Run defense improved?
 

Last year, I thought the strongside of the defense was pretty porous last year, especially earlier in the year. Granted, Diles had a couple of good games. The weakside tended to be pretty strong due a lot to Mario.

This offseason, the Texans add two players to the front seven on the strongside in Cushing and Smith. The Texans gave up a 122 ypg and 4.5 per carry.

Is Cushing and Smith enough to get the Texans to being a top ten run defense team (4.0 ypc or less and 100 ypg or less)?

if you factor in the improved coaching staff, maybe! I certainly think the LB position will be an asset for us, especially given the great depth we have there now. I think the real question for the run defense is how the DTs play. Hopefully Bush and Kollar improve their play a great deal.

I think the best addition for the run defense is Cushing. The biggest weakness in the run defense was Diles who got washed out on alot of plays on the strong side. He wasn't strong enough for the point of attack and is a much better fit on the weakside. Cushing is a much stronger run defender, take on blocks and blow up offensive linemen, tight ends and fullbacks.

An excerpt from his draft card:

Can be overaggressive at times, which leads to some false steps and poor pursuit angles. However, he flies around the field and is a sideline-to-sideline run supporter. His motor is always revving. He is strong and shows the ability to hold ground when teams run at him. Uses strong hands and powerful upper body (30 reps on the bench) to stack the edge and rip off of blocks. He is a punishing striker with explosive short-area power.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfldraft/...4453&year=2009

Cushing obviously upgrades the SAM. We should be two games better just by the fact that we now have a defensive strategy to blow-up the run, and get after the QB on passing plays. But don't expect too much too soon. There has been so many new faces added to the defense that it will be awhile to get them all on the same page.

I can see this. It just seemed certain teams could just run at will to the strongside. I'm happy with Dunta and whoever comes out of Reeves, Molden, and Bennett as the other CB. I'm hoping the defense as a whole gets to average this season, but see the front seven as the key to improvement.

I am very excited about the potential and the reported new philosophy of the defense. The execution of catching the RB after he was 3 - 5 yards past the line of scrimmage was brutal to watch. What I'm looking forward to is penetrating DTs making TFLs and a punishing tackler like Cushing dropping RBs when he meets them in the hole.

What worries me is DeMeco Ryans' ability to get off of blocks from the OL and whoever plays the WILL to make stops in the running game. The FS will need to be more of a factor in the run defense, in my opinion. Now if Okoye and Mario can attack, that may be less of a concern as they tally more stops. As for the CBs, including Glover Quinn, they will be called upon to support the run. That's what I like about having Corners who are 200+lbs who can tackle. I'm also optimistic about what Troy Nolan brings to the table.

In terms of the passing game defense, we have upgraded the pass rush with Barwin. Hopefully, if we can stop the run and create more 3rd and longs, then an improved pass rush will become even more beneficial. The idea of an attacking defense is a little more risky, however, if executed properly, it can create huge dividends.

when Texans defense coach says attack style, does that imply do what Philadelphia is doing? they always seem to have a fairly high rated defense. they blitz a lot on any down with any set of players and play man-man with CBs a lot.

or is this more of a tampa 2 style attack which is less blitzing, but lots of team speed and all players flowing to the ball. one gap by DL without blitz. I think these are 4-3 styles.

either way, it will be exciting to watch and way different from what we've been watching. by attacking they force offense to do the reacting is the goal. I'm real optimistic the new coaches and style of play should motivte the defensive players to get in on the action with an aggressive attitude.

That's what I'm hoping for. :D

I remain unconvinced we have the pieces to make this work. A blitzing Brian Dawkins at safety is one of the keys to that blitz heavy defense. This is the case with most great blitzing teams. They can bring it from their DBs. We have nobody like that. This means all of our blitzing will come from the LBs which means it is far easier to recognize.

This is the main reason why I have been calling for help at FS for years. It is the key position in today's NFL when it comes to disguising your defense and causing confusion for the offense. It is also why teams are using two similar safeties. The problem is the good teams are using similarly talented safeties while we use similarly untalented ones.

Until we up the athleticism of the safety position we will struggle with a blitz heavy defense (as much as I'd love to see it). I will have to wait and see what our young DBs look like.

