Did We Even Try To Bring Mike Nolan Back As Dc?

[ravensfan160]

Because I don't think we did. Its too late now but I would have thought he would have been the perfect guy to replace Rex Ryan seeing as how Mike is the guy Rex replaced.

I can't help but notice how Mike turned one of the worst defenses completely around in his first year and think that if he was our DC we would be 6-0 not 3-3.

[Gtown Purple]

At this point it's hard to tell whether a different DC would have much of a difference given all of the obvious mistakes in coverage and poor play leading to big plays or penalties.

[theFRANCHISE]

Josh McDaniels got on the horn with Mike Nolan before Rex Ryan was even hired as the head coach of the Jets.

[ravensfan160]

[quote name='theFRANCHISE' date='19 October 2009 - 10:12 AM' timestamp='1255961541' post='262160']
Josh McDaniels got on the horn with Mike Nolan before Rex Ryan was even hired as the head coach of the Jets.
[/quote]
Thanks. I figured it had to be something like that. Man though I wish Nolan was back. A coordinator can only do so much but at the same time with what he's done in Denver you have to assume he would be making a difference.

Take New England for example. All those years with corners you never heard of Bellicheck was able to shut down guys like Manning time and time again. A scheme can make up for lack of talent.

[theFRANCHISE]

In all honesty, had Rex Ryan not taken Mike Pettine along with him to the Jets, Pettine would've been Ryan's successor. Vic Fangio (then-special assistant to the head coach and quality control on defense) had a spotty track record as defensive coordinator in the league, Clarence Brooks had never been a defensive coordinator (that I know of, according to his bio), and Chuck Pagano hadn't had enough experience as a defensive coordinator. Greg Mattison's experience won him the job.

The Ravens' formula had always been to promote from within on defense, and it had worked since the Marvin Lewis era. Hard to argue with the kind of success that the Lewis/Nolan/Ryan triumvirate had, and there was no reason to believe that the cycle wouldn't continue. The jury is technically still out on Mattison since both Nolan and Ryan had similar (though not as glaring) growing pains in their first years, too.

Though blame always starts at the top (this case, Mattison), it could be Fangio's fault, for all we know, as to why Tavares Gooden, Antwan Barnes, Paul Kruger, and Jameel McClain haven't done enough to separate themselves on the roster thus far. He [i]is[/i], after all, the new linebackers coach. We've expected Gooden to play lights-out, but the jury is still out on him. McClain has shown flashes, but is otherwise invisible on the field. And Barnes has been largely inconsistent, while Kruger hasn't done enough to make a case to activate him on the 45-man gameday roster.

The scheme isn't exactly different (notice the sprinkling of overload blitzes and the use of varied zone blitzes), but the execution is lacking. Sometimes, that falls back more on coaching than the effectiveness of the scheme. I also noticed issues with fundamentals and communication with the 'backers and secondary -- something Fangio and defensive back coaches Chuck Pagano and Mark Carrier have to account for.

[noy]

[quote name='theFRANCHISE' date='19 October 2009 - 10:51 AM' timestamp='1255963884' post='262208']
In all honesty, had Rex Ryan not taken Mike Pettine along with him to the Jets, Pettine would've been Ryan's successor. Vic Fangio (then-special assistant to the head coach and quality control on defense) had a spotty track record as defensive coordinator in the league, Clarence Brooks had never been a defensive coordinator (that I know of, according to his bio), and Chuck Pagano hadn't had enough experience as a defensive coordinator. Greg Mattison's experience won him the job.

The Ravens' formula had always been to promote from within on defense, and it had worked since the Marvin Lewis era. Hard to argue with the kind of success that the Lewis/Nolan/Ryan triumvirate, and there was no reason to believe that the cycle wouldn't continue. The jury is technically still out on Mattison since both Nolan and Ryan had similar (though not as glaring) growing pains in their first years, too.

Though blame always starts at the top (this case, Mattison), it could be Fangio's fault, for all we know, as to why Tavares Gooden, Antwan Barnes, Paul Kruger, and Jameel McClain haven't done enough to separate themselves on the roster thus far. He [i]is[/i], after all, the new linebackers coach. We've expected Gooden to play lights-out, but the jury is still out on him. McClain has shown flashes, but is otherwise invisible on the field. And Barnes has been largely inconsistent, while Kruger hasn't done enough to make a case to activate him on the 45-man gameday roster.

The scheme isn't exactly different (notice the sprinkling of overload blitzes and the use of varied zone blitzes), but the execution is lacking. Sometimes, that falls back more on coaching than the effectiveness of the scheme. I also noticed issues with fundamentals and communication -- something both Fangio and secondary coaches Chuck Pagano and Mark Carrier have to account for.
[/quote]

What about the defensive linemen? We've brought back the same group of individuals that have been stout against the run for years, and yet, we're getting run on quite a bit. That is the indication of a scheme and role problem. Hasn't the coaching staff tried to change them to be more of a pass rush oriented line? (which hasn't been working well enough) I'd prefer the linemen to go back to being the plugs that they are so that our linebackers are free in space. That was case and point when Ray had a free shot at Favre, that reminded me of a year ago...

[theFRANCHISE]

[quote name='noy' date='19 October 2009 - 11:05 AM' timestamp='1255964750' post='262226']
What about the defensive linemen? We've brought back the same group of individuals that have been stout against the run for years, and yet, we're getting run on quite a bit. That is the indication of a scheme and role problem. Hasn't the coaching staff tried to change them to be more of a pass rush oriented line? (which hasn't been working well enough) I'd prefer the linemen to go back to being the plugs that they are so that our linebackers are free in space. That was case and point when Ray had a free shot at Favre, that reminded me of a year ago...
[/quote]
Hard to say, since Trevor Pryce has shown flashes of 2006 again. Kelly Gregg isn't quite the same high-motor player he once was (age and microfracture surgery will do that), and I'm not sure what to make of Haloti Ngata. At times, Ngata will disappear into space, but that's largely due to being double-teamed constantly whenever Suggs isn't being doubled. Other times, Ngata is a force (as he was in the second half yesterday.) They've had the same D-Line coach (Clarence Brooks) since 2005 when Rex Ryan vacated the position with his promotion to defensive coordinator, so I'm not sure if it's Brooks' fault necessarily.

I've noticed more ILB blitzes and blatant overloads than in years past, possibly to overcome the deficiencies in the D-Line's execution. Gaps aren't being filled the way they used to, so you might be right about the line being more pass-rush oriented -- but it'd make sense to make that switch, given that there's two AFC North rivals with solid passers in Carson Palmer and Ben Roethlisberger. You pressure the rival offense's best weapon (the QB), you take away the best part of their game...or so you'd hope.