Let's Talk Defensive Personnel....

[The Peytonator]

Alright so seeing as how our new head coach and defensive coordinator are proponents of the 3-4 base defense, I think it's safe to assume we'll be running a scheme as such. Some players will be able to make the transition more easily than others, that goes without saying.

Obviously in a 3-4 you gotta be BIG up front. Somehow I don't think a guy like Eric Foster will be lining up at Nose Tackle. That said though, I think we've got some pretty capable guys on the Dline that we could realistically have a 'Line by Committee' if need be. I'd say Moala, who was actually a 3-4 end at USC, could definitely hold the fort at one of those spots. The other spot to me is questionable. I'm sure most people would pencil in Drake Nevis for the other end spot, but I see him as more of a 4-3 DT than a 3-4 end. I'd probably rather see Jamaal Anderson at that spot for the majority of snaps. He looked like a baller to me and even showed ability to get to the quarterback. Nevis could probably rotate at any of the spots on the line, but he's more of a penetration type than an 'eat up blockers' type.

The Nose spot is the most important on a 3-4. I didn't pay as close attention to our games this past year, for obvious reasons, but from what I could tell, Ricardo Mathews is a massive man. He definitely weighs more than the listed 294. Not sure if he's good enough to demand a constant double team though so I doubt he'd make for the best NT. Nevis might not be bad at it. He's quick off the snap and could cause havoc with his athleticism, but I'm not sure he's big and strong enough to be a Vince Wilfork type guy. As far as free agents go, I'd say we have a few different options. Antonio Garay, Paul Soliai, Abreyo Franklin, Shawn Rogers, and Pat Sims are all up for free agency this offseason. The Saints have a lot of free agents this year so I really doubt they could get both Rogers and Franklin taken care of. It would be hard to find a true Nose in the draft with our first pick already set in stone and other areas of need that need to be filled, but I think in round 6 or so we should draft Hebron Fangupo out of BYU. He's a stout 330 lbs, but he's relatively new to the game. I'd say his ceiling is very high. Plus he's Samoan. Gotta love those Samoan DTs.

The OLBs I'd say even without resigning Mathis are pretty much set in stone. Freeney, Wheeler, and most likely Hughes. I know a lot of people hate on Hughes, but I really think he's better than he's given credit for. When you have two Pro Bowl defensive ends playing in front of you, there aren't going to be very many pass rushing chances. Wheeler would be awesome as a 3-4 OLB. I remember a game that he had his hand on the ground for a series or two, and he got a ton of pressure. Plus he's very underrated as a coverage LB. Freeney might be a liability in coverage, but the good thing is, all he'll have to do is cover the flat, and that's something I think even I could do.

At MLB we'd either have Angerer and Brackett, or Angerer and Conner. I like all three of those guys, but Brackett seems to get hurt pretty easily and his contract is so steep. He's good in coverage but I think we'll probably go with the young guys, and for Nickel packages we'd have Brackett get in there along with Angerer. I hope Conner is working on his coverage ability because he's really fast in hitting his gap, and often comes up with a tackle for loss.

The secondary, while it appeared problematic, I think we can all agree it had more to do with the scheme and the 10 yard cushions than the players ability. I do however want to see the CB position addressed in either the draft or free agency. Powers has starter ability, but gets hurt a lot. Rucker and Thomas appeared to have talent, but neither of them would I consider anything more than a Nickel corner. I'd like to see us go with Chase Minnifield in the second round. If we want to go the free agency route, it looks like Courtland Finnegan might not be getting the contract he's looking for, and he would immediately make our secondary 10 times better.

For safeties, I'd say we're pretty much set on the 'Free' side of the equation, but I would not want us to go into next year with only Melvin 'Bob Sanders' Bullitt, and Lefeged on the 'Strong' side. Maybe Pagano could bring Zbikowski over to us. He doesn't get much playing time sitting behind Ed Reed, so I'm sure he wants to get out of that shadow and contribute somewhere. Plus he's a freakin boxer so we know the guy's tough.

And that's all I got right now.