10-31-2018, 08:26 AM
(10-30-2018, 08:44 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Thanks for the statistical analysis to confirm what most of us have already been thinking. The knee jerk reaction might be "it's got to be the coaching", and I would agree, to a point. I think it goes much deeper than that, but think more budgetary.. Yes, ownership doesn't want to shell out the $$$ for what it takes to have capable LBs in a 4-3 defense.
They seem to have gotten all caught up in Edge Rusher phenomenon, that they forgot that quality LBs that can stop the run, cover the pass, and blitz the QB are the heartbeat of a successful 4-3 defense. Sure, it takes 11 men committed to a common goal to be truly successful, but if you stack your defense strong up the middle (NT, LB, and Safety), you automatically force offenses to play the edges of the field.
We've not drafted a LB in the first 2 rounds for a decade.
The LB corps has been Tez and a bunch of guys for a while now....but now Tez is not reliably available we are exposed more.
One thing I will say is that this appeared a conscious decision previously to not plough a lot of resources into LB....and you could argue this was justified with some very productive and consistent defenses in the playoff years.
You can't invest in every position group - we have consistently invested in say CB (3 1st round picks) and DL (Geno, Carlos contracts) so there is never going to be a lot left for LB.....think the problem now is our pass rush is not consistently great and our coverage overall (not just LBs) is just leaking points and yards....this then combined with a thin LB corps ain't great news.
