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(No Longer) Joe Woods’ Defense

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I did hear he is doing some new age water conditioning though. It's easier on the joints.

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Seems legit.

If you look in the distance you can see Put-N-Bay.
 
Seems legit.

If you look in the distance you can see Put-N-Bay.

Drove my kids to 'Dusky for two days at Cedar Point this past week. Told them about the Great Lakes sea monster whom everyone knows prefers the summers around Sandusky. Hook, line and sinker... just like my dad told me years ago.
 
Feels like we have discussed this topic before, but it's a good read:


Can Joe Woods’ Browns defense follow the 49ers’ Super Bowl blueprint?​


CLEVELAND, Ohio – Joe Woods, the Browns’ defensive coordinator, spent one season as the 49ers’ defensive backs coach, but his experience there has led to repeated questions since his arrival in Cleveland.

That 2019 season for Woods and the 49ers, of course, was noteworthy because of the team’s run to Super Bowl LIV. So it’s natural for folks to wonder how – or if – the Browns compare to that 49ers defense.

That recently led to Woods being asked if this year’s defensive line reminds him of the 49ers’ group from 2019.

“When I was in San Francisco, we went through the season so you can see the results of it because we played 19 games,” Woods said. “We have not played a game yet, and on paper, it all looks good, but it is all about what you do between the white lines. In terms of the comparison, you can see we have ability, but it is all going to be based on how we perform if we are similar to that unit.”

Click the link for the specifics, but I agree with Scott Patsko on his stat-based findings.
Great article, thanks!

I think the biggest differences last year were the linebackers and safeties. San Francisco relies on that group of 5-6 guys to play in coverage on every passing down. None of them are bad in coverage. It lets that pressure rate increase with only rushing four linemen because it prevents quick QB reads.

I have been critical of Woods and was not in love with his game-to-game tactics. With that said, he was not working with much talent. I expect that he will be (and has to be) much better this year.
 
New Joe Woods interview:

Joe Woods was asked Thursday to provide the stats he values most as a defensive coordinator — with the exception of "points allowed."

Woods just wasn't interested in making that exception. There's no avoiding how important the big number on the scoreboard is to a defense that is 100 percent focused on finishing games with a higher number on their side of it.

"That is the most important stat, because obviously if the team is not scoring, you are giving yourself a chance to win," Woods said. "We always talk about points allowed.

Woods broke down a couple of other stats he values, and we're analyzing how the team will look to improve those numbers in 2021.

More below:

 
New Joe Woods interview:

Joe Woods was asked Thursday to provide the stats he values most as a defensive coordinator — with the exception of "points allowed."

Woods just wasn't interested in making that exception. There's no avoiding how important the big number on the scoreboard is to a defense that is 100 percent focused on finishing games with a higher number on their side of it.

"That is the most important stat, because obviously if the team is not scoring, you are giving yourself a chance to win," Woods said. "We always talk about points allowed.

Woods broke down a couple of other stats he values, and we're analyzing how the team will look to improve those numbers in 2021.

More below:

I just tweeted this, but that third star is the most important to me. I think you actually had an RBF article about why Woods’ defense does this.
 
I just tweeted this, but that third star is the most important to me. I think you actually had an RBF article about why Woods’ defense does this.

Woods definitely raised his creativity level on third down. He ran a lot of drop zones to confuse the defense and hide the general lack of talent. The 4th down percentage is a byproduct of the "bend don't break" approach.

The team lost a lot of fourth and one yard scenarios. This again goes back to the talent on the field. Is that a scheme problem if the defense can't stop a team for running up the guy for three yards? A talent infusion will hopefully improve that stat.

Woods had to hide a lot of trash: Sendejo, Kevin Johnson, Clayborn, Goodson, Joseph... and that's just the players who weren't invited back.

However this team is good. Fans haven't even seen this first team defense. It's going to be fun!
 
Will the first team defense play against ATL?

Am assuming Myles and Ward will not. However, would imagine it would be useful to see the remaining members building some continuity and getting some guys actively to the ball carrier and truly tackling prior to matchup with Chiefs.
 

