SB Nation - Kevin Carter

Bucs on the verge of a Top 10 Pass Defense!

Niko Houllis — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 15:45:10 -0000

More photos » by Reinhold Matay - AP

One of the reasons the Bucs have improved in pass defense.

Before you go down your own "Life on Mars" checklist of possible causes of this unbelievable headline, know one thing. It is NOT a misprint or typo. Use whatever reasoning you want to in coming up with an explanation, (like the fact we have the 31st rushing defense) but the numbers do not lie. We are currently the 11th Passing defense, at 198.5 yards per game, and that's not the only statistic that the Bucs are better than the average bear in.

In what is exclusively an offensive catagory, the Bucs are tied for 14th in sacks allowed. This is easy to understand, as Josh Johnson is not easilly sacked, and the fact that our Offensive Line is one of our biggest assets.

Then you have probably the only catagory that both sides have to contribute to, the turnover margin. In this realm, the Bucs are a respectable 16th (Tied) at -1, meaning with one more interception by a Tanard Jackson or so, the Bucs will have given the ball away as often as they have taken it.

So what does it all mean? Well speaking of T-jack, it may be no mystery that since his return the Bucs pass defense has improved (along the lines of Jimmy Wilkerson and Styles White increased results in rushing the passers) in passing stats. Rushing stats however, the Bucs are virtually dead last, 31st, at 171.7 yards per game, absolutely absurd for an NFL team. Clearly the Bucs need to invest in their interior defensive line, somthing has really has not been news for several years now, going back to the weekly requests by former Head Coach Jon Gruden calling for more effort from his D line. One by one the stars on the line have gone, and have not been replaced adequately.

Simeon Rice ---> Gaines Adams---> Styles G White...

Warren Sapp--->Chartric Darby---->Anthony McFarland--->Ellis Wyms---->Jovan Haye---->Ryan Simms....

Brad Culppeper---->Anthony McFarland---->Chris Hovan....

Greg Spires---->Kevin Carter---->Jimmy Wilkerson

as you can see, only one, and that is probably debatable, is close to the same level as the guys who rushed the passer in the heyday of Franchise. Luckily, the 2010 draft of which the Bucs are stacked with an ultra high #1 and #2 pick, as well as an extra #2 pick of the Bears for the trade involving Gaines Adams. Expect youngsters like Roy Miller to get serious playing time for the rest of 2009 as Raheem Morris looks to see what he has from the latest picks.

Monday Notes: Culpepper, Stanton Injured; News on Two Free Agents

Sean Yuille — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:55:00 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

3 months ago: Detroit Lions quarterback Daunte Culpepper throws against the Indianapolis Colts during the first quarter of an exhibition NFL football game, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009 in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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Daunte Culpepper's status for Thursday's preseason finale is unknown after he cut his toe at his house on Saturday and had to get eight stitches. He didn't practice today (obviously), and since the Bills game is only a few days away, I'd say his chances of playing are slim.
As if that wasn't bad enough news, Drew Stanton also missed practice today because of "significant swelling in his knee." He was scheduled to have an MRI today, so we will have to wait and see how that turns out. If it is anything serious enough to keep him out of Thursday's game, the Lions are going to have to sign another quarterback. While Matthew Stafford did take every snap in practice today, you don't want him out there for all four quarters of the final preseason game. Most of the time starters play one series and nothing more in the preseason finale, and though Stafford isn't technically the starting QB, he is the only uninjured one right now (knock on wood).
Free agent safety Lawyer Milloy worked out for the Lions this morning and took a physical. It looked like he was going to end up signing, but he and the Lions couldn't come to an agreement on his contract. He wanted more money than the Lions were willing to offer and decided to walk.
More news from the free agent front is that defensive end Kevin Carter is leaning toward retiring rather than signing with anyone (the Lions could really use him at DE with Jared DeVries done for the year).
I agree with Tom Kowalski's assessment of Louis Delmas; the rookie safety needs to slow things down and stop worrying about making a big hit on every play.
Adam Schefter thinks Matthew Stafford will be the Lions' starter.
With all of this unexpected news coming out, I decided to shelve the roster prediction until tomorrow, so look for it then.

