That was my point though. If you are not capable of calling plays (and I'm not saying he's not), how do you really implement a defense? You can do what someone tells you they want, but the real test in knowing a defense (IMO) is calling it, countering the opposition, making adjustments, etc. Can you really make adjustments if you don't know how to call plays to begin with? Maybe I am off in the weeds. Wouldn't be the first time
I agree with your earlier post. Anyone CAN call defensive plays. Mel Tucker ran the defense and called the game while he was here. He just did not do it well.
Flus needs someone with experience to teach and implement the defense he is chasing here. New plays, creativity, long hours, bounce ideas off each other, evaluate players, move players, all that.
Calling the plays in a cohesive manner is just one of the many tasks that have to get done. I'm sure Washington can pick plays off a laminated card. I want him to learn how to do it well. If he's not up to it now, he can learn from Flus. Waldron doesn't have that luxury, and I'm glad he is coming with experience.
Gotta admit I love that post ^^^^^ You explained that well.
Post by brasilbear on Jan 28, 2024 13:06:37 GMT -6
Many teams that are successful have a HC that calls plays on one side of the ball or the other. It can be done. Reid in KC, Shanny in SF, McVay with the Rams, LaFluer in GB, McDaniel with the Fins, Taylor with the Bengals. Stefanski in Cleveland, Steichen in Indy, Sean Payton, O'Connell with the Vikings--thats on OFF. DeMarco with Texans, McDermott with Bills, Bowles in Tampa--on DEF.
We need to move past this HC can't call plays. If the Bears had hired Johnson from the Lions he would be calling plays, Harbaugh will be calling plays with the Chargers and I think one or two more of the new hires will be calling plays.
Many teams that are successful have a HC that calls plays on one side of the ball or the other. It can be done. Reid in KC, Shanny in SF, McVay with the Rams, LaFluer in GB, McDaniel with the Fins, Taylor with the Bengals. Stefanski in Cleveland, Steichen in Indy, Sean Payton, O'Connell with the Vikings--thats on OFF. DeMarco with Texans, McDermott with Bills, Bowles in Tampa--on DEF.
We need to move past this HC can't call plays. If the Bears had hired Johnson from the Lions he would be calling plays, Harbaugh will be calling plays with the Chargers and I think one or two more of the new hires will be calling plays.
what you state is the truth, I just wish our HC was calling the offensive plays as I still believe offense is more complex, thus continuity on that side of the ball becomes more critical. Well we got Flus for now so..... see how it goes.
I agree with your earlier post. Anyone CAN call defensive plays. Mel Tucker ran the defense and called the game while he was here. He just did not do it well.
Flus needs someone with experience to teach and implement the defense he is chasing here. New plays, creativity, long hours, bounce ideas off each other, evaluate players, move players, all that.
Calling the plays in a cohesive manner is just one of the many tasks that have to get done. I'm sure Washington can pick plays off a laminated card. I want him to learn how to do it well. If he's not up to it now, he can learn from Flus. Waldron doesn't have that luxury, and I'm glad he is coming with experience.
Gotta admit I love that post ^^^^^ You explained that well.
Not much from me today, as I’m rushing to finish as much Senior Bowl prep as possible. More on that starting tomorrow.
But my biggest takeaway from yesterday’s games? The NFL is still a Quarterback league, and it’s becoming nearly impossible for anyone to shine brighter than the league’s best Quarterback when playing under the brightest lights.
Kudos to Purdy — I thought he played a very nice game yesterday, especially after a tough first half — but the young man has his work cut out for him in Las Vegas. Can the NFL’s modern ‘SuperTeam’ fell the game’s biggest giant? We’ll find out in two weeks.
But in watching the Chiefs, one other observation jumps out at me — the Chiefs’ Cornerbacks, namely L’Jarius Sneed, Trent McDuffie, and Jaylen Watson — have played great football over the last few weeks, providing Kansas City’s defense with a punch that many units in the NFL can’t even attempt. After all, what could frustrate an offense more than what we saw in Baltimore today? Todd Monken called pass play after pass play, but Odell Beckham Jr, Rashod Bateman, and Zay Flowers couldn’t separate against Kansas City’s corners, leading to tight throws that got batted away, sacks, and turnovers.
Baltimore’s frustration felt oddly familiar to me — it looked like Detroit’s frustration in their games against the Bears. And after all, how did the Bears fluster a Lions offense that seemingly no one else in the league could stop? The answer, I think, lies in Chicago’s corners. By investing in quality pass defenders, the Bears were able to turn their opponents’ rhythm throws into middle-percentage gambles that couldn’t be counted on when marching down the field.
When combined with Eberflus’ bend-don’t-break attitude, the stout run defense of Andrew Billings, and the pass-rush presence that Montez Sweat provided, I think Chicago’s corners became a force-multiplier that hasn’t been discussed enough — Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, and Kyler Gordon all gave WRs minimal room to breathe, minimizing layups and forcing offenses to play perfectly over long drives if they wanted to score. This clearly affected a pair of playoff offenses, namely Detroit and Cleveland, and throughout the Chiefs’ big win yesterday I found myself wondering if Matt Eberflus and Ryan Poles might be onto something here.
