Pieces to the Puzzle: 3-4 hybrid and Mike Nolan's 2-4-5

I think that our 4-2-5 Nickel or whatever it will be called will be BETTER than our base 3-4 in terms of comfort level and best personnel on the field (no holes or weak points)
LDE Wake
LDT Starks
RDT Odrick
RDE Anderson/McCoy
LLB Edds/Misi
RLB Dansby/Dobbins
LC Davis
RC Smith
Nickel W Allen
SS Bell
FS Clemons/Culver

Especially with the versatility of our linebackers and having a proven safety in bell (Clemons we can wait and see) and physical players in Sean Smith and Vontae Davis on passing downs we will be unstoppable. I could see blitzing wake and make the QB make an inaccurate throw and with the speed of Clemons I could see him catching it and returning it to the house (I know high hopes but I got a good feeling about this year). I also like the idea of blitzing Dansby because when he gets pressure on the QB he will have big play potential (Just remember last year playoffs vs. Packers). Allen will be a good Nickel corner because he is a good corner just he does make mistakes (hopefully this years safety can actually help in pass defense when there are mistakes unlike Gibril who would probably miss the tackle and then reciever gets the touchdown).

Also Rec’d i liked the article

I can’t argue with anything you said. I’m pumped for Misi because I think he can really excel as a SOLB.

For the first time in a long time I will be able to watch our defense and not stand up and yell at my TV… That said I think it would still be nice to have a prototypical NT. You have to have that guy that can sit there and take on the double teams and move them back. I don’t think he is not a strong guy, or that he is not an exceptional football player. I just think it is a matter of physics. When it comes down to the best C/G combos in the league they will move him back…. even if it is a little bit .. it is a game of inches. But who knows .. it might never be a factor… maybe I am wrong… I hope I am …

http://www.thephinsider.com/2010/4/25/1444096/a-quick-look-at-mike-nolans

our defense will be fun to watch…..again………..finally

This D is going to turn heads.

I guess figuratively speaking it is a 2-4-5, but it is really the nickle package of a 4-3. The nickle package in the 4-3 is a CB coming in for an LB then obvious passing down where a run is not going to gain much you put in your best pass rushing DL. In this case it is a 4-2-5 which is your standard formation. Your “OLB” will be in the DE position whether their in 2 or 3 point stances and their primary duty is to rush the passer.

We saw this last year with JT, and Wake on the line and JP as a LB. There are some instances where the DE or your “OLB” will drop straight back in coverage, but that goes for any defense. Haloti Ngata has dropped in coverage playing the 3-4 DE position.

So Madden may call it a 2-4-5, but it is just a nickle formation.

but don’t expect to see a different defense, he runs a very similar D, he just runs it better, we run the 2-4-5 already, and the 4-2-5, and the 3-3-5, they are all variations of nickel, and Nolan runs them all too, he just schemes them better.

All in all he may very well be the biggest defensive signing, but our D will look very much the same, just different out comes.

But with that said – we are assuming a lot of things “work out” like Misi is a complete player, Starks can handle the ‘beat down" at NT, that Wake can generate a consistent pass rush, and that the safties can actually cover this year… This DEF really scares me, but i do think we will be much better under NOLAN and with Dansby at ILB.
Now – lets be honest – drafting ODRICK was an outright omission that MERLING and LANGFORD are not really getting it done at DE… (mostly Merling) they get very few sacks and not much QB pressure… Yes – Langford is good against the run – and ya… 3-4 DE’s dont get a lot of sacks – THAT’S WHATS WRONG WITH THE 3-4 to start with !!!! You basically use a DEF where your lineman have a hard time generating pressure… Now when you move your best DE to NT to make room for a rookie DE – that’s a lot of switching… (If merling’s so great why even draft Odrick – just make him the starter) I still say we are better off playing a PURE 4-3… Starks would be very effective in a 4-3 at DT, and can still get some sacks. I dont think he will be a factor (with sacks) playing NT – unless he rushes from some hybrid 3rd down defense. I would have drafted a PURE NT – and there where many to pick from, and left Starks (almost pro-bowl year) at DE where he was real good. ! they could have still taken ODRICK and easily gotten in Round 2, Linvall Joseph NT/DT East Carolina AND/OR in Round 5 Cam Thomas NT/ DT North Carolina…. both are NT’s with great size/strength. MARK MY WORDS – CAM THOMAS in the 5th was a steal…. the Chargers are going to look pretty smart with this pick. I AM ON BOARD WITH THIS FO AND TEAM (over 40 years now) but this was not a great draft leading up to all these changes…. Until theis defense becomes at least a top 10 unit we will have trouble winning in the playoffs – and that’s what we’re really talking about. The OFFENSE looks ready to explode this year – I hope thy can carry us.

With the 49ers Aubrayo Franklin didn’t start shining until midway through 2009 when Singletary took over and switched to a more traditional 3-4.

However even in a traditional 3-4 you almost always play a 4-3 in rushing situations. For the 49ers it means having two or three down linemen (depending on the scheme) and rushing one OLB (generally it was Manny Lawson).

I’d say thats an overly optimistic view of the D. Counting on one rookie to make a big contribution is tough, counting on THREE is downright dangerous. Here is a question to ask yourself……if Nolan didnt bring his considerable resume to Miami, how would you feel about the D’s chances this year? If the answer is “not good”, then he is being counted on too much as well. A good coach makes a difference but he doesnt fix everything

…so consider it my one cent. I’m not authorized for the full 2.

i didn’t do any research on our previous DCs, but this little question popped in my head and i was wondering if anyone can answer. Does our front office let the DCs buy some groceries and do the cooking? or will there be some disagreements like nolan faced in denver?

thinking that just because players are lined up in the same position means the scheme is the same. The inside backers will blitz more in this scheme, quite a bit more in fact. The outside linebackers will blitz less. The defensive line is encouraged to get more gap peneration. I didn’t say Bell wasn’t gonna crowd the line of scrimmage. I said he wasn’t gonna play as an outside linebacker as he did quite often in third down (with mixed results). He didn’t crowd the line of scrimmage, he was legitamately playing as the outside backer. And yes of course, I think Sparano has more input than Nolan. I thought that was self-explanatory. But to say coaches play little role in the draft process is insane. According to your theory that the scheme is the same we should’ve just kept Paul Pasqualoni.

… I just learned something. Very good write-up!