CSN: Point/Counter Point 3-4 v. 4-3

[SWFLSkins]

http://www.csnwashington.com/07/18/10/Point-Counterpoint-The-3-4-Defense/landing_v3.html?blockID=273449&feedID=6355

By Rich Tandler
Redskins Blogger
CSNwashington.com

The Washington Redskins have had one of the better defenses in the league for most of the past six seasons. When Mike Shanahan and Jim Haslett arrived, they decided that pretty good wasn’t good enough. They are switching the base alignment from a 4-3 base to a 3-4 alignment. There is much more involved with that than just having one lineman stand up and move back a few feet, and it is the subject of this week’s edition of Point-Counterpoint.


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Thought this would be a great point of discussion on the switch.

[tshile]

404 page not found :(

edit: ah i see, its putting the elipses in there and shortening the URL. "http://www.csnwashington.com/07/18/10/Point-Counterpoint-The-3-4-Defense/landing_v3.html?blockID=273449&feedID=4717"

[SWFLSkins]

Liked reading this in particular, I hope it repeats itself here.....

Counterpoint: This isn’t necessarily a long-term process. Last year’s Packers are a perfect example of how quickly a team can adapt to the 3-4. In 2008, they were 22nd in yardage allowed, and after switching from the 4-3 they improved to second in that category. They went from 22nd in points allowed to seventh, from 12th in takeaways to first and from 26th against the run to first. And, most importantly, their record improved from 6-10 to 11-5. And they did this with only two new starters on defense. Now, as they say in commercials, your results may vary. But there is no reason to think that going to the 3-4 is a change that won’t bear fruit until 2012.

[SWFLSkins]

404 page not found :(

Thanks...fixed ^

[tshile]

Point: What happened to “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”? This team has been ranked in the top 10 defensively for five of the past six years. Haslett has coached the 4-3; he could just tweak the current setup. Why not just try to build on the success of one of the strengths of the team instead of throwing out the baby with the bath water?

Counterpoint: Yards allowed, which is what those top-10 numbers are based on, don’t tell the whole story of the defense. In fact, that statistic fits in with Mark Twain’s “lies and damned lies”. The Redskins have not been a feared defense, and one of the reasons why is that they don’t generate turnovers. Their turnover ranking in the six years that they’ve had all of those “top 10” defenses from 2004-2009 are as follows: 22nd, 15th, 32nd, 25th, 28th, and 32nd. In 2009, the teams that had the better turnover ratio in a game won 78 percent of the time. The 3-4 is designed to create pressure from different and unexpected places, forcing more turnovers in the process. If the Redskins allow a few more yards per game (and that’s not a given—five of the top seven defenses last year in terms of yardage were 3-4 teams), and get an additional takeaway every week, they will be much better off. The Redskins went the entire two-year Jim Zorn era without scoring a single defensive touchdown. You can’t stand pat and live with such a glaring deficiency.

thats the biggest thing for me, from this article. I'm so sick of the 'but we're top 5 every year' argument. The context of that 'top 5 ranking' has very little meaning in the grand scheme of things.

[Chump Bailey]

I'm not worried about it as I was previously. I'm excited because it allows guys like Chris Wilson and Rob Jackson a chance to make more plays - IMO. Carriker is a 34 DE and I think he could do very well in such a role. If Kemo and Carriker are healthy, and Albert shows up wanting to play, our DL could be very good.

[Oldfan]

Rich Tandler is one the more intelligent writers on the Redskins' scene -- and this point - counterpoint approach is a good idea. It forces the writer's mind into a balanced mode.

As for the move to the 3-4: One of the major disadvantages is that the on-board talent was selected for the 4-3. Thus, we have a talent-to-scheme mismatch this year.

As for creating more turnovers, the way to do that is to create more pressure on the QB. My guess is that using Orakpo the way the Colts use Freeny, with his ears pinned back and going after the QB on nearly every play, would be the most economical way to do that.

As an opposing QB, I would thank the DC who sends Rak back into coverage.

[HBnotBlades]

As for creating more turnovers, the way to do that is to create more pressure on the QB. My guess is that using Orakpo the way the Colts use Freeny, with his ears pinned back and going after the QB on nearly every play, would be the most economical way to do that.

As an opposing QB, I would thank the DC who sends Rak back into coverage.