Not to dispute your point in its entirety, but Dunta's greatest asset is his blitzing ability. Also, though it's a tiny sample size, the chances Barber has gotten to blitz he has been extremely effective. And, Eugene Wilson is an average blitzer. I really couldn't comment on the rest of the guys, though we seem to place a premium on size and speed, so you'd think there'd be another guy there who would be at least average at getting to the QB.

I think it's moot though. I don't think we'll see anymore blitzing than we saw toward the end of the season last year, and I certainly don't think we'll see a Jim Johnson-esque defense. I think we'll generally try and get pressure with the front four and send a fifth man on passing down. Ho-hum.

All the talk about being more aggressive is nice but let's see how it translates on the field. I happy that the D got help in the draft and I trust Smith/Kubiak to have an idea what they are doing but the proof, as they say, is in the pudding. This is the year for the Texans to step up but, until it happens, there is part of me that will be a bit skeptical.

We also need to get Dunta and Demeco settled contractually.

Eventually the team will actually do what they say. I think they have to change the style of defense, the old style did not work. I think if Frank Bush has the front 7 attacking and getting upfield I will be overjoyed. I think Kubiak/Bush know they have to change the style.

I agree they need to get 59 and 23 settled.

Dunta has blitzed well on the rare occasion that we sent him, but I don't think he's rushed the passer more than a dozen times total in his NFL career. Barber looked ok when he got on the field the last two weeks, but is still an unknown at this point. And Eugene Wilson is not a blitzer. He is a centerfield safety with coverage skills and poor tackling.

Either way my point is that when your biggest hitting DB is your 5'8" 175 lb CB, you are not going to be able to model yourself after a Jim Johnson-esque defense.

I think you are spot on here. I think you'll see us bringing a 5th man from one of the 3 LB positions. I doubt we get all creative just because Frank Bush said we'd be more aggressive. We just don't have the personell for it. Wit the talent we have our pressure has to come from the front 4 rather than from scheme and blitzing.

The Giants and Coach Spagnuolo modeled themselves after Johnson. I don't recall seeing a bunch of DBs blitzing the QB from them last year either. Corey Webster (1) and Aaron Ross (0) along with Michael Johnson (1) and Kenny Phillips (0) combined for a total of 2 sacks. Hell Dominique Barber had a sack for us last year. So, I think we can be aggressive with our LBs and be just fine.

I would not rule out blitzing Cushing and DeMeco in the A-Gap a lot more this season either.

All that being said, what will be the most important philosophical change will be unleashing the DL to get to the backfield. Okoye should post at least 6 sacks. Travis Johnson should get 3 more at a minimum (1 more than his career total). Shaun Cody could contribute 2. Antonio Smith 5 or more. Connor Barwin should get at least 4 as a rookie playing opposite of Mario. I'd project Mario with 15 this season. That's putting a lot of faith in Bill Kollar. Last year the Texans posted 25 sacks and the Bills only had a total of 24. However, I am projecting a total of 35 for our DL simply because of the unrealized talent we have. The NY Giants tallied 42 paced by Justin Tuck's 12 for the season. Jim Johnson's Eagles tallied a total of 48 sacks and was led by Darren Howard's 10 followed by Trent Cole's 9.

I will concede that Sacks are probably the most overrated stat that kept for a defense. However, if a team is generating pressure, getting TFLs, and doing the things I expect an "aggressive" defense to do, then they generally accrue more than 32 sacks in a 16 game season (i.e. 2 per game).

The giants may have a former Eagle for a coach, and there may be similarities, but the Giants don't blitz nearly as much as the Eagles. The Giants rely on the front 4. Probably because their personell matches that much better than what the Eagles tried to do with constant blitzing. This is why I said we can't blitz like the Eagles. Our personnell doesn't support that kind of philosophy. We have too much put into the DL and not enough athleticism at DB to make it work. Hopefully we can look like the Giants on defense though.

How about Bullard? Didn't he have 4 sacks in relief of Weaver last year? You can possibly factor him into the equation.

I don't see zero's version happening. Oh the defense will be somewhat conservative in the beginning. As I said, they will all have to get on the same page with each other, but by the first game of the season, I see a much more aggressive group getting after the QB, and stopping the run.

Good info here...

