Another Dolphin D.C. Promises Attack Style
Matt Burke is now on the list of Dolphins Defensive Coordinators who promised to attack.
Burke is a student of Jim Swartz, who was known for defenses that attack.
With the departure of Vance Joseph to become the Head Coach of the Denver Broncos, Matt Burke the Dolphins Linebacker coach was promoted to the Head Defensive Coordinator Position for the Dolphins.
Even though the Dolphins Defense was not very good this season, Joseph was a hot commodity on the Head Coach market, and Denver didn’t waste any time locking him up.
Even though Miami did’t get the desired results from their defense, instead of looking outside the organization for a new coach, they opted to promote from within.
But, here’s the problem — ‘from within’ we have heard LOTS of talk about an attacking defense for quite some time, but it was all smoke without fire.
The last good, aggressive defense Miami had was with Mike Nolan in 2011.
And in a strange irony, like the last two D.C.’s, Burke too is from Cincinnati — so at this point the ‘doubting Thomas’ has to see it to believe it.
Most pay per head bookie service fans would say the biggest reason why Miami promoted from within was in order to keep continuity. So, instead of finding a new Defensive Coordinator that would have instituted a new defensive scheme and verbiage, the Dolphins wanted to give ‘Joseph’s defensive’ another chance.
But, how much of Joseph’s defense will carry over?
Attack, attack, attack, we’ve heard this since 2012
I get it, it’s tough for players to learn new schemes with new terminology each year, so this will at least make it easier for the returning defensive players to build on the same schemes they used this past season.
But, we are again being promised an attacking defense, what will be the excuse this time if it doesn’t come to fruition?
Joseph’s scheme, which also promised to attack, was mostly a ‘vanilla defense’ of straight zones of shell coverage playing 7-10 yards off on nearly every down.
Yes, because the secondary and linebackers started off with a talent deficit and was then decimated by injuries, it’s hard to totally blame the coaches and scheme for a defense that was better served to be a sieve.
I’ll counter that caveat with this: when the defense was whole in Week 1, the defensive scheme was the same as in Week 17, when it was beat up.
Now, a bright spot is that Burke made mention ‘that an attacking defense has been promised in the past’. So, it would appear he is hip to the b.s. that has been feed to the fans. Let’s hope he isn’t just hip, but true to his word.
To be fair, even though Miami promoted a coach from within with the defense of his predecessor, Burke is his own man and that COULD mean he will finally deliver — let me re-emphasize COULD.
So, while the best teams in the league have one thing in common: consistency in the coaching; it’s the consistency of what is good that matters. Let’s hope in the area of promising an attacking defense that Burke isn’t consistent with his predecessors…and actually delivers. Go Fins!!!
All things considered, this defense did enough to keep them in games late to let the offense or special teams get the “W”. Yea, we gave up the most yards in the teams history, Think about what this defense went through? Opening day starters = DE’s – Williams/Jones, DTs – Suh/Phillips, LBers – Misi/Kiko/Jenkins, CBs – Howard/Maxwell, S – Jones/Isa; week 17 starters = DEs – Wake/Branch, DTs – Suh/Mitchell, LBers – Paysinger/Kiko/Hewitt, CBs – Howard/Lippett, S – Thomas/Rambo
So at one point in the season there were as many as 9 new starters on defense and in week 17 there were 8 new defensive starters. And if you include the game Kiko missed there were 10 different starters. So if you logically look deeper into it the defensive performance could have and maybe should have been worse.
And Freaks commit about no defensive players, I’ll take = Suh, Jones, Isa, Howard, Maxwell Kiko, Wake, Branch; right there is 7 defensive starters that would start on any team. With Isa and Jones they were top 5 Safety combo in the league (per PFF). Kiko played out of position all year, lets see what he does in his natural “Will” position. Give me back the injured players with 2 new LBers and I’ll run with them all day long.