Orakpo will be rushing the QB far more this year than last. Not to mention the ROLB in this defense is primarily a pass rusher anyway, he won't be dropping back in to coverage very often.

[Ryman of the North]

"His trainer reports that he has slimmed down to 330 pounds, an ideal weight for a 3-4 end. "- Really? 330? how many other 3-4 ends weigh in at that

[Ryman of the North]

not a terrible article btw, but one thing he ignored was that GB used a draft in their first year to prep for the 3-4 and they were deep at spots where we are very very thin.

[LD0506]

Don't underestimate the effect that hiring Dom Capers had on GB's transition to the 3-4

[Ryman of the North]

Iv'e been saying all along that Haslett is not > Capers not even close. that piece could have been better, it was too short and he didnt argue either side very well. it was written like he skimmed EA's Thread and didnt actually read it lmao.

[Cooley4President]

I think we're putting a lot of hope in the fact that changing to a 3-4 will make us a more dynamic and dangerous defense. My biggest fear is that at the end of the year we'll realize that we just don't have the talent.

[Dukes and Skins]

Good article it really makes you see both sides of the story and then make a decision on it. Personally when you look at it there are some things you can say about both and the GB example is one that is a the abnormal example. The hiring of Capers and adding some top end 3-4 talent along with having players who fit both the 4-3 and 3-4 scheme already made the job not that bad for Capers to work with

While Haslett is no Capers in terms of the 3-4, he still is one aggressive coach who will demand turnovers and big plays, something our D hasn't had in a while. The other point to be made is that while yes statistically we were a top 10 D, we couldn't get the turnovers and big plays to stop drives and clinch games for us, with the switch to the 3-4 we will have that ability to do that. While this wont be a Packers 3-4 D next year I dont think it'll be a long process to completely switch to the 3-4. We have talent at a lot of areas just need to add more into the DL over drafts as well as the LB's as we all know Fletcher won't be on this team forever and Rocky may be gone after the year. That leaves Perry Riley and HB Blades to be our starters.

Basically what I'm saying is while he makes great points for both sides it wont be one or the other. It wont be a long drawn out transition or a quick fix it'll be somewhere inbetween

[Ryman of the North]

riley and blades as starters inside in a 3-4 is a recipe for crapulence

[Mahons21]

riley and blades as starters inside in a 3-4 is a recipe for crapulence

First off, we haven't even seen Riley play a single snap in the NFL, to count him out before he even plays isn't very logical. Second, there's nothing to suggest that the immortal London Fletcher won't be able to play at least 2 more season(so far he has increased in tackles every year as a Redskin), and can't we draft an ILB next year? Or acquire one via FA? Or make a trade for one?

No need to be pessimistic about situations that haven't occurred yet, and honestly aren't very likely to occur.

If Lewis and Gooden go down for the Ravens, their ILB's are a recipe for "crapulence" as well..

[Pedro]

riley and blades as starters inside in a 3-4 is a recipe for crapulence

If that happens it's either:

A) We got a beating from the injury stick again.

B) They won the job on talent.

If it's A) most teams would struggle if they lose their two ILB starters. We're likely in that group.

If it's B) it would depend on if it was good play from them or the starters they replaced suck - personally I doubt it's the latter with the size of the front 3 we can put out.


We are moving to a 3-4, and there's basically 2 ways to get there. Get the players you think you need, then switch and see how right you were or switch and see what positions you actually need. Opinions may vary but I'm a believer in the how do you know you can't 'till you try philosophy :D

[Johns Bass]

I think that it is hard to say right now what kind of a 3-4 they will run or how often they will be in it; especially if the NT lines up off center.

Example: if they line up as a 3-4 then if Johnson pulls up as a DE from a LB spot - is it a 3-4 or a 4-3? Or vice versa; if he drops back from the line is it a 4-3 or a 3-4?

I think it will be interesting to see exactly what the scheme really is.

[HBnotBlades]

I think that it is hard to say right now what kind of a 3-4 they will run or how often they will be in it; especially if the NT lines up off center.

Example: if they line up as a 3-4 then if Johnson pulls up as a DE from a LB spot - is it a 3-4 or a 4-3? Or vice versa; if he drops back from the line is it a 4-3 or a 3-4?

I think it will be interesting to see exactly what the scheme really is.

Is Larry Johnson playing defense now too?

But you're right, Haslett has said he wants to run a hybrid so we really have no idea how much 4-3 or 3-4 we'll actually see this year.