I hope they are — frankly, I hope they continue investing in DB this year with a new Safety and maybe more depth at Corner. But, for now, it’s nothing if not a different perspective on the drivers of a modern defense.
Pass rush will always be king, but as Corner turns into a land of “Haves” and “Have-Nots” it seems as if Ryan Poles has found a way to get ahead of the NFL’s curve — with another likely add coming to Chicago’s Defensive Line in the 2024 offseason, I hope his approach bears further fruit next year. Regardless of who’s playing QB, a stingy corps of DBs will go a long way towards frustrating future opponents and finding wins where others can’t.
Not much from me today, as I’m rushing to finish as much Senior Bowl prep as possible. More on that starting tomorrow.
But my biggest takeaway from yesterday’s games? The NFL is still a Quarterback league, and it’s becoming nearly impossible for anyone to shine brighter than the league’s best Quarterback when playing under the brightest lights.
Kudos to Purdy — I thought he played a very nice game yesterday, especially after a tough first half — but the young man has his work cut out for him in Las Vegas. Can the NFL’s modern ‘SuperTeam’ fell the game’s biggest giant? We’ll find out in two weeks.
But in watching the Chiefs, one other observation jumps out at me — the Chiefs’ Cornerbacks, namely L’Jarius Sneed, Trent McDuffie, and Jaylen Watson — have played great football over the last few weeks, providing Kansas City’s defense with a punch that many units in the NFL can’t even attempt. After all, what could frustrate an offense more than what we saw in Baltimore today? Todd Monken called pass play after pass play, but Odell Beckham Jr, Rashod Bateman, and Zay Flowers couldn’t separate against Kansas City’s corners, leading to tight throws that got batted away, sacks, and turnovers.
Baltimore’s frustration felt oddly familiar to me — it looked like Detroit’s frustration in their games against the Bears. And after all, how did the Bears fluster a Lions offense that seemingly no one else in the league could stop? The answer, I think, lies in Chicago’s corners. By investing in quality pass defenders, the Bears were able to turn their opponents’ rhythm throws into middle-percentage gambles that couldn’t be counted on when marching down the field.
When combined with Eberflus’ bend-don’t-break attitude, the stout run defense of Andrew Billings, and the pass-rush presence that Montez Sweat provided, I think Chicago’s corners became a force-multiplier that hasn’t been discussed enough — Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, and Kyler Gordon all gave WRs minimal room to breathe, minimizing layups and forcing offenses to play perfectly over long drives if they wanted to score. This clearly affected a pair of playoff offenses, namely Detroit and Cleveland, and throughout the Chiefs’ big win yesterday I found myself wondering if Matt Eberflus and Ryan Poles might be onto something here.
I hope they are — frankly, I hope they continue investing in DB this year with a new Safety and maybe more depth at Corner. But, for now, it’s nothing if not a different perspective on the drivers of a modern defense.
Pass rush will always be king, but as Corner turns into a land of “Haves” and “Have-Nots” it seems as if Ryan Poles has found a way to get ahead of the NFL’s curve — with another likely add coming to Chicago’s Defensive Line in the 2024 offseason, I hope his approach bears further fruit next year. Regardless of who’s playing QB, a stingy corps of DBs will go a long way towards frustrating future opponents and finding wins where others can’t.
Now the Bears just have to figure out a way to frustrate the Packers' offense.
Not much from me today, as I’m rushing to finish as much Senior Bowl prep as possible. More on that starting tomorrow.
But my biggest takeaway from yesterday’s games? The NFL is still a Quarterback league, and it’s becoming nearly impossible for anyone to shine brighter than the league’s best Quarterback when playing under the brightest lights.
Kudos to Purdy — I thought he played a very nice game yesterday, especially after a tough first half — but the young man has his work cut out for him in Las Vegas. Can the NFL’s modern ‘SuperTeam’ fell the game’s biggest giant? We’ll find out in two weeks.
But in watching the Chiefs, one other observation jumps out at me — the Chiefs’ Cornerbacks, namely L’Jarius Sneed, Trent McDuffie, and Jaylen Watson — have played great football over the last few weeks, providing Kansas City’s defense with a punch that many units in the NFL can’t even attempt. After all, what could frustrate an offense more than what we saw in Baltimore today? Todd Monken called pass play after pass play, but Odell Beckham Jr, Rashod Bateman, and Zay Flowers couldn’t separate against Kansas City’s corners, leading to tight throws that got batted away, sacks, and turnovers.
Baltimore’s frustration felt oddly familiar to me — it looked like Detroit’s frustration in their games against the Bears. And after all, how did the Bears fluster a Lions offense that seemingly no one else in the league could stop? The answer, I think, lies in Chicago’s corners. By investing in quality pass defenders, the Bears were able to turn their opponents’ rhythm throws into middle-percentage gambles that couldn’t be counted on when marching down the field.