Tuesday Notes: Grady Jackson Finally Practices

Sean Yuille — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 20:31:57 -0000

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

4 months ago: Detroit Lions linebacker Curtis Gatewood takes a drink during their morning workout at NFL football training camp Sunday, Aug. 2, 2009, in Allen Park, Mich. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

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Grady Jackson practiced today after missing the first few days of camp with an illness. He spent most of the offseason recovering from knee surgery, so it's good that he is finally practicing again, though he only participated in individual workouts and line drills.
Other injury updates: Brandon Pettigrew, Casey FitzSimmons, Keith Smith, and Eric King all missed practice on Monday. King was back on the field today, but the other three missed practice for the second day in a row. Pettigrew and Smith seem to be day-to-day, but FitzSimmons reportedly has a high-ankle sprain, which probably means he is week-to-week.
Today was the first day of practice in pads, and the players responded well to that, wanting to get more physical. Jim Schwartz liked what he saw, noting that this was probably the hottest day of practice so far.
In yesterday's two-minute drill, Matthew Stafford and Drew Stanton led their units into field goal range, whereas Daunte Culpepper's unit turned the ball over on downs at the 40-yard line.
It seems like the Lions' receivers are dropping a ton of passes, especially in the 7-on-7 drill. Tom Kowalski pointed this out, saying that outside of Calvin Johnson and Dennis Northcutt, the receivers are struggling to catch the ball on a consistent basis. I guess this explains why the Lions made a trade for Northcutt, as the other receivers certainly aren't cutting it. The loss of Bryant Johnson is also a bigger blow than I originally anticipated. Having him back will be nice for the quarterbacks, especially if this case of butterfingers keeps up.
Adam Jennings did make a nice catch yesterday, snagging a pass from Drew Stanton by diving in the end zone for a TD.

(More after the jump)

Phillip Buchanon likes practicing against Calvin Johnson, as lining up against one of the top receivers in football on a daily basis will only make him better.
Julian Peterson thinks Cliff Avril can be one of the league's top pass-rushers.
Scott Linehan doesn't feel like Matthew Stafford is a rookie when he coaches him.
Louis Delmas has already showed off enough skill that he is expected to be a starter.
Yesterday was Landon Cohen's birthday. He is really starting to make a name for himself, from his impressive bench press performance to making plays in practice.
The Lions are expecting Sammie Hill to become NFL-ready pretty quickly.
Offensive line coach George Yarno already seems like an upgrade over Jim Colletto.
Lions linebackers like the 4-3 defense, especially the ones that played in the Tampa-2 under Rod Marinelli.
Jim Schwartz likes to practice different situations rather than just go out there and practice.
Roar of the Lions recapped his visit to practice.
It looks like Vikings receiver Aundrae Allison will soon be on waivers. He is a great returner, and Kevin Seifert wonders if the Lions will claim him.
The Patriots now are reportedly showing interest in Kevin Carter. If they give him an offer, I think we can officially give up any hope of him signing with the Lions.
Don't forget, tomorrow practice opens up to the public for the first time. If you go to Allen Park and check it out, write a FanPost and share your observations with us.

Friday Notes: Lions Sign Hill, Williams; One Unsigned Rookie Left

Sean Yuille — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 19:13:30 -0000

More photos » AP

4 months ago: In a photo provided by Georgetown University, Jim Schwartz is shown in a 1985 football team photo. Schwartz has faced challenges his whole life. Leading the Detroit Lions, coming off the NFL's first 0-16 season, is just the latest for a man who has an interesting story to tell and isn't afraid of sharing it. (AP Photo/Georgetown University)

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In case you haven't checked out the FanShots being posted lately, let me get you up to speed on the Lions' rookie signings.