Meanwhile, the strongest correlation tested suggests that the more dominant the interior run defense, the more an opponent will drop back to pass — and the less it will try to run. In some ways, this is the expected result: Rational playcallers are avoiding strong interior lines by passing more. Yet defenses also tend to suffer when they funnel more of the opposing offense’s plays into the passing game, since passing the ball remains more efficient than running it.
That takeaway may upset teams that have invested heavily in run stopping interior linemen. But for those teams, it’s worth considering if enticing your opponent to run its most efficient play type against you is a suboptimal strategy. Unless your defense is dominant in all facets of the game, incentivizing your opponent to run more — and pass less — will likely be a better approach. Because ultimately, in a league that is structured to reward teams that throw early and often, daring your opponent to pass is probably a recipe for disappointing results.
 

Meanwhile, the strongest correlation tested suggests that the more dominant the interior run defense, the more an opponent will drop back to pass — and the less it will try to run. In some ways, this is the expected result: Rational playcallers are avoiding strong interior lines by passing more. Yet defenses also tend to suffer when they funnel more of the opposing offense’s plays into the passing game, since passing the ball remains more efficient than running it.
That takeaway may upset teams that have invested heavily in run stopping interior linemen. But for those teams, it’s worth considering if enticing your opponent to run its most efficient play type against you is a suboptimal strategy. Unless your defense is dominant in all facets of the game, incentivizing your opponent to run more — and pass less — will likely be a better approach. Because ultimately, in a league that is structured to reward teams that throw early and often, daring your opponent to pass is probably a recipe for disappointing results.
That’s a good article, but adjusting for technique to me seems to be a problem.

If you’re normalizing with a DT playing 0-tech being the high amount of run stops and 3-tech being the high, then that’s great at examining who is most efficient per run up the middle.

The problem is that most elite running teams are using outside zone, counter, and inside zone. A 0-tech DT just isn’t a position teams invest in anymore. What this stat is basically saying is that the better a 0-tech is at getting to the outside of the center, or the more static your 3-tech is, the worse the defense.

No shit. If your defensive strategy is getting your 0-tech to cover wide or your 3-tech to just not move, the defense will only be good at stopping the triple-option.

I’m not saying the article is totally wrong. Teams like the Chiefs bait their opponents into running more and generally playing less efficient offense. But for that to be a successful strategy having Andy Reid + Pat Mahomes + Kelce + Tyreek Hill on the other side to cover up defensive errors certainly helps.

Finally, in the run, most value from a DT does not necessarily come from their ability to stop the run, but how they can force outside zone runs to bounce outside or bend backwards, but removing the bang option. They also can single-handedly shut down power.

In the passing game, a DT is not going to get the most sacks, batted passes, etc., but a dominant one can change blocking assignments, which is a nightmare for young offensive linemen and many QBs that are static and need to throw with a higher arc.
 

Contrary to popular belief, the Cleveland Browns had a decent linebacker corps in 2020. The unit should be significantly improved in 2021, but its depth took a hit with the loss of Jacob Phillips. Whether he ends up on injured reserve for the entire season, or just most of it, Phillips will be out for quite a while. That means a roster spot has opened up, and it should go to Elijah Lee.
...
Having played only four defensive snaps for the Browns in 2020, it was hard to gauge how the team viewed him as a linebacker. Based on the preseason depth charts this year (which don’t mean a whole lot), the Browns see Lee as a SAM first and foremost. There’s currently no one besides Anthony Walker and Phillips listed as MIKEs, but that’s the role Lee played against the Jacksonville Jaguars, wearing the green dot and calling plays.
 
Having played only four defensive snaps for the Browns in 2020, it was hard to gauge how the team viewed him as a linebacker. Based on the preseason depth charts this year (which don’t mean a whole lot), the Browns see Lee as a SAM first and foremost. There’s currently no one besides Anthony Walker and Phillips listed as MIKEs, but that’s the role Lee played against the Jacksonville Jaguars, wearing the green dot and calling plays.

Elijah Lee broke into the NFL by beating out Malcolm Smith for middle linebacker slash nickel linebacker for the 49ers. Smith is healthier now, but Lee is cut from the same cloth as Smith.
 
Billings (99) comes right after Takk at the 45 second mark-- Billings makes it through without falling over. Mostly.


edit: Had a Chauncy moment for some reason--
 
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