Old Belichick memo on the philosophy of building a defense

[Triumph]

Was this posted before? I so please delete.

NFL Network Draft Pundit Releases an Old Belichick Memo on Building a Defense and It's Fascinating

George Gojkovich. Getty Images.At the end of March, NFL Network draft guy and podcast host Daniel Jeremiah released a memo from Bill Belichick in 1991, when he was with the Browns. Jeremiah first rea...

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[Betterthanmost]

Yes, it has been posted before and I have saved that picture, there are two pages, but it never gets old to see it again and I am sure some people may have missed it the first time around. When I read things like this, I have a reaction that is not what most will first think. I always feel sorry for the Browns. They had football demigod and let him go. I also think Parcells was lucky to have BB and not the other way around though BB learned man management from Parcells that he needed.

• The key is to defend the middle of the field first, generate pressure up the middle, and force the offense to go outside.
• You need a 3rd down LB or sixth DB to match up with the pass-catching backs.
• Interior D-line: The priorities are explosiveness, the ability to play in a confined space and power, quickness and leverage. Size is less important, as long as you have a big, strong guy you can sub in as needed against the stronger O-linemen.
• Defensive ends: The hardest guys to find. They need to be good all-around. You need a big, strong guy who can defend the run first, and can always send in quicker rush specialist when you need one.
• The most important thing across the front is not getting blown off the line. And inside pressure is more effective than someone who can come around the corner.
• Outside linebacker (what we're now calling "Edge"): Big, rangy and quick, though those traits are usually only found in the first round. If you have to settle, look for guys who can hold their ground and disrupt the passing lanes with long arms and quick hands. 6-foot-2 guys "are hard to like" no matter how good they coming off the edge.
• Inside linebacker: They need to be instinctive and explosive against the run and hold their ground against lead blocks. In coverage, they just need to be effective in zone and be good blitzers. Football smarts and instincts are more important than overall intelligence. Quickness, aggressiveness, leverage and explosive power.
• Defensive backs: Teamwork and unselfishness are key, like an offensive line. Safeties need to be 200 pounds and good tacklers, have 4.5-4.6 speed with range. "A 4.7 tough guy can't play for us." The more man-to-man ability the better. The traditional run-stuffing strong safety "is not what we need." A big corner who can play inside would be ideal. Ball skills and judgement are more important than elite speed and athleticism. At corner, tacklers and force players, plus a No. 1 cover guy. They need to be 5-10 and up. "You cannot put guys on the field who cannot tackle," and smaller corners are a liability.
• The biggest problems are: Poor tackling, selfishness, size, competitiveness and symmetry.
• And he makes a specific note to watch people on the PATs to see if they give effort to make a play after a score.

 

[TomPatriot]

I found these points from the offensive memo interesting.

WR - “Cannot do his own thing.”

“Speed only enters the equation in relation to player’s ability to escape the LOS.”