[Oldskool]

Liked reading this in particular, I hope it repeats itself here.....

Counterpoint: This isn’t necessarily a long-term process. Last year’s Packers are a perfect example of how quickly a team can adapt to the 3-4. In 2008, they were 22nd in yardage allowed, and after switching from the 4-3 they improved to second in that category. They went from 22nd in points allowed to seventh, from 12th in takeaways to first and from 26th against the run to first. And, most importantly, their record improved from 6-10 to 11-5. And they did this with only two new starters on defense. Now, as they say in commercials, your results may vary. But there is no reason to think that going to the 3-4 is a change that won’t bear fruit until 2012.

One thing that this does not take into effect is the Dom Capers effect. Dom replaced a coach by the name of Bob Sanders who had never been a DC until his one year disaster in 2008 with Green Bay (you can call him the Zorn of the North).

Capers isn't in the Parcells/Bellicheat/LeBeau strata of 3-4 giants but he is a pretty good coach and even if he ran a 1-5 defense it would have been better than what GB had before.

[mbws]

Jane, you ignorant slut...

[ConnSKINS26]

Jane, you ignorant slut...

:ols: :ols: Nice.

[Ryman of the North]

First off, we haven't even seen Riley play a single snap in the NFL, to count him out before he even plays isn't very logical. Second, there's nothing to suggest that the immortal London Fletcher won't be able to play at least 2 more season(so far he has increased in tackles every year as a Redskin), and can't we draft an ILB next year? Or acquire one via FA? Or make a trade for one?

No need to be pessimistic about situations that haven't occurred yet, and honestly aren't very likely to occur.

If Lewis and Gooden go down for the Ravens, their ILB's are a recipe for "crapulence" as well..

no we havent but a combo of him with blades is ugly, like appalchian stepsistercousin ugly. I would say Fletch in a 3-4 has maybe 2 more seasons at best and I doubt Rocky comes back after next season given he was not happy with being tendered.

and if lewis and gooden go down the Ravens have been drafting ILBs for 4 years now so should have at least one decent back up.

[ConnSKINS26]

If Rocky plays well and proves himself worthy of more than a tender in this scheme, he'll get a contract. At least, you'd think so. No need to make more holes where there aren't any.

[Pedro]

One thing that this does not take into effect is the Dom Capers effect. Dom replaced a coach by the name of Bob Sanders who had never been a DC until his one year disaster in 2008 with Green Bay (you can call him the Zorn of the North).

Capers isn't in the Parcells/Bellicheat/LeBeau strata of 3-4 giants but he is a pretty good coach and even if he ran a 1-5 defense it would have been better than what GB had before.

That we are going from a very simple safety first approach to a more aggressive D should count in our favor in a similar way, to what degree remains unknown at this point. Add in that our perceived weakest area on D is our LB corps and we went and got the Steeler's LB coach.

We got a coaching/game planning/calling boost too. I'm expecting our DBs will surprise people this year just off of not having to give 10 yard cushions on 3rd and 2s....

[Mahons21]

no we havent but a combo of him with blades is ugly, like appalchian stepsistercousin ugly. I would say Fletch in a 3-4 has maybe 2 more seasons at best and I doubt Rocky comes back after next season given he was not happy with being tendered.
A lot of players aren't happy with being tendered, doesn't mean they won't eventually get a contract. We'll have to see how Rocky does, for the most part he's been a solid starter as a 4-3 WILL, but how will he do as in an ILB in comparison with Riley?

And I agree about Fletcher, but there's nothing to suggest we won't acquire an ILB during one of the coming offseasons. I'm just saying it's a little early to get worked up about a Blades/Riley combo.


and if lewis and gooden go down the Ravens have been drafting ILBs for 4 years now so should have at least one decent back up.

I don't know enough about the Ravens to speak that confidently about them, but according to their team website Roster, they have two ILB's, Lewis and Gooden.
http://www.baltimoreravens.com/People/Player_Roster.aspx

And they didn't draft one this year..
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2010/tracker#dt-tabs:dt-by-team/dt-by-team-input:bal

That doesn't sound like a team that has at least one descent backup to me, it sounds like if one of their ILB's goes down they have to move an OLB inside or use backup OLB as an ILB.

