Darnell Dockett on Ray Horton's Scheme: "I Hated It"

I guess you can't win over everyone.

Despite all of the praise we have heard universally about new Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Ray Horton, at least one of his former players is happy to see his scheme disappear: veteran defensive lineman Darnell Dockett. It didn't sound like Dockett was just trying to butter up to Cardinals new defensive coordinator Todd Bowles either:

Former defensive coordinator Ray Horton ran a 3-4 alignment in which the defensive linemen were used in part to keep the offensive linemen off the linebackers. Aggressive moves took a back seat to scheme, and Dockett was arguably the most frustrated with his two-gap duties.

"It’s like a million pounds off your shoulders," said Docket, regarding the switch away from Horton's scheme. "Personally, I had nothing against Ray. But I hated that scheme. I really hated it. I played it because I needed to. But this defense [Bowles' 2013 defense for Arizona] is based on guys and what their ability allows them to be good at. What they were drafted for."

Not including a blowout loss against the Seahawks last season, Arizona's defense was exceptional in 2012. Even if Dockett wasn't digging his role, you can't argue the effectiveness the scheme netted. It does make you wonder if any members of the Browns' defensive line will share similar feelings, though. It might help that Cleveland has more youth there while Dockett is a 10-year veteran.