Fencer
Pro Bowl Player
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- Oct 2, 2006
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The split of defensive packages seems likely to be something like:
Those numbers could certainly be off some, but directionally they make some sense. This raises the question -- who will get snaps in what kind of package? Two points are immediately clear:
- 60% nickel/dime
- 30% base
- 10% short yardage
Those numbers could certainly be off some, but directionally they make some sense. This raises the question -- who will get snaps in what kind of package? Two points are immediately clear:
- If he's a guy who's on the field for almost all snaps, then he's in sub and base alike.
- If he gets >50% of the snaps, then a lot of them will be in sub.
- Mayo -- pretty much everything. Could get a rest in short yardage.
- Spikes -- short yardage and base. Might be good enough to play rotationally in sub. If base is 4-3, I'm guessing we see Mayo bounce outside again.
- Wilfork -- last year's snap count seems a bit high, but even so I figure him for base, short yardage, and a significant fraction of the sub snaps.
- Jones -- starting out, he's competing for sub snaps. It's easy to imagine him taking pretty much all of them.
- Hightower -- the easiest approach is to stand him up next to Mayo in nickel packages, and leave him out of base his rookie year. He could easily play in short yardage as well.
- Ninkovich -- in a 3-4 base, he surely plays, unless you think it's Hightower-Spikes-Mayo-Cunningham. In a 4-3 base, I'm guessing he plays over Hightower anyway. Then he can rotate for some of the pass rushing snaps in sub, while lowering his overall snap count from last year.
- Love -- in a 4-3 base, he plays, unless somebody overtakes him. In a 3-4 base, he only has a reserve role, unless he's so good at nose that Wilfork gets his rest in base and plays all the sub snaps. In short yardage, I presume he plays.
- Fanene -- I presume he takes one of the DE roles in base no matter what the scheme. Perhaps he also rotates as interior rusher in sub packages.
- Carter (either) -- if anything, pass rush snaps in sub packages.
- Bequette -- see Carter.
- Fletcher -- I think he's a backup, not even a lock to be game-day active.
- Deaderick/Brace/Warren -- there's one base DE spot for them to compete for, plus short-yardage roles. In a 4-3, lighter guys can compete for that spot as well.
- Scott, Carpenter -- I haven't a clue.