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With Watt out what defensive adj would you make?

M

mussop

Hall of Fame
After the way NEs OL handled our front seven we better make some serious adjustments. Now with Watt gone what would you do?

I would go to a 4/3 with a reader, wilfork and Covington rotation in the middle. Put Clowney at one end and mercilous at the other against teams that have strong running games. Our dime that we've been running so much of got exposed in NE.

We've got to get some size on that DL or teams are going to run all over us.
 
The medical reports suggest Watt is lost for the year and Brown is gone for good. Then Texans direly need a pair of tackles and are just fuqued for the season. With all that money tied up in a backup QB, recovery may be impossible in the intermediate term future.
 
Seegara said:
The medical reports suggest Watt is lost for the year and Brown is gone for good. Then Texans direly need a pair of tackles and are just fuqued for the season. With all that money tied up in a backup QB, recovery may be impossible in the intermediate term future.
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Got a link for medical reports suggesting Brown is gone for good?
 
Covington in place of Watt, Ninja/Still opposite Covington. Also as well as Reader seems to be doing, he should keep Wilfork fresher. On some run plays I could see Reader and Wilfork next to each other. Later in season I could also see Scarlett next to Mercilus: McKinney, 6'4" 250, Bullough 6'3" 250, Scarlett 6'4" 265 and Mercilus 6'3" 260 a group of solid tacklers but height and levers impact the flight path of the ball.
 
I'd play Clowney and Smith at DE. Simon and Mercilus at OLB. And of course, Cushing and McKinney at MLB and Big Vince at DT.
 
lol.....Clowney will get manhandled if moved to DE. Covington/Still/Smith rotate at DE. This is a good but not great defense now.

What needs to be done to deal with this injury is to become a much better offensive team. Id rather have a great offense, decent defense than a great defense and a sorry offense that has produced 3 TDs in 3 entire games.

That happens, this team wins 9-10 games and the division. Hell, they could win 8 and still win this garbage division. Just once it would be nice to win a division because the team is actually good, and not because every other team is either ravaged by injuries, or they suck.
 
As much as we love Watt, he has been visibly hampered by the injury the first 3 games, and outside of a few flashes he had it shouldn't be hard to match what his production was.
 
KarlK said:
lol.....Clowney will get manhandled if moved to DE. Covington/Still/Smith rotate at DE. This is a good but not great defense now.

What needs to be done to deal with this injury is to become a much better offensive team. Id rather have a great offense, decent defense than a great defense and a sorry offense that has produced 3 TDs in 3 entire games.

That happens, this team wins 9-10 games and the division. Hell, they could win 8 and still win this garbage division. Just once it would be nice to win a division because the team is actually good, and not because every other team is either ravaged by injuries, or they suck.
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He's been playing DE all year.
 
Say Watt said:
Clowney's actually a good run defender. So is John Simon. Might be best to switch out Antonio Smith with Covington and have Smith rotate with Clowney.
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He's a good edge setter and run defender in that capacity. He not a good straight up run defender. He would be much better as a 4\3 de like he played in college. This dime where there are 4 to 5 guys lined up on the line that we've been running is just going to get pushed around. Watch the NE game again. CLOWNEY doesn't need to be battling OL in the trenches trying to stop the run. He needs to be on the edge more where he can use his athleticism more to make an impact.
 
mussop said:
He's a good edge setter and run defender in that capacity. He not a good straight up run defender. He would be much better as a 4\3 de like he played in college. This dime where there are 4 to 5 guys lined up on the line that we've been running is just going to get pushed around. Watch the NE game again. CLOWNEY doesn't need to be battling OL in the trenches trying to stop the run. He needs to be on the edge more where he can use his athleticism more to make an impact.
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Yeah, when he get space to crank up momentum blockers have a much harder time stopping him. When he gets hands put on him quickly where he isn't able to get a blast of explosiveness to his momentum, he struggles to gain it or to transition to counter moves that free him up. He needs to be on the edge or in a 4-3.
 
Idk I'm not racks nor do I get paid millions to be the DC

But I would think it would be a simple has rotating still and Chris in his de spot. Either way now clowney will be double teamed the hole game so ....... Clowney will be a,non factor the hole game lol
 
I'm also thinking move clowney back to olb and make him go into coverage more

Then we,could play still and chis at the same time
 
We're going to get less (almost no) rush out of our front 3 with Watt gone. I'd use more 4 man fronts. Something like ninja , V, Reader, and clowney (just clowney) in a wide 9 technique.
 
mussop said:
He's a good edge setter and run defender in that capacity. He not a good straight up run defender. He would be much better as a 4\3 de like he played in college. This dime where there are 4 to 5 guys lined up on the line that we've been running is just going to get pushed around. Watch the NE game again. CLOWNEY doesn't need to be battling OL in the trenches trying to stop the run. He needs to be on the edge more where he can use his athleticism more to make an impact.
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He needs to be lined up on the edge, with his hand in the dirt.

We moved Jj Watt inside & out. We won't be able to move Clowney around like that. Clowney is not stout enough to play on the inside.

In situations Watt would line up outside we should send Clowney out there & line him up in Watt's outside position.

In situations Watt would line up inside, we'll send Heath or Still out there & line up where Covington normally would then Covington can line up where Watt would.

My 2.
 
Clowney and/or Covington, Reader, McKinney. Bullough.

Someone needs to rise up to the challenge. It's that simple. For 5 years this has been JJ Watt's defense. The team can say whatever it wants about Cushing being the heart of the defense but the skeleton and muscles of this defense has been JJ Watt.

Now it has to be someone else. Somebody has to turn it on and make a difference.
 
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My guess is that we're going to a more traditional 3-4 where the front three just tie up blockers and stop the run. Watt was so talented at shooting gaps that it was advantageous to become a multiple-personality defense. We'll have to transition to a traditional scheme that our personnel can support.
 
Brisco_County said:
My guess is that we're going to a more traditional 3-4 where the front three just tie up blockers and stop the run. Watt was so talented at shooting gaps that it was advantageous to become a multiple-personality defense. We'll have to transition to a traditional scheme that our personnel can support.
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Near exactly what I came to post. I expect we'll see a more traditional style of defense. I would leave Mercilus on the right and move Clowney into Watt's position outside on the left. Ninja, Wilfork and Covington/Reader in the middle of course. Simon would be the major sub and blitz package option - or maybe swap him and Clowney to control the reps while Clowney's foot is an issue.
 
Brisco_County said:
My guess is that we're going to a more traditional 3-4 where the front three just tie up blockers and stop the run. Watt was so talented at shooting gaps that it was advantageous to become a multiple-personality defense. We'll have to transition to a traditional scheme that our personnel can support.
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Without watt will we be more disciplined with gap integrity?

Less freelancing.
 
I'd move Whitney around. Let him assume the elephant position that Watt held. Whitney now is our best pass rusher. DJ Reader needs more playing time. Hope that Cush has anything left. Clowney needs to rise to the occasion, it's now or never time for him.

I still like the defense schematically.
 
Watt was on the sidelines in yesterdays game and the announcer said it was his first time there since his surgery he'd been able to stand up for an entire game. Is that a bad sign for his complete recovery or meaningless as to his recovery when he returns next year ?
 
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