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In other "Walden News", a Primer on what setting the edge looks like....


ztboiler

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I haven't mastered the ability to get from my DVR to a GIF that would post here....but if anyone is interested in exactly what Pagano has in mind when he describes setting the edge, go to 9:25 of Q1 against the Bengals.  Walden attacks one of the best RT's in the game, redirects him, and then attacks the ball carrier.  

 

Sacks may carry the headlines, but this was some very impressive work by Mr. Walden.  

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Too many times there are those on here whose only way of measuring success is stats such as tackles or sacks and there is so much more to it than that.  Have not seen the specific play you referenced but I have a really good idea of what I will find when I do. 

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Walden had a growing year last year where he would over-run a play or not aggressively attack the ball carrier.  He still was far the best at setting the edge and in contain.

 

This year Walden has been aggressive on the blitz and on his edge.  I have actually enjoyed him being the rush LB at times with Werner setting the edge. I love it when they come up the middle...very strong pass rush

 

I think I have said this, but I was bummed out when I was the edge setter on defense because my buddy got the sacks.  However...the runs went around his side...nobody would try me at the time...when they did it was almost no gain or a loss.  It is a HUGE job!  I am glad Walden is going at it 100%. :blueshoe:  :blueshoe:  :blueshoe: !!

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Walden was bad last year, but he did have some bright moments. (Mainly setting the edge, he was pretty much non existent in the pass rush category)

Sometimes coaching and another year under a system does wonders.

Walden was not bad last year. Not even close to bad. He wasn't off-the-charts amazing or anything, but he was an improvement over Freeney (in this system), and his play was pretty consistently solid.
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Walden was bad last year, but he did have some bright moments. (Mainly setting the edge, he was pretty much non existent in the pass rush category)

Sometimes coaching and another year under a system does wonders.

Hey it's hard for anyone to get sacks when Mathis is back there on every play in no time . :thmup:

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He was decent against the run, but as a pass rusher he was non existent..

He was actually better as a pass rusher than I expected him to be. Not good, but not non-existent. And that's from a position where you don't rush the passer half the time. Walden was just fine last year. People just hated the signing because he's not Cliff Avril or Paul Kruger, and didn't understand his role in the defense.

And that said, he's been much better this year, in every respect.

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He was actually better as a pass rusher than I expected him to be. Not good, but not non-existent. And that's from a position where you don't rush the passer half the time. Walden was just fine last year. People just hated the signing because he's not Cliff Avril or Paul Kruger, and didn't understand his role in the defense.

And that said, he's been much better this year, in every respect.

 

My only gripe at the signing back then was his contract.  But from what I have since then, I've learned  by him, Vontae Davis, JJ Watt, etc.. is that there ARE some players that can indeed play into and above their contract, despite how unlikely it may seem at first.

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My only gripe at the signing back then was his contract.  But from what I have since then, I've learned  by him, Vontae Davis, JJ Watt, etc.. is that there ARE some players that can indeed play into and above their contract, despite how unlikely it may seem at first.

 

Yeah, I think it's difficult to complain too much about contracts, because the market is always changing, and each player has a different set of wants and needs. Some contracts are just ridiculous, but Walden at $4m/year isn't a big enough contract to make such a huge fuss over, IMO. The blogosphere really led the way with the outrage after he was signed, and I never agreed with it.

 

Compared to Vontae Davis, who is making 2.5 times as much per year, or JJ Watt, the highest paid defensive player in the league, this $4m/year deal isn't risky at all. If he didn't work out, oh well. On to the next. But he's doing pretty well this season. Good for us, and good for him.

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Walden was not bad last year. Not even close to bad. He wasn't off-the-charts amazing or anything, but he was an improvement over Freeney (in this system), and his play was pretty consistently solid.

 

 Just not true at all.

 He was quite bad for roughly the first half of the season and it was chronicled here weekly.

 He slowly improved.

 Of course you MUST factor in some of the very poor DE play he played beside, Moala, Mathews, who got significant snaps last season.

 

 I was definitely looking forward to dumping him based on last years play, after this season.

 ;-)  Definitely NOT now. He is very solid. Good job GM, Coaches, & EW!!

