DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum The 4-3 defense and our current roster.

Maybe so. All the more reason they can't be peeking in the backfield. Also, if they are that slow, maybe we don't play as much press? I know that might be desired, but if that is where we are getting beat, then maybe give our corners a 2-4 step cushion. Receivers are generally going to get in to their route as soon as possible.

I am not saying giving 10 step where the receivers and QBs won't just curl route you to death which then opens the stop and go route later in the game.

Our DBs aren't getting beat by 20 yards because they are that slow. In a race over 40 yards, our DBs aren't going to finish 10 yards behind people. maybe a few steps.

I think we were losing them because we were looking run. I am not sure if that was a function of Rays D where he wanted them looking, or just bad habit.

I think Williams has made it clear that mission #1 is to stick close to your guy. At least I hope it is. IMO the only way to do that for most is to keep your eyes on your guy, not looking in to the backfield at some play action fake. By that time your receiver is 4 yards past you in a dead run while you are sitting flat footed. No amout of speed is going to get you back in to that play. You are just chasing and hoping the QB misses the pass or the receiver drops the ball..

You are right! Blush, my mistake. Thank goodness it didn't wreck my entire point! Thanks for pointing that out.

We needed safety help. I agree. I simply not understanding our seeking of strong safeties. Are we capitalizing on availability? I know safeties are a bit scarce.

I've always been partial to building a solid front seven on defense. Surrendering a LB for Safety seems, for a lack of a better word, odd. Safeties are important simply not a root or base. I've always felt having a super star safety is a luxury. Sashi is stock piling.

Ed, what I am driving at is Sashi is focusing most of his energy toward a specific DB, strong safety. This draft was noted having quality corners. Sashi drafted one and took one in UDFA. Powell looked as a possible free safety. Waving before training camp started in a position of need is puzzling.

The only thing I can think Browns could be leaning toward is Cover-3. That seems a bit of head scratch since it isolates the corners to outside. It does fit well not letting anything over your head. I thought speed was key playing cover-3.

My football knowledge is simply ok. The theory and innovated aspect is where I fall short. In the case I described, I simply found odd the attention to strong safety. In a game that has move toward quickness, it seems Sashi is leaning toward strength.

It's not if the guy didn't look good the last few weeks and you wanted to open a roster spot.

Like you said... Sashi is stockpiling. Maybe he's found a new area he projects to have leverage at when dealing with other teams?

I get what you're driving at...I just don't agree with your rationale or how you arrive at your thought.

I do not think Sashi is 'targeting' SS.

However; I think the way you interpret the events leads you to perceive it that way.

The draft isn't a pick and choose situation. The draft is not free agency. Teams try to avoid reaching for need i.e. FS and rather draft the best player available on their respective draft boards.

So when you sight the draft as an example of Sashi 'targeting' SS I don't agree.

I don't think the release of Powell is an example of targeting SS either. Powell was an UDFA player that has not played a single snap of NFL Free Safety. He was a longshot camp guy and not some that has any significant impact on team building plans.

You should look back in this thread. There's some good information posted and some good conversation on some of the exact areas you are wondering/speculating about. For example you don't have to speculate about whether or not Gregg has used Cover-3 in the past because in this very thread his usage numbers for Cover-3 are posted.

Also, I can't think of any other way to say it then your view of Cover-3 isn't in keeping with traditional views of Cover-3.

Using the picture from and piggybacking on the information from that outstanding article here's my thoughts...I think the D they will use most often is true Nickel with the following personnel:



LCB- I'm assuming here that Haden is 100% healthy IF not then I wouldn't have any issue pluggin in Boddy at LCB.

3T- I heard on CBD that Cooper has been taking all the reps w/ the 1st team defense at 3-tech.

NB- Jamar. He played a lot from the slot last year and graded out well there.

SS- I have Peppers at SS because I think its a spot where he can come in and immediately upgrade from last season AND it's a realitively easy spot to learn AND it allows him a taste of deep coverage without being given all the responsibility of the FS.

