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So why did we switch to the 3-4?

FatboysSkins

By FatboysSkins
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FatboysSkins

FatboysSkins

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I first want to start off by saying Stephon Heyer is absolute garbage and should be cut imeadiatly. Ok now that I got that out of the way on to the topic at hand. For the last 9 out of 10 years there has been one aspect of redskins football that I have loved and had respect for and that is the defense that was ranked top ten in the league. We may not have forced many turnovers but we didn't give many yards or points. I have sat here for the past decade telling myself if we could just put up 21 points, 3 touchdowns a game, we would be extremely tough to beat because our defense would carry us. Really I am a little confused right now because I know people say if it ain't broke don't fix it. So why did we switch to the 3-4? What has the 3-4 really done for our team? It was suppose to pressure the qb and force more turnovers, it hasn't. It was suppose to make it harder for opposite teams to run, it hasn't. It was supposed to cause confussion for the other team, it hasn't. Instead I watch for the past three weeks the same top ten defense get torched by the overated cowgirls, blow a 17 point lead against the texans, and a Stephon Jacksonless rams move the ball at will. Am I the only one who thinks this defense put us at a disadvantage? We got Andre Carter out in open space and he looks like an amatuer, started a contraversy with AH (dispite my hatred for how he handled himself this preseason)and really he looks horrible in the 3-4 no wonder he didn't want to play it. Its like we are forcing players to into uncomfortable situations. And is it me or does Hasslett look stupid and outcoached at times? There is no doubt in my mind with the defense from last year even with there flaws and the semi smoother running offense this year we would easily 3-0 right now and enroute to the playoffs! What's your thought extreme skins?

P.S. WE ARE DEAD LAST IN TOTAL DEFENSE THRU THE FIRST 3 GAMES!!!!

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loren

loren

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Because anytime you can switch to a defense that is completely ill-suited to your personnel, and ensures you will give up a ton of yards through (at least) the first half of the season as they adjust (which they might not be able to do because, as we mentioned, they're ill-suited to it), you have to do it, right?

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Floodzone004

Floodzone004

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It takes time to adjust on both the offensive and defensive sides. No one was ever scared of our defense, granted right now no one is either, but I'd much rather take the blow now to have a defense to be feared in the future. And what team is ever suited for a 3-4 right off that bat? Everyone wants instant change but thats an unrealistic expectation. Just chill. It's not like losing against scrub teams is anything new for Redskins fans. If there was ever a franchise that should be so used to this it is probably us.

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DCsportsfan53

DCsportsfan53

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The real answer is because they (and we if we're realistic) all knew this wasn't a SB year. They're thinking long term, it's not about this season. It's about establishing an identity and course for the future of the Redskins and then building it brick by brick. Do we have good 3-4 personnel? No, not really. Are we as bad as we've played so far? No, it takes time. Look at last year's GB team. They had some of the same roster problems, they tried Aaron Kampman at 3-4 OLB but he struggled all year because he lacked the athleticism and lateral mobility for the position (sound familiar?). They were TERRIBLE early on but gradually got better and more comfortable as the season moved on. They acquired more pieces in the offseason, trade Kampmann and they look good so far this year. It doesn't happen overnight, I'm glad we have a coaching staff and front office who actually have a long term plan they're putting in place and sticking to. Switching right back to the 4-3, cutting this guy or that tonight...I'm just glad those kinds of thoughts are contained to the fanbase nowadays.

If Shanahan truly believes that the 3-4 is best in the long run he's much better off making the switch now, seeing who fits and who doesn't in a transition year. Come the 3rd or 4th year of his tenure, with a few drafts of their own coming of age, in his mind, it will be worth it. It's not about today or this season. You never have solid 3-4 personnel until you make the switch, is there a better time to switch then in the first year of a fresh identity?

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loren

loren

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It takes time to adjust on both the offensive and defensive sides. No one was ever scared of our defense, granted right now no one is either, but I'd much rather take the blow now to have a defense to be feared in the future. And what team is ever suited for a 3-4 right off that bat? Everyone wants instant change but thats an unrealistic expectation. Just chill. It's not like losing against scrub teams is anything new for Redskins fans. If there was ever a franchise that should be so used to this it is probably us.

Ughh....did we have to submarine the first half of the season on a chance we'd be a "feared" defense somewhere down the line? If Haslett was really a good coach, couldn't he have taken the personnel he was given (which isn't bad) and formulated a defense to maximize their strengths? Why do coaches always insist on the square pegs/round holes in their first few years with a team?

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loren

loren

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The real answer is because they (and we if we're realistic) all knew this wasn't a SB year. They're thinking long term, it's not about this season. It's about establishing an identity and course for the future of the Redskins and then building it brick by brick. Do we have good 3-4 personnel? No, not really. Are we as bad as we've played so far? No, it takes time. Look at last year's GB team. They had some of the same roster problems, they tried Aaron Kampman at 3-4 OLB but he struggled all year because he lacked the athleticism and lateral mobility for the position (sound familiar?). They were TERRIBLE early on but gradually got better and more comfortable as the season moved on. They acquired more pieces in the offseason, trade Kampmann and they look good so far this year. It doesn't happen overnight, I'm glad we have a coaching staff and front office who actually have a long term plan they're putting in place and sticking to. Switching right back to the 4-3, cutting this guy or that tonight...I'm just glad those kinds of thoughts are contained to the fanbase nowadays.

