Defensive Failures: Scheme or Players?

[skinsguy]

Originally Posted by 12thMan

I'm of the opinion that more than the players, it was our defensive scheme that failed us this year.

Gregg Williams fielded the third best defense during his first year, ninth ranked his second, and this year we're close to last if not very last. So there has been a regression from a statiscal standpoint. That along with a few key departures and no significant up grades have spelled disaster for the defense.

It seems like offenses have us figured us out little by little over this three year period and they know exactly where to attack, when to run play action, and how to keep us on our heels. It seems their game planning have been better than ours.

Most of the games that we've lost this year, were lost in the second half, after teams make their half-time adjustments. In simple terms, we've been out coached.

Of course the players share in this, they are the one's on the field performing. But if something isn't working, you don't have 5 weeks in the NFL to correct it.

I'm concerned that we'll go in FA and sign Nate Clements or whomever and think that's the end of it. I'm not too sure about that.

Please discuss.

The scheme is fine. You gotta look at it this way: Gregg Williams has had this defensive scheme for years and it has reaped at least a top 10 defense during most of those years. It's not like he just came up with it when he came to Washington. If there was something wrong with the scheme, don't you think opposing coaches would have figured it out long before Gregg Williams even became a head coach at Buffalo? The points I've bolded in my quote from your post doesn't point to flaws in the scheme, it points to regression of the players. We have lost good players who contributed to our defense, and the players, especially on our line, have regressed this year.

Adding some depth with good players in the trenches and in our secondary will turn our defense around next year. There is definitely no need in junking our defense and starting all over with it next season.