Raiders Defense

[Frankie2Gunz]

19 hours ago, Rolni said:

Mullen is a good CB

I agree that Mullin appears to be a good number 2 but he is not a lockdown #1.  If we could find that lockdown #1, that would put all of our CB's in their proper position. #1, Mullin #2 and Arnette NB.  I am not saying that Arnette can't be an average 2 because I think he can but adding a lockdown 1 would turn this average at best unit into an above average until overall.  

[NYRaider]

1 hour ago, Frankie2Gunz said:

I agree that Mullin appears to be a good number 2 but he is not a lockdown #1.  If we could find that lockdown #1, that would put all of our CB's in their proper position. #1, Mullin #2 and Arnette NB.  I am not saying that Arnette can't be an average 2 because I think he can but adding a lockdown 1 would turn this average at best unit into an above average until overall.  

Impossible to be a lock down CB when the QB has 45 seconds to throw every play. 

[NYRaider]

2 hours ago, Totty said:

I'll argue that if Parsons is there (unlikely) he'll be the pick need be damned. 

Parsons is like Devin White though, great athlete with sideline to sideline range, that's at his best when he's used like a missile. He'll be at his best in a scheme that will use him like Tampa Bay uses White. White was good in run support and great as a blitzer but he was one of the worst LB's in coverage in the NFL last season. 

If we're looking for a LB that can run and cover JOK or Zaven Collins are better fits. 

[NYRaider]

3 hours ago, lester said:

What is this love for MLBer Kwit...what did he do???..his tackles for the most part were 5 yards down field...from what saw and my friends Nichlas Morrow ( even Pro Football Focus graded him as the best on the team

2 hours ago, big_palooka said:

He's overrated by fans because he was average in comparison with the rest of the FA signings on D that were total flops.

He's an average MLB, which is fine. But sucks because it prevents the team from addressing the position with some legit talent of which there are a couple guys in the draft that could really impact them.

You look at Bradley's scheme, he's always had LBs that can run and cover. 

Absolutely false. In the 12 games Kwit played we allowed 117 rushing yards per game, in the 4 games he missed we allowed 150 rushing yards per game. 

I don't like to use PFF as the bible but since Lester mentioned it, Kwit graded out as the 15th best LB in the in 2019 and the 18th best LB in 2020 while also grading out as the 7th best LB in coverage. Morrow graded out as the 25th best LB in 2020 and was the 12th best LB in coverage. 

Is Kwit some game changing, elite player? No. But he played well last season especially considering how bad our defensive line was. And we're paying him what we were paying Tahir Whitehead.

We paid Cory Littleton to be the LB that can run and cover. He was one of the best LB's in the league his last two seasons with the Rams and Guenther misused him. He should fit better in Guenther's scheme in a role more suited to his strengths.

 

[big_palooka]

43 minutes ago, NYRaider said:

Absolutely false. In the 12 games Kwit played we allowed 117 rushing yards per game, in the 4 games he missed we allowed 150 rushing yards per game. 

I don't like to use PFF as the bible but since Lester mentioned it, Kwit graded out as the 15th best LB in the in 2019 and the 18th best LB in 2020 while also grading out as the 7th best LB in coverage. Morrow graded out as the 25th best LB in 2020 and was the 12th best LB in coverage. 

Is Kwit some game changing, elite player? No. But he played well last season especially considering how bad our defensive line was. And we're paying him what we were paying Tahir Whitehead.

We paid Cory Littleton to be the LB that can run and cover. He was one of the best LB's in the league his last two seasons with the Rams and Guenther misused him. He should fit better in Guenther's scheme in a role more suited to his strengths.

 

He's a very average LB, which is what I said. He's not above replacement level and you could get a lot more dynamic at the position. He's still overrated by Raider fans on the fact he wasn't a complete disaster. Would I pass on a guy like Parsons because I have Kwaitkoski.... no.

As for Littleton, get back to me when he actually does something. Easy to blame Guenther for everything, but for all his supposed talent and ability, you think he'd made a play somewhere last season. The thing he's suppose to be great at, coverage he was exposed repeatedly. Far more likely Littleton was a product of the Rams stacked defense. I saw nothing

Let's blame Guenther.... even though Morrow significantly outplayed him. Or was that Guenther's fault to?