FS- Ed Reynolds. It seem like everybody loves to hate him. But he's the only on the roster with any experience.

'BIG' Nickel: Replaces NB w/ a Safety

Moves Peppers to NB and puts Pryor on the field at SS.
I don't like this package much for the Browns personnel. Jamar Taylor would be replaced by Peppers....what is lost in coverage is made up for in Tackling/run stopping BUT it would replace Peppers with Pryor and that is a huge drop in speed, range and coverage ability.

'BIG' Dime: Gregg did a lot of 'BIG' Dime w/ Rams with Barron at WILL. But I don't think fits the Browns well because it would remove Kirko or Collins from the field and replace them w/ Pryor.

Thanks Ed! Let me ponder this a little.

Here's an interesting concept ed. As it stands now it's seems unlikely well deviate from 4 down lineman or 2 lbers. The group is just too strong to go with less of them and more dbs as our roster sits.

The combo we've all been speculating is the dbs, in both alignment and usage. I think we agree as enticing as a big Nickle is for peppers alignment it wouldn't be most ideal because safety is arguably our weakest. Bringing in pryor/kindred for Taylor or Calhoun doesn't really inspire wows.

So that brings me here. Greg's usage is almost entirely single high(cover1&3) and cover 2. Picture I hybrid dime cb/Nickle lb/single high s look. It fits our personnel while also aligning peppers to make impact and allowing us to play with the offense with some exotic looks.

I don't think playing peppers up makes it impossible to drop into a cover 2(heck you could even drop a cb instead of ss into deep 1/2 and keep peppers shallow for run support) and certainly doesn't effect cover 1 or 3. This would allow us to play the lbers strength call differently with peppers as the NS or defacto will while still having a man alignment on the wrs so we don't have to give away our coverage.

Heck the nb could even shadow a slot in motion and just flop with peppers. Normally that would give away zone because it's too difficult to slide lbers zones at the last second but if all you do is flop 2 men it's much easier to hide. Thoughts? I wish I could edit that graphic but it would essentially look like a dime with peppers playing off ball opposite the wr strength, 2lbers and only 1 safety back. I like the name monster dime personally.

Nice article on Bryant .... sounds like he is working well so far. I haven't heard that Bryant is one of Hue's favorites before ? Anyone else ?

http://www.ohio.com/sports/browns/browns...18961415304345.

A back to top form Bryant and Shelton on the interior would be pretty damn solid. Ogbah, Shelton, Bryant and Garret has a lot of potential if it clicks for/with GW defense.

I think that combination should click with any 4 man front scheme. The potential is just... whew. Whew...

Thanks for the article. I like Bryant and I think he can help our DL.

lol I don't care what anyone says. Our D-line looks like it will be nasty this year.

Talent plus depth, to me equals someones nightmare lol well...imo at least.

IMO ... that is our best DL combination, with Nassib and the rookies DT sprinkled in.

Absolutely. Great post.

Below is Cover 1/3 look w/ the personnel as I see it, although it may not be exactly what you were talking about?

Agreed on the usage, someone posted the numbers thus:
The 3 main coverages were:

Cover 3 - 29.37%

Cover 1 - 25.20%

Cover 2 - 24.24%



Damn internet makes it harder then it should be to have these convos but i love this type of discussion...

I wasn't sure if you meant the above as the main or a sub package.......dime sub package vs 4 wide? Similar to Greggs big dime w/ Barron as the nickel WILL w/ Boddy as the dimeback and Pryor as the WILL?

If you label how you want the personnel distributed i can create gif to match....

Agree completely that Peppers offers a lot of versatility. Like you and Peter Smith (from the article) mention the reaction to motion is the key to the disguise coverages and Peppers is the key to that.
3 defenders are the key to versatile defense...FS,SS and NB.

