Saints need holdover 4-3 pieces to translate to 3-4 [MERGED]
Saints need holdover 4-3 pieces to translate to 3-4
By Chris Burke
The New Orleans Saints highlighted last week one of the reasons teams often are hesitant to undertake scheme shifts on defense. Saints GM Mickey Loomis said, according to Larry Holder of NOLA.com, that Will Smith will open camp competing for an outside linebacker spot in the team’s new 3-4 defense.
That’s 6-foot-3, 280-pound Will Smith, a player who has spent his entire nine-year NFL career playing as a defensive end in New Orleans’ former 4-3 look. Despite 67.5 career sacks, Smith’s roster spot suddenly looks unsafe, despite him taking a massive pay cut this offseason (from $9 million in 2013 to $3 million) in an effort to stick around.
This is one of the challenges when a coaching staff opts for a new attack — the players on the roster don’t always fit.
And the Saints may not know exactly how successful this defensive transformation is until the regular season begins. But chances are, any chance for improvement will rely heavily on two players …
More - SI
Saints need holdover 4-3 pieces to translate to 3-4
By Chris Burke
The New Orleans Saints highlighted last week one of the reasons teams often are hesitant to undertake scheme shifts on defense. Saints GM Mickey Loomis said, according to Larry Holder of NOLA.com, that Will Smith will open camp competing for an outside linebacker spot in the team’s new 3-4 defense.
That’s 6-foot-3, 280-pound Will Smith, a player who has spent his entire nine-year NFL career playing as a defensive end in New Orleans’ former 4-3 look. Despite 67.5 career sacks, Smith’s roster spot suddenly looks unsafe, despite him taking a massive pay cut this offseason (from $9 million in 2013 to $3 million) in an effort to stick around.
This is one of the challenges when a coaching staff opts for a new attack — the players on the roster don’t always fit.
And the Saints may not know exactly how successful this defensive transformation is until the regular season begins. But chances are, any chance for improvement will rely heavily on two players …
More - SI