they are primarily a zone team anyway, their LBers don't really have to cover speedy WRs 1-on1 down the field anyway, as they will get passed off to the DBs.
This is very interesting to me, and can't wait to see how this plays out over a more extended period of time.
I thought base defense was dead three years ago, but it looks like it is making a comeback.
Last year the Rams were carving up teams with Gurley against Nickle defenses, and then they would run playaction pass with Goff when teams went base. With some motion trickery mixed in, to get people misaligned. It was a ridiculously simple thing that teams eventually figured out, after the film piled up.
The Bears last year cracked the code. Just play your base defense. Gurley can't feast, and expect pass/playaction, it worked. The Rams haven't been the same since on offense. Now I am over simplifying it for brevity's sake. But it is real.
Goff just isn't good enough to make consistent tight window throws and go through his reads. He is the one that needs a run game. (Tical lol). He needs McVay to tell him the coverage before his mic cuts out, and is scared of his own shadow when pressured.
So Pete has been playing 3 backers to get them used to it and more comfortable (both the players and the coaches). So they could be prepared as much as possible for their incredibly important divisonal matchups against the Rams, and even the 49ers. (I am not going to get into that one yet.)
For those that don't know, McVay's offense tore Pete a new one last year, and the adjustments he has made have primarily centered around stopping McVay's scheme and, stopping Shanahan's run game.
476 yards & 33 pts.
467 yards & 36 pts.
They surrendered to McVay last year.
Pete is very smart on the defensive side of the ball, and this plan of his to play base defense inordinately is going to pay dividends against the Rams.
The other layer to this is Pete is making teams one dimensional in general. Opposing OCs see 3 LBers on the field, and they are going to want to throw it. Since they are primarily a zone team anyway, their LBers don't really have to cover speedy WRs 1-on1 down the field anyway, as they will get passed off to the DBs.
This is very interesting to me, and can't wait to see how this plays out over a more extended period of time.
I thought base defense was dead three years ago, but it looks like it is making a comeback.