Dick Jauron's DEs in Jax in 1998

[Flugel]

Back when Jauron was the DC for the Jax Jaguars that made the AFC Championship Game - these were the DEs they used around that time:

RDE Renaldo Wynn 6-3 292 pounds 1 sack (1st rd - 21st overall)
RDE Tony Brackens 6-4 270 pounds 3.5 sacks (2nd round - 33rd overall)
LDE Joel Smeenge 6-6 262 pounds 7.5 sacks (3rd rd - 71st overall)
interestingly enough the RDEs averaged 281 pounds

Doesn't look like he uses the new millenium RDE formula I just learned about, which pleases me to no end. Now that Jauron is back in his ideal NFL niche as a DC, I should trust his Yale intellect that he applied to a Conference Championship level defense.

Back then the 30 year old Bryce Paup's position was listed as LLB and he added 6 sacks via x-stunts or varying fronts. Can Gocong play the role of Bryce Paup? We shall see.

I'll miss the 3-4 with the wrong personnel about as much as my last case of poison ivy.

[YtownBacker]

One thing you have to understand about Jauron defenses is that he doesn't just rely on the front 4 to bring pressure on the QB. In his defense RDE isn't the pure pass rusher. The one position he seems to desire an impact player over some other 4-3 defenses is the 3 technique DT.

For all the talk about the RDE being the engine of the 4-3, that's not really so for some 4-3s and Jauron and Rhodes are about the same in that catagory. Both love a hard hitting ILB and both love corners that can play man so they don't have to play in a cover two all the time.

Jauron has gotten a bad rap on occasions and his defenses were called boring. Same with Rhodes. If you check back over the years they were boring when he didn't have solid corners and a solid SS. He does like to play 8 in the box and bring pressure with LBs and the safety. He doesn't rely on the DRE being the do-all guy in the pass rush. What Jauron and Rhodes both believe in is DEs that play the run really well and DEs that can seal the edge making runners cut the play back into the LBs and SS.

I think Roth fits his mold well and Bernard would never be more the a specialist pass rusher. Beside another DE don't discard what he feels are priorities for his defenses. Another shutdown corner like Peterson or a 3 techniue DT like Dareus.

So, as much as many like to focus on a RDE because it is the premier pass rusher in some 4-3 systems, it may not be the #1 priority of Jauron.

[Brown Warrior]

Interesting stuff... but I have to think there's a pass rusher on the field... on the blindside... and it's probably not the linebacker in a 4-3.

It's not really "some" 4-3s that feature their best pass rusher at RDE. It's basically all of them, including Jauron's last stop in Philly. The Falcons, Colts, Eagles, Giants, Vikings... almost all of them have fairly elite RDE "rush ends." The Saints used to but Smith had a down year.

I guess the two teams who don't are the Bears and Jags. But I'm struggling to understand a 4-3 D that doesn't get heat from the blindside. We'll see.

Originally Posted by YtownBacker

One thing you have to understand about Jauron defenses is that he doesn't just rely on the front 4 to bring pressure on the QB. In his defense RDE isn't the pure pass rusher. The one position he seems to desire an impact player over some other 4-3 defenses is the 3 technique DT.

For all the talk about the RDE being the engine of the 4-3, that's not really so for some 4-3s and Jauron and Rhodes are about the same in that catagory. Both love a hard hitting ILB and both love corners that can play man so they don't have to play in a cover two all the time.

Jauron has gotten a bad rap on occasions and his defenses were called boring. Same with Rhodes. If you check back over the years they were boring when he didn't have solid corners and a solid SS. He does like to play 8 in the box and bring pressure with LBs and the safety. He doesn't rely on the DRE being the do-all guy in the pass rush. What Jauron and Rhodes both believe in is DEs that play the run really well and DEs that can seal the edge making runners cut the play back into the LBs and SS.

I think Roth fits his mold well and Bernard would never be more the a specialist pass rusher. Beside another DE don't discard what he feels are priorities for his defenses. Another shutdown corner like Peterson or a 3 techniue DT like Dareus.

So, as much as many like to focus on a RDE because it is the premier pass rusher in some 4-3 systems, it may not be the #1 priority of Jauron.

[Brown Warrior]

Very curious to dig deeper into this. In 2008 for Jauron in Buffalo, Aaron Schobel had 10.5 sacks. Last year, he was listed as the RDE in their defense at 6'4" and 243, but in 2008 he was actually listed as a linebacker.

Curiously, Roosevelt Colvin was playing strongside linebacker for Jauron in 2001 and 2002 when he had 10.5 sacks in back to back years. It was seen as pretty quirky by Chicago writers, per an article I just read on the Bears best pass all-time pass rushers.