Sammie Hill and Derrick Williams have both signed three-year deals in the last 24 hours, meaning that nine of the Lions' rookies are now under contract. The only one without a deal is first-round pick Brandon Pettigrew, which is probably mainly due to the fact that quite a few first-rounders are still unsigned. Even if Pettigrew isn't signed today, he wouldn't miss any practice if a deal is done by tomorrow morning. Players are simply reporting to Allen Park today, with practice actually starting early in the morning on Saturday. Even so, according to Jim Schwartz, Pettigrew is close to a deal, so I'd expect all rookies to be ready to go for practice.
Jim Schwartz spoke to the Associated Press for a profile being done on him, and this was by far the most interesting quote from the article:

"If I find an author — David Morrell, Mario Puzo, John Grisham or any guy I hear is good — I'll read everything he did," Schwartz said. "I don't read books by women. I've tried to, but their perspective is different, so I stick with what I like."
The context for that quote is that Schwartz was talking about how he is an avid reader and used to go through 500 pages a day before he was married and had kids. He also went on to talk about how he has a "flame-filled" tattoo around his right leg as a memory of his mother, who passed away in 1994.

More than anything, I wanted to mention this so I had an excuse to use the picture of Schwartz from his Georgetown days.
The specific time for players to report to Allen Park is 6 p.m. today. The players' curfew is 11 p.m., and then tomorrow before practice even begins their strength and conditioning will be tested.
Louis Delmas now has a Twitter page.
Speaking of Twitter, Jim Schwartz doesn't want his players to be "Twittering during business hours."
97.1 The Ticket interviewed Schwartz yesterday.
Tom Kowalski thinks the reason behind Kevin Carter not signing with the Lions is money. Carter wants too much of it, and right now the Lions are willing to wait and see if his asking price will go down.
The anti-Vick list is growing, as it now includes Oakland, Tennessee, and Chicago.
Matthew Stafford appears to be quite the ladies man, as evidenced by the picture after the jump, which is just one of the many examples of that.

Bruce Smith (2009 Hall of Fame inductee) believes Dwight Freeney will one day be in the hall

BigBlueShoe — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 21:09:10 -0000

Bruce Smith was a great player in his day. He played in four Super Bowls. He amassed 200 sacks in 19 NFL seasons and helped turn the Buffalo Bills into an NFL powerhouse. He's had some recent problems with the law, but that does not take away from Smith's impressive and (soon-to-be) Hall of Fame career.

Recently, in an NFL.com chat, Bruce was asked if any modern day defensive ends could earn a Hall of Fame nod. He only named two. One of them is someone we root for every Sunday:

Jemond Smith, New Orleans

11:44 AM ET

Bruce, Other than yourself, name 4 of the next best DE's that played during your era you strongly believe will make it to the HOF.

Bruce Smith

I'll come up with two. Michael Strahan will obviously be there. I think Dwight Freeney from the Colts also has a great shot.

Wow. Guess Bruce doesn't think much of Julius Peppers, Richard Seymour, or the HIGHLY over-rated Kevin Carter. Not listing Peppers is the biggest omission, but I kind of agree with Bruce there. I've always considered Peppers a bit over-rated. He's known for taking plays off, and any schmuck who doesn't give 100% is not Hall of Fame material, in my humble opinion. Patriots fans will simply claim Bruce was drinking again when he forgot to list Seymour.

FYI: Dwight Freeney has 70.5 career sacks and forced 34 fumbles in seven seasons.

Wednesday Notes: Lions' Final Minicamp Is Underway

Sean Yuille — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:43:40 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

5 months ago: Detroit Lions quarterback Daunte Culpepper throws during football minicamp, Wednesday, June 24, 2009, in Allen Park, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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First and foremost, my condolences go out to Jared DeVries, as his high school coach, Ed Thomas, was killed in a shooting this morning. Thomas was not only a great coach, but he also was a great person and friend to his players. After tornadoes tore through Iowa last year, he helped lead the effort to rebuild his city. DeVries went back home to help rebuild as well. He was pulled from practice this morning to be informed of the tragic news.
Daunte Culpepper broke his silence on the battle that is shaping up between him and Matthew Stafford for the starting QB job, but nothing he said was really all that groundbreaking. The only really notable comment Culpepper made was when he talked up Stafford.