A lot of versatility could be created if the nickelback, SS and FS can all hit, play deep zone and cover in man.
But right now the defense isn't there yet....
Ed can tackle and prevent the ball from going over his head in a hurry but he's didn't grade out well in coverage nor make any plays.

Peppers can certainly tackle BUT whether or not he can cover in man or zone is a question mark...his skillset suggests he should/could/might

Jamar can cover but deep zone is a question mark and he didn't grade out well in tackling......

I'm rambling now but my point is that the nickel defense does provide the ability to disguise coverages with Peppers but whether or not they can execute those coverages.....i guess we'll find out

I think we will find out on Sgt. Peppers early. I have a feeling Williams is going to flex him in to positions to make a lot of plays.

He's kind of a wildcard who will be asked to fill several different roles.

with all the Defensive talk, the 4-3 .. the nickle.. the dime.. 3-4.. I thought this atricle might get a chuckle ...

Detmer: Favre didn’t know what a nickel defense was

The Big Lead
Tully Corcoran
3 days ago

This week, it came to our attention that early in his career, Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre had to ask Ty Detmer was at nickel defense was. Initially I assumed Favre was joking, that he was recounting a time he pretended not to know a basic football thing as a way of playing a practical joke on a teammate, But I just couldn't tell, and I had to know. So who better to ask than Ty Detmer, now the offensive coordinator at BYU? Thursday afternoon Detmer called me back, so I told him the same thing I just told you.

"He didn't know," Detmer said. "He was sincere in asking."
Detmer said this happened his second year in the NFL, which was 1993. This matches what Favre said. I asked Detmer if he could tell right away Favre was serious. (In case you don't know, a nickel defense is one in which a linebacker has been replaced by a defensive back).
"I could tell," he said. "Because it was during a serious part of the meeting. This wasn't jacking around in the locker room, and throwing it out there. I did kinda question it, you know, 'Are you serious?' You could tell he was, I just figured I'd better double-check it."
Detmer said he's never otherwise encountered a person who was that good at football, yet was so unaware of some of its basic mechanics.
"It was the first time I'd been around anybody that just kind of winged it," Detmer said. "You could tell the first year he got to play, first year in Green Bay, Don Majkowski was the starter and (Favre) goes in, and he wasn't great at remembering the formations. Back then we didn't have the coach-and-quarterback helmet. We had to memorize all the formations, and we would signal in the play. You had to know the formation for that play that week, and they changed it every week. You knew he didn't really have a great grasp on the formations and didn't really study them as hard as they needed to be studied to be able to call them every week. He was a genuine guy that loved playing the game, but didn't really put a ton of time into it."
It was in stark contrast to another Hall of Famer Detmer played with, Steve Young.
"I played with Steve Young later, and he was the total opposite," Detmer said. 'He knew every play, every formation, every protection, everything. Just two opposites, but highly successful in how they played the game. It was kinda fun to see the difference."
As for an explanation of how somebody could make it from Pee Wee football to the NFL without knowing something so elementary, Detmer figures it just somehow slipped through the cracks because it never made much difference.
"I knew his dad was a coach and all those things, so you just kind of figure," Detmer said. "It was probably one of those things you hear all the time, but you never heard anybody explain it, you know? I tell people all the time, 'Sometimes ignorance is bliss.' Like he says in the story, 'Who cares about that?' He's right. It's the same position, it's just a smaller, faster guy, so does it really matter?"

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/ty-det...el-defense-was/

That's exactly the personel and alignment I was trying to explain. Well done! I think we could even run a cover 2 out of this and it really allows us to mask some of our weakness like deep middle. I envision one of peppers or the nb dropping to a deep 1/2 just before the snap. I think it could help that fs spot and allow us some exotic blitzes

Great stuff following Pred's & Ed's (my new nickname for your convos moving forward) dialogue. Thanks, guys!

If you start a podcast, I get the credit for the name.

How about 'Memes By Memphis' or 'Mem's Memes'...

