12-21-2020, 05:33 PM
Fwiw, our best defensive years during the Mike Brown era came under Mike Zimmer. And here was our approach in the player types used for the a lot of the core of his rosters:
---Mid Round Picks: Geno Atkins, Michael Johnson, Robert Geathers, Domata Peko, George Iloka, Frostee Rucker, Shawn Williams, Pat Simms
---Cheap Vets/Reclamation Projects: Pacman Jones, Nate Clements, Reggie Nelson, Terrance Newman, Dahani Jones, Roy Williams, Chris Crocker, Thomas Howard, Tank Johnson, Manny Lawson, Gbril Wilson, Wallace Gillberry, James Harrison, Taylor Mays
---Late Round. UDFA's: Vontaze Burfict, Chinidu Ndukwe (sp?), Jonathan Fanene
That's a lot of guy who weren't drafted high, and we didn't spend a lot of money on. That's the bulk of what he worked with. Now let's look at the guys who don't fit that mold...
-Jonathan Joseph - Left after Zimmer's 2nd year, not a part of his elite D's.
-Keith Rivers - Left after Zimmer's 1st year, not a part of his elite D's.
-Rey Mauluga - Left after Zimmer's 2nd year, not a part of his elite D's
-Antwan Odom - Mid-tier FA. Hardly played for Zimmer, only appeared in 10 games during 1st 2 seasons. Not a part of his elite D's.
What your left with, for guys that either were paid a decent chunck of change, who we drafted high, that contributed to the '11, '12, '13 defenses, are two players: Leon Hall (1st round), and Carlos Dunlap (2nd round).
That's it. Mike Zimmer worked magic with no free agents given big deals, and two guys taken in the top 2 rounds (Hall and Dunlap).
What this tells me is simple. Find the right coach, who can create the right scheme, and coaches the right way. Then find the right players to fit that scheme. That's more important then talent.
We have the following building blocks on D: Jesse Bates, DJ Reader, Mackenzie Alexander, Sam Hubbard, Carl Lawson, and maybe Wilson. That's not that bad. Fill out the rest with guys similar to the above and bring in the right coaching staff to maximize talent.
IMHO, you can much easier get by with less talent on D than on offense. That's why I'm in agreement with OP. Load up on offense and give Joe all the help and toys he needs. If we can be elite or close to it on that side of the ball then that's going to go much further than trying to load up on D.
---Mid Round Picks: Geno Atkins, Michael Johnson, Robert Geathers, Domata Peko, George Iloka, Frostee Rucker, Shawn Williams, Pat Simms
---Cheap Vets/Reclamation Projects: Pacman Jones, Nate Clements, Reggie Nelson, Terrance Newman, Dahani Jones, Roy Williams, Chris Crocker, Thomas Howard, Tank Johnson, Manny Lawson, Gbril Wilson, Wallace Gillberry, James Harrison, Taylor Mays
---Late Round. UDFA's: Vontaze Burfict, Chinidu Ndukwe (sp?), Jonathan Fanene
That's a lot of guy who weren't drafted high, and we didn't spend a lot of money on. That's the bulk of what he worked with. Now let's look at the guys who don't fit that mold...
-Jonathan Joseph - Left after Zimmer's 2nd year, not a part of his elite D's.
-Keith Rivers - Left after Zimmer's 1st year, not a part of his elite D's.
-Rey Mauluga - Left after Zimmer's 2nd year, not a part of his elite D's
-Antwan Odom - Mid-tier FA. Hardly played for Zimmer, only appeared in 10 games during 1st 2 seasons. Not a part of his elite D's.
What your left with, for guys that either were paid a decent chunck of change, who we drafted high, that contributed to the '11, '12, '13 defenses, are two players: Leon Hall (1st round), and Carlos Dunlap (2nd round).
That's it. Mike Zimmer worked magic with no free agents given big deals, and two guys taken in the top 2 rounds (Hall and Dunlap).
What this tells me is simple. Find the right coach, who can create the right scheme, and coaches the right way. Then find the right players to fit that scheme. That's more important then talent.
We have the following building blocks on D: Jesse Bates, DJ Reader, Mackenzie Alexander, Sam Hubbard, Carl Lawson, and maybe Wilson. That's not that bad. Fill out the rest with guys similar to the above and bring in the right coaching staff to maximize talent.
IMHO, you can much easier get by with less talent on D than on offense. That's why I'm in agreement with OP. Load up on offense and give Joe all the help and toys he needs. If we can be elite or close to it on that side of the ball then that's going to go much further than trying to load up on D.