"(Stafford's) played a lot of football and he's a hard worker,'' Culpepper said. "He's going to be a great player in this league and I wish him the best in everything he does in his career.''
Aside from that, the other thing worth noting is that Culpepper's goal for this coming season is to win the NFC North. I like that his top goal is team-oriented. Many players would probably be more concerned with playing than anything else, so it's good to see Culpepper's got the right attitude.
Due to a combination of warm temperatures and a couple weeks off, practice got off to a rough start yesterday. Once some of the rust wore off, things got back to normal.
Jon Jansen and Ephraim Salaam are currently practicing as backups to the right and left tackle positions, respectively. Jansen is probably going to practice at guard during training camp, and it is expected that Salaam will move around to right tackle at some point as well. It is important for these types of players to be versatile, so this isn't too surprising.
The Lions could really use Kevin Carter, as Eric Hicks, Jared DeVries, and rookie Ryan Kees are currently the team's only left defensive ends.
Grady Jackson and Derrick Williams didn't participate in practice yesterday. Jackson still is recovering from knee surgery and Williams had a tight hamstring.
Don't expect Jim Schwartz to release a depth chart until the first exhibition game of the preseason.
The main motivation behind the Lions someday moving training camp appears to be to make the players uncomfortable. Another reason is to give more fans a chance to attend practices, but Schwartz seems set on throwing a curveball at his team next summer, and moving the players out of their practice facility is a good way to do just that.
~~Schwartz supposedly now has his own Twitter page~~, as do the Lions.

UPDATE: The Lions confirmed that that isn't Schwartz's Twitter page.
Larry Foote's return to Detroit comes with the goals of making the Lions better and making his hometown better as well.
Don't expect many NFL teams to have any interest in Charles Rogers.
Tom Kowalski seems to think the story about Roy Williams not participating in a lifting program while he was with the Lions is a bit overblown.
Former Lion Fernando Bryant has retired.
Another report is stating that Brett Favre already has an agreement to play for the Vikings and that he will be in Minnesota when training camp begins.
SB Nation recently added its 200th blog.

Around the NFL: Carter in Detroit, Marshall wants a trade, Burress is a disaster, Bailey released by Denver

Brandon — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:00:23 -0000

More photos » by Mark Duncan - AP

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Back in March, I spilled some digital ink considering whether the Packers should sign veteran free agent DE Kevin Carter. I still think he would be a good backup to DE Cullen Jenkins. At this point, I doubt the Packers remain interested. But it appears Detroit is interested in signing him.
WR Brandon Marshall still wants to be traded. John at Mile High Report says he wants him to remain a Bronco, but it's not essential that they keep him.
Ex-QB Tim Hasselbeck on why WR Plaxico Burress is a disaster as a teammate.
It's one-and-done for LB Boss Bailey in Denver. He was released after just one season in Denver. The Packers kicked the tires on signing Bailey back in March 2008, but Denver offered him a silly multi-year contract.

Wednesday Notes: Update on Kevin Carter; Training Camp on the Move?

Sean Yuille — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 17:44:32 -0000

Kevin Carter's agent recently provided an update on his client, making it clear that a signing likely is not imminent. Carter wants to enjoy the summer and spend time with his family, making me think that if he were to sign, it wouldn't happen until training camp is over. After all, Carter has been in the league for 14 years, so it wouldn't be surprising at all if that is the reason behind his decision to wait.
Speaking of training camp, this could be the last year it is held at the Lions' facility in Allen Park. Apparently Jim Schwartz is interested in moving camp to another location, specifically Grand Valley State out in west Michigan. A move like this reportedly could happen as early as next year, though the Lions denied that there is any substance to it right now. If it were to happen, though, it would likely mean that every outdoor practice would be open to the public. I imagine the outdoor practices would be held at Lubber Stadium, which holds over 8,000 people. Currently, only select practices at the Lions' training facility are opened up to the public, and even then there is a limit of approximately 700 people. A move to an actual stadium would allow more fans in, but at the same time it would make the training facility in Allen Park sort of useless for a couple months.
During an interview on SIRIUS NFL Radio, Matt Millen was asked about what fans will think of him as analyst.