Honestly, Nolan or better DC would have gotten’ more out of this D. Vance is solid in calling and planning and exceptional in leadership and relationships….that’s why he is now an HC.
The core of the problem is not scheme, its all talent. Fins need a major defensive overhaul. The only segment of the D that is worth paying is the Dline. Aside from MLB Alonso ( and Im not sold on his stoutness vs run), there isnt a single player in the back 7 that was worth much after the injuries. In fact, except for Reshad Jones, I wasn’t very impressed.
The Fins D has to be overhauled across the board, including a drop off at DE and pass rush. There were times the D depended on pass rush but the better teams were able to give their QB plenty of time to complete the play that killed our DBackfield.
This team over achieved this year, but if we roll out the same roster in that back 7 next year, I doubt we’ll see a 10 win season again.
I agree the core is D talent, but if Nolan was coaching (for an example) he wouldn’t have used a Zone D that uses shell coverage without much disguise given the fact that the weakest link is the LB core. Lb’s in that scheme make it go or sink — even if you have a fierce Dfront. This scheme this year forced the weakest unit to be the most crucial unit to the d’s success…not good coaching. A good coach would have used a different scheme…maybe used press on the outside…even once in awhile. Maxwell and Howard are better in press…yet, they never did it? That forced them into a technique that was not their strength and never allowed them to use the technique that was their strength. Basically, Vance said we sink or swim on the pass rush and if that doesn’t work I have zero fall back plans. So, yeah, if Vance had a stud squad it would have made a difference, but it still wouldn’t remove the fact that he is unimaginative and appears the be a 2 d thinker. And yeah, if we have awesome DT’s and Kiko could run clean he would be a much better MLB, but he has a great deal of trouble shedding blocks and I’d prefer him out of MLB. Quddus got better over the weeks, but that injury is bad. And yeah, DL including Suh, was underwhelming. Suh was good, but he seemed to have that pop and domination he used to have…
not sure what D you were watching but for this D roster…our DC had to pick his poison. They played tons of Man coverage including zero and 2Man. When our DB’s couldnt defend he would mix in zone, which was a slow death and teams just ran the ball.
He was constantly trying to call D plays to guess what the O was going to do. Play zone? fine, opponents thrashed us in the run game.
Play Man-man? fine, teams carved us up with slants, crosses, fades, and go routes. It was not scheme. It was lack of playmakers.
“not sure what D you were watching” it’s these type of comments that rub me, and most, the wrong way…I never begin with this type of tone, even when you are totally wrong — unless in response of an attack: but, so be it — despite better judgement , I like your thoughts often, so I will offer an olive branch:
It goes beyond man or zone. The techniques that support each concept, and the calls within that scheme, are what is crucial. First, challenge the routes: zone press, not zone. Second, setting up a front to demands that a certain hole be attacked, and then blitzing it — and adding some disguise, forcing uncertainty through diagnosis, is called gamesmanship. Vance did it with several well timed zone blitzes. But, If you broadcast the play with 10 seconds or more on the clock, then you are certain to lose initiative. Like Chess, the main asset that the offense (white pieces) pieces have is initiative. If a defense can assume the initiative (like Chess) then the offense (white pieces) have lost their most valuable asset and are in high jeopardy of losing. Please, just consider I’m not totally stupid — just as I consider that you aren’t : despite your bellicose tone. I like your contributions….we are all wrong and right, this need not always be a pissing contest..
…this defense gave up the most yards in fins history …and yet we chose “consistency” over trying something new
…they keep saying they want the defensive scheme to match the players we have …and yet they never seen to actually do it
…every single team needs better players …yet, it’s the ones with better coaches that seem to win consistently, year after year
…there’s that word again …consistency …not in the planning, or playing …but in the winning
can’t agree more….look what Arians did a few years back…good coaches limit players exposure to situations that aren’t the most conducive to their success. Gase seems to be able to do that…Vance, not so much.