Broncos tap Wade Phillips to run D

[Broncosballer32]

Denver Broncos hire Wade Phillips as defensive coordinator - ESPN

Well, looks like they will be running the 3-4. He is reunited with Demarcus Ware, and Von Miller is playing his natural position at OLB. Keep in mind, Ware had his best production with Philips in the 3-4 as an OLB.

Now, it is imperative they that sign Knighton. That, cannot be stressed enough.

 

[cdumler7]

Have to disagree just a bit on that Knighton has to be resigned. I think he would be a huge signing and I really do hope that they do but if you look at the past 3-4 defenses that Phillips has run he has actually liked smaller NT's that have great athleticism.

I've been reading quite a bit lately on a Phillips 3-4 defense and while he does change it up depending on the personnel he seems to favor the 1-gap attacking 3-4 defense. What this means is players have one gap that they are responsible for and they attack that spot. So having DE's and a NT that can attack with good speed and power really helps in his best style of defense. Now Knighton actually does have decent athleticism so I think he could do fine but another guy I think this defense could set up for is that of Sly Williams. When we brought him in he was more known for his ability off the snap to make a play. Unfortunately under Del Rio he likes his DT's more to be used to take on blockers and let the linebackers make a play. So I could see Sly actually doing pretty well in this system. Same goes for Wolfe and Malik.

I honestly think personnel wise we do seem to set up better for the 3-4. Ware and Miller for sure seem like better fits in this type of system and the fact that we have worked to get so many DT/DE hybrid type players sets up well for us to have some 5-tech players. NT is the big question mark at this point though. The 2 ILB could get interesting but both Trevathan and Marshall are within 2 lbs. of the average starting ILB in 3-4 defenses so it is not like they are too small to handle being inside. They both also have shown abilities to shed blocks so the 3-4 honestly should allow us to get our best players on defense for the front 7 in more natural positions and allow us to become a lot more of an attacking defense.

Just some stats to show what Phillips brings to the table...

On average when Phillips has taken over as DC of a team his defense have improved 10.25 spots in yards per play, 9.5 spots in sack rate, and 12.5 spots in yardage allowed per game.

Now obviously some of that will be impossible to match in Denver considering we already had/have a top-5 defense in the NFL in many categories. The one area that I am excited to see improve though is the sack rate. While the Broncos did finish top-10 in sacks for the season our sack rate was actually pretty terrible considering the players we have on this team. We finished 21st in sack rate (sacks per opportunity). We got our sacks because well teams were forced to pass on us more regularly.

Another part that I am excited to see is Phillips comes from a background of very aggressive coaches. So he really is pretty opposite of that of Del Rio in many ways. A great example is in our final game this past season against the Colts we did not get a single sack on Andrew Luck and only blitzed 8 times the entire game or about 11% of all defensive snaps. That would have finished dead last in the NFL for blitzing this past season. Essentially Del Rio was the type of my 11 are going to execute better than your 11 even though you already know what we are going to do. There just is no creativity to his defense.

 

[Broncosballer32]

Have to disagree just a bit on that Knighton has to be resigned. I think he would be a huge signing and I really do hope that they do but if you look at the past 3-4 defenses that Phillips has run he has actually liked smaller NT's that have great athleticism.

I've been reading quite a bit lately on a Phillips 3-4 defense and while he does change it up depending on the personnel he seems to favor the 1-gap attacking 3-4 defense. What this means is players have one gap that they are responsible for and they attack that spot. So having DE's and a NT that can attack with good speed and power really helps in his best style of defense. Now Knighton actually does have decent athleticism so I think he could do fine but another guy I think this defense could set up for is that of Sly Williams. When we brought him in he was more known for his ability off the snap to make a play. Unfortunately under Del Rio he likes his DT's more to be used to take on blockers and let the linebackers make a play. So I could see Sly actually doing pretty well in this system. Same goes for Wolfe and Malik.