"It's like anything else," the former Lions president said Tuesday during an interview on SIRIUS NFL Radio. "I can't control ... how somebody views you, or views me, or what they think or what they don't think. ... I'm going to give you an opinion, and you can judge for yourself if it's the right opinion or it's the wrong opinion. Or you can sit at home and go, 'The guy's an idiot, turn the channel.'"
I plan on taking Millen's advice and doing just that when he is on ESPN. For NFL Network games, my mute button will be busy.
If the World Cup is awarded to the United States in either 2018 or 2022, Ford Field and Michigan Stadium could be host sites for games.

BUC'Em TRIVIA WINNER! BUCSTATS edges V.Money! Recount Ordered...dismissed!

Niko Houllis — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:56:15 -0000

No Film at 11!

Congratulations to BucStats for edging out V.Money for the Win!

Email me at CONTESTS@BUCSTOP.COM

Here are the errors used for determining the winner..

V.Money was first to post, but as I said in rules that this would not end at first answer, but Friday Morning. Due to other reasons, Im ending it on Thursday. Anyone else would have simply copied one of these two guys so that wouldnt be fair.

Bucstats posted the more correct answers, when taking out the same mistakes both guys made, Bucstats is left as our winner!

V.Money both incorrectly included Errict Rhett, who did NOT start for Tampa Bay in 1997. He scored a few TDs in 3rd and Goal short yardage situation, but you guys can both contact Drew Rosenhaus and bash him over the head for giving such bad advice to the best running back to don a Bruce uniform since James Wilder. I simply overlooked the (7) count which was obviously incorrect if you just count the names. LOL.. It happens!

However V.Money also incorrectly included Martin Meyhew, and forgot to include Philip Buchanon and Kevin Carter. Bucstats included P-buc, wether by seeing someone elses post or not, he still included it.

FLORIDA GATORS have more starters in Pewter, with the Noles close behind. Im pretty sure Cane involvement was heavier overall or in Orange days, as USC probably had more starters in Orange than Ohio State did (sorry Joey G if your reading).

Gators-

Brad Culpepper

Riedel Anthony

Earnest Graham

Ike Hilliard

Jacquez Green

Jason Odom

Kenyatta Walker

KEVIN CARTER

Seminoles

Derrick Brooks

Warrick Dunn

Mario Edwards

Dexter Jackson

Brad Johnson

Greg Spires

Hurricanes

Horace Copeland

Warren Sapp

Nate Webster

Philip Buchanon

And the team with the cool stickers for good plays...

Will Allen

Joey Galloway

Ricky Dudley

It may be worth noting that had Derrick Brooks gave up his streak, Geno Hayes would have been added.

Thanks for playing!

Saddle Sage: Blitzing in a Tampa 2 scheme

BigBlueShoe — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 15:44:04 -0000

The famed Tampa 2 defense in all its "Madden-like" glory

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Many people in both the blogosphere and in mainstream media throw around the phrase "Tampa 2" when they talk about the now legendary NFL defensive scheme made famous by Tony Dungy. They assume it means one way of playing defense: Four down linemen, three linebackers, corners and safeties playing Cover 2 zone.The other assumption is that pressure on the opponent's backfield (which includes the QB and RBs) is created using only the four down linemen. Rarely, if ever, do Tampa 2 defense's blitz, according to accepted opinions by most NFL fans and pundits.

However, if you look closer at the recent play of several Tampa 2 teams, you will notice that blitzing is very much a part of what they do. And while blitzing is not a known "staple" of a Tampa 2, blitzes can be affective if they are done right. And contrary to many ignorant assumptions, when a Tampa 2 team blitzes they are not shunning the principles of Tampa 2.

Just like anyone else in this league, if you need to blitz to get pressure, you should blitz regardless if your team is Tampa 2, 3-4 hybrid, or some other well-known defensive formation. without pressure on the offense's backfield, your team will lose. It is literally that simple. Here, we will talk about how certain Tampa 2 teams blitz, and how effective those blitzes are.

