Big Blue Huddle

One coaching change that I think is flying under the radar was expanding the role of D-line coach to also spend time with the edge rushers.   Patterson was considered by many to be one of the best D-line coaches in the NFL.  No doubt Patterson played a big role in Dex going from a good DT to a great DT (once he arrived). 

In the last media interview with Patterson, he mentioned how he is now spending some of his time with the edge rushers.  That could mean a big boost for young players like Thibs and Ojulari as well as giving Burns a bit of a boost.  If there is a coach that has shown to be able to boost a player's performance, it's Patterson.

I'm excited to watch the defensive line and LBs this year. Dex, Thibs, Burns, Okereke, are already pro-bowl quality players. And their drive and expectations from themselves, rubs off on other players around them (and is actually helpful to the OL that practices against them day after day). I'm really hoping a couple of the younger players will step up and beat expectations. I think we lack one great DL-man to have the most feared line in the NFL. I imagine Jordan Philips and Nacho are locks, but I wouldn't call them "game changers" yet. Wouldn't it be great though if "Baby Bison" or Casey Rogers stepped up another level and became monsters in the trench? And I wouldn't count out Ojulari as nothing more than a lame duck ER playing out his last year. We all know he's dealt with far too many injuries, but statistically (his numbers by percentage of plays) is actually better than Thibs. If only he can stay healthy, which is the million-dollar question

Hopefully, Patterson can work some magic with this group

Quote from: MightyGiants on June 25, 2024, 08:45:40 AMOne coaching change that I think is flying under the radar was expanding the role of D-line coach to also spend time with the edge rushers.   Patterson was considered by many to be one of the best D-line coaches in the NFL.  No doubt Patterson played a big role in Dex going from a good DT to a great DT (once he arrived). 

In the last media interview with Patterson, he mentioned how he is now spending some of his time with the edge rushers.  That could mean a big boost for young players like Thibs and Ojulari as well as giving Burns a bit of a boost.  If there is a coach that has shown to be able to boost a player's performance, it's Patterson.

That's a good observation Rich. Those Edge players spend almost all their snaps on the LOS. In base it's five on the Line and then four and the mix is based on down and distance. They don't drop in Zone very often.