2 hours ago, joemas6 said:

I mean to me, you could say that we have a 4 man front that identifies as a 3 man front. Very fitting in 2025

I would say we have a 4 man front that (most of the time) identifies itself as a 2 man front.

With that said, Fangio’s expectations of his OLBs is much more important than any chart designation. He expects them to be able to drop into coverage as LBs. 4-3 DEs are not expected to do that. Nor are 3-4 DEs.

IMO the KC secondary is the one who will be tested. I suspect a few deep shots to open up ,but I would like to avoid a "shootout". We need to maintain control and take the deep shots when they present themselves. I don't see any problems unless we really come out flat

2 hours ago, joemas6 said:

I've never been concerned with size and labels. Nolan Smith plays an edge in a 4 man front. At very minimal times...they will stick a 3rd interior DL between the tackles .

So basically...Nolan Smith going one on one with the OT is his job... holding the edge. Similar to Reggie White... doesn't matter the size...the function is what matters.

You are ignoring Fangio’s expectation tha his edges often have nothing to do with the OTs, but rather have coverage responsibility in one of the seven zones in Fangio’s zone scheme.

2 hours ago, joemas6 said:

Matt. . How many wedgies did you get growing up?

None. My classmates were just as critical thinking oriented as me. We were all headed to college and discourse/conversation was the learning model rather than lectures.

2 hours ago, joemas6 said:

So if Q rushes the QB....it's a stunt? What would distinguish it for you is if the opposite edge dropped in coverage and the number of rushers were only 4. Even though it's the complete opposite side of the formation?

Again at what point does the anal dorky wedgie receiving part end....and the common sense of the reality of the function kick in?

If Q rushes the QB he won’t be stunting with one of the front four. They can’t get back into his Boundary Quarters zone to cover any receiver who enters that xone on a route. Either a Safety or the NCB or Baun or Campbell will rotate into the zone Q abandons when he rushes.

2 hours ago, joemas6 said:

Again...a label. What role does Ojomo play that is any different than any other DT in a 4 man front?

What role does Ojomo play that is any different than any other DE in a 3-4?

2 hours ago, cunninghamtheman said:

Defending SB champs…with a challenging schedule from the jump this season. Very key if can pickup the W right now

I completely agree. Every one of the first five games is an opportunity to make a statement about what this team is made of.

I have predicted half a dozen times that I expect the team’s record at the Bye to be 8-0 … because this is a team that is totally capable of making statements.

2 hours ago, cunninghamtheman said:

That’s Fangio masterclass D math

It ain't the meat, it's the motion
That makes your mama wanna rock
It ain't the meat, it's the motion
It's the movement that gives it the sock

1 hour ago, joemas6 said:

So you believe SF wins this week?

Unfortunately the Saints make the answer to that question, "Yes.” I didn’t expect them to win in Week One, but somehow they did.

47 minutes ago, GreenbleedinNC said:

Mac Jones I suspect

I share that suspicion.

FWIW, some intel about no scripted plays against the Cowboys.

2 hours ago, mattwill said:

I have heard that Patullo did not use a script at the beginning of the game. Has anyone else heard about that? If yes, any input as to why he didn’t use a script?

1 hour ago, LeanMeanGM said:

Yes, he said he didn’t against Dallas because it was a new defense they haven’t seen on tape before so he was more interested to see how they come out and then counter off that.

1 hour ago, GreenbleedinNC said:

Mac Jones I suspect

Who are the pass catchers this week?

1 hour ago, mattwill said:

3-4 DEs line up with their hand in the dirt as well. It would be nice if there were clean lines of demarcation, but there aren’t. For example, Brandon Graham was clearly a DE in the 4-3 alignment. What was he in Fangio’s hybrid 3-4?

Correct....3 guys with their hand in the dirt....sometimes both hands in the dirt....then on either side of the 3 DL...you have an edge....

When it's 2 guys in between the edges. . I don't view it as 3-4.

For me if Dallas Goedert lined up in the backfield 2 yards in front of Barkley for 20 plays in a row... he could be listed as a TE, but to me he is playing FB

To each their own. . Again for me, I look at the function not the label.

1 minute ago, joemas6 said:

Correct....3 guys with their hand in the dirt....sometimes both hands in the dirt....then on either side of the 3 DL...you have an edge....

When it's 2 guys in between the edges. . I don't view it as 3-4.

