Big Cat's Seattle Crisis: Why Jacksonville's Defense Is Not Unlocking Its Full Potential

2013 for the Seattle Seahawks truly represented a momentus euphoria of jubilation. Smashing apart arguably the most powerful offense in NFL History by over 30 points enamored many.. as Seattle's style of defense was truly a juggernaut and nigh unstoppable to defeat at the time. Due to their accomplishments and accolades throughout that year, many NFL fans had put them in the ranks of the '85 Bears, the '76 Steelers and other synonymous names within the NFL defensive lore. Part of the reason of Seattle's defensive success was by the then defensive coordinator of the Seahawks by the name of Gus Bradley. While Dan Quinn would lead the 2013 charge... Gus' method of mass destruction layed out the foundation for the incoming tempest.



Now quite naturally.. when a coordinator continues to output great performances for their team for the success of said team.. their names become a hot commodity. Such was the case on January 17 of 2013 when Jacksonville named him the head coach after leaving. Now.. with over two seasons, a bevy of talent on both sides of the ball that make the Jaguars sound like darkhorse contenders, one would think that Jacksonville is primed for a breakout season right?



Well.. that was to be the case.



After yet another rock solid draft and some superb free agency aquisitions.. Gus Bradley and his Jags are now 0-2 yet again. This marks three separate occassions that Gus Bradley led teams have started out this way; 2013 and 2014 being the other two. In addition, the key component that Gus helped to fix in the offseason has given up over 70 points in two games.



"So.. what is going on?" some of you may be asking. The front seven is solidified and the backend now has high level talent. What is the issue? That answer is simple enough.. but getting into detail will require more analysis.. so let us begin..




The first issue is what type of defense Gus is currently employing. Considering he had success with said defense in his Seattle days... Gus attempted to re-create that very same defense in Jacksonville. For those of you who want to know the now synonymous Seattle styled defense... here is a good look.







If you look at this initially.. this looks to be your typical "4-3 Under." Upon further inspection however.. there is more to it than one realizes. The first notable aspect is the "LEO" written over the edge defender. This player can be used for pass rushing purposes or pass coverage. For the purpose of this example.. he is clearly going to come off the edge. The other players are what they are within this picture. Even so.. there is so much more about this concept. A closer look can be found here;





Additional information can be found here as well;






Notice the different amounts of gap based assignments for each player within the formation. Again.. this should be just your typical "4-3 Front." However... Gus Bradleys former coach in Pete Carroll.. had this to say about his style of defense that he and Gus developed;



"Our defense is a 4-3 scheme with 3-4 personnel. It's just utilizing the special talents of our guys."


Using this information.. one would think that Gus had brought in the proper personnel to run this defense. For that reason.. let us take a look at his defensive starters (italicized names will be explained soon after);



Dante Fowler Jr. (LEO)


Roy Miller ( 1 Tech NT with two-gap responsibilites)


Malik Jackson ( 3 Tech DT with one gap responsibilites)


Jara Odrick ( 5 Tech)



Linebackers:



Telvin Smith ( WILL)


Paul Posluszny (MIKE)


Dan Skuta ( SAM)


Secondary:


Davin House ( LCB)


Jalen Ramsey (RCB)


Johnathan Cyprien (FS)


Tashaun Gipson (SS)




Again.. let us go over the specifics of each role. The "LEO" player has to be your best overall player athletically. There are no exceptions. The one and three tech players have different assignments but both can work on what is called a "one gap pull" in which both interior players do not penetrate the line but maintain the point of attack. The middle linebacker in this defense (any defense really) has to be not only a mass destroyer in run support, but also a rangy, sideline to sideline machine. All of the players that are currently highlighted have some serious issues with the Seattle styled defense. These players fall into one of two categories:


1.) Improper fit:


Dante Fowler Jr. is specifically designed to be an all out pass rusher. While the LEO is the designation for the teams best pass rusher.. he also needs to become an asset in pass coverage and run support. Fowler has shown that he can set the edge.. but he cannot maintain it unless he is required to use his explosive power. In addition.. I have yet to see be used in any coverage assignments thus far. As for Paul.. not only can he not cover as much ground as he used to.. he is not as good shedding blocks in run support. His days as the "MIKE" really are numbered and it is only a matter of time before Myles Jack enters the fray to give that defense the speed and range it so desperately needs.


OR



2.) Improper usage: Malik Jackson's ultimate asset is his ability to overpower guards and center to disrupt plays. His issue relies on the abilities of Jared Odrick. His responsibilities lie in his ability to two gap as the five or four tech. However.. much like Jackson.. this is not his best attrbuite. As a stopgap solution then.. considering Malik is the better of the two, Malik is now either the five or four and Odrick can be the three tech should the situation occur.. which happens quite a bit now given that Yannick Ngakoue has shown to be a better pass rushing option given his sack totals versus Odricks.



Ultimatley.. having such a scheme for players not designed to fit the scheme is essentially setting your team up for failure.. further highlighted at how easy Phillip Rivers picked Jacksonville's secondary apart. With little to no lass rush until the end of the game.. Rivers easily had a field day and did not miss a beat when Danny Woodhead went down. If Gus wants to keep his job... he needs to re-evaluate the types of talent he has on the team and not just plugging in said talent where ever he feels like it. Otherwise.. events like the Jaguars experienced against the Chargers will be more of the same.




That does it guys for now. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Next time I will be analyzing ways that Gus Bradley can still use the Seattle style defense but to a much greater advantage.


Before I go.. credit goes out to the following sites for the pics.


Field Gulls


Big Cat Country

 

I love reading stuff like this. I don't watch the Jags much, but they do some major talent, so I was curious what was going on with them

 

First off thank you. I understand this is a Steelers site.. but I, as a fan of football as a whole, love to broaden my horizons.


Regarding the issues... it is truly incredible. In fact... Gus has some solutions. Some based on personnel.. others based on his current style of scheme.

 

Gus Bradley will be fired soon, way too much talent to be happy with a 6-10 record.
Nice knowing you Gus.