Last week I noticed a few tweets from @DraftableXnOs breaking down the Patriots defensive scheme with the kind of depth that was beyond my own observations. I found it reassuring that he was coming to some of the same conclusions that my uneducated eyes had come to on their own, mainly that while the LBs were in an Under alignments, the Defensive Linemen were in Over alignments. I wanted to learn more so a few direct messages later and I had an email interview going with the man behind @DraftableXnOs, Alen Dumonjic.
Below you’ll find some really interesting nuggest from Alen who has long been a fan of BB and is well versed in the schemes that the Patriots have run (even though he’s a Dolphins fan). It’s clear that his understanding of football X and Os far exceed my own so after he graciously answered my unending stream of questions I feel that I have an even better grasp of the Patriots and BB’s overall philosophy.
Mike D: As someone who understands the schemes that the Patriots have been running for a while now, is there any real significance to this 4-3 look we’ve seen here at camp and in the preseason?
Dumonjic: Depends on what they do. Its nothing new I would say, based off of their teachings and what they’ve done over the years, but it could be important depending on what they do coverage wise and run fits wise this year. They are more than likely going to need some more help against the run game because the SLB position isn’t really a strong spot for them at the moment (keywords there), but it could change. Two things about defense in the NFL is despite it supposedly being a passing league, you still need to stop the run, and the number one coverage in the NFL is still Man-Free (Cover 1).
The Patriots goal in their defense is always to have coverage flexibility. That means they try to find various ways to defend the gaps presented by the offense and still try to get the defensive backfield to do their jobs. Its why they place a premium on cornerbacks that can run and have man skills. The more man skills, the more guys you can use in the box. They play over 30 coverages every year. In a clinic that Belichick gave, he stated they played 37 coverages and 17 different fronts, so its clear they try to find different ways to defend the gaps presented by the offense while having enough guys in the defensive backfield.
They’ve always played 3-4 fronts but they’ve often played 4-3 concepts out of them. They did this last year some and a lot in ‘09. Tully Banta-Cain was really a ghost 5 technique and I can’t recall who the SAM was but he played quite a bit of coverage. This year, it seems that they are going to more four down lineman with the mixes of the Over and Under fronts. They’re 2 gapping some with the two interior DL and this has become pretty common in the league with 40 fronts because it can help defeat some zone blocking OLs. You don’t really give them a pure angle to attack you at. I think that we’ll see more 4-3 concepts this year though, even out of the 3-4 front because they can slide in and out of it so easily.
Mike D: Do you think they’re abandoning the 3-4 entirely?
Dumonjic: I don’t think they are necessarily abandoning it but I do think they will be using more 4 man fronts. The reason is because of the lack of a market for stand up pass rushers. Bill Belichick does not like developing pass rushers it seems like, instead he plunges into the free agent market to get one. The reason he doesn’t seem to like to develop pass rushers (from 3 point stance to 2 point stance) is because it is easier to teach them what they already know from college. If you look at the defensive end picks the last five years in the first two rounds, with the exception of the top 5 picks, the rushers have had issues translating to the stand up role, so I think that played a role. Plus, now you’ve got everyone using hybrid defenses (even the Bucs do this now), shifting to 3-4 so that requires certain personnel so the market for those players becomes thinner.
Mike D: We’ve gone into a lot of discussion about 2-gapping vs. 1-gapping here on the blog, and you noted that the Pats were using both for their defensive linemen against the Jags. Could you expand on those techiniques a little more?
Dumonjic: One thing Belichick lives by is his gapping principles. If he’s one gapping, he says you have to get the secondary involved as a force player because you need to account for all the gaps presented by the offense. Now if you’re two gapping, you don’t have to get the secondary involved because you have a guy accounting for two gaps. The latter sounds great but you have to find a guy who can do that. He’s often been a guy to mix gap principles throughout the DL on any given play. He combo-gaps on the DL and we saw some of that during the game against Jacksonville. He two gapped his two interior DL at times, other times only one DL on the interior.
Mike D: How do you see the Patriots using Wilfork, Haynesworth and the rest of the defensive linemen within the context of this 4-3 formation?
Dumonjic: Well I think you don’t really have a choice of Wilfork at any spot other than 1 technique. We could see him at 5 technique again but I think it will be on the strong side in certain situations. Its possible they use him that way like they did last year at times. Haynesworth is going to moved around all along the OL. In Tennessee, he played 1 technique, 3 technique, and weakside 5 technique on pass downs so it will be interesting with him. What’s even more interesting is when a guy like Shaun Ellis gets involved because hes played both 5 techniques, he’s stood up and he’s played 3 technique. This gives them a lot of flexibility and versatility and most importantly, allows them to replace players at positions. The #1 thing Belichick always seeks is replaceable players. He likes plug and play guys, as you know.
Thanks to Alen for a some great, insightful stuff. We hope to have lots more from him this season. If you’re not following him @DraftableXnOs I suggest you do so now.