When combined with Eberflus’ bend-don’t-break attitude, the stout run defense of Andrew Billings, and the pass-rush presence that Montez Sweat provided, I think Chicago’s corners became a force-multiplier that hasn’t been discussed enough — Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, and Kyler Gordon all gave WRs minimal room to breathe, minimizing layups and forcing offenses to play perfectly over long drives if they wanted to score. This clearly affected a pair of playoff offenses, namely Detroit and Cleveland, and throughout the Chiefs’ big win yesterday I found myself wondering if Matt Eberflus and Ryan Poles might be onto something here.
I hope they are — frankly, I hope they continue investing in DB this year with a new Safety and maybe more depth at Corner. But, for now, it’s nothing if not a different perspective on the drivers of a modern defense.
Pass rush will always be king, but as Corner turns into a land of “Haves” and “Have-Nots” it seems as if Ryan Poles has found a way to get ahead of the NFL’s curve — with another likely add coming to Chicago’s Defensive Line in the 2024 offseason, I hope his approach bears further fruit next year. Regardless of who’s playing QB, a stingy corps of DBs will go a long way towards frustrating future opponents and finding wins where others can’t.
Fascinating and it makes a lot of sense. Once we brought in Sweat, every aspect of the defense seemed to improve especially in their defensive backfield. While I feel the focus this offseason needs to be on the offense, the Bears would do themselves well to add a couple more players to the defense. Signing JJ is a must.
Now the Bears just have to figure out a way to frustrate the Packers' offense.
MSU WARNING: I might be talking out of my ---
-----
I think LaFleur's OFF isn't timing based or rhythm based. GB schemes WRs/TEs open so Love has wide open targets to throw to, as opposed to what Schmitz is talking about where the QB is taught to throw to a spot because the WR will be there when the ball arrives. It might be easier to play man coverage or zone against a rhythm based OFF than one where the routes are not what you are expecting. The video I posted before about the routes LaFleur used to bear Dallas says that the GB WRs run routes at deeper depths than expected which might throw of defenses. IMO thats the difference.
Not much from me today, as I’m rushing to finish as much Senior Bowl prep as possible. More on that starting tomorrow.
But my biggest takeaway from yesterday’s games? The NFL is still a Quarterback league, and it’s becoming nearly impossible for anyone to shine brighter than the league’s best Quarterback when playing under the brightest lights.
Kudos to Purdy — I thought he played a very nice game yesterday, especially after a tough first half — but the young man has his work cut out for him in Las Vegas. Can the NFL’s modern ‘SuperTeam’ fell the game’s biggest giant? We’ll find out in two weeks.
But in watching the Chiefs, one other observation jumps out at me — the Chiefs’ Cornerbacks, namely L’Jarius Sneed, Trent McDuffie, and Jaylen Watson — have played great football over the last few weeks, providing Kansas City’s defense with a punch that many units in the NFL can’t even attempt. After all, what could frustrate an offense more than what we saw in Baltimore today? Todd Monken called pass play after pass play, but Odell Beckham Jr, Rashod Bateman, and Zay Flowers couldn’t separate against Kansas City’s corners, leading to tight throws that got batted away, sacks, and turnovers.
Baltimore’s frustration felt oddly familiar to me — it looked like Detroit’s frustration in their games against the Bears. And after all, how did the Bears fluster a Lions offense that seemingly no one else in the league could stop? The answer, I think, lies in Chicago’s corners. By investing in quality pass defenders, the Bears were able to turn their opponents’ rhythm throws into middle-percentage gambles that couldn’t be counted on when marching down the field.
When combined with Eberflus’ bend-don’t-break attitude, the stout run defense of Andrew Billings, and the pass-rush presence that Montez Sweat provided, I think Chicago’s corners became a force-multiplier that hasn’t been discussed enough — Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, and Kyler Gordon all gave WRs minimal room to breathe, minimizing layups and forcing offenses to play perfectly over long drives if they wanted to score. This clearly affected a pair of playoff offenses, namely Detroit and Cleveland, and throughout the Chiefs’ big win yesterday I found myself wondering if Matt Eberflus and Ryan Poles might be onto something here.
I hope they are — frankly, I hope they continue investing in DB this year with a new Safety and maybe more depth at Corner. But, for now, it’s nothing if not a different perspective on the drivers of a modern defense.
Pass rush will always be king, but as Corner turns into a land of “Haves” and “Have-Nots” it seems as if Ryan Poles has found a way to get ahead of the NFL’s curve — with another likely add coming to Chicago’s Defensive Line in the 2024 offseason, I hope his approach bears further fruit next year. Regardless of who’s playing QB, a stingy corps of DBs will go a long way towards frustrating future opponents and finding wins where others can’t.
Fascinating and it makes a lot of sense. Once we brought in Sweat, every aspect of the defense seemed to improve especially in their defensive backfield. While I feel the focus this offseason needs to be on the offense, the Bears would do themselves well to add a couple more players to the defense. Signing JJ is a must.