For me if Dallas Goedert lined up in the backfield 2 yards in front of Barkley for 20 plays in a row... he could be listed as a TE, but to me he is playing FB

To each their own. . Again for me, I look at the function not the label.

I look at the function as well, and in Fangio’s scheme the function of the two edges is OLB. Do you not agree?

1 hour ago, mattwill said:

A duck.

With one exception all our edges are OLB ducks. ZS is the exception edge.

Will he function differently? Will he set the edge vs the run and rush the OT on a pass play?

Does it matter the color of a duck...or is a duck a duck?

1 hour ago, mattwill said:

I would say we have a 4 man front that (most of the time) identifies itself as a 2 man front.

With that said, Fangio’s expectations of his OLBs is much more important than any chart designation. He expects them to be able to drop into coverage as LBs. 4-3 DEs are not expected to do that. Nor are 3-4 DEs.

That's great...how many snaps did Nolan Smith drop in coverage? Quack quack quack....but it's a chicken?

1 hour ago, mattwill said:

You are ignoring Fangio’s expectation tha his edges often have nothing to do with the OTs, but rather have coverage responsibility in one of the seven zones in Fangio’s zone scheme.

Im not ignoring anything.... im looking at the play, where the player lines up and what his job is on the play.

1 hour ago, GreenbleedinNC said:

IMO the KC secondary is the one who will be tested. I suspect a few deep shots to open up ,but I would like to avoid a "shootout". We need to maintain control and take the deep shots when they present themselves. I don't see any problems unless we really come out flat

Dickerson is key....if he is hos regular self vs if he plays slow and weak.

1 hour ago, mattwill said:

If Q rushes the QB he won’t be stunting with one of the front four. They can’t get back into his Boundary Quarters zone to cover any receiver who enters that xone on a route. Either a Safety or the NCB or Baun or Campbell will rotate into the zone Q abandons when he rushes.

Excuse me...front what...did you say 4???

1 hour ago, mattwill said:

If Q rushes the QB he won’t be stunting with one of the front four. They can’t get back into his Boundary Quarters zone to cover any receiver who enters that xone on a route. Either a Safety or the NCB or Baun or Campbell will rotate into the zone Q abandons when he rushes.

So keep your thought moving to the rest of the formation here... Q rushes, the LB slides over to cover his area. The other LB slides over to cover the area the 1st LB vacated...then Dejean slides over to take the 2nd LBs area...and finally the edge opposite of Q.... drops to cover for DeJean..

They rotate like we know they do...it's not " one guy covers for the blitzer...we know the reality is that it starts a rotation.

So would you qualify Q rushing as a blitz or a stunt?

I would call it a blitz. Similar to when DeJean rushed from the right slot and Smith dropped into coverage from the left edge as Baun and Dean rotated to cover for DeJean. To me, DeJean blitzes the QB on that play...not a stunt

1 hour ago, mattwill said:

What role does Ojomo play that is any different than any other DE in a 3-4?

A DL in a 3 -4 has a role to play with 2 other interior DL. they share the space among 3 DTs... not sharing it with one other guy as the two interior DT in a 4 man front.

50 minutes ago, mattwill said:

FWIW, some intel about no scripted plays against the Cowboys.

Correct..it's exactly what I said...Patullo said no script...no recon... none of that vs Dallas.

Of course one could think the unknown of a defense would want you to do " recon " and have a script.

The reason he gave ...which is didn't think was important...is because I thought it's BS. I think any script will be limited if not even just never used.

But I also think he doesn't want to come out and say it....so he had to come up with some BS excuse about Dallas to get the media off his back

1 hour ago, joemas6 said:

Will he function differently? Will he set the edge vs the run and rush the OT on a pass play?

Does it matter the color of a duck...or is a duck a duck?

He will do both those things, but like BG last year, he will not drop into pass protection coverage.

1 hour ago, joemas6 said:

That's great...how many snaps did Nolan Smith drop in coverage? Quack quack quack....but it's a chicken?

Your job description for an OLB and Fangio‘s job description of an OLB appear to be out of sync. Which one do you think is more important yours or Fangio’s?

1 hour ago, joemas6 said:

Im not ignoring anything.... im looking at the play, where the player lines up and what his job is on the play.

Am I correct in understanding that your bottom line is only on a play by play basis rather than a holistic entire game basis. Is that correct?