DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Williams defense a full go..? no excuses interesting lil article

Wrong forum. Sorry

The #Browns have lined up in base defense just 23% of their preseason snaps. Have had 5+ DBs on the field 77% of the snaps.

https://twitter.com/JohnKosko3/status/1030951529107390466

This makes me happy.

I get the point of the article.

But...Greg doesn't really play that a lot of man to man. He just doesn't. You can look at the numbers from his Ram's defense and I remember when he was the DC w/ Washington. Aggressive? Yes. Mainly man-to-man?...nope.

With that being said I look forward to the defense this year.
He's got a lot of good pieces on D.

RE: Use of base personnel

The excessive use of base personnel was atypical of Gregg and it was discussed often last year.
Gregg didn't have the personnel in the secondary to play the big nickel and big dime defenses he was known for with the Rams.
Last year Gregg had more faith in the the 3rd LB then the 5th DB on the roster and hence he didn't put that 5th DB on the field often (nickel).

Fred's Focus: Can Peppers & Kindred be dominant together at SS?

ByFRED GREETHAM

https://247sports.com/nfl/cleveland-brow...fety-120857689/

BEREA -- When the Browns traded for Damarious Randall in the spring and announced that he would play free safety, most fans assumed that would mean Jabrill Peppers would be the starting strong safety.

Not so fast.

Peppers is listed as the starter on the team's unofficial depth chart, but Derrick Kindred has been playing as much or more than Peppers in the early going of the preseason.

Hue Jackson said the two are both integral parts of the defense.

"They're both real good players," Jackson said Monday after practice. "Very competitive. We're going to need both guys during the year. Gregg (Williams) plays in a lot of different packages and so those guys are going to have to answer the bell."



Peppers (5-11, 213) gets most of the attention because he was a first round pick (25th overall). Peppers started 13 games at free safety and finished with 57 tackles, three passes broken up, one interception and one fumble recovery.

Kindred (5-10, 210) is in his third season from Texas Christian after being a fourth-round pick (129th overall) in the 2016 NFL Draft. Last season, Kindred played in 14 games at strong safety with 55 tackles, six passes broken up and one interception. He started five games as a rookie, appearing in 12 games and finished with 44 tackles and five passes broken up.

Granted it is the preseason, but in the Bills game, Kindred played 21 plays or 30 percent of the defensive snaps. He also played 11 plays or 34 percent of the special teams plays. Meanwhile, Peppers played 16 plays on defense (23 percent) and eight plays (25 percent) on special teams.

Kindred had one of the big defensive plays for the defense when he blitzed from the corner and sacked Josh Allen for a six-yard loss in the second quarter.

Peppers said he likes the move to strong safety and is playing closer to the ball.

“It is coming along fine. Yes, it is football,” he said. “It is definitely more fun, but at the end of the day, it is still football.”

Peppers said it doesn't bother him that he might split time with Kindred.
“At the end of the day, I am here to help this team win football games," he said. "That is my main concern.”

Jackson likes the team-first attitude that Peppers has displayed.
“All the guys here not just him, there were some other guys that are team guys," Jackson said. "They are here for the right reasons. They are here to come to work. If we feel that we have deficiencies in areas, we put guys there. Look at Joel Bitonio. We do what we need to do. That is what I like about our football team. They are all in, and they will do anything that the coaches ask them to do.”

Jackson said Peppers is more comfortable in his second season.

"I think that he is comfortable in the packages that Gregg plays," he said. "He has a good understanding of what is expected of him. I think that he is playing to that. I think that he is very comfortable in his second year with his teammates. He has been very vocal, which is good. Here is a young emerging player that is really starting to get it and play really good football.”
Peppers was asked if he thinks Williams will use both Kindred and him at the same time on occasions.
“He is," Peppers said. "Definitely, different packages. We are both pretty versatile guys who can play the strong, nickel and free. We have Damarious (Randall) and Briean) Boddy (Calhoun) who can play corner, nickel and free. It definitely gives him some versatility, and he is a mastermind with that so he is definitely going to figure something out.”