 

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Just wait until that 98 guy returns next year.

I'm trying to be completely objective here:  The defense is ranked high this year, so far.  It was ranked low last year.  What has been the major difference?  The Colts signed Art Jones, but he has been a non factor since he was hurt.

 

The only difference in personnel this year from last has been the replacement of Mathis with Werner, as well as the replacement of Sheppherd with DQ.

 

Next year, if we replace Werner with Mathis, will the defense rank low again?

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The defense is way better because the players are playing better and Mathis being out caused Manusky to change his playcalling style and scheme to manufacture pressure. As long as he stays with this type of playcalling from now on I doubt Mathis coming back should change anything for the worse.

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I'm trying to be completely objective here: The defense is ranked high this year, so far. It was ranked low last year. What has been the major difference? The Colts signed Art Jones, but he has been a non factor since he was hurt.

The only difference in personnel this year from last has been the replacement of Mathis with Werner, as well as the replacement of Sheppherd with DQ.

Next year, if we replace Werner with Mathis, will the defense rank low again?

The secondary is playing better, the inside linebackers are playing better, and the front five are defending the run better. It's not really about netter personnel, it's been about better execution.

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The secondary is playing better, the inside linebackers are playing better, and the front five are defending the run better. It's not really about netter personnel, it's been about better execution.

Not to mention Toler is playing this year when he didn't last year.  And Kerr is probably much better than Mathews was.  That's a big upgrade I forgot to mention.

 

But I do think people can tend to overlook how the addition of a player or subtraction of another can impact a team.  When Mathis plays, he tends to line up on the right side as a pass rusher.  That's his thing.  Knowing what Mathis is going to do, almost telegraph's to the offense what what the other three DL and OLB are going to do.  I think last year Manusky got criticized for being unimaginative in his defense.  Maybe he didn't have a lot of choice.

 

I've noticed Werner lining up all over the DL this year.  Maybe that creates more unpredictability in the defensive scheme, which allows other players like Walden to be less predictable to the offense.   It may be the reason Redding has shown to be a decent pass rusher this year too, unexpectedly. 

 

I think that unpredictability goes a long way in the NFL on both offense and defense, and the subtraction of Mathis has allowed other players to play different roles on occasion and use their skills in different ways at unpredictable times.

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Not to mention Toler is playing this year when he didn't last year. And Kerr is probably much better than Mathews was. That's a big upgrade I forgot to mention.

But I do think people can tend to overlook how the addition of a player or subtraction of another can impact a team. When Mathis plays, he tends to line up on the right side as a pass rusher. That's his thing. Knowing what Mathis is going to do, almost telegraph's to the offense what what the other three DL and OLB are going to do. I think last year Manusky got criticized for being unimaginative in his defense. Maybe he didn't have a lot of choice.

I've noticed Werner lining up all over the DL this year. Maybe that creates more unpredictability in the defensive scheme, which allows other players like Walden to be less predictable to the offense. It may be the reason Redding has shown to be a decent pass rusher this year too, unexpectedly.

I think that unpredictability goes a long way in the NFL on both offense and defense, and the subtraction of Mathis has allowed other players to play different roles on occasion and use their skills in different ways at unpredictable times.

I do think the schemes have been better, and that might be a necessity because of Mathis being out.

But as for Mathis rushing from the right, that's not really the case. Mathis was pretty much on the weakside, away from the tight end or extra blocker, no matter whether it's the right or the left. He's always the Rush backer, and the other OLB is on the strongside, the Sam backer.

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I'm trying to be completely objective here:  The defense is ranked high this year, so far.  It was ranked low last year.  What has been the major difference?  The Colts signed Art Jones, but he has been a non factor since he was hurt.

 

The only difference in personnel this year from last has been the replacement of Mathis with Werner, as well as the replacement of Sheppherd with DQ.

 

Next year, if we replace Werner with Mathis, will the defense rank low again?

I think another year under a system always helps.

Greg Toler and Vontae Davis have been stellar. The defensive line is stopping the run and creating pressure from literally all three levels of the defense. The signing of Jackson. The safeties are even playing well right now.. Everyone is just clicking on all cylinders right now and Greg Manuskey has done a fine job with his play calling.

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