Warren Sapp on Dorsey and LJ (NFL.com chat)

[Jilly]

Originally Posted by Amnorix

To answer you directly, as opposed to Clathan...

In general, any type of rollout play against the Patriots becomes a race between the offensive linemen to beat the inside linebackers and safeties to the point of attack. The OLB on the side of the play where the rollout is headed has a VERY SPECIFIC assignment -- turn the play INSIDE. If the OLB gets caught INSIDE, then it can quickly get ugly for the defense.

Thsi is called "keeping containment". Belichick refers to it often. The OLB MUST be strong enough to hold his position or better, and to avoid getting blocked down.

Then it's a race between the inside linebackers and safeties, on the one hand, and the "free" offensive linemen (those not tied up by the defensive linemen) to get to the point of attack. First, the defensive linemen are supposed to stop the running play from going past them at all. If it does, then the ILBs and safeties are supposed to crash down and fill any gaps.

Espeically in training camp, the team works on, and BB talks about endlessly "filling gaps" and working on the front seven "fits."

The 3 defensive linemen and the 4 linebackers are like the pickets in a fence. If they all fill in their gaps properly, there is NO WHERE for the offensive linemen to run.

The 2 gap defense is NOT designed, generally, to get at the RBs behind the line of scrimmage. You see much more of that from attacking linemen like the Steelers and Giants. Patriots defenses are more conservative -- less likely to get a stop behind the LOS, but also less likely to give up any long running plays.

By design, the Pats defense is a "bend but don't break" philosophy, forcing teams to mount extended drives without making a mistake in order to score, and then tightening down as the offense nears the red zone to stop the TD. It's not a high-risk, high-reward strategy.

So, it seems like Dorsey would be great at this type of defense, in spite of the criticisms, right? As long as he sticks to his position.

[Hammock Parties]

Now you can impress your hubby with football knowledge.

[Jilly]

Originally Posted by Claythan

Now you can impress your hubby with football knowledge.

I hope he chimes in with something clever here. Because I feel I'm already pretty knowledgeable. I just have questions from time to time.

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by Jilly

I hope he chimes in with something clever here. Because I feel I'm already pretty knowledgeable. I just have questions from time to time.

Yeah but just think of the look he might give you if you're sitting there watching a game and say "Dorsey sucks in this 2-gap defense!"

[Jilly]

Originally Posted by Claythan

Yeah but just think of the look he might give you if you're sitting there watching a game and say "Dorsey sucks in this 2-gap defense!"

We don't look at each other during games...or speak. It's amazing how much communication happens without those two things.

[Frankie]

Originally Posted by Jilly

I hope he chimes in with something clever here. Because I feel I'm already pretty knowledgeable. I just have questions from time to time.

Is he a Planeteer?

[Jilly]

Originally Posted by Frankie

Is he a Planeteer?

yes

[Frankie]

Originally Posted by Jilly

yes

Which?

[Hammock Parties]

The corners are always going to be covering their man (if it's man to man). Likely if the offense is running a bootleg against a 3-4 they will have a tight end or fullback assigned to take out the outside linebacker the QB might be rolling towards. If he bites on the play fake (i.e. crashes down) the TE may release and become a receiver, or the TE might block him just long enough for the QB to complete his roll out, and then release into the pattern.

I could be mistaken, but because the linebackers in a 3-4 are so frequently going right after the quarterback, the bootleg can be a risky play against that sort of defense. You're more apt to see straight up play-action.

[Amnorix]

Originally Posted by Claythan

The corners are always going to be covering their man (if it's man to man). Likely if the offense is running a bootleg against a 3-4 they will have a tight end or fullback assigned to take out the outside linebacker the QB might be rolling towards. If he bites on the play fake (i.e. crashes down) the TE may release and become a receiver, or the TE might block him just long enough for the QB to complete his roll out, and then release into the pattern.

I could be mistaken, but because the linebackers in a 3-4 are so frequently going right after the quarterback, the bootleg can be a risky play against that sort of defense. You're more apt to see straight up play-action.

One of the advantages of the 3-4, in theory at least, is that the offense never knows which linebacker is coming. It could be either of the OLBs. In a 4-3, generally on a pass play it's the 4 down linemen, and you know where they are before the snap.

The Patriots rarely play man-to-man coverage. It's almost invariably either a zone or a modified zone coverage. The design of the Patriots defense, at least, is to stop the run first and then stop the pass. In a zone situation, the DBs have a much better opportunity to see what is going on in the backfield and deal with the competing threats posed by a bootleg.

The first time we faced the Dolphins Wildcat offense last year, we were taken completely by surprise. It was the first time they had played it all year. The 'phins ran wild. Something like 8 plays for 200 yards and 3 TDs or something absurd.

The second time we played them, it was something like 8 plays for 25 yards (3 yards per play) and zero TDs. It was shut down.

The wildcat poses a challenge, but teams like the Patriots tend to do very well as they are a disciplined defense. If everyone runs their assignments properly, then it can be stopped.

[Mecca]

NE in my view will show more 4-3 this year than they have in the past...with their pick of Brace in any obvious run down they can go to a giant 4 man line that would be nearly impossible to run on.

[Amnorix]

Originally Posted by Mecca

NE in my view will show more 4-3 this year than they have in the past...with their pick of Brace in any obvious run down they can go to a giant 4 man line that would be nearly impossible to run on.

Well, "obvious run downs" are pretty infrequent. I agree that our bulk goal line package might be the biggest in football. Wilfork/Brace/Seymour/Warren is hellacious to move.

If we show more 4-3, it will be because Jarvis Green is a better pass rusher than any of our 3-4 OLBs, and that will be a real problem if that's the case.

[kysirsoze]

Originally Posted by DTLBRonaldCurryFan

Joey, Kansas City, MO 05:30 PM ET
Your Opinion on Larry Johnson and how he will do this year and why??

Warren Sapp, NFL Network
I think if Larry Johnson takes in some good quality offseason work, I think he can get 1,700-1,800 yards and double-digit touchdowns. He's a nightmare to tackle.

Maybe when Sapp was still playing. I doubt he haunts anybody's dreams nowadays. (Except possibly Claythan's)

[Red Beans]

I know the post has gone light years away from this but the bottom line is Sapp is a fat ass loud mouth eater of swiss rolls....

[Hammock Parties]

Jilly, he is rough, but he is right. Thomas was fairly one-dimensional. All he could do was rush the passer. The Chiefs yanked him off the field in the AFC Championship game once because the Bills were running right at him.