"Eagle" Defense (2-5-4)

Robaire Smith is a starter and is better at his position than any of our linebackers are at theirs. Robaire is actually quite good.

It is funny that your solution to our so-so quality at LB is to put more so-so LBs on the field at once.

Like golanbatrac said, Smith is pretty good- better at what he does than our 5th best LB.

No way. Our first team looked good with the exception of dealing with motion (which we have seen before, and I know it is a problem, so Ryan definitely knows it’s a problem) which is why we let off the Jahvid Best running play. Holding Detroit to 7 in the first half in a dome would have been a victory for our D. Unfortunately they also scored on the fumble return.

Rogers, Rubin, and Smith will be a good defensive line. Mosley will contribute on passing downs and Coleman on running downs.

The NT is the key to stopping the run in our defense. If instead of being unable to get off the ball because a 350+lbs man is in his face, the center would be able to double team either of our DL (though I assume both would be lined up at 3 techs, so opposing teams could double them without the center) or leak up to the second level where he has a good mismatch (bad for us) on whatever LB he wants. We would get gashed.

I think this is a good idea—and also that we probably already use a similar personnel grouping—on 3rd and long or very long only.

The “cardboard cutouts” at DE were playing on the 2nd/3rd string and are young guys who don’t look like they know what they are doing and aren’t very good on top of that. Out first string guys can play.

I think the biggest problem with our first string personnel is that our LBs are not great at coverage. DQ has always been underrated in this area IMO, Gocong is looking decent, and Maiava can cover. But Bowens, Barton, Roth, and Fujita have all been pretty bad so far.

2-5-4 in the AFC North should be called 1-15.