[SWFLSkins]

not a terrible article btw, but one thing he ignored was that GB used a draft in their first year to prep for the 3-4 and they were deep at spots where we are very very thin.


Iv'e been saying all along that Haslett is not > Capers not even close. that piece could have been better, it was too short and he didnt argue either side very well. it was written like he skimmed EA's Thread and didnt actually read it lmao.

Make up you mind, you remind me of my wife moving furniture, J/K Bustin chops, lol.

But really we don't know that Haslett has not grown since we have last seen him in action. To be honest, I don't know that our team would have been deep in the 3-4 especially at LBer. We have many tweeners there and they maybe better suited in the 4-3, I would like to hear your thoughts on that subject.

Also as I previously stated I think the secondary helps the line look better with better coverage. How many times were the lineman closing in only to see a completion due to lack of coverage, they go hand in hand. In summary Capers>>Haslett(at this point), Haslett>>Blahce IMO. 3-4 probably better because of the pressure and the coverages being better, however the run D might suffer with the DL we have playing there, depends on Kemo and Carriker, and of course the elephant in the room aka #92.

[SWFLSkins]

riley and blades as starters inside in a 3-4 is a recipe for crapulence

Bowling ball Blades attacking not a good idea? Hated seeing him in coverage. I guess I got your answer then on the LBers/ :pfft:

[HailGreen28]

riley and blades as starters inside in a 3-4 is a recipe for crapulenceHow about Fletch and Blades as ILBs?

[SkinsTribeVA]

riley and blades as starters inside in a 3-4 is a recipe for crapulence

What's this guy talking about?
-They're not starters.
-We haven't seen any of Riley yet. Blades has looked decent in the glimpses we've had of him and it's anyone's guess as to what he would look like at 3-4 ILB.
-Fletcher will most likely be around for another 2-3 seasons. Rocky should be looking at a contract extension by the end of next season. But even if they're both still here next season, I can guarantee we'll be looking for more 3-4 LB's next offseason to add depth in the front 7.

[Dukes and Skins]

How about Fletch and Blades as ILBs?

Would not be a good idea personally Fletch and McIntosh are our best options but if we lose McIntosh at the end of the year then I think Riley will be able to fit in fine in the 3-4

[MartinC]

Add in that our perceived weakest area on D is our LB corps

Which is why switching to a scheme which puts more linebackers on the field does have me slightly scratching my head.

[NewCliche21]

No defensive touchdowns under Blache. So glad that that piece of trash is gone.

[GhostofSparta]

No defensive touchdowns under Blache. So glad that that piece of trash is gone.
Yeah, that little gem of a statistic made me sick to my stomach.

[Dukes and Skins]

No defensive touchdowns under Blache. So glad that that piece of trash is gone.

Agreed when Williams left so did any aggressive nature of our defense along with it. Such a shame to watch that defense the last 2 years have no tenacity and not be aggressive. Now with Haslett it'll defiantly be a different story

[SWFLSkins]

Agreed when Williams left so did any aggressive nature of our defense along with it. Such a shame to watch that defense the last 2 years have no tenacity and not be aggressive. Now with Haslett it'll defiantly be a different story

The wack part was we all thought Blah was going to up it a notch.

[Dukes and Skins]

The wack part was we all thought Blah was going to up it a notch.

I'll admit I was one of them I was like wow Blache is gonna take us to the next level and boy was I wrong :doh:

[Chachie]

thats the biggest thing for me, from this article. I'm so sick of the 'but we're top 5 every year' argument. The context of that 'top 5 ranking' has very little meaning in the grand scheme of things.


I'm not saying we can't be good in a 3-4 but our offense was hhhoooorrible. That's what killed us. It affects a defense when the offense is so abysmal. Imagine how highly we'd have been ranked defensively if our O gave us any boost at all.

[darrelgreenie]

"His trainer reports that he has slimmed down to 330 pounds, an ideal weight for a 3-4 end. "- Really? 330? how many other 3-4 ends weigh in at that

He weighs more then 330 but Haloti Ngata at 345 plays plays 3-4 DE/DT probably in very similar way that Haynesworth will be used in Haslett's scheme.




What's this guy talking about?
-They're not starters.
-We haven't seen any of Riley yet. Blades has looked decent in the glimpses we've had of him and it's anyone's guess as to what he would look like at 3-4 ILB.
front 7.