It could work, but the QB's in our division are not afraid to go deep. Dalton, Ben, and Flacco would light up the deep safety with pump fakes and look offs. You need a premiere FS you can count on. We don't have that.

Agreed. The beauty of having versatile personnel is the ability to keep disguise and varying the looks a Def can give an offense. There's a chance that the personnel this team can show one look pre-snap and rotate. Show Cover 3 but play Off Man or like you said pre-snap show a Cover 1/3 look and rotate into Cover 2.

Here's a typical Cover 3 look:


Here's a Cover 3 w/ variation:


Good articles on Cover 1 and Cover 3:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2032934-nfl-101-introducing-the-basics-of-cover-1

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2047445-nfl-101-introducing-the-basics-of-cover-3

I am enjoying the exchange here, but I have to address one comment. I am not getting on your case, but I feel the need to make sure other posters understand something.



Every team in the league disguises coverage and have done so for years. They show one look pre-snap and then shift into another coverage late. That is one of the huge problems that many QBs face. They can make the pre-snap read, but struggle when teams change their coverage.

Oh, and one more thing.............I believe that it is actually more common for a team to show a Cover 2 look and then switch out of that.

Pred here's an example of what we're talking about Cover 1 rotation to Cover 2 could be with Jabrill/Taylor etc rotating from the box to deep

Athletic Jamie Collins begging Gregg Williams to let him play free safety and shows off arm in skills competition

BEREA, Ohio -- Gregg Williams wasn't surprised Thursday when his star linebacker Jamie Collins was the only player in a fun skills competition at the end of the minicamp Thursday to fire the ball into one of three small pockets in a quarterback net at the goal-line from 20 yards out.

Former high school quarterback Ricardo Louis threw a nice, tight spiral, but didn't get it in. Receiver Jordan Payton's attempt fell short. Joe Haden, another former high school quarterback, came close, but no pocket. Linebacker Chris Kirksey struck the top of the apparatus and some of the running backs couldn't hit the ocean from the beach.

But Collins? He lasered it into the pocket like he practices it at night with his eyes closed.

"No, I wasn't surprised,'' said the Browns' defensive coordinator. "You all don't get the chance to see how really good he is at a lot of things. He's going to be mad because I'm telling you this ... but he's very intelligent. He's not going to talk to you because every day is a (challenge) with trust. (But) he was a high school quarterback and really would have liked to have played quarterback in college.''

Collins led his Franklin County High School team in Mississippi to the Class 3A State Championship in his first year at quarterback. As a senior, he led his team back to the championship game again. So if Jackson needs someone to step in and take a Wildcat snap every once in a while, Collins can get in line with the rest of the wannabe quarterbacks.

"He's begging me to play free safety, and I'm not saying he couldn't be the best one out there right now,'' said Williams. "If he wants to play defensive end, he could play defensive end. There are a lot of things about his versatility that it's going to be fun and challenging to find spots to cut him loose and let him go."

In OTAs and minicamp, Collins ran around like a kid still playing for the Franklin County Bulldogs. He swatted down passes, got a pick-six off DeShone Kizer, made numerous "tackles'' on the non-contact practice and a few would-be sacks.

The player who came in last year after the trade from New England and mostly put his head down and went to work, is now often seen throwing it back and laughing.

Enjoying the family atmosphere with new friends such as Kirksey, Collins is rejuvenated and poised for a big season. He's also laughing all the way to the bank with his four-year, $50 million contract, including $26 million guaranteed.

"I can't shut him up now,'' said Williams. "He's in the meeting and he acts and he talks ... and he loves the banter of competition. Everybody in the building is shocked about that. I'm not."

Not even when it was nothin' but pocket.

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2017/06/athletic_lb_jamie_collins_begg.html

http://www.ohio.com/sports/browns/browns...laying-1.774683

• Williams said Peppers and Calvin Pryor, acquired in a June 1 trade with the New York Jets, will play similar roles and could appear on the field at the same time because he features three safeties in some packages.

