Jim Schwartz defense: addressing some misconceptions

[junglesouljah]

http://www.buffalorumblings.com/buffalo-bills-analysis-all-22/2014/2/13/5407624/jim-schwartz-defense-wide-9-43-under-adrian-peterson

 

Some Bills fans continue to worry that the 4-3 defense run by Jim Schwartz will not be creative enough to succeed in Buffalo. It's time to address these misconceptions.

 

 

It's time to fix some misconceptions about defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz and the 4-3 defense he brings with him to the Buffalo Bills.

 

Spoiled by a season of Mike Pettine's multiple-front defense, Bills fans have openly worried for weeks now that the team will return to the statically aligned 4-3 front utterly lacking in creativity and flexibility that Dave Wannstedt ran here in 2012. This is simply not the case. Buffalo's defense is changing, perhaps for the worse, but that doesn't mean it isn't retaining some of the flexibility and (all of the) aggressiveness that fans covet. The Schwartz defense remains highly aggressive and flexible in its tactics, as evidenced in a Detroit Lions Week 1 win over the Minnesota Vikings last September.

 

On Minnesota's first offensive play from scrimmage, star tailback Adrian Peterson broke off a 78-yard touchdown run. That's something he's known to do from time to time. He'd score two more times in that contest - one on a four-yard run, and another on a short shovel pass - but Detroit largely bottled him up, allowing Peterson 15 rushing yards on 17 carries the rest of the way. They bottled him up by being flexible with alignments to adjust to Minnesota's varied blocking schemes. You may even recognize a front that the Lions used liberally to help contain Peterson.

 

The Wide 9, the base defense most commonly attributed to Schwartz, is criticized as a run front because of the inherently wider gaps created by the alignment, but it also creates advantages: namely, it's a good defense for containing the outside run. Here, Minnesota tries to pull their right guard outside of the end to take on the strong-side linebacker, but 276-pound end Jason Jones drives tight end Kyle Rudolph so far backwards that he ends up taking out the guard, as well. Ashlee Palmer is freed up to sneak into the backfield and stop Peterson for a loss.

 

On several occasions, Minnesota attempted to run outside on Detroit by placing two blockers to the strong side of the formation. (In this case, receiver Greg Jennings came in motion to his position seen above to provide a seal on the edge.) Detroit responded by shifting to an under front and dropping safety Louis Delmas into the box, creating a close approximation of a traditional 46 alignment.

 

This is another way that Detroit handled the double-blocker formation created by Minnesota's motion. They're lined up in the Wide 9 here, but right end Willie Young (in red on the left side of the screen) will adjust inside to counteract the motion.

 

Young is now playing a more traditional 4-3 end technique from a standing position - the rest of the line stays put - and Young sneaks into the gap between Rudolph and left tackle Matt Kalil as the ball is snapped. This run went to the weak side, and was contained by the wide end, Jones, for a short gain.

 

Minnesota would later start lining up two tight ends on the strong side of the formation, and Detroit's response was the same: under front, slide the linebackers with the strength of the alignment, and drop the safety. This alignment is very similar to the 4-3 Under base defense that the Bills ran under Mike Pettine, with the safety - it'd be Aaron Williams in Buffalo - a major factor in the team's ability to be aggressive up front.

 

One more time: with two tight ends to the strong side, Detroit moves to an under front, slides the linebackers to the strong side, and drops a safety.

 

There seems to be a misconception that Schwartz, despite his best efforts to address them at his introductory press conference, will be running a static defense (schematically) without the same flexibility that Pettine's defense provided. We're not likely to see a defense as multiple under Schwartz, but that doesn't mean his defense isn't flexible, can't match up with various forms of offense, and isn't overtly aggressive. Detroit's defense was all of those things with Schwartz at the helm.

[bcw]

Nice write up on how the Bills plan on stopping the run, which definitely needs to be improved upon, but when Im thinking of an aggressive defense I'm thinking about rushing the passer, which wasn't even mentioned.

 

Is he going to blitz? That is what I'm looking for.

[L2duis]

Ah...Like the whole Bills' organization, I'm not really expecting much from him.

[Buffalo13]

Nice write up on how the Bills plan on stopping the run, which definitely needs to be improved upon, but when Im thinking of an aggressive defense I'm thinking about rushing the passer, which wasn't even mentioned.

 

Is he going to blitz? That is what I'm looking for.

 

I wonder this as well. I really don't care either way so long as we keep points off the board. I'd trade some aggressiveness for getting better against the run. Does anyone know on what percentage of snaps we sent more than 4 last year?

 

Nice write up on how the Bills plan on stopping the run, which definitely needs to be improved upon, but when Im thinking of an aggressive defense I'm thinking about rushing the passer, which wasn't even mentioned.

 

Is he going to blitz? That is what I'm looking for.

 

I wonder this as well. I really don't care either way so long as we keep points off the board. I'd trade some aggressiveness for getting better against the run. Does anyone know on what percentage of snaps we sent more than 4 last year?

[emiller1181]

For some reason it seems like most Bills fans can't comprehend the fact that all 4-3 defenses aren't the same. The fact that they're moving lineman, LB's, and safeties pre-snap already means it's not at all similar to wanny's defense.

 

I don't think they'll blitz that often, but I hope they do it enough to keep offenses on their heels. They also need to fake pressure as much as they blitz and try to create pressure and mismatches similar to what Pettine did. Pettine himself said he didn't need to blitz as often in Buffalo since they had more talent up front. I think the illusion of blitzing/pressure is about as important as actually blitzing.

 

 

I liked Pettine's aggressive defense as much as everyone else, but they still finished 20th in points and allowed way too many big plays in the pass and run game. Hopefully Schwartz finds a way to improve the run game, minimize big plays allowed, and keep the INT's and sacks up.

ed, and keep the INT's and sacks up.

[emiller1181]

"Obviously, terminology is going to be a big factor. We’re meeting right now, going over last year’s terminology as opposed to what we’re going to be doing this year," Pagac explained. "Jimmy and I have some common ground there, so terminology probably is not going to be as bad for me as maybe the guys that were here. I know we’re trying to tie them together."

 

While the team investigates ways to blend Pettine's defensive communications with those of Schwartz, Pagac - who called Schwartz "a 4-3 guy" - didn't dodge around the notion that there will be schematic differences between the 2013 Bills defense and what we'll see from them next year.

 

"I think Coach Schwartz will do a great job of setting up the defense. I can see the communications, as we’re going through right now, being similar to what they were last year, so there should not be a whole lot of new teaching," Pagac said Tuesday. "Schemes are a little different than what they played a year ago, but really it’s not a bad situation to be in (for the players)."

 

 

http://www.buffalorumblings.com/buffalo-bills-notes/2014/2/12/5404420/buffalo-bills-jim-schwartz-defense-scheme-mike-pettine?utm_source=buffalorumblings&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=blogs

 

 

Obviously a new coach is going to come in and teach what he knows. That said, it sounds like they're trying to mesh the systems a little bit to make things easier for the players and maximize the potential.

 

I know a lot of people are down about Pettine leaving, but I'm excited to see what they can do. Marrone won't let Schwartz sit back and be a read and react type DC. Marrone wants an aggressive, multiple defense. It might not be as blitz happy as last year, but like I said in the last post, hopefully they blitz enough and show pressure enough to keep offenses guessing.