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We’ve seen a lot about the Redskins’ interest in defensive coordinators, from Mike Pettine to Gus Bradley to Wade Phillips to Greg Manusky to Paul Guenther and probably a bunch of people who are being paraded in there who aren’t on the radar. From the standpoint of those five, since they seem to be the top candidates, can you give a breakdown of their systems (3-4 vs. 4-3, blitz tendencies, linebackers’ assignments in coverage vs. rushing, etc.) and how you think the Redskins’ current defensive players would fit with what they want to do?
– Mike Randolph, Chesapeake, Va.
You can cross Guenther off the list because Cincinnati isn’t giving him permission to interview. Steve Wilks from Carolina is, however, on the list. The Redskins have received permission to interview him. But as of now, it sounds as if Pettine is the only candidate who has actually had his interview already.
It’s interesting because all of these guys have 3-4 backgrounds, but none of them are pure 3-4 guys. Wade Phillips is known for his creativity and aggressive schemes. He’ll open up in a 3-4 front, but on third downs, it’s not uncommon to see a seven-man front comprised of nothing but ends and linebackers rushing from two-point stances. His varied looks make it hard for an offense to identify exactly what’s coming. Bradley and Manusky both run hybrid schemes that use both 3-4 and 4-3 principles. Bradley primarily used 4-3 fronts, but mixed in some 3-4 philosophies, going with some one-gap and two-gap alignments. He goes cover-three in the secondary predominantly, with a single high safety. He needs versatile, rangy linebackers. Manusky, meanwhile, went with a 3-4 base and mixed in 4-3 fronts. Manusky, like Pettine, is viewed as a really good teaching coach, stressing not only technique, but an understanding of the concepts of plays. Pettine has run both 3-4 and 4-3 defenses depending on the team he has worked for. But even when running primarily a 4-3, Pettine has thrown some 3-4 looks given the situation. Wilks is a bit of an unknown because he has served only as a defensive backs coach. However, the Panthers have run a 4-3 defense while Wilks has been on staff, and the Chargers also ran a 4-3 when Wilks was there as defensive backs coach.
That’s a good question about which current players could fit well with these schemes. The Redskins obviously do a lot of flipping back and forth between 3-4 and 4-3 looks. Ryan Kerrigan, Trent Murphy and Preston Smith can rush out of three-point stances as 4-3 ends, just like they can out of two-point stances as linebackers. Many of the defensive linemen can play 3-4 end, or defensive tackles in the 4-3. But, then you have guys like Su’a Cravens, who could seemingly thrive as an outside linebacker in the 4-3 defense better than he could an inside linebacker in the 3-4. But Cravens could be moving back to strong safety. It’ll be interesting to see if he has the range to handle those downfield coverage responsibilities. He seems to think so. But, obviously, all of this depends largely on what defensive coordinator the Redskins hire. To run Bradley’s style of defense, the Redskins need some more athleticism at inside linebacker. They could use that regardless. But definitely in that kind of scheme.
We’ve seen a lot about the Redskins’ interest in defensive coordinators, from Mike Pettine to Gus Bradley to Wade Phillips to Greg Manusky to Paul Guenther and probably a bunch of people who are being paraded in there who aren’t on the radar. From the standpoint of those five, since they seem to be the top candidates, can you give a breakdown of their systems (3-4 vs. 4-3, blitz tendencies, linebackers’ assignments in coverage vs. rushing, etc.) and how you think the Redskins’ current defensive players would fit with what they want to do?
– Mike Randolph, Chesapeake, Va.
You can cross Guenther off the list because Cincinnati isn’t giving him permission to interview. Steve Wilks from Carolina is, however, on the list. The Redskins have received permission to interview him. But as of now, it sounds as if Pettine is the only candidate who has actually had his interview already.
It’s interesting because all of these guys have 3-4 backgrounds, but none of them are pure 3-4 guys. Wade Phillips is known for his creativity and aggressive schemes. He’ll open up in a 3-4 front, but on third downs, it’s not uncommon to see a seven-man front comprised of nothing but ends and linebackers rushing from two-point stances. His varied looks make it hard for an offense to identify exactly what’s coming. Bradley and Manusky both run hybrid schemes that use both 3-4 and 4-3 principles. Bradley primarily used 4-3 fronts, but mixed in some 3-4 philosophies, going with some one-gap and two-gap alignments. He goes cover-three in the secondary predominantly, with a single high safety. He needs versatile, rangy linebackers. Manusky, meanwhile, went with a 3-4 base and mixed in 4-3 fronts. Manusky, like Pettine, is viewed as a really good teaching coach, stressing not only technique, but an understanding of the concepts of plays. Pettine has run both 3-4 and 4-3 defenses depending on the team he has worked for. But even when running primarily a 4-3, Pettine has thrown some 3-4 looks given the situation. Wilks is a bit of an unknown because he has served only as a defensive backs coach. However, the Panthers have run a 4-3 defense while Wilks has been on staff, and the Chargers also ran a 4-3 when Wilks was there as defensive backs coach.
That’s a good question about which current players could fit well with these schemes. The Redskins obviously do a lot of flipping back and forth between 3-4 and 4-3 looks. Ryan Kerrigan, Trent Murphy and Preston Smith can rush out of three-point stances as 4-3 ends, just like they can out of two-point stances as linebackers. Many of the defensive linemen can play 3-4 end, or defensive tackles in the 4-3. But, then you have guys like Su’a Cravens, who could seemingly thrive as an outside linebacker in the 4-3 defense better than he could an inside linebacker in the 3-4. But Cravens could be moving back to strong safety. It’ll be interesting to see if he has the range to handle those downfield coverage responsibilities. He seems to think so. But, obviously, all of this depends largely on what defensive coordinator the Redskins hire. To run Bradley’s style of defense, the Redskins need some more athleticism at inside linebacker. They could use that regardless. But definitely in that kind of scheme.