• Defensive backs coach DeWayne Walker said he thinks cornerback is the best position for free-agent acquisition Jason McCourty and all of his work with the Browns has been at corner so far. Williams said McCourty can play cornerback and free safety. “Not only can he do that, he’s a sharp dude and he has good leadership in his heart,” Williams said. “So he fits in.”

• Linebackers coach Blake Williams, Gregg’s son, said Tank Carder could start at middle linebacker. Carder has started just two games in his five NFL seasons, but he has practiced with the first-team defense since the Browns traded Demario Davis for Calvin Pryor. “We are comfortable with that. It is a competition. Nothing is by any means set.” The other candidates are Joe Schobert and Dominique Alexander.

{me...Also heard on CBD that Joe Schobert has been taking some snaps at MLB)

http://www.espn.com/blog/cleveland/post/...positive-report

3. Collins everywhere: On that note, Williams pointed out that everybody on his defense is required to play two positions as a means of the coaches patching up injury situations on the run. This led to a discussion about the wondrous athletic talents of 6-3, 250-pound linebacker Jamie Collins, who is the most reticent interview on the team. “He’s gonna be mad about me telling you this,” Williams said. “He is very intelligent. He was a high school quarterback and would have liked to play quarterback in college. He’s begging me to play free safety, and I’m not saying he couldn’t be the best one out there right now. He could play defensive end. There’s lots of things about his versatility that … it’s gonna be fun and challenging to find spots to cut him loose and let him go.”

^^^would love to see him get a good opportunity to rush the passer

https://www.thephinsider.com/2014/8/15/6000113/football-101-coverage-shells

A good plan language breakdown of coverage strengths and weaknesses without being overly technical.

No worries.

Just to be clear....I'm not/wasn't saying that disguising coverages would be unique to Gregg/Browns.

…in my discussions w/ pred I was saying that IF IF Peppers can effectively play some deep middle 1/3 Safety in Cover 1/3 looks and can effectively play half field Cover 2 or quarter zone in Cover 4 then it would allow Gregg the opportunity to effectively disguise and play different coverages without having to tip his hand by substitution. Peppers’ ability to effectively (and hopefully exceptionally) play different roles/techniques can really make the disguised and switched coverages work.

I’m not sure about which rotation happens more often…it wasn’t a point really…but in relation to this defense and this convo....speculating the frequency/tendency for which a defense rotates to Cover 2 from Cover 1/3 OR from Cover 1/3 to Cover 2 probably depends on which is the primary coverage. The intent is to trick the QB and create hesitation and indecision. If Cover 1/Cover 3 is the defenses primary look (like it was with Gregg w/ Rams) then they would probably rotate out of a shown (and expected) Cover 1/Cover into a Cover 2/Cover 6 (or different look) after they rotate.

e.g watching Seattle they show Cover 1/3 the most and rotate from those looks into a Cover 2. But certainly defenses do rotate the from Cover 2 to Cover 1/3 as well…and like you say maybe even more often

I am not exactly sure what you mean in your above post...IF you're saying that Cover 1/3 can't be used because we lack a 'premiere' FS then I would disagree....but pushing the convo forward based on your post....The way I read your post is expressing concern over whether or not the base nickel Cover 1/Cover 3 personnel can handle being attacked deep...especially with pump fakes and look offs.

You also express a desire for a 'premiere' FS....

I'm not how much more susceptible Cover 1/3 defenses are to pump fakes or look offs.

And straight out the gate I would agree that every defense would benefit from top level FS play.

But while pro-bowl level FS play would be awesome...i think you can still effectively play Cover 1/Cover 3 without top level FS play.

At a minimum from what I've read (and to steal from Pete Carrol) the Cover 1/3 FS has to be able to play the seam and the post in coverage. Remember Cover 3 as the name suggest is a 3 deep coverage...consequently its actually not as susceptible to the deep ball on the sideline because the CBs are play deep as the deepest.