I think Blades by most accounts would be considered quality young-veteran depth.
He's been Fltecher understudy for a few seasons and has been a decent starter when he was pressed into duty 2 years ago. Since then he's seen a fair amount of playing time for a back-up and imo has shown that he's an NFL caliber player.
Also an underrated factor that i think will help our LBs transition from our 4-3 Under scheme to Haslett's Hybrid 3-4 is the retention of our LB coach Olividotti.
I don't see how somebody can be down on our rookie LB Riley when he hasn't even played yet, by that logic all rookie LBs would be examples of 'crapulence'.

Also, from what i saw from Henson in training camp and pre-season i suspect that he's be a solid LB when he gets his shot.



Add in that our perceived weakest area on D is our LB corps and we went and got the Steeler's LB coach.
Which is why switching to a scheme which puts more linebackers on the field does have me slightly scratching my head.
-Pedro
Was there a perception that our LB corps was a weak spot?
Fletcher has always played on a pro-bowl level, Rocky is right on his heels despite recovering from a rather serious injury and Orakpo was a pro-bowler.
And we had 2 solid back-ups with game experience in Blades and Wilson.
-Martin C
Well if you consider Orkapo, Rocky and Fletch solid players there's really only 1 spot where there's a real question mark and that's LOLB but then you have to remember that:
o we don't know how the defense will look exactly, meaning we could still play enough 4-3 to allow Carter to keep a comfort level
o Haslett's defense doesn't ask the OLB to do a lot of pass coverage which will also help Carter to be more comfortable then when he previosly played in a 3-4 (where he had 4 or 5 sacks)
o Chris Wilson may actually be better suited to play 3-4 OLB then any position he's played previously as a Redskin

My main area of concern for the transition to the 3-4 is along the DL.
Kemo has to be healthy, play at high level and not get hurt to give this defense a chance to be effective next season. (without trying to work smoke and mirror shuffling)


I'm not saying we can't be good in a 3-4 but our offense was hhhoooorrible. That's what killed us. It affects a defense when the offense is so abysmal. Imagine how highly we'd have been ranked defensively if our O gave us any boost at all.

I think you're letting the offense off the hook big time here.
If you're gonna be a good defense you've got to make plays.
Give the offense short field with a turnover and you'll make it easier for them to score.
If you're gonna be a good defense you got to be able to make the big stop at the end of the game.

[MartinC]

-Martin C
Well if you consider Orkapo, Rocky and Fletch solid players there's really only 1 spot where there's a real question mark and that's LOLB but then you have to remember that:
o we don't know how the defense will look exactly, meaning we could still play enough 4-3 to allow Carter to keep a comfort level
o Haslett's defense doesn't ask the OLB to do a lot of pass coverage which will also help Carter to be more comfortable then when he previosly played in a 3-4 (where he had 4 or 5 sacks)
o Chris Wilson may actually be better suited to play 3-4 OLB then any position he's played previously as a Redskin

My main area of concern for the transition to the 3-4 is along the DL.
Kemo has to be healthy, play at high level and not get hurt to give this defense a chance to be effective next season. (without trying to work smoke and mirror shuffling)

I agree with you about NT - we need Kemo to be healthy and stay healthy as it would be a complete waste to have Haynesworth play that spot full time. I think we are fine at DE assuming Al spends most of his time there and is in the right state of mind.

On the linebackers Fletch and Rocky look solid at inside linebacker but neither have played a snap at those positions before in the NFL (to my knowledge) so there is some unknown there. Depth is OK with Blades and Riley but then Riley is a rookie and could be great or a bust and Blades again has not played inside backer in a 3-4 before.

Its OLB that concerns me though. Orakpo is ideal for one spot as a pass rushing linebaker the other side is big question mark with lots of guys who are really 4-3 ends trying to transition. One or more of them could get the job done but its a big question mark.

What really concerns me about the OLBs though - including Orakpo - is that they are all much better at rushing the passer than dropping into coverage. Haslett is going to have to be very creative with schemes and coverage packages to cover up this weakness.

Finally by adding an additional linebacker to our starting group we just raised the risk of an injury to a starter in that area by 25%. This in the area where our depth is arguably most questionable apart from maybe NT. If Orakpo went down I think we are almost forced to flip back to a 4-3.