Linebacker Christian Kirksey said Peppers is emerging in his second season.

“(Peppers) is out there making plays," Kirksey said. "A year under his belt gave him a chance to learn, be more knowledgeable of the game. I feel like now he is just comfortable. He is playing free. I am excited to see him out there making plays, especially in this training camp.”

The Focus: In watching the majority of training camp, it is apparent that Williams plans to use Kindred and Peppers in a similar fashion to his linebackers, almost as a hybrid of sorts. They both practice with the linebackers on many individual drills and in team defense are up near the line.

It's obvious that Peppers was out of position in his rookie year as a free safety. He is much more suited to cover the tight end in pass coverage and he is much better as a force in the run game. Kindred is also strong in the running game and the athleticism of both of the players should help in covering tight ends or backs out of the backfield.

The Browns had trouble with tight ends in 2017 and if they can solve that problem, it will go a long way in their improvement as a defense.

Like many of the positions in the NFL today in situation football, Peppers might be the starter on paper, but from all indications, Kindred is going to be on the field as much and maybe more than Peppers. The duo can be effective, especially in the running game and if Williams can put both players in positions to maximize their strengths, the defense will much stronger than it was a season ago.

It'll be very interesting to see who plays what snaps for the defense. It might be the thing I'm most interested in going into the season.

Wouldn't be shocked to see them BOTH on the field at the same time, with Randall as' well...

The defense is definitely what I'm most interested in seeing how it unfolds.

Agreed. But then which linebackers come off? Just another reason why I think trading one of the four linebackers (Kendricks, Schobert, Collins, and Kirksey) makes a lot of sense. Kindred and Peppers are basically linebackers if Randall is in the game also.

As you already know it will be be dependent upon match-ups vs particular schemes and particular players.

Hue seemed confident in yesterday's presser that Coley will be back come regular season opener. That's big actually, he's a big (both literally and figuratively) piece to the success of the DL/front.

Peppers covering TE's, that's what will make him a good player???
Can even Peppers cover anyone? Have to see it to believe in it...

And before Peppers is dominant in any position he first has to be functional, which in his case would be a major improvement.

Kindred is a good SS, but he will never be a dominant one.

The Browns' defense had just 18 total pressures through Week 3 last season. Now, three weeks into their 2018 campaign, the Browns' defense has 41 total pressures.

That's a HUGE improvement, and it's having a factor in their play.

https://twitter.com/PFF_AustinGayle/status/1043140749662081027

It's gonna be a lot of fun to watch this defense play without every mistake being so critical... Playing with a lead and a potent offense on the other side of the bench.

Pin your eyes back men, let's go wreak havoc!

I agree.

Though it’s ‘pin your ears back’. Not eyes. When predators attack they pin their ears back. Though sharks I guess do something similar with their eyes...? Maybe you’re onto something. The shark defense?... No, we’re Dawgs. We pin our ears back.

LMAO My bad, definitely meant ears. Don't know what I was drinking thinking lol And sharks can pin their eyes back, I saw it on the radio.

This defense is becoming special. Upgrading the secondary was huge. We are covering better and this allows for more pressures. We pressure better and this helps the secondary. It's all coming together. Gotta work on containment, though.

Couldn't agree more. Quick question... when we say "work on containment", does "meshing" as a unit and learning each others tendencies play a comparable role to strict Xs and Os and execution? I guess what I'm asking is what percentage of success depends on gelling as a unit - knowing each others strengths and weaknesses?

What was the difference in contain between the first and 2nd halves ... did we do something scheme wise or did MG just seal better?

I don't think "meshing" is involved w/that particular issue. It's important in a lot of factors, but not that one.

The meshing of the OL could be huge for us, though. They have to work in sync. Lot's of new pieces there.