[NYRaider]

42 minutes ago, big_palooka said:

He's a very average LB, which is what I said. He's not above replacement level and you could get a lot more dynamic at the position. He's still overrated by Raider fans on the fact he wasn't a complete disaster. Would I pass on a guy like Parsons because I have Kwaitkoski.... no.

As for Littleton, get back to me when he actually does something. Easy to blame Guenther for everything, but for all his supposed talent and ability, you think he'd made a play somewhere last season. The thing he's suppose to be great at, coverage he was exposed repeatedly. Far more likely Littleton was a product of the Rams stacked defense. I saw nothing

Let's blame Guenther.... even though Morrow significantly outplayed him. Or was that Guenther's fault to?

He was a solid starter playing behind a terrible defensive line. We're paying him solid starter money and he's one of the few free agents that has actually panned out. I like Parsons but he's like Devin White, he'll be at his best in a scheme that utilizes him as a blitzer and allows him to play coming down hill. White gets a ton of hype because of the sacks and splashy plays but he was actually one of the worst LB's in the league in coverage last season, he allowed a catch on 88% of the times he was targeted. He also had the benefit of playing on a great defense behind an elite defensive line.

So how does Parsons fit into Bradley's scheme that blitzes less than any coordinator in the league and would be asking him to play in coverage the majority of the time? If you were going to take a LB that fits what we'll be trying to do JOK or Collins fit a lot better. 

Ted Nyguen did a film study on Littleton and pointed out that he looked much better the final two weeks of the season with Rod at DC instead of Guenther. With the Rams Littleton was used almost exclusively at WLB where he was able to use his range to fly around and make plays in coverage. We used him almost exclusively at SLB for whatever reason. As far as why Morrow played better than he did, I'd say there's two reasons: 1) he played in position at WLB and 2) he had a year in the scheme. 

Here's a link to Ted's article: https://theathletic.com/2315147/2021/01/12/raiders-cory-littleton/?article_source=search&search_query=cory littleton

Here's an article on how Bradley utilizes his WLB: 

Quote

 

The weak side linebacker, or WILL, is the primary playmaker of the defense and got his name because he is typically positioned in the middle of the defense (more or less). He generally lines up 3-5 yards off the line of scrimmage and covers (lines up over) the guard to the weak side of the offensive formation. As the playmaker of the defense, he is asked to attack the line of scrimmage, flow from sideline-to-sideline, and make play after play on the football.

If the SAM and MIKE are doing their jobs, they’re keeping the WILL “clean”, or shielding him from blockers so he can roam from sideline-to-sideline and make plays on the football. He is expected to navigate the traffic created by the strong side and middle linebackers taking on blockers, fly downhill, penetrate the offensive line and not just make tackles, but make plays – and lots of them – on the football. If everyone else is doing their job up front, the WILL should see a whole lot of clean looks at the football.

 

 

[Jeremy408]

2 hours ago, NYRaider said:

Parsons is like Devin White though, great athlete with sideline to sideline range, that's at his best when he's used like a missile. He'll be at his best in a scheme that will use him like Tampa Bay uses White. White was good in run support and great as a blitzer but he was one of the worst LB's in coverage in the NFL last season. 

If we're looking for a LB that can run and cover JOK or Zaven Collins are better fits. 

I think Parsons could be the supercharged/over talented version of what Nick K is supposed to be. Id do it

[NYRaider]

25 minutes ago, Jeremy408 said:

I think Parsons could be the supercharged/over talented version of what Nick K is supposed to be. Id do it

Draft a LB who is questionable in coverage and who's best trait is his ability as a blitzer for a defensive coordinator that blitzes less than anyone in the league, seems like a great fit.

[Jeremy408]

Just now, NYRaider said:

Draft a LB who is questionable in coverage and who's best trait is his ability as a blitzer for a defensive coordinator that blitzes less than anyone in the league, seems like a great fit.

