Wade Phillips is the new DC

[barrett]

Originally Posted by chuck

Man. Not only would any TE on any NFL roster torch an OLB tandem of Barwin and Mark Anderson, Demeco and Cushing are particularly unsuited to be ILBs in a 3-4. And I won't even bother telling you that Mario is a prototypical 4-3 DE and has no real place in a 3-4 because I know you already know that. There is literally no safety on the roster who can cover a Left Tackle and you want Barwin and Anderson at OLB? Wow. Peyton manning would redefine the word 'abuse.'

At least you're not echoing Wade's dad who said that he'd try Amobi at OLB.

Everywhere I turn it's the lunatics running the asylum.

Look, I'd be delighted to have a defense that looks like New England's, a hybrid that shifts (moving quickly I initially typed 'shits' - we already have a defense that does that...) and morphs unpredictably in response to down, distance, offensive personnel, etc. I wouldn't mind moving Mario around and showing different looks and confusing the hell out of QBs all over the league. The problem is relatively speaking Belichick is a Harvard PhD and the goons running the Texans are paste-eating, finger-painting Aggies. Actually, in certain instances this is literally true.

If we can run a 34/43 hibrid, then I am all for it. Watch a New England game and they are almost never lined up in a straight 3-4. Especially on 3rd down. You can run a 3-4 but still line up Mario wide on passing downs. You can do pretty much anything you want with either defense and even more with a combination of the two. When cleveland stymied NE this year, they did it with 1 down lineman and an amoeba of other guys standing up near the LOS and then randomly rushing or dropping.

But a DC needs to get creative to do this. I have no idea whether Wade is capable of this or not. His cowboys (when they tried) ran a great but very traditional 3-4. Of course, they had a decade of assembling 3-4 personnell and Demarcus Ware on the field. There is little reason to morph out of the 3-4 when that's the case. I have heard on here that Wade has coached a 4-3 defense in the past. So maybe he can be that guy.

But if he is coming to run a 4-3 with our personnell I take a huge pass. Someone needs to get creative to win with this group. So why hire a guy and ask him to do what he's 2nd best at.

If he is coming to run a straight 3-4 I'll take another huge pass. We aren't suited for it as an every down defense. It decreases the value of Mario and Demeco in a big way. I actually think Cushing may flourish as a standing rush OLB, and smith will fit well, but the rest of the front 7 is ill used in that situation.

I hope our guys are thinking these same things, but I fear Bob McNair is completely misreading his fan base and thinking he can sell good old days and Texas pride in a Wade Phillips package.