Whisenhunt and the 3-4 alignment

[JeffGollin]

You can play a 3-4 alignment in a 4-3 defense. Nick Saban did this at LSU and in his first year at Miami.

I wouldn't jump to conclusion about our current and future base scheme just yet.

Observing league trends and Clancy in action over the past few years, I detect a trend whereby - if DC's ruled the world - they'd have 11 guys on the field who werw all essentially linebackers who weighed 250 lbs. ran like a deer and wwere interchangeable pieces of a mix & match defensive puzzle meant to disguise looks and confuse offenses. You'd have nose guards covering tight ends, defensive ends dropping into coverages and linebackers flying around everywhere. It wouldn't matter if the team was in a 3-4, 4-3, 46 pr some other hair-assed scheme so long as the right guys were in the right positions to make plays.

What this mix & match defensive concept might suggest would be (a) more linebackers relative to the number of defensive linemen on the roster and (b) additional UT/Big DE's to handle 3-4 responsibilities. Four guys in the draft I'd particularly zero in on because they could implement multiple schemes and false looks would be:

- Willis (prototypical buzz bomb LB fast enough to play outside and big enough to play inside)

- Carricker - (Like Dockett and Cooper, big enough to play UT in a 4-3. Fast enough to play DE in a 3-4)

- Meriweather (Plays safety but can also cover WR's like a CB)

- Spencer - (LB/DE Tweener)

 

[CtCardinals78]

Good lord. This has all the earmarks of a 2-14 season. Feel the excitement, everyone!

Someone call the WHAAAAmbulance for K9 he's having another meltdown!!!! J/k man having some fun.

 

[ajcardfan]

Not even a single scrimmage or walk thru conducted yet, let alone the draft,or training camp and already Whiz is a hack according to you.

Unbelievable.

Maybe he's trying to one-up Mitch by calling for Whiz to get canned BEFORE training camp even starts.

 

[Garthshort]

3-4

Wouldn't this defense make Alan Branch a choice in the first round? Or at least more of a choice?

 

[az jam]

Wouldn't this defense make Alan Branch a choice in the first round? Or at least more of a choice?

He will be the choice if Thomas is gone.

 

[BigWatson]

Wouldn't this defense make Alan Branch a choice in the first round? Or at least more of a choice?

what for? if you want a 3-4 DE you draft carriker

 

[Skkorpion]

"Quarterback Matt Leinart, who had shoulder surgery, should be OK but the Cardinals will monitor his progress."

Why do Ithink that we are only one blind-side tackle away from starting our second string QB? It's going to be a long season.

Damn! I said it time and again that Leinart was hurt worse than the Cards were telling us. Duh! Surgery.

Two shoulder surgeries in three years. I told you he was soft. And Whisenhunt admitted Leinart wasn't a weight room aficionado and needed to bulk up.

I draft Brady Quinn and get what I can for Leinart.

 

[SECTION 11]

Calvin Pace is a good football player. Dude would be a pro bowler with the Patriots.

Yeah that's right.

 

[perivolaki]

Personally i have always thought Chike was better suited as an outside rushing LB.

I agree, I've always thought that CO was much more active when standing up.

It's pretty obvious that Whiz wants more size on the defensive line and even at outside linebacker. You can see he wants to stop the run first and foremost.

 

[Duckjake]

Calvin Pace is a good football player. Dude would be a pro bowler with the Patriots.

Yeah that's right.

Pace would have been selected in the 7th round by NE and played at LB from his first day with the team. He would have spent all his time as a backup to McGinest and as a solid special teams guy, until last year when he would have had a decent season with 5-6 sacks. He would have signed as a free agent with the 49ers this year.

 

[vinnymac]

If you keep doing the same thing(as many of you are suggesting by complaining about Whisenhunt trying different things) then you will keep getting the same results. Truthfully I am tired of all these losing season. What the Cardinals have been doing hasn't worked. Now they are trying something different. A few of you complain about the Cardinals not having the balls to change their style. They hired Whisenhunt to do just that. You never know if it is going to work unless you try it out. That is what they are doing. My point is: If you are last in everything you do, then you need to try something different. That is exactly what they are doing.

 

[vinnymac]

Another thing, most of you have been wanting the cardinals to switch to the 3-4 for years. They are actually doing it and now you are complaining about it. Get a grip people.

 

[joeshmo]

"Quarterback Matt Leinart, who had shoulder surgery, should be OK but the Cardinals will monitor his progress."

Why do Ithink that we are only one blind-side tackle away from starting our second string QB? It's going to be a long season.

I have to question where you got that quote. Was that a direct copy and paste of the quote or a summary of what you read. The only thing that mentions Matts shoulder was in Urbans artcicle and it states.

"Quarterback Matt Leinart, who had to rehabilitate his left shoulder after injuring it in Week 16 last season, will participate but will be monitored."

http://eastvalleytribune.com/story/87646

I only ask this becuase I know for a fact that Matt did not need surgery after the season and hasnt got any surgery since.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/cardinals/articles/1227leinart-ON.html

 

[joeshmo]

Damn! I said it time and again that Leinart was hurt worse than the Cards were telling us. Duh! Surgery.