I personally think he can be coached into being better at coverage. His change of direction isn't necessarily bad it just doesn't match his straight line speed. 

[NYRaider]

1 minute ago, Jeremy408 said:

I personally think he can be coached into being better at coverage. His change of direction isn't necessarily bad it just doesn't match his straight line speed. 

Possibly but how well has trying to play guys in positions that don't suit their strengths worked out for us? Parsons biggest strength is his ability as a blitzer and being able to play down hill. You'd want to use him in the same way that Tampa uses Devin White and Bradley doesn't blitz. White was one of the best athletes at the LB spot to come into the draft in a while and has been abysmal in coverage. 

[drfrey13]

4 minutes ago, NYRaider said:

Possibly but how well has trying to play guys in positions that don't suit their strengths worked out for us? Parsons biggest strength is his ability as a blitzer and being able to play down hill. You'd want to use him in the same way that Tampa uses Devin White and Bradley doesn't blitz. White was one of the best athletes at the LB spot to come into the draft in a while and has been abysmal in coverage. 

White started improving last year and did not look bad in the playoffs.  He still takes a lot of mis-steps going backwards though.

[NYRaider]

2 minutes ago, drfrey13 said:

White started improving last year and did not look bad in the playoffs.  He still takes a lot of mis-steps going backwards though.

Quote

White has the most targets in coverage among off-ball ‘backers with 98, and he’s allowed the most catches (86) for the most receiving yards (761), the second-most yards after catch (410), the second-most touchdowns allowed (four, tied with several other linebackers), and an opponent passer rating of 112.6. 

 

[MrOaktown_56]

1 hour ago, big_palooka said:

He's a very average LB, which is what I said. He's not above replacement level and you could get a lot more dynamic at the position. He's still overrated by Raider fans on the fact he wasn't a complete disaster. Would I pass on a guy like Parsons because I have Kwaitkoski.... no.

As for Littleton, get back to me when he actually does something. Easy to blame Guenther for everything, but for all his supposed talent and ability, you think he'd made a play somewhere last season. The thing he's suppose to be great at, coverage he was exposed repeatedly. Far more likely Littleton was a product of the Rams stacked defense. I saw nothing

Let's blame Guenther.... even though Morrow significantly outplayed him. Or was that Guenther's fault to?

I'm confused. You say Kwiatkoski was average, but shouldn't he look worse playing with a mediocre pass rush/defensive line by your logic? He's not a top tier class coverage guy, but is pretty good. He's always in position making tackles. I think he'll look better with upgrades at DL.

Littleton covering running backs, receivers, and tight ends well has more to do with his movement ability and instincts than it does with pieces around him. If he has a bad year, you can cut him with no dead $.

The sweet spot at LB for me is in the 3rd round. I like a lot of those guys, like Dylan Moses who has fallen off the 1st round radar this year.

JOK is good but might be better in a hybrid role, even though I like his playmaking. Parsons is a freak and I'm not sure if I pass on him for anyone. But I don't think he makes it there.

[Jeremy408]

6 minutes ago, NYRaider said:

Possibly but how well has trying to play guys in positions that don't suit their strengths worked out for us? Parsons biggest strength is his ability as a blitzer and being able to play down hill. You'd want to use him in the same way that Tampa uses Devin White and Bradley doesn't blitz. White was one of the best athletes at the LB spot to come into the draft in a while and has been abysmal in coverage. 

I wouldn't say that Parsons biggest strength is a Blitzer. I would say it's as an overqualified sideline to sideline player which is what I like about him the most. I also think playing in a simplified defense that you're only asked to do the same thing Every play would Put him in a situation where he could be better in coverage because the focus then becomes Focusing on his coverage technique rather than learning a Defense. 

That's also my take on the rest of the back 7

[NYRaider]

Just now, MrOaktown_56 said:

Littleton covering running backs, receivers, and tight ends well has more to do with his movement ability and instincts than it does with pieces around him. If he has a bad year, you can cut him with no dead $.

Littleton was good with the Rams because he played WLB and was allowed to roam and make plays. Guenther played him almost exclusively at SLB and asked him to take on blocks and be a run stopper, that's not his game.