I don't know the answer to that question. Williams may have made adjustments at half time. I'd have to watch the plays in slow motion several times to figure that out.

I think the fact we made the better adjustments is a breath of fresh air. So many times we have been the ones out-thunk at the half. Haley and Williams, warts and all, are probably 2 of the best coaches we've had since the return. Hue is also growing on me as a HC - he's coached good games now he's in that role alone. I pray and hopefor continuity if results mandate it.

https://twitter.com/NFLMatchup/status/1044605672070017025

We're still blitzing like crazy. At some point I would love it if we just let our guys up front go to work. Garrett and Ogunjobi should be able to produce enough pressure to just rush four.

For example, the Bears blitz less than any team and have the most sacks.

We’re allowing a higher completion percentage when we blitz than if we just rushed 4.

I know that a lot of our blitzes seem to not reach home. Williams did the same thing with the Rams. He had prime Robert Quinn and Aaron Donald and still blitzed a ton.

I think we should scale back our blitzing a bit. It seems to hurt us more than help us ... we should be talented enough to go more base now

It's not going to happen.

You would think Garrett/Ogunjobi/Smith/Avery would be able to get some good pressure on their own

What would be considered a blitz though? The Bears run a 3-4 don't they? So K.Mack is a outside LB rushing, but because he's considered an edge rusher, it's not a blitz? They can rush 5 and it wouldn't be considered a blitz. We have a 4-3 front, so if we send a 5th, it would be considered a blitz.

I believe it is considered a blitz is any time more than four players rush the passer.

https://twitter.com/NFLMatchup/status/1044232117406846976

Good stuff. The picks on Roethlisberger and Darnold's dinking and dunking (because he had no time) really help us with this ranking. The defense is good.

I think Gregg Williams knows more about defense and his personnel than the posters on this board.

I think the D is playing well and I support Gregg Williams and not some posters on the board who think they know more than he does.

I like regular pressure, more press, maybe stunt a bit more. But Williams is getting something good outta the unit.

Unleash the —well, you know.

I agree.

I thinking he is blitzing so much because he knows our secondary is not very good and we can't afford to give teams very long to sit back and throw the ball. I mean Ward can't be everywhere at once.

He's blitzing because that's what he does. He has done it at every stop he's ever been at.

Not sure why u would say that ....

U don’t think Mitchell’s playing good?

Randall?

Gaines is a damm fine nickle ... BBC is an excellent dime guy ...

Our secondary is playing pretty good IMO ...

Curious as to what your seeing different ...

We blitz because that is what Williams does.

I remember something Williams said last year..."don't let the ball get over your head in a hurry"

His goal is to have tight coverage early in the play. If someone shakes free after 4 seconds, so be it. The blitz is to help it ever getting to 4 second or more.

Makes sense to me.

Makes perfect sense. Didn't know this. Similar "Get to the ball in his hand." Get to QB while he is holding. Arms up if you can't get there in time. This has become a major strength and I am happy to see it!

I feel this has been the best part about the season so far. For at least the last 6-7 years we have been dominated in the second half due to the Browns coaches being out coached.

Also, I feel the addition of an OC has helped Hue out tremendously. The fact that it is someone as accomplished as Haley is only icing on top. Many posters in my opinion felt that Hue not having an OC was his biggest issue. I feel that it is night and day from the last 2 years.

I see too many holes in his coverage calls. I see too many times where we allow to big a cushion. It's one reason pitts tore us to pieces in the air. Any CB can cover for a few seconds but once you hit that 3 and 4 second mark that is where things start to fall apart.

Yes he has always blitzed a lot but we are doing it at an elevated rate that is almost unheard of. Why? Because the only way to hide a bad secondary is to make sure the QB doesn't have the time to make his second and third reads. They your forcing them to throw blind out of frustration and desperation to make something happen.

I am not saying our secondary is terrible by any means but just that Williams is trying his best to cover up some noticeable weaknesses in our secondary.