If Mangini goes, do you think it's imperative that Tannenbaum hire a 3-4 coach? A part of me thinks it is, because I really don't want to have to go through another series of dramatic personnel moves to adjust to a new defensive formation. With Harris and Pace, I think we've got to stay in a 3-4. Plus, we dealt Vilma. Thoughts?
Pace can be a 4-3 DE no? Jenkins has always played in a 4-3. Harris can easily be as good as vilma in a 4-3....everyone on the defensive roster has played a 4-3. Way easier to go to 4-3 than to go to 3-4. I vote no, we do not need to hire a "3-4" coach.
I hated the 3-4. Maybe it's only because Mangini & Co. were coaching it, but you have to bring in the best coach available regardless of his defensive beliefs. Cowher would be ideal because he uses a 3-4, and that would eliminate that part of the rebuilding process. But I don't think he wants anything to do with this franchise. Maybe I'm wrong, we'll see. But this team still has a lot of holes in it. The secondary is a mess. (Ty Law walks on this team and becomes a starting CB?), STILL no pass rush, no deep receiving threat and special teams play killed us this year. (Jay Feeley was decent though, suprisingly.) We're gonna have to go backwards to move foward no matter what happens with the coaching staff. We will be taking our lumps in the AFC East again next year. Home: Jacksonville, Tennesee, Atlanta, Carolina, Cleveland, Miami, New England, Buffalo Away: Houston, Indianapolis, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, Oakland (again), Miami, New England, Buffalo
no, we have to stay 3-4. if you think we look slow now, wait till you try running the 4-3. we have no edge rusher, pace and thomas are terrible in those positions as history has shown. can't count on gholston so don't give him the benefit of the doubt. need another starting caliber dt and harris is a bit slow for the mike. we just got rid of our speed on d over the last three years, we need to stick to the current plan but with better direction. cowler all the way.
Bring in a coach who is flexible enough to recognize the talent he has and play to that talent's strengths. If that means stay with a 3-4 then do so. If it means go to a 4-3 then do that. Don't be so locked in to any one philosophy that he can't adapt to any situation.
NEWS FLASH: 3-4 works if you've got the right 3-4 personnel! This is probably the simplest of concepts, but one which Mangini had trouble buying into. There are a small percentage of guys suitable for the 3-4. You're talking about manning your front line with 3 freakin' guys, so they better be Kris Jenkins' or the equivalent at NT, and you'd better be able to surround that one NT with two other very, very talented people (big, athletic people too). This is for starters. That is your basic formation. After that, you need to build your LBs, etc. When Mangini arrived, he wanted the 3-4. So, lacking the personnel, he took the undersized DeWayne Robertson and made him play NT. Mistake Number One. Then he surrounded Robertson with still undersized linemen. It's no wonder Jonathan Vilma couldn't tackle, he spent most of his time fighting off blocks from offensive linemen who had plowed their way halfway into the secondary. Bottom line is, Mangini tried to fit a round peg in a square hole when he got here and it failed early on. Now, after the boss spent over 100 Million buying the rest of the pieces for his new 3-4, his 3-4 still isn't getting it done and I frankly don't know why. I don't know whether it's our 3-4 that's not functioning well or the 3-4 plan in general that sucks, so that's extremely frustrating.
I think we are 1-2 LBers away from having either a good 3-4 or a good 4-3. BT and Gholston are not going to be the pass rushing OLBs we need for the 3-4 and Barton isn't going to be the ILB who can cover the TE. So thats 2 new LBs we need. For the 4-3, we need at least one new LB, and thats assuming Pace can play LB in that defense. For the DLine its easier. Both Ellis and Gholston would be better as 4-3 DEs and Jenkins was pro bowler as a 4-3 DT.
stay with the 3-4... find OLBs who don't have to "learn" or "convert." Find me a true 3-4 OLB out of fucking college. They exist. DEs do need to get better. Ellis has done a good job, he made pro bowl alternate for a reason. Colemen is a JAG. The front 3 has to be dominant to do well. The LBers still need to get better. There is no talented pure rusher on this team. They drafted a project with a high ceiling. He wasn't going to be ready any time soon. Pace is your all around OLB, not your killer OLB. Then find me a fucking DC that isn't an old woman to run it and disguise a blitz every once in a while.
Pace was considered a bust until he moved to linebacker. He probably would line up at strong side linebacker in a 4-3.
