Great read on Vince Wilfork and the evolution of the Pats' hybrid defense

[yopats]

Check out this great article over at Grantland breaking down BB's new hybrid defense built around Vince Wilfork


:rocker::rocker::rocker:

 

[NEP4Life]

Outstanding sir! :rocker:

I will comment that Wilfork plays more than just the 0-technique nose, which the author seems to imply.

 

[Wax Frog]

Did I ever say how grateful I've become for this forum, especially over the last 2 seasons or so? No more hapless foraging for my own good reads!

 

[DaBruinz]

Nice find.. Great read.

 

[DropKickFlutie]

Interesting history about Jimmy Johnson, didn't realize he was such an innovator on defense with such a big impact on the game. Johnson's 4-3 1-gap was as important an innovation as some of the more heralded innovations on offense like those credited to Bill Walsh. Bill Belichick has not only innovated on offense with option routes in the NFL, but now he's going with these hybrid 1 and 2-gap styles all within the same play.

Great read.

 

[Wax Frog]

If I had to summarize the article in one sentence:

Give BB Smuckers and JIF and he can only make a PBJ, but it'll be the best damn PBJ you ever ate.

 

[Leave No Doubt]

We see lots of different defensive systems in the NFL right now because schemes in general are in flux.

This is precisely the atmosphere in which Bill Belichick thrives; he's comfortable amid shifting ideological currents.

Agree with that!

Great find, thanks.

 

[robbomango]

Great read, tnx yopats

Some nice informative articles this week helping beat of the trash bin reporting with a stick.

This play was other wordly, Snowplowed Birk 8yds!!!
http://gifsoup.com/

 

[NEP4Life]

More on the 4-3, going back to the 40's/50's.

Guide to N.F.L. Defenses, Part 2: Evolution of 4-3 Front - NYTimes.com

Paul Brown ran the first "spread" offense.

 

[blackglass3]

I have learned more about football from this site than I could have possibly have imagined. Thanks, everyone!

Excellent article!

 

[ALP]

excellent article, its so much more than Wilfork

its a lot of Xs and Os too w/ diagrams for those like me who love that stuff


apparently (and this is the first i hear of this) the patriots play half 3-4 and half 4-3 on the SAME PLAY

read the article for the details, highly recommended

 

[Water Boy]

Awesome read. I feel totally enlightened from my neanderthal understanding of the Patriots 4-3 vs 3-4. It all makes sense now.

 

[Patspsycho]

Great read. Chris Brown is the best in the business.

 

[RayClay]

Outstanding! that's pretty complicated stuff (for a dummy like me) and it was explained very well. Certainly makes you wonder what he might be looking for as a DL prospect in the draft. I thought i had a clue, I surely do not.

 

[jnug]

So BB' defenders have to learn all of the various combinations that he can run off of that scheme.

His offensive players have to learn terminology that is often radically different from what they are used to. Hence the amount of time it has taken Ocho to get figured out.

The typical offensive terminology uses combinations of play terminology for specific groupings of players and is the reason why some play calls even at the line can be kinda' long. There is some bit there for the backs for the receivers and for the line as an example. Other teams use terminology for other groupings of players. Even when an audible is called you wait to hear the change that is for your group and you are set.

However the Pats use one set of terms that covers all eleven of the offensive players on the field. So a small change in a term says something different sometimes for one guy, one set of guys or all eleven guys. So you can see how a new guy coming in would be used to concentrating on his "group" terminology suddenly is now thrust into a system where he must learn an entire playbook that covers everybody! So he is in practice at the beginning listening for something and hoping he has picked up what it means to him. I can just see Ocho going "Oh shoot" what in the hell was that! What do those few words mean to me. Where the hell was that supposed to send me. That is why he was so often in the wrong place. I know we really pick on him and other guys have seemed to pick this up more rapidly. But Ocho has been in the other kind of system his entire long career and has never seen anything like this before.

I think I take the Pats and Brady at their word that Ocho has worked at it very hard and it has just taken a very long time. But they all seem to respect him for his work ethic and for not shying from the criticism, probably because they realize the difference is the two kinds of systems.

 

[JMarr]

Great article and I'm assuming this guy watches a lot of film, but to my layman's eyes it seems like Wilfork has been lining up a lot as a DE in the 3-4 and merely as 1 of two DTs in the 4-3 alignment. Not sure why the author is implying that he's still essentially a traditional NT that the rest of the defensive scheme revolves around. Maybe I'm missing something. I do agree that he is the key component D-Line that the opposition has to account for, but I think it does simply have a lot to do with talent as opposed to any revolutionary scheme they are running.

 

[BronxPatsFan80]

The Pats Super Bowl Championship seasons 2001, 2003 and 2004 are streaming in HD all weekend on Veetle if interested . . . http://veetle.com/v/4f2b18bd52ae9

 

[patsfan13]

Great article, perhaps sheds light on why it has taken so long for this D to gel.....

VW has been moved around and with the emergence of K Love it give BB 2 guys who can can play 0 technique, so BB can use VW at DE to play either a 1 tech or the 2 tech, at Miami VW was a dominate 1 tech DT.

 

[robbomango]

http://gifsoup.com/

 

[patsfan13]

Thinking about the article a little more, I was struck by the history where J Johnson invented the modern 4-3, then of course in college FB were had U Meyer innovating with the spread option type offenses. Guess who BB likes to hang our with and talk FB with?

BB is currently creating a new O built around 2 TE O where the TE are more than small OT's, and he is building a new hybrid D to deal with the current rules and passing orientation of the NFL. In both cases flexibility is the key the ability to respond to any situation.... situational FB once again.

BB is very aware of FB history as well as wanting to win games. I think he would love to have as part of his resume to be the architect of the new generation of NFL O and D moving beyond the WC offense of B Walsh and the 4-3 of Johnson and the 3-4 of Bud Wilkerson (brought to the NFL by C Fairbanks).

This is the sort of thing that could keep him in coaching for a couple of extra years or even creating a role for himself (and E Adams) as mad scientist/GM for the franchise even after he want to end his coaching days. I can't see him leaving FB the guy is a lifer.

This also speaks to the issues this year putting these new concepts in place they are still being formulated and of course they are something the players have never seen. Along with the 2 TE, BB is Playing 2 NT's in his D to provide match up problems in his hybrid D.

Of course it helps to have a QB with a FB IQ that is off the charts when changing the O to a different system. A lot of players wouldn't be able to evolve the O for BB the way Beady has, he has gone from Dink and Dunk/West Coast to Vertical (Death from Above) with Moss to the 2 TE O....still think a deep threat is yet to be added to the mix.


With the young roster we have the next few years are going to be fun as BB's ideas are fully developed.