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http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/patriots/
May 18th, 2007
Groh on linebacking
Posted by Albert Breer at 3:22 pm
...we spoke with Groh a couple weeks back about the nature of the 3-4 gap-control defense that the Bill Parcells Family favors, and some of the challenges in building it.
[ILB] “(That position) has the same challenges a lot of positions in our defense has, and in a lot of the things we do,” said Groh. “This scheme is based on defeating blocks. You gotta beat the blocker across from you, whether he’s coming at you straight on or from an angle, as opposed to a lot of other schemes where you run away from blockers or into creases. It’s about defeating, rather than avoiding, blocks. That’s what the inside linebackers do, they take on offensive linemen, generally guards, and still have to be able to run to the edge and have the skills to cover.”
Groh said that it takes a certain kind of “rugged” player to do it — “This defense is built for rugged guys”...
“But there are some very good NFL linebackers that just wouldn’t have the same production in our system on the inside. The system is just different.
Then, it’s not the scheme, or some exotic play-caller that takes control. Rather, Groh says, where this defense has been successful is in sound play.
“I think if you saw a Bill Parcells defense, or a Bill Belichick defense, or an Al Groh defense,” he said, “there’s gonna be an emphasis on fundamentals, knowing what your job is, listening for the correct call, executing your technique and performing instinctually.”