[darrelgreenie]

On the linebackers Fletch and Rocky look solid at inside linebacker but neither have played a snap at those positions before in the NFL (to my knowledge) so there is some unknown there. Depth is OK with Blades and Riley but then Riley is a rookie and could be great or a bust and Blades again has not played inside backer in a 3-4 before.

The transition from 4-3 MLB/WILB to 3-4 ILB is one of the easier transitions to make from a 4-3 to a 3-4.
Fletch has played in a 4-3/3-4 scheme in Buffalo under Dick LeBeau and that's the scheme that Spanos is bringing to Washington.
And Coach Olividotti is still around to make the scheme switch even more seamless for the LBs.


Its OLB that concerns me though. Orakpo is ideal for one spot as a pass rushing linebaker the other side is big question mark with lots of guys who are really 4-3 ends trying to transition. One or more of them could get the job done but its a big question mark.
What really concerns me about the OLBs though - including Orakpo - is that they are all much better at rushing the passer than dropping into coverage. Haslett is going to have to be very creative with schemes and coverage packages to cover up this weakness.

I understand your apprehension here, but i'm more optimistic about how Haslett plans to use Carter.
He said that his scheme will have easier/fewer coverage assignments then Carter's scheme in San Fran.
Based on what came out of camp last year Chris Wilson having been the back-up hybrid SAM one would think that Wilson is more prepared then anyone else not named Orakpo to play 3-4 OLB.

*Most 3-4 OLB on any team are better at rushing then coverage



Finally by adding an additional linebacker to our starting group we just raised the risk of an injury to a starter in that area by 25%. This in the area where our depth is arguably most questionable apart from maybe NT. If Orakpo went down I think we are almost forced to flip back to a 4-3.

There's also 1 less starting DL the overall risk of injury is the same.
I think our depth at 3-4 OLB isn't much different then other 3-4 teams.
Rak, Fletch, Rocky, Carter:Blades, Wilson, Alexander, Jarmon, Riley, Henson:Gatewood, R. Jackson

[ADF]

There's also 1 less starting DL the overall risk of injury is the same.
I think our depth at 3-4 OLB isn't much different then other 3-4 teams.
Rak, Fletch, Rocky, Carter:Blades, Wilson, Alexander, Jarmon, Riley, Henson:Gatewood, R. Jackson

I just saw Jarmon on "SportsNite" and he said that he was up to 295 lbs now. He also said he was making the transition to DE in a 3-4.

[darrelgreenie]

I just saw Jarmon on "SportsNite" and he said that he was up to 295 lbs now. He also said he was making the transition to DE in a 3-4.

Wow, didn't know that.
I remember him saying during the summer that he was gonna slim down to be a OLB.
I thought it made more sense for him to be a DE all along but wonder about his ability to bulk up to the size of a 3-4 DE.
Hopefully he didn't lose too much athleticism along the way.

[ConnSKINS26]

Wow, didn't know that.
I remember him saying during the summer that he was gonna slim down to be a OLB.
I thought it made more sense for him to be a DE all along but wonder about his ability to bulk up to the size of a 3-4 DE.
Hopefully he didn't lose too much athleticism along the way.

I hadn't heard that either....one part of me likes it, because we need more depth there than OLB anyways. But the other half of me doesn't like it, because we spent a 3rd on this guy for one reason: he's a great pass-rusher. I think we would have started to see it if he hadn't gotten hurt last season. And he's not going to be doing much traditional pass-rushing from the DE spot. The good thing is, as long as he doesn't get too big, he can still play across from Orakpo at LE in the 4-3.

Edit: Wow, I didn't see the weight. He's up to 295 now?? How is that possible, since he definitely started the offseason trying to lose weight to play rush OLB...

[Pedro]

Always made more sense for him to bulk up rather than down. When he played he looked like he would make a good traditional 4-3 LDE. Could be a great move if he keeps his speed as he moves up in weight. I like having pass rush capable guys in traditional run stopping roles if they can still do that. Too much passing in this league already.....

[SWFLSkins]

Always made more sense for him to bulk up rather than down. When he played he looked like he would make a good traditional 4-3 LDE. Could be a great move if he keeps his speed as he moves up in weight. I like having pass rush capable guys in traditional run stopping roles if they can still do that. Too much passing in this league already.....

So considering the ends on the team and the fact that AH is not thrilled with playing NT, I don't see him being around for long honestly. The team has young and old talent at DE, they get a legit NT next year or unearth one this year, AH is out of a job here.