I honestly think personnel wise we do seem to set up better for the 3-4. Ware and Miller for sure seem like better fits in this type of system and the fact that we have worked to get so many DT/DE hybrid type players sets up well for us to have some 5-tech players. NT is the big question mark at this point though. The 2 ILB could get interesting but both Trevathan and Marshall are within 2 lbs. of the average starting ILB in 3-4 defenses so it is not like they are too small to handle being inside. They both also have shown abilities to shed blocks so the 3-4 honestly should allow us to get our best players on defense for the front 7 in more natural positions and allow us to become a lot more of an attacking defense.

Just some stats to show what Phillips brings to the table...

On average when Phillips has taken over as DC of a team his defense have improved 10.25 spots in yards per play, 9.5 spots in sack rate, and 12.5 spots in yardage allowed per game.

Now obviously some of that will be impossible to match in Denver considering we already had/have a top-5 defense in the NFL in many categories. The one area that I am excited to see improve though is the sack rate. While the Broncos did finish top-10 in sacks for the season our sack rate was actually pretty terrible considering the players we have on this team. We finished 21st in sack rate (sacks per opportunity). We got our sacks because well teams were forced to pass on us more regularly.

Another part that I am excited to see is Phillips comes from a background of very aggressive coaches. So he really is pretty opposite of that of Del Rio in many ways. A great example is in our final game this past season against the Colts we did not get a single sack on Andrew Luck and only blitzed 8 times the entire game or about 11% of all defensive snaps. That would have finished dead last in the NFL for blitzing this past season. Essentially Del Rio was the type of my 11 are going to execute better than your 11 even though you already know what we are going to do. There just is no creativity to his defense.

Yeah, could be right about Knighton. I happen to think for a big guy like he is, he actually does push the pocket fairly well.

I am a little weary about Philips willingness or propensity to send 5 guys. To me, that tends to play right into the hands of Brady types.

Ironies here looking back.

Joe Collier's old version of the 3-4 was the version that always gave the 49ers fits in the 80s. In fact, the Broncos were the only team in the 80s that the 49ers did not beat, that is until SB XXIV. The last time Collier faced the 49ers, the Broncos held the 49ers to 13 points in San Fran in 1988. Belichick's 3-4 defense with the Giants was that version. Belichick had learned that "Fairbanks-Bullough 3-4" defensive system.

One of the teams in the 80s that gave Bill Walsh fits were the Giants.

In 1989 when Wade Philips took over, he coached that attack style with a relatively smaller NT in Kragen. They certainly played the run better, but it also became something that the 49ers could take advantage of in SB XXIV. Am I saying if Collier was DC, the Broncos would have won that SB. No, but I do think they would have had a tougher time.


BTW, here is a look at the history of that defense.

Fairbanks-Bullough 3-4 defensive system[edit]

The New England Patriots run a modified base 3-4 Chuck Fairbanks-Hank Bullough system[14] installed by Bill Belichick. The term 3-4 means that their base formation consists of 3 defensive linemen (defensive end, nose tackle, and defensive end), 4 linebackers (outside "Will" weak side linebacker, middle "Jack" weak side linebacker, middle "Mike" strong side linebacker, and outside "Sam" strong side linebacker), and 4 defensive backs (cornerback, free safety, strong safety, and cornerback).[15] It is believed that this 3-4 structure gives the defense the greatest amount of flexibility because the linebackers are among the most versatile players on the defense, capable of rushing the quarterback, tackling runners or dropping into coverage. By mixing the roles of their linebackers from play to play, the Patriots defense seeks to cause confusion on the part of opposing offenses. At times the Patriots will also shade their defensive linemen different ways, creating "over" or "under" defenses. "Over" and "under" defenses simply refer to the shift of the defensive linemen to the strong or weak side of the offense, respectively, and the rotation of the linebackers in the opposite direction.

The "Fairbanks-Bullough" 3-4 system is known as a two gap system, because each of the defensive linemen are required to cover the gaps to both sides of the offensive lineman that try to block them.[16] Defensive linemen in this system tend to be stouter, as they need to be able to hold their place without being overwhelmed in order to allow the linebackers behind them to make plays. This is the reason that defensive linemen such as Richard Seymour and Vince Wilfork do not always rack up sack and tackle statistics despite their critical importance to the team.[17]

The system is at times more conservative than certain other defenses currently in vogue in the league,[18] despite the constant threat of its potent linebacker blitz.[citation needed] The Patriots defensive system generally places an emphasis on physicality and discipline over mobility and risk taking[citation needed] and is sometimes characterized as a "bend but do not break defense".[19] The Patriots are also known for putting a great deal of emphasis on the front seven (defensive line and linebackers) but less so on the secondary.