It is a misquote. Matt never got surgury on his shoulder this offseason.

 

[football karma]

Maybe we should start Cardinal offseason internet legends:

1. Larry Fitzgerald is really p'od about Denny getting fired and wont talk to Wis and is demanding a trade to Minnesota

2. Leinart still cant lift his left arm after having major surgery on his shoulder.

Some things just dont want to die.

 

[earthsci]

Maybe we should start Cardinal offseason internet legends:

1. Larry Fitzgerald is really p'od about Denny getting fired and wont talk to Wis and is demanding a trade to Minnesota

2. Leinart still cant lift his left arm after having major surgery on his shoulder.

Some things just dont want to die.

Do you know how funny that would be if we started a thread that everyone here was in on and it ended up on PFT?

 

[Covert Rain]

Just FYI--while converting to a 3-4 base defense under Mike Nolan, the San Francisco 49ers compiled records of 4-12 & 7-9. During that period, they ranked 32nd and 26th in total defense.

One word. SO? What does that have to do with this team? There are other examples of the 3-4 working extremely well. Most notably the Steelers from which our HC is from. If anybody can convert a team (over time) to this system, it's him. Not to mention that as I stated, we will have to change up our roster a bit to fully convert.

 

[joeshmo]

Another thing, most of you have been wanting the cardinals to switch to the 3-4 for years. They are actually doing it and now you are complaining about it. Get a grip people.

I think that the 3-4 people were and still are in the minority by a wide margin. And when ever someone brought it up then they got ripped for it.

 

[kerouac9]

One word. SO? What does that have to do with this team? There are other examples of the 3-4 working extremely well. Most notably the Steelers from which our HC is from. If anybody can convert a team (over time) to this system, it's him. Not to mention that as I stated, we will have to change up our roster a bit to fully convert.

What are you talking about? The Steelers have been a 3-4 team for seemingly 20 years. As long as I can remember. The example that you might have used effectively was the Baltimore Ravens, who experimented with it for three years before converting to a predominantly 4-3 alignment again to protect Ray Lewis and extend his career. Or the Cowboys, who basically burned an entire draft building up the talent to make it successful two seasons ago. The Chargers had to do essentially the same thing two years ago.

Unfortunately, the Cards have pressing needs on offense that prevents that from happening, and there aren't talents like Marcus Spears, Luis Castillo, Shawne Merriman, etc. available in this draft.

On the other hand, you can try and switch on the fly without investing in personnel, but you end up stinking, like the Falcons defense did a few years ago when they brought in Wade Phillips to orchestrate their defense.

I'm not saying the 3-4 doesn't work. I'm saying that transitioning to the 3-4 requires a step back before you can take two steps forward, and that it takes a few seasons for that to happen, even with a coach that's immersed in 3-4 principles, which Clancy Pendergast is not.

 

[cardsfanmd]

It's good to utilize the talents of your players...

I just hope that Whis and Pendy don't get so "tricky" that they are confusing their own players more than the opposition!

I was thinking the same thing.

 

[perivolaki]

Unfortunately, the Cards have pressing needs on offense that prevents that from happening, and there aren't talents like Marcus Spears, Luis Castillo, Shawne Merriman, etc. available in this draft.

How do you know talents like that aren't available? Let's face it the draft is often a crap shoot where teams are wrong as often as they're right. There very well could be playres as talented as the ones you named. It's always easy after the fact to know who is going to be great. I remember a few years ago when I couldn't get anyone on here interested in Tommie Harris. Everyone thought he was to small. There could be plenty of talented players in this draft.

 

[Cheesebeef]

There could be plenty of talented players in this draft.

undoubtedly true, but do you really expect Rod Graves to be able to spot them?

 

[Heucrazy]

undoubtedly true, but do you really expect Rod Graves to be able to spot them?

Maybe Whiz can?

 

[Cheesebeef]

Maybe Whiz can?

maybe, but all I can think is... who hired him? Oh yeah, Rod Graves and Michael Bidwill. Doesn't do much in as far as boostering my confidence here. Besides, if Grave isn't making these decisions, what the hell does he do to warrant that ridiculous raise he got?

trickle down theory - I think this team is just doomed for as long as Rod Graves stammers at the podium.

 

[kerouac9]

How do you know talents like that aren't available? Let's face it the draft is often a crap shoot where teams are wrong as often as they're right. There very well could be playres as talented as the ones you named. It's always easy after the fact to know who is going to be great. I remember a few years ago when I couldn't get anyone on here interested in Tommie Harris. Everyone thought he was to small. There could be plenty of talented players in this draft.

Because everyone knew that those guys were talented when they came out? I was hoping that the Cards would draft Shawne Merriman that year instead of Antrel Rolle.

Teams are not "wrong as often as they're right". Teams are much more often right than wrong. Otherwise, the play in the NFL would remain static, or decline every season. Instead, it improves.

I'll come out and say it straight: no linebacker in this class is going to turn out to be as good as Shawne Merriman or DeMarcus Ware, barring injury. Those guys are special talents.