I keep seeing all this stuff about how we were rusty and we have new players in the secondary yada yada yada.
But what does that have to do with being aligned poorly pre-snap?
There has to be a logical explanation for
insisting on playing 3 LBs against 3, 4-wide and even empty back sets. If you asked Diaz and Banda if they are aware Nickel and Dime packages exist, do we really believe their answer would be "what's that?" It's odd and I wish we knew more about what they're trying to accomplish or trying to avoid - game to game or more broadly. Aside from that, it pretty much comes down to this:
CFLCane said:
The secondary was just overhyped in the offseason, Diaz hasn't found the combination of CB's yet and the Safeties can't be trusted to clean up the back end like last year.
So far, Delaney hasn't shown the ability to change direction well. Jackson is about in the same boat. And, our defensive coaches add to their insistence on playing 3LBs with seemingly irrational concerns about "small" corners being unable to tackle (while apparently less worried their big corners cannot cover anyone well).
Think you see a better matchup this week, but fuggit. Let's see what happens.
You're harping on the way we personneled. What about the way we aligned all game versus 2 WR sets?
We kept that 3rd LB in there for run support. If you watch the way we lined up on defense you'd notice that the 3rd LB was often aligned
far inside of the
#2 WR. (sometimes all the way in the box)
If you're gonna line-up that way then putting in an extra DB does nothing for you. If anything it gives you weaker run support.
Now, if you actually walked out and covered the slot then yes, a DB in that spot would behoove us. The way we were aligned, however, calls for a Linebacker in that spot.
View attachment 50460
Look how we're aligned there. You want a DB where that 3rd LB is? I don't.
I honestly don't remember what we did versus 4/5 WR sets. I do remember Toledo using a TE as a WR, which would probably explain why we kept a 3rd LB in. If we see TE's on the field we're gonna keep 3 LB's in.