History[edit]

The 3-4 defense was originally devised by Bud Wilkinson at the University of Oklahoma in the late 1940s.[20] Former Patriots and Oklahoma coach Chuck Fairbanks is credited with being a major figure in first bringing the 3-4 defense to the NFL in 1974.[21] It is unclear if the Patriots under Fairbanks or the Houston Oilers under Bum Phillips were the first team to bring the 3-4 defense to the NFL.

Patriots defensive coordinator Hank Bullough made significant further innovations to the system.[22] Parcells was linebackers coach under Ron Erhardt as head coach of the Patriots in 1980 (after Fairbanks left for Colorado in 1978 and Bullough lost out on the head coaching position). When Parcells returned to the Giants as defensive coordinator under Ray Perkins in 1981, he brought the 3-4 defense with him.

Bill Belichick was initially exposed to the 3-4 defense while working as an assistant under Red Miller, head coach of the Denver Broncos and a former Patriots offensive coordinator under Fairbanks. Joe Collier was the defensive coordinator under Red Miller at the time,[23] and his orange crush defense was very successful at stifling opposing offenses. The Broncos had decided to adopt the 3-4 in 1977. Bill Belichick subsequently refined his understanding of the 3-4 as a linebackers coach and defensive coordinator under Parcells with the Giants. Belichick returned the 3-4 defense back to New England when he become coach of the team in 2000.[22] Romeo Crennel subsequently became defensive coordinator for the team.

In a 2007 press conference Belichick said the following of Fairbanks: "I think Chuck has had a tremendous influence on the league as well as this organization in terms of nomenclature and terminology and those kinds of things. I'm sure Chuck could walk in and look at our playbook and probably 80 percent of the plays are the same terminology that he used - whether it be formations or coverages or pass protections. We were sitting there talking yesterday and he was saying, 'How much 60 protection are you guys using? How much 80 are you using?' All of the stuff that was really the fundamentals of his system are still in place here even, again, to the way we call formations and plays and coverages and some of our individual calls within a call, a certain adjustment or things that Red (Miller) and Hank (Bullough) and Ron (Erhardt) and those guys used when they were here".[24]

New England Patriots strategy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


^^^^^ Bold faced.

 

[cdumler7]

Very nice read Broncosballer32. I agree with you that the sending 5 guys on a regular basis is not the best way to go about it. What I love about the 3-4 though is the 4th rusher can come from anywhere. Up the middle, right, left, stunts, delayed, and so much more. There is just much more creativity that a DC can work with when it comes to the 3-4. I also think the 3-4 will benefit our best player on defense in Von Miller. Essentially that was the biggest reason nobody thought the Broncos would draft him is because he didn't fit the 4-3 system as well as the 3-4 that he played in college. This gives the Broncos a lot more opportunity to move him around to find the best match ups like Wade Phillips did with JJ Watt. Essentially the Broncos can have him blitzing from all over the formation finding the weak OL player and having us attack that spot.

Now realize when I say we will be more aggressive I am saying more to the idea of us being more like the average team when it comes to blitzing. Del Rio actually did better last year when he had to be more creative with so many injuries. This year he just seemed to get lazy and decide he would just rush 4 every time and drop 7. Offenses knew we were just going to line up our best 4 against their best 5 or 6 (depending if they kept a RB or TE to help block) and there just was 0 stunting, twisting, delaying, anything. See to me you can be an aggressive pass rushing team without having to send extra people. It just means you have to work to be more creative as a DC. I think Phillips brings that mentality to the team.

 

[Miked383]

I tend to disagree, while its not good to send 5 guys all of the time I think it suits this defense and this team well. When you have a high powered offense and 2 of the best pass rushers in the game along with 3 very good corners you can and should take chances. That's how big plays are made. I am very happy with Phillips being the DC, he hasn't been a great head coach but he has been a great D Coordinator.