Hello fellow Browns fans. It's the off-season a time of hope and best wishes for the up coming season. Recently I have doing some research on the defense the Browns run, the 2 gap 3-4.

Here's what I have come up with. 3 Teams use it in the NFL: the Patriots the Ravens part of the time and the Browns. Two of those teams have top ranked defenses the other is the Browns.

Here's what looks to be the Patriots formula for there front 7. Draft players that are 2 gap defensive tackles in college that size out to be 305 lbs to 320 lbs and 6'2" to around 6'4" to play Defensive End in the 3-4. Next draft a spacing road grading powerhouse of a defensive tackle. Nose tackles up from any where from 320 lbs to 350 lbs to around 6'2" to 6'5". New England spent 3 1st round picks on there starting defensive line. They built from the inside out. Last years starting quartet of linebackers are ALL former college defensive ends. They all size up from 6'1" to 6'4" from 250 lbs to 270 lbs. What this means to the Patriots is that ALL there linebackers came to the organization already possessing the skill set of fighting off larger offensive linemen to get to the ball carrier and or quarterback. All they had to do was learn to stand up in a 2-point stance and cover tight ends and running backs in coverage. Not an easy thing to do I'll grant you but it seams to be easier than being a college linebacker and having to bulk up and learn to shed NFL caliber offensive lineman.

Here's what the Ravens did. By happen stance their hybrid 3-4 / 4-3 defense begins with top ranked 1st and 2nd round talent up front. All of the Ravens defensive linemen are all college defensive tackles. A virtual brick wall of nasty big ugly humanity awaits opposing offences. In the 3-4 alignment of the Ravens defense you have to college defensive ends in Suggs and Johnson and two college linebackers that are extremely versatile 3 down linebackers. I there 4-3 alignment Suggs drops down and becomes a defensive end and Johnson is replaced by Cody at OLB, Lewis is the MLB and Scott shifts over to OLB. I believe N.E. also does this with Adalius Thomas. Wonder where they got that idea? The Ravens 3-4 OLB's size out at 6'3" and 260 lbs and 280 lbs respectively, both are big imposing run stuffing pass rushers that can come down the line and clean up any trash. The 2 ILB's in this 3-4 set fly around in coverage fly around and make plays with Lewis stuffing the run more and Scott covering and or rushing the quarterback.

Now on to the Browns. When Crennel and Savage took over it was announced that the Browns where switching to the 3-4 defense. The very 1st 3-4 draft under Savage and Crennel had them waiting to the 5th and 6th round till they addressed the front 7. At 5 is David McMillan OLB and at 6a and 6b were OLB Nick Speegle and DE/NT Andrew Hoffman. McMillan has hung on barely as a special teamer. The rest are long gone.
In 06 the Browns under Phil Savage selected 4 front 7 players: 1 OLB Kamerion Wimbley, 2 ILB D'Qwell Jackson, 4a ILB Leon Williams and 6b NT Babatunde Oshinowo. To me it looks a build from the out side in approach. Evidentially Crennel and Savage were counting heavily on the defensive linemen on hand to be up to the task of transitioning to the 3-4. They weren't and Oshinowo is at present on the Bears practice squad. Wimbley worked out great as a pass rushing OLB. His skills at stuffing the running and dropping into coverage have yet to emerge as a comfortable skill set. To me Jackson has always lacked the size and strength and ability to get off of offensive lineman. He has also lacked a descent defensive line to play behind. Even when the rare opportunity to meet the running back cleanly in the whole he does not seem to possess the ability to drop the hammer and obliterate a ball carrier. On the contrary it seems like he hangs on, makes the stop all be it down field 2-4 yards though. This is a pick that NEVER made any since to me let alone TRADING UP for. Williams seems to have a lot of pieces to be a good ILB is a little lacking in the ability to shed blockers but all in all is developing into a descent ILB though he could do with more bulk and power on his frame in my opinion. And then there was Oshinowo the vaunted 6th round pick that was supposed to be just as good as Ngata. Ngata is a mainstay for Baltimore; Oshinowo is on the Practice squad for the Bears last time I checked.

