Sgt. Largent":39gddadh said:
It's a complicated question.
It's true we're running basic schemes on defense that teams are easily picking apart. But coaches and coordinators don't resort to base schemes unless they have no faith and trust in the players to execute and excel in more complicated schemes where they're trying to disguising and confuse other team's offense.
So this is really a chicken or the egg discussion, and I'd side on the side of talent over scheme.
Watch defensive film from 2013 or 2014, lots and lots of movement and D-line stunting. The difference is back then you had DB's that you could leave on islands and know they had half the field locked down to allow you to do these things.
Right now we have the opposite of that, the D is screwing up so often and devoid of talent at the DB position that Pete and Norton have resorted to just running base cover three hoping Russell and the offense can out score the other team.....and even this looks terrible because half the players are pressing and going off script getting out of position trying to make plays.
I don't agree that it's strictly a personnel issue, even though we probably have the worst starting CB duo in the league. But they made a choice who they were going into the season with. If they felt they couldn't run the schemes they wanted to with their current personnel, then that should have been addressed in the offseason.
But for arguments sake, let's say it is a personnel issue and they can't really do everything the wanted to on defense. How is instructing your corners to line up 8 to 10 yards off the LOS and backpedal at the snap a sound philosophy? How could anyone in their right mind expect that to stop or even slow down the opposing offenses?
I think everyone here knows PC has this extremely irrational fear of getting beat over the top, and as a result, instructs his CB's, LB's, and even safeties to drop deep and keep everything in front of them. It's essentially a prevent defense for 4 quarters. Is it any surprise they're giving up easy completions for 1st downs and allowing 8 to 10 minute drives to opposing offenses pretty much at will with very little resistance? But hey, at least we haven't given up the big plays over the top! It almost feels like that's a win in PC's mind.
Given that philosophy, how could they possibly expect to stop anyone and get off the field? And the players know it which is why we're beginning to see some of them speak out.
Here's another fun fact. Of Cousin's 38 pass attempts yesterday, only one was defensed, and that was on a Carlos Dunlap deflection. ONE! In the 3 games combined, they've defensed a grand total of FIVE passes out of 116 attempts. Why? It's obvious. They are nowhere near the receivers when the ball is thrown to knock down a pass, or god forbid, get an interception, because they're playing too damn far off which is what they are instructed to do by PC and KNJ. It's freaking insane and it absolutely infuriates me every time I watch a Hawks game. And this BS has been going on for years! How can PC not see the flaws in that strategy? I just don't get it.
