Interesting video. Says Vic Fangio is what Woods' based his defense on. Fangio is the DC Payton has recruited.
Video argues it's what ruined defense in the NFL and every coordinator that has adopted it has been a disaster.
Edit: holy %##!, this video is THE TRUTH. It's the misapplication of scheme gents.
The Cover 4 is going to be a part of the Browns defense in the future. The Browns targeted defensive backs who thrive in this diversity of roles, and the 1990 bump and run defense also draws too many pass interference calls from refs.
What I would like to see is more diversification from play to play. The problem this guy highlights foremost is that it is too predictable and offenses will take underneath routes. The answer is not abandoning Cover 4, but it increase looks that deceive the QB presnap and then become delayed blitzes, cover two, or safety high.
I've often said the first month of the NFL is for teaching. Unfortunately, teams don't practice as hard as they used to preseason to keep personnel fresh later. I mean, if one of the old school grinding coaches turns back the clock and wins a championship, then maybe this trend will change... but the analytics coaches keep winning out. So I see Woods an many other Cover 4 coaches running the scheme over and over to teach young players and get film on what they do well and incorrectly.
So the answer to me is to get into diversification of playcalling by October at the latest, and target more veterans who need less training wheels teaching early. Economic aspect of the NFL may get in the way from diversity & complexity of schemes from play to play, but Woods has been too vanilla and for too much of the season.
Dare I also suggest continuity as a great development approach. That was the biggest criticism of the Browns ownership at first: they never kept coaches around long enough to develop young players.