Currently, five teams run a Tampa 2-style defense. They are Indianapolis, Chicago, Minnesota, Atlanta, and now Seattle. Two other teams deploy Tampa 2-like defenses: Tennessee and Cincinnati. The two men who created the Tampa 2 (Tony Dungy and Monte Kiffin) are retired from the NFL. You'll note that the place where Tampa 2 is coined is no longer on the list. That is because the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are switching from a Tampa 2 defense this year to a Jim Bates-style defense.

From 2002-today, several other teams deployed Tampa 2-style defenses with varying levels of success, including Denver, Detroit, and the New York Jets. Up until this year, teams like Houston and Jacksonville ran defenses similar to a Tampa 2. Just like the current teams who run Tampa 2, each team has its own spin on how they run the defense. The reason being that each team has their own strengths and weaknesses, and Tampa 2 requires specific personnel with specific talents in order to be effective in its "purest" form.

If the "purest" form of Tampa 2 follows Tony Dungy's view, then a Tampa 2 would blitz roughly 11.4% of the time. In essence, that means blitzing hardly ever occurs. All pressure on the opponent's backfield comes from the front four, specifically the defensive ends and the under tackle (or three technique DT, because he lines up opposite the gap between the guard and center on the line of scrimmage). The other DT is uses to occupy blockers, freeing up the other DT and the DEs to attack gaps in the opponent's line. The three linebackers drop back in a zone, similar to a Cover 2. The main difference is the middle linebacker, or MIKE.

In Tampa 2, the MIKE must get from three yards off the line of scrimmage to eleven yards back in almost the blink of an eye. This is often done back peddling. The MIKE's job is to cover the middle of the field, the gap in between the "Cover 2" zones the strong and free safety cover. One of the best "pure" Tampa 2 MIKE's is Gary Brackett. Brackett has excellent speed and quickness, enabling him to get from 3 to 11 yards at the snap of the ball. The MIKE's coverage gap is the most important in any Tampa 2 scheme. If no one covers the middle of the field quickly, teams will go "bombs away" on your secondary. Just ask the 2003 and 2004 Denver Broncos, who ran a Tampa 2-style defense with now-current Colts defensive coordinator Larry Coyer calling their defense. That team still has nightmares of Al Wilson blowing his MIKE coverage assignments and Brandon Stokley running like a wild man through their secondary.

When it comes to Tampa 2, few MIKE's are better than Gary Brackett

Photo: i.a.cnn.net

So, in a nutshell, that is the "purest" form of Tampa 2. But, just like all other defensive schemes, tweaks and variations from the "pure" form are required based on a number of factors: Team talent, coaching philosophy, field conditions, match-ups with opponents, etc. Referring back to the 2003 Denver Broncos, they were a team not unlike the current team Lovie Smith coaches in Chicago. Just like the 2003 Broncos, the Bears struggle to get pressure on the QB using only the front four. The reasoning for this has as much to do with player injuries as it does with inferior pass rushing talent along the defensive line. In 2008, Chicago blitzed 38.6% of the time, utilizing their big, fast, aggressive linebackers in order to generate pressure. Another Tampa 2 team in 2008, the Detroit Lions, blitzed 31.1% of the time for similar reasons.

To put it bluntly, if your team's front four in a Tampa 2 cannot pressure the opponent's backfield, they stink. The team must then utilize their linebackers and secondary to generate pressure. Without pressure, you might as well concede the game. Pressure on the offense is EVERYTHING in modern NFL defense.

However, when you start sending LBers and the secondary into the offense's backfield on blitzes, you are opening yourself up to getting burned by big plays. The main strength of a "pure" Tampa 2 is it prevents big plays. With three players covering the back zones, the opportunity for long pass plays is limited because the deep wide receiver targets are likely double covered. With linebackers and, possibly, safeties not there you are opening yourself up to getting burned. So, if you blitz out of the Tampa 2 you sure as hell better get to the quarterback. If not, you're giving up 6 points.

Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs

Photo: sportsmaven.files.wordpress.com

It is because of this that Tony Dungy was so steadfast about not blitzing. Logically, it makes sense. He had the best defensive end tandem in football when he coached, and for several years he had a revolving door of strong DTs like Corey Simon, Booger McFarland, and Ed Johnson. Consistently, since 2005, the Colts have had a top tier pass defense. Key to understanding pass defense is not to look at too many "silly" stats, like sacks and sack percentage. Too often, simpletons look at blitz percentage, compare it to sacks totals, and draw conclusions from that. A better indicator is yards allowed per pass play.

Yes, I admit that it is a much more boring statistic. Sacks are "cool." Passes batted down, QBs pressured into incompletions, and other mistakes generated by pressure that do not result in sacks are not as "cool." But, this is football. What is considered "cool" by many a shallow, casual "fan" is often not the difference between winning and losing. In 2008, the Colts allowed only 188 passing yards a game. Teams averaged 6.2 yards per pass play against the Colts for only 6 total TDs (an NFL record) and 15 INTs. QBs against the Colts averaged a rating of 78.

That is outstanding pass defense, no matter how you slice it.

Pass defense of that kind only happens with consistent pressure on the team's QB. Yet, if you look at team sack numbers, the Colts are right smack dab in the middle of the league, ranked 16th in team sacks with 30; more proof that if you just go by sacks you are an ignorant person who doesn't know squat at how football is really played.

Now, let's switch focus back to the "blitz happy" Bears. Despite their best efforts to get to the QB using blitz pressure, they surrendered 22 passing TDs in 2008 with two of them resulting in 99 yard TDs. The reason their opponents QB rating is so low is because they snatched 22 INTs, but that stat is left nearly meaningless when you see the high amount of TDs allowed and the alarming number of big plays permitted. They surrendered 43 pass plays of 20 yards or more. So, while the Bears clearly felt compelled to blitz in 2008, it seemed to do very little to help their overall pass defense. Maybe that is why Lovie Smith removed the defensive play-calling duties from coordinator Bruce Babich. When Smith was the DC in St. Louis several years ago, the Rams rarely blitzed and had some formidable defenses under his tenure. Perhaps Chicago will return to that.

Now, all this stat craziness is not an attempt on my part to bash Tampa 2 teams that blitz. Take a look at the starting defensive line for the 2008 Bucs and Bears. It features guys like Adewale Ogunleye, Alex Brown, Kevin Carter, and the very underwhelming Gaines Adams. Not exactly guys who strike fear into opposing QBs when it comes to pass-rushing. Guys like Ogunleye are solid players, but they are not Dwight Freeney, Robert Mathis, or Simeon Rice when he was in his prime. Without players like these on the d-line, pressure must often come from blitzing.

One reason why Tampa Bay blitzed more in 2008 was because DE Gaines Adams has not played well.

Photo: assets.espn.go.com

So, knowing all this, why would the Colts consider blitzing more in 2009?

Well, all indicators from new coordinator Larry Coyer say the Colts won't blitz much. Coyer is someone known for his unique blitz packages in Denver, but the reason he needed those packages is because he had scrubs like Courtney Brown on his d-line. In Indy, he has multiple pass-rushing options along the d-line front. If he were to consider blitzing, it would likely come from a Cover 3 look, with Bob Sanders down in the box. This would allow either the safety to blitz, the SAM backer to blitz, or two linebackers (or one LB and the box safety) to blitz while the MIKE backer is allowed to drop deep into his zone. Rarely in a Tampa 2 will you see a corner blitz for the simple reason that corner blitzes rarely work. When a corner blitzes, that means there is a WR out there with a LB or safety on them. Smart QBs will find that mismatch and exploit it.

Blitzing in a Tampa 2 is not uncommon, and can sometimes result in some good things. The key thing to note is that blitzing should only work if you are trying to exploit a mismatch. Often, Tampa 2 teams that blitz are trying to compensate for the lack of pressure generated by the front four. For the Colts, and teams like the Vikings and perhaps the Seahawks, the front four are good enough to generate pressure. It is only when the front four fail to generate pressure when teams Tampa 2 teams start resorting to blitzes.