Then there was last years draft, a back handed attempt at front 7 help. Savage drafted 2 college defensive ends that are to small play at present to play in the 3-4 as DE's and to slow to play at OLB. Pure wasted picks if you ask me, though I would love to proven wrong about that.

Now let's examine the Browns latest attempt at adding front 7 help. In the 4th round they selected Beau Bell a reported physical hard hitting ILB. All I have to say about this one is it is about time! IMO this is what Savage should have been looking for when he drafted Jackson. Next is a 6th round NT prospect. Déjà vu much? Though Rubin's measurable's are impressive and his Senior Bowl performance makes him a very intriguing draft pick. Lastly there was yet another back handed attempt to shore up the front 7 with another undersized prospect that has been quoted as to be a project player. 6'5" 238 lbs! Since when did Romeo Crennel want a Joe Jurevicius sized OLB!! Another question on this pick is how is this guy ahead of prospects like Brian Johnston? A 6'5" 275lbs DE who had one of the fastest 10 yard sprints this year and had humungous production at Gardener Webb. And then there are guys like Jameel McClain out of Syracuse and Vincent Redd out of Liberty. Both who went undrafted and where IMMEDIATELY picked up by the Ravens and the Patriots respectively..wonder why?? These 2 prospects both have more size speed strength and versatility and production than Hall. Johnston was taken before Hall by Kansas City in my mind to replace Jared Allen, but had Savage Addressed the OLB spot before drafting a 4th to 5th spot the defense just might be more of a finished product this year.

As it stands the Browns defense shakes out like this in my mind. 6 defensive linemen: Shaun Rogers, Corey Williams, Robaire Smith, Shaun Smith, Louis Leonard and Ahtyba Rubin. Rubin being the only home grown talent that has a shot at making the team, the rest are FA stop gaps and or attempts at defensive line building. I say attempts because there has yet to be success do to fact that they have yet to play as a unit.

Next is the Line Backing core. , the heart and soul of a 3-4 defense. To me here's how it is likely to shake out. At ROLB Wimbley is a lock and most likely be backed up by Shantee Orr. At ILB you have Andra Davis the stalwart veteran captain, then Jackson the UNDERSIZED down field tackling machine. Then there is Williams a descent cover and blitzing LB. Lastly there is Beau Bell the most heralded 4th round pick ever. The supposed future enforcer and special teams Dynamo. Though the ILB's are still a might dainty for my taste, I am very intrigued as to what kinds of production Williams and Bell could have together. Then at LOLB is Willie McGinest the 15-year vet with back problems and a pay cut and has just announced his retirement for next year. Followed by Antwan Peek who last year transitioned back to be an OLB and could not stay healthy. The last line backer in this group will most likely be a pure special teamer. Take you pick between 4 years of ST experience with David McMillan or the recovering from a knee operation special teams LB Kris Griffith or the undersized 7th round pick Andre Hall. My money is on McMillan. So as it stands 3 of the 4 projected starters are home grown with 3 home grown back ups. The rest are of course FA acquisitions, with both Peek and Orr having yet to really produce and McGinest being hampered by age and injury.

In closing it has taken 4 years to put somewhat of a semblance of a 3-4 front 7 together. Though I am not sold on both ILB spots being solid and the LOLB to me is still a glaring weakness. For Wimbley to be truly effective he needs a counterpart on the other side that is a viable pass rushing threat. To date the Browns are still severally lacking in that area IMO.

Note: You may have noticed that the defensive backfield was not all addressed in this discussion. Some of you may ask why. The reason is that the arrangement of the front 7 weather 3-4 or 4-3 does not limit in any way what type of defensive backfield is used. It can be a zone, man, cover 1, cover 2 or cover 3. Naturally Nickel and Dime formations are another topic all together. I was merely addressing the base 2 gap 3-4 set.

DawgSoldier signing out.

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