If the Redskins have as good a season as Green Bay did last year I'll eat my foot (happily).

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loren

loren

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We went to the 3-4 to exploit the talent we already had, i.e., Orakpo and Landry.

I can't tell if this is a serious post or not...but if it is, it's wrong.

Orakpo's talents are not exploited in a 3-4. He's playing out of position, and he's being asked to do things he's never done and isn't really good at (like every other guy on this defense).

Landry's talents could have been exploited by something as simple as switching him back to strong safety.

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Stophovr6

Stophovr6

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I can't tell if this is a serious post or not...but if it is, it's wrong.

Orakpo's talents are not exploited in a 3-4. He's playing out of position, and he's being asked to do things he's never done and isn't really good at (like every other guy on this defense).

Landry's talents could have been exploited by something as simple as switching him back to strong safety.

I'm thinking it was sarcastic.

Anyways I really hate how this defense has limited Fletcher, turned Carter into a bum and made Haynesworth...worthless. Three great players, not being used to their full potential. We need to go back to 4-3. Want to go 3-4 Shanny? Get all the guys you need first, trade the guys who can't help you, THEN switch.

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DCsportsfan53

DCsportsfan53

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Ughh....did we have to submarine the first half of the season on a chance we'd be a "feared" defense somewhere down the line? If Haslett was really a good coach, couldn't he have taken the personnel he was given (which isn't bad) and formulated a defense to maximize their strengths? Why do coaches always insist on the square pegs/round holes in their first few years with a team?

Because the different defenses require different playbooks and techniques that they spend all offseason installing. Did you honestly think we were SB bound this year? They need to find out who fits with what they want their identity to be for the long term. This is valuable learning experience for guys like Orakpo who will be here for a while.

I underlined that part of the quote because this is a huge part of the problem. Understand this, on both sides of the ball the Redskins lack top flight talent AND depth. Additionally, many heavy contributors are very close to the end. How many of these poor fitting 3-4 players are going to be here in 2 years? Our defense was not nearly as good as their yardage rankings implied. For one thing, we encouraged conservative playcalling from opposing O coordinators because everyone knew we couldn't score points or finish games on offense. Everyone also, magically likes to forget how poorly the D played in 2006 and for solid stretches in 07, 08 and 09. But the real key is they usually came up short at the end of games, in crunch time and they never made game changing plays or gave the offense a short field to work with. Yeah, switching to the 3-4 now might costs us a couple games this year but this is a defense that needs fresh blood throughout all levels and you might as well build it to be what you want it to be and that has to start from day one, not 2 or 3 years in.

If the Redskins have as good a season as Green Bay did last year I'll eat my foot (happily).

They have more talent on defense to work and we certainly don't have their offense, much as I like McNabb. We have a long way to go to match their overall talent level. I was pointing them out as a case in point that 3-4 takes time. They got lit the hell up, run and pass early in the season but were able to settle down and learn as the season went on. Shanahan is playing chess, you're playing checkers.

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Madison Redskin

Madison Redskin

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We went to the 3-4 to exploit the talent we already had, i.e., Orakpo and Landry.

And how effective is our 3-4 at exploiting the talent on our roster. Last year, it looked like we had a defense with above-average talent. This year, it looks like we have one of the least talented defenses in the NFL.

Also, what about Carter and Haynesworth? Arguably, Fletcher is less effective in the 3-4.

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DCsportsfan53

DCsportsfan53

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it is pretty incredible. I know the switch was going to be rough, but when we have spent so much builiding a team for 4-3, and its working, its the only thing working. why switch? if we had scored that many points in the games last year, we'd be set.

Who are the long term keepable quality starters out of that 4-3 we've spent so much building? How much longer are fletcher, daniels, carter going to last? Most of them are just guys. Hell, we still haven't replaced Marcus Washington, we played Orakpo as a 4-3 OLB instead of a DE last season because we were so lacking in depth. The only guy who's more than a guy AND who will be playing much longer AND who doesn't fit the 3-4 is Albert.

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DCsportsfan53

DCsportsfan53

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dude, it doesn't matter if we play 3-4 4-3 or 46

the whole team needs to be blown up, I wish they'd fire all the useless veterans we have on the team, and just bring in some young blood that hasn't been tainted by a career as a redskins player.

That's what's happening. However, when the previous administration leaves you with 4 draft picks that certainly doesn't make it any easier. It's going to take a few years to purge the roster of all the overpaid, underachieving veterans who've played here for so long.

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loren

loren

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Because the different defenses require different playbooks and techniques that they spend all offseason installing. Did you honestly think we were SB bound this year?

Oh my god I'm sick of hearing this. No I didn't think they'd make the Superbowl this year. I didn't think they'd make the playoffs. I just didn't think they'd get shredded by a Rams offense that didn't have their only weapon.

They got lit the hell up, run and pass early in the season but were able to settle down and learn as the season went on. Shanahan is playing chess, you're playing checkers.

I'd love to play chess with Shanahan, since it seems like his strategy is "get checkmated within the first 5 moves."

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