Yeah I'm still trying to learn the alignments. What you said about the 2 DL 2 OLB alignment was true up until after the Seattle game. Then we see a ton of the above? Isn't that a 3-3-5?
Had a lot of free time between graduation and starting a job last couple months so I looked at every playoff play. Curious to know what that D is
I'm going to try to do frame this out, but it is difficult because the role often becomes defined by the player rather than the player taking on a role.
First the easy part, the DTs. They will all play anywhere from inside head up on T to head up on a C, but normally aren't very far outside the G. Branch, Brown, Valentine, Hamilton
One guy we have now, I believe fills a role we haven't filled in a long time, Lawrence Guy.
He is a smallish DT/Very Large DE. I think that he will be playing LDE on running downs. That could be anywhere from a couple to 30 snaps in any given game. I think he will also be used inside to rush the passer on passing downs. I'm guessing over the course of the season between those 2 roles you will see about 500 snaps from him.
DE/inside pass rusher.
This is a newer role in the BB scheme. Starting with Chandler Jones, BB has begun taking his DE and moving them inside on the G to rush the passer. Grissom did this a lot his rookie year after Easley went out. Sheard did at times. Flowers does it a lot now. Candidates for this role are Flowers, Ealy, Wise, Grissom.
Straight DE. This was Nink until last year, when he played a lot more in coverage.
Candidates are Ealy, Wise, Rivers, Grissom.
NOTE Players can fit more than 1 role.
DE/LB- This is what Nink was last year. He dropped into coverage more last year than he has since we went to a 43 even with a lot less PT. This role could go away. Most likley its a schematice role that any LB or DE fits into on a given play. If they reprise this role, Van Noy and McClellin would be candidates.
43 LBs. If we ever really play base much, Harris would be in the middle. Hightower is hard to peg because a big part of the scheme is to use his versatility, but I'd say his defualt is weak side. Van Noy or McLellin would be on the strong side. Roberts in would likely kick Harris to weak side and HT to strong side or vice versa.
Then we get into nickel/dime LBs. I think the best way to address this is to say no one ever knows what they will do. You can find HT covering a TE up the seam or rushing from the edge. Same with VN, McClellin, etc, only HT is ore impactful and stands out.
Essentially you can pick 6 players from these roles and throw them out there and have an effective, and varied scheme, and it is very hard to lable the positons, scheme or what to call it.