EDIT: This is ESPN 2008...

Defensive scheme: Coach Dick Jauron and coordinator Perry Fewell implement Buffalo's conservative 4-3 scheme. The Bills usually blitz sparingly, preferring to generate a push with their down linemen. A lack of size up front required a more aggressive approach last season, but Jauron simply doesn't like to take a lot of chances. The Bills will show some pre-snap movement to confuse offenses, and line stunts and games up front will remain part of the overall package. Otherwise, the defense is no-nonsense: a lot of zone coverages, Cover 2 schemes and basic zone blitzes.

[Brown Warrior]

This is a really interesting article that gives Jimmy Johnson credit for the "modern" version of the 4-3 that evolved in the '90s with smaller, quicker linebackers and speedy edge rushers at the ends. Very educational.

Guide to N.F.L. Defenses, Part 2: Evolution of 4-3 Front - NYTimes.com

[Brown Warrior]

BTW, while I was trolling around, I read several times that the Eagles were "desperate" to keep Jauron, probably as their DC... but the Browns won that battle because of Holmgren.

I'm not sure what that says about what he would've done in Philly, but I'm sure Trent Coles would've been a very big part of it.

[Sez.EJ]

This Jax D.. I lived there in the early days and saw a lot of this team.. They did not really have that LDE sackmaster..nor did they need to ..they had guys who could stop the run..and "as a team" sack the QB..with our sorryassed run D.. we need a LDE who can stop the run first.. and also get to the QB with pressure..but we don't need a sackmaster who gets blown away vs the run.. it would be a wasted pick in our division.

[Flugel]

Originally Posted by Sez.EJ

This Jax D.. I lived there in the early days and saw a lot of this team.. They did not really have that LDE sackmaster..nor did they need to ..they had guys who could stop the run..and "as a team" sack the QB..with our sorryassed run D.. we need a LDE who can stop the run first.. and also get to the QB with pressure..but we don't need a sackmaster who gets blown away vs the run.. it would be a wasted pick in our division.

Sez and Ytown,
I like what you guys are saying about Jauron. Understanding how many right handed passers are in our division that would roll away from the blind side - it would be nice if we considered the LDE equally important.

If you guys get a chance, take a look at the Off the Edge thread about what rounds alot of those high volume sackers were coming from. Not 1 guy was drafted before #10 overall.

I worry about pass rushers because sooo many were drafted too high when it was discovered their pass rush skills came at the expense of their run defense deficiencies. It's why there seems to be alot of first roudn disappointments at that position. If you get a chance guys, watch that 4 minute highlight reel of Watt I put in one or 2 of the threads.

I know I've been redundant so I'm glad to see Sez saying the same thing. If continue to trail teams because we can't stop the run, where's the very 1st reason to pass on us? Are we putting out the most dangerous fire with a pass rusher only? While it's an important part of defense, the 2010 sack leaders reminds me these guys seem to be just as easily found later in the draft. And this just in, Reggie White was just as undrafted as Marcus Benard so why reach when we don't have to?

[Sez.EJ]

I meant to say RDE.. who is usually the sackmaster..but you guys know what I mean..

[Solon16]

I'll miss the 3-4 with the wrong personnel about as much as my last case of poison ivy.

or my last visit to the dentist.

[YtownBacker]

Originally Posted by Sez.EJ

This Jax D.. I lived there in the early days and saw a lot of this team.. They did not really have that LDE sackmaster..nor did they need to ..they had guys who could stop the run..and "as a team" sack the QB..with our sorryassed run D.. we need a LDE who can stop the run first.. and also get to the QB with pressure..but we don't need a sackmaster who gets blown away vs the run.. it would be a wasted pick in our division.

We already have one of those guys and his name is Bernard. Good pass rusher but can't play the run. Hopefully as he plays more and gets more experience he will get better against the run.

To me this RDE has to be your dominate pass rusher doesn't do it for me and I don't see where Jauron has ever set his team up like that.

I'd rather have a guy like Dareus who can push up the middle and force the QB out of the pocket. DEs get lots of sacks from DTs forcing QBs out of the pocket. I don't like to see a QB able to step up in the pocket to avoid the rush and get time to get through his progressions. I want to see him on the run.

[PlaygroundLegend]

I completely disagree with that statement that it would be a waste in our division...

With Ben Roethlisucker, Joe Flacco, and Carson Palmer in our division, and with all three teams passing more.. our first priority is to rush the passer, put them on the ground, or force a shitty throw. Then we can worry about cleaning up the run. We need to control them, we need to attack on D, because thats what they do to us, and it works.