The "minimum" (so to speak) is to not get beat deep (or a Gregg says don't let the ball get over your head in a hurry). And while Reynolds isn't a star at FS he certainly brought stability and was able to prevent the ball from getting over his head in hurry...which was something Kindred and Campbell couldn't.

I think it a bit soon to write off Reynolds just yet. This is just his 3rd season. I think he still has room to grow. He has the physical skills, and went to Stanford, so he is at least fairly smart.

If he is going to make a jump towards cream of the crop type player, this is the year.

GC. When looking at the Db's I've started doing something new this year. It's to not look at anything else except the number of passes defensed vs the number of Solo tackles.

I know this jumps to an assumption about solo tackles, but I'll accept that. I assume most db's making solo tackles are,
1. either watching a receiver make a catch and walking him out of bounds, or
2. tackling a receiver after they make a catch.

Therefore if a Db has 100 solo tackles for every one pass defensed, he's letting everbody catch everything.
But it he only has 4-7 solo tackles for every one pass defensed, he's keeping some receivers from making catches.

That would make it real obvious who can cover and who isn't doing it yet. If it's looking at the DB's

Browns quietly building a monstrous front seven on defense

https://www.fanragsports.com/nfl/browns/browns-quietly-building-monstrous-front-seven-defense/

Rejoice, Cleveland Browns fans. A day might soon come when your team is no longer the perennial punch line of the NFL—at least not defensively.

Browns head coach Hue Jackson is handing over the watering hose to recently hired defensive coordinator Gregg Williams in hopes that he can finally put out the dumpster fire on defense. It’s a fire that has been burning for well over two decades, and it’ll take every bit of Williams’ defensive genius to extinguish it.

The herculean effort to change the defensive culture in Cleveland starts with the guys up front. The new-look front seven is full of baby faces—players with under four years of NFL experience. The group lacks household names but is loaded with the potential to rewrite the narrative in Cleveland.

No one will be laughing by the end of next season.

That’s not to say the Browns will become a playoff team overnight. There is still plenty of work to be done to build a playoff contender, particularly on offense, but fans in Cleveland can rest assured that the foundation is being laid.

Myles Garrett, the No. 1 draft pick in 2017, figures to play a pivotal role in Williams’ defense. The 6-foot-4, 272-pound defensive end out of Texas A&M was the ultimate disruptor on the defensive line in college. When he wasn’t blowing up plays in the backfield, he was feasting on sack lunches and opposing college quarterbacks. He also comes with a stern confidence and an attitude that tends to rub off on teammates.

The fretful Browns of the past are dead and gone with Garrett on the roster.

“They picked me because they think they see something in me, and they know that I can help them rebuild and turn this program around,” Garrett told ESPN’s Pat McManamon. “That’s the mindset that we have to have. Starting next year, we can put the pieces together, not only the players but with a mindset that we can actually do this. I know that the players there have that same mindset. I am going to keep that feeling contagious. I’m just prepared for that.”

Change is coming to Cleveland, and Garrett won’t be alone in his pursuit of it.

Former New England Patriots linebacker Jamie Collins, who was surprisingly dealt in a trade to the Browns in the middle of the 2016 season, will be there every step of the way, setting the physical tone in the heart of the defense while providing experience and leadership. The former second-team All-Pro linebacker knows a thing or two about competing on the big stage after helping the Patriots defeat the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX.

Then there’s Emmanuel Ogbah, Cleveland’s best-kept secret at defensive end. His rookie season didn’t go according to plan due to the musical chairs act he was forced to play between defensive end and outside linebacker. Then Collins arrived and things suddenly got better. Ogbah’s best work came when he dropped the hybrid linebacker act and settled in at defensive end. That growth will continue in his sophomore season.

The 2015 No. 12 pick, nose tackle Danny Shelton, should also take a step forward in 2017 now that he is finally healthy. His production started to nosedive last year after he injured his wrist. The Browns should also expect to see more out of second-year defensive end Carl Nassib and fourth-year linebacker Christian Kirksey. They’ll both have to be much better than they were last season if the Browns have any hope of righting a perennially wayward ship.

