X's & O's Vrabel Defense vs. BB 2-Gap

[Vindicate]

Well, this might be the game you get your wish. London is the perfect match up. He's a guy who gets a lot of targets and their #1 and is a tall guy. The problem is their TE is their #2, who do match up on him, or do you put Gonzo on an island and play some kind of match up zone with the rest of the secondary

I'd love to see that hybrid on the #2, but it does seem like they have a difficult time with that. Pitts is 6'6, London is 6'4.

Gonzo is 6'1. Davis is 6'1 and Jones at 5'8. That's a lot of height to cover on Pitts. It'll be interesting to see how they tackle it.

 

[mayoclinic]

Gonzo on London, Jones on Davis' shoulders for Pitts.

 

[Triumph]

I never thought we’d see a run defense that was better statistically than the 2003 team.

Vrabel is still adhering to a BB defensive tenet.

Priority # 1 is stop the run and control the LOS.

 

[Triumph]

The Pats with Vrabel run a 3 - 4 Under.




BB ran a 3 - 4 Okie, but surely mixed it up with his experience.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2007958-nfl-101-the-basics-of-the-3-4-defensive-front

 

[Triumph]

Tonga getting respeck from the hood, Yo.

2025 NFL defensive line rankings ahead of Week 9: New England Patriots surge

The Browns remain atop the defensive line rankings after Week 8 of the 2025 NFL season.

www.pff.com

 

[mayoclinic]

Vrabel wants defenders with cat-like quickness.

 

[SammyBlueCat]

Vrabel wants defenders with cat-like quickness.

Yes he does

 

[mayoclinic]

I hope you all realize that this run defense scheme, like EVERY scheme is studied and offensive responses are devised to respond to it. Of the top of my head, play action passes, counter traps, speed sweeps with crack blocking come to mind. But understand this, if Lazar can break it down, so are our future opponents and will be working on responses for weeks before our game. So, I hope WE are doing the same and are trying to anticipate those offensive responses with our own counter measures.

That's the beauty of the game of football; there is never just ONE way to do it. When offenses make a leap forward, defenses eventually respond and vice versa. In 85 the Ryan's 46 D shut down offenses like never before. 2 years later, the Bears were out of the playoffs for a decade. Whatever you do in football, you ALWAYS have to have a counter when your opponent's respond.

Going forward and on Sunday, it will be interesting to see if Atlanta responds, or are they simply going to do something like using trying to get Robinson some room by using him as a passing threat on screen, wheels, and check downs, and try to give him some room that way.

You are 100% correct, Ken. No scheme is invincible.

That said, it takes both personnel and execution. The majority of the time, teams will struggle due

Being able to put a lot of pressure on teams will likely result in more disruption and mistakes. Good coaching and execution helps.

Teams will adjust some, but I doubt it will be complete.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Yes he does

Or fat-like thickness.

 

[mayoclinic]

Or both.

 

[Ring 6]

I hope you all realize that this run defense scheme, like EVERY scheme is studied and offensive responses are devised to respond to it. Of the top of my head, play action passes, counter traps, speed sweeps with crack blocking come to mind. But understand this, if Lazar can break it down, so are our future opponents and will be working on responses for weeks before our game. So, I hope WE are doing the same and are trying to anticipate those offensive responses with our own counter measures.

That's the beauty of the game of football; there is never just ONE way to do it. When offenses make a leap forward, defenses eventually respond and vice versa. In 85 the Ryan's 46 D shut down offenses like never before. 2 years later, the Bears were out of the playoffs for a decade. Whatever you do in football, you ALWAYS have to have a counter when your opponent's respond.

Going forward and on Sunday, it will be interesting to see if Atlanta responds, or are they simply going to do something like using trying to get Robinson some room by using him as a passing threat on screen, wheels, and check downs, and try to give him some room that way.

As you say everything you do in defense has positives and negatives, things it is better suited to stop and things it is weaker against. It all comes down to execution.
The 46 defense was not a genius scheme, it was a genius scheme against what offenses were doing at the time, and with the personnel they had executing it

At its heart, a 2 gap run defense is conservative, literally holding your ground and having 2 players assigned to each gap while also being assigned to another gap. It doesn’t create many negative runs but is designed to limit long runs. It is susceptible to lack of discipline esp vs cutback runners and double teams.
A one gap run D relies on penetration creating negative plays. Every player is assigned to beating his blocker through a single gap. By design it also frees up LBs to chase. It is susceptible to being gash for longer runs when the offense is effective in clearing out the player in the gap, especially with lead blockers and traps. Gronks famous wham block was a one gap killer.
Neither is better or worse by nature, both can be dominating with the right personnel and execution and both can be shredded if personnel or execution is bad.

 

[Vindicate]

As you say everything you do in defense has positives and negatives, things it is better suited to stop and things it is weaker against. It all comes down to execution.
The 46 defense was not a genius scheme, it was a genius scheme against what offenses were doing at the time, and with the personnel they had executing it

At its heart, a 2 gap run defense is conservative, literally holding your ground and having 2 players assigned to each gap while also being assigned to another gap. It doesn’t create many negative runs but is designed to limit long runs. It is susceptible to lack of discipline esp vs cutback runners and double teams.
A one gap run D relies on penetration creating negative plays. Every player is assigned to beating his blocker through a single gap. By design it also frees up LBs to chase. It is susceptible to being gash for longer runs when the offense is effective in clearing out the player in the gap, especially with lead blockers and traps. Gronks famous wham block was a one gap killer.
Neither is better or worse by nature, both can be dominating with the right personnel and execution and both can be shredded if personnel or execution is bad.

Is this style of defense maybe the reason why TE's have a heyday and the middle can be susceptible? Or is that more a lack of talent?

 

[Ring 6]

Is this style of defense maybe the reason why TE's have a heyday and the middle can be susceptible? Or is that more a lack of talent?

TEs receiving against us is middle of the pack not awful.
I think the nature of playing chasing sideline to sideline LB instead of 2 gap discipline does tend to make LBs more susceptible to play action.
One of the tenants of 2 gap LB play is to stay home to defend counter while one gap LBs are more apt to fly out of there.

 

[TommyD4207]

Is this style of defense maybe the reason why TE's have a heyday and the middle can be susceptible? Or is that more a lack of talent?

It's both.
But the Tight End Coverage thing isn't exclusive to the Patriots. There are like, 2 teams that can lock down tight ends, in theory. We played one of them last week.

Edit: The Browns TEs lit the Patriots up for 10 catches, 97 yards and 2 TDs last week. The rest of the team had 13 catches for 57 yards.