(No Longer) Joe Woods’ Defense

[bs80]

I was a bit confused myself. Chase has seen more man coverage than any other WR in the league and I thought we'd be using a lot of zone. Looks like it was a decent mixture - I'll have to look for some film breakdown for more information.

I haven't had an issue with Woods play-calling much at all for awhile now other than a few redzone and 3rd and long situations. We started off facing some really good QBs though so I knew things might get a little better after that.

Maybe finally having both starting CBs back on the field gave Woods more confidence to send pressure? Whatever it was, it was nice to see!

 

[Ohio]

Just a general am I trusting my eyes right.

Browns switched to man after the second drive, right? At least from an outside receiver perspective?

They didn't play exclusively man, it was a mixture. But from what I could tell it was the most man they played all season. I don't think it was a coincidence the entire secondary had their best games of the season, either. I really hope we see more aggressive man defense moving forward...both interceptions came with Denzel covering Chase man-to-man, too. Mentioned it in the Ward thread but I'd argue this was our best defensive performance to date given the opponent and I think the scheme played a major part in that.

 

[Douglar]

Great game plan by Woods and excellent execution after the first couple drives.

STOP LINING UP OFFSIDES!

Before the snap, my 12 year old son said "Dad, is Jadaveon Clowney lined up offsides?" and that boy can't even find his feet when he needs to tie his shoes. That's how obvious the offsides was.

 

[Ohdang]

The only gripe I have about Woods was how many stupid penalties we had on defense - like lining up offsides. That's on the players more than Woods, but he also has some accountability for the lack of discipline. It shouldn't have happened more than once. He should have addressed it. The fact it happened what, 4 times? Tells me he didn't.

That's a small gripe though. I thought he called a good game and I'm happy any time he is an asset to the team rather than a liability. I hope he keeps it up.

 

[ChicagoCavFan]

This doesn't help, but did any of you see the end of the MNF game between the Steelers and Bears? The game winning drive for the Steelers - the Bears had at least 2 of those called on them (neutral zone). It might have been 3, as I was half asleep (might have been the prior series). Brutal.

 

[Randolphkeys]

There is definitely something up with the penalty discrepancy this season. We have heard that taunting is a point of emphasis by the rules committee, we know that clips of Browns players were used as examples.

I'm not a "blame the refs" guy and I've always maintained that refs aren't biased against one team, they miss as many calls as they make. It's the human aspect of the game.


But something doesn't sit right with the Browns sizable lead in yards penalized. To me, it feels like the Browns get more calls against them because they tend to build a lead early, leading to refs thinking they have to give the other team a chance.

I believe teams need to earn the chance to get back in a game.

 

[adam81king]

There is definitely something up with the penalty discrepancy this season. We have heard that taunting is a point of emphasis by the rules committee, we know that clips of Browns players were used as examples.

I'm not a "blame the refs" guy and I've always maintained that refs aren't biased against one team, they miss as many calls as they make. It's the human aspect of the game.


But something doesn't sit right with the Browns sizable lead in yards penalized.

Not, at all, disputing what you're saying, but isn't "yards penalized" dependent on the type of penalty, not frequency of being called? One DPI can go for 45+ yards, and has. One offsides, is 5.

 

[Randolphkeys]

Not, at all, disputing what you're saying, but isn't "yards penalized" dependent on the type of penalty, not frequency of being called? One DPI can go for 45+ yards, and has. One offsides, is 5.

Definitely. This was an accurate and updated graphic. It doesn't perfectly measure the specific impact discussed, but you can find total yardage in the graphic.

 

[DaNewCavs]

Not, at all, disputing what you're saying, but isn't "yards penalized" dependent on the type of penalty, not frequency of being called? One DPI can go for 45+ yards, and has. One offsides, is 5.

We definitely seem to get more DPIs then other teams. And I know of at least 3 or 4 that were total BS. I don't understand how they are the most penalized team. If I remember correctly, last year they were the least penalized. Almost all of the same personnel on offense and on defense, there are new people, but they are vastly more talented than the players from last year.

 

[Los216]

 

[Randolphkeys]

Definitely felt like he was using the Texans game to teach zone to the new personnel rather than calling the best defense for that particular week. He knew defensive back blitzes were working against the Bears, then shelved it until the Bengals game.

The one game where I thought he prioritized "teachable opportunity" for zone concepts and it cost the team was against the Steelers.

Sounds like he's calling games to win the week now.

 

[Ohio]

 

[Kiddo]

Feel like it shouldn’t have taken half the season to figure this out, considering that in training camp he was talking about attacking and being aggressive

 

[Randolphkeys]

Feel like it shouldn’t have taken half the season to figure this out, considering that in training camp he was talking about attacking and being aggressive

Would you prefer the players try out zone concepts for the first time against Lamar Jackson, or should they get used to it against the Texans and Broncos?

 

[FrontPageNews]

I’ll believe it when I see more of it. He’s pretty stupid if he’s just figuring this out 1 and a half years later.