The Browns were the doormat team in the NFL a season ago, giving up an average of 142.7 rushing yards a game. Only the San Francisco 49ers were worse at stopping the run. That’s not going to cut it if the Browns have any hope of competing in the AFC North.

There has been no shelter from an unending storm for Browns fans, unlike the other professional sports franchises in the Cleveland area.

LeBron James threw on the red cape, swooped in, and saved the Cavaliers from a moribund existence when he returned to the NBA team three years ago. Francisco Lindor’s breakout MLB season helped the Indians make the World Series for the first time in 19 years in 2016.

The Browns are desperately in need of saving, and maybe Williams is the man to do it. During his NFL tenure, he had a hand in developing five top-five defenses and eight in the top 10.

However, turning around a Browns team that went 1-15 last season and missed the playoffs for the 14th consecutive season would be his greatest work yet.

Seven is a lucky number? Not in northeastern Ohio. A front seven with supreme skill, led by the right coordinator, gives the Browns hope of a football renaissance in a city which has recently witnessed two profound resurrections in hoops and baseball.

Last year's front "7"

DE-Jamie Meder
NT-Shelton
DE-Ogbah/Cooper/Nasib--(All out of position)

OLB-Ogbah-came on as an edge rusher
ILB-Damario-Game but a step slow
ILB-Kirko-beast
OLB-Collins-beast


Current Projected Front 6
DE-Garret #1 Overall Pick
3-tech-Bryant/Cooper at the there natural positions
DT-Shelton-Stud
DE-Ogbah-back at natural position

ILB-Collins-stud
ILB-Kirksey-stud

I honestly think we will see Brantley in the heavy rotation. The guy is good. It won't take many plays with him splitting blocks to stop a back in the backfield or pestering the QB before he gets a lot of snaps.

Today's scrimmage had:

Several different combos-
the ones i identified for sure:

SAM-Collins MIKE-Carder WILL-Kirko

SAM-Collins MIKE-Carder WILL-Schobert

SAM-Collins MIKE-Schobert WILL-Alexander

SAM-Carder MIKE-Schobert WILL-Alexander

They all looked good tonight. Schobert and Alexader looked very active and had a couple of run stops

Carder started iirc, didn't seem to make as many plays and had good step for step coverage but was beat with a couple of good throws where he was just a step behind to make the break-up vs Holtz

CB-J.Haden .......NB-J.Taylor.......LDE-Ogbah DT-Shelton 3-tech-Coley RDE-Garrett............CB McCourty

...................................................................ILB-Kirksey....ILB-Collins

.........................................................................................................SS-Kindred

........................................................................FS-Peppers

Nickel Cover 1/3

https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2017/8/31/16225408/10-weird-nfl-stats

In base 43: SAM-Collins MIKE-Show WILL-Collins
But Gregg isn't typically in base 43 very often ~30 or less.

I was wondering out loud about what Gregg would do in 3rd and long pure pass rush situations earlier in this thread. Gregg did a bunch of things this preseason. My guess would be in 'regular' Nickel:
Kirksey + Collins

But, Gregg also had 3rd down snaps with Collins or Show as stand-up DEs, which is what I was thinking/hoping would happen while Kirksey+ whomever isn't at DE will line-up at the other ILB

...................ILB-Kirko+ILB-Collins/Show


DE-Collins/Show DT-Ogbah DT-Trevon DE-Garrett

Also, I don't think Gregg will use as much "big dime"/"little nickel" w/ the Browns as he did with Rams because I think our ILBs are equal to Mark Barron in terms of movement/coverage.

I don't think there is any predicting the defensive fronts Gregg will end up using. He mixes guys in so many positions.

You may see Collins and Schobert at DE with Garrett and Ogbah at DT.. you just never know.