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/St...?story_id=5276

Bentley: ...maybe we can even see Connor Barwin get in a zone-dog blitz scheme. Is that something you are considering?

Frank Bush: Absolutely. Because he is such a good athlete, there are things we can do with him, as far as dropping him out. You know, he did play tight end, so he’s got good hands and we can drop him into coverage or create packages where we send him from different angles and different situations. Even Antonio knows how to drop. We can create scenarios that people aren’t expecting.


Brooke Bentley: Keeping in line with that, another fan wants to know: “What are your plans for Zac Diles next season? Would he move to the weakside?”

Frank Bush: Zac is an integral part of what we want to do. We loved the way he played football last year. Unfortunately, he got injured, but we were really excited about the progress he was making and we are excited about where he is right now. Of course, he is going to have to compete with Brian Cushing and Xavier Adibi. But we do see him in the plans and we do see him moving around and doing some different things with him. We are excited about where he is, and hopefully, he can come back and contribute big time.

Brooke Bentley: Another fan writes: “Tim Bulman looked like a budding star last year in stretches. Does drafting Connor Barwin change things for Tim Bulman?”

Frank Bush: Tim is a budding star, and I don’t think it changes anything. I think it enhances what we do. Tim is a kid that plays with such a tremendous motor, and you always need those types on your football team. Hopefully, Connor can buy into some of the stuff Tim is selling and he can play with that same tempo. We like Timmy; we like the things he brings to the football team as well as the defense. With his attitude and the way he goes about it, we are excited about where he is right now.

Brooke Bentley: This fan wants to know: "Can you teach our defensive tackles this year to stop the run better technique-wise? Or is going to be a scheme change?"

Frank Bush: A little bit of both. We changed the scheme a little bit in the sense that those guys are going to attack more. By doing so, those guys will be able to attack the line of scrimmage and hopefully knock guards and centers back a little bit and we do get more penetration and knock guys back. Maybe we reset the line of scrimmage and knock the line of scrimmage back and therefore stop the running game a little bit better. Scheme-wise, we will do some things where we have more guys in the box and bring them from different angles and keep people guessing more. Therefore, they can’t just get a read on us and target us and block us a certain way. Up front, we are going to attack more so those kids can get off the ball and reset the line of scrimmage, and that will help the running game.

Interesting.

Word on the street is that Frank Bush likes where I'm at.

So here is the way I see the LB's looking in 2009:
1st team:
SAM: Cushing
MIKE: DeMeco
Will: June

2nd team:
WILL: Adibi - (maybe play some SS?)
MIKE: Buster What's-his-Name
Backup all three: Diles

So there are the 6 LB's that Frank Bush mentioned keeping.

Comments?

I'm not convinced that June will start at WILL. He'll push whoever is in that spot, but I think that Diles will be the main competition at WILL. Diles ability to back up all three spots will be nice to have on the bench.

June is capable of starting, but I don't think he was brought here as the de facto starter. He'll get a shot, but I think the Texans would prefer to see Adibi keep developing.

I dunno but isn't Adibi the most athletic of the whole group, which is the kind of player a team wants at WIL ?

I can't imagine in the bizzarest of worlds that Diles is athletic enough to beat out June and Adibi.

He's a MLB who played at SLB because (1) he was blocked by a better player at MLB and (2) he was better than the other options at SLB.

We have now drafted someone who's better than him at SLB, so he'll likely back up both Cushing and Ryans and the loser of the WLB battle will be the back-up there.

We'll keep, IMO:
SLB - Cushing, Bentley
MLB - Ryans, Diles
WLB - June, Adibi

Which is a nice little group there.

Bentley beats out Buster Davis. Unless we keep 7 LBs.

Yep. Davis is a little bit redundant with Diles on the roster, though Diles gives you a bit more versatility. I think 7LB is a certain possibility, and if that's the case, I think Davis has a chance to make the squad; especially if he can make a significant contribution on special teams.

Yeah, Frank Bush was discussing that very thing in his interview with Brooke Bentley.

Originally Posted by Roy P http://www.inthebullseye.com/forums/...s/viewpost.gif
Bentley beats out Buster Davis. Unless we keep 7 LBs.

Buster Davis was probably just insurance in case Diles isn't back all the way.