The Phins “D” will benefit from Saban’s system

By Hugo Guzman  |   Thursday, May 12, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

Miami Dolphins
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Nick Saban is overhauling the entire defensive system here in Miami, and the veterans stand to gain the most from this shift in philosophy. For years, the Miami Dolphins have run a basic 4-3 alignment with very little blitzing and a lot of man to man coverage. While the Dolphins defense has consistently ranked amongst the top defenses in the league for almost a decade, the perception around the league is that the overall scheme makes the Dolphins very predictable on defense, especially against divisional rivals who get to see the formation twice a year.

Coach Saban is committed to changing all of that. He is in the process of installing a hybrid 3-4 to 4-3 defense filled with disguised blitzes and zone coverage schemes. This should definitely help shed the aura of "predictability" that the Dolphins defense suffers from, and it will also help prolong the careers of our key veterans. Players such as Zach Thomas, Jason Taylor, Junior Seau, and Sam Madison stand to gain the most from this new defensive philosophy.

Zach Thomas was quoted as saying that opponents "knew where I was going to be at all times last year." That's no longer going to be an issue. "Opponents don't know what we're going to do one week to the next."

Junior Seau, who played in a 3-4 alignment for most of his career, will welcome a return to a defensive alignment that will allow him to roam around and take advantage of his instinctual knack for making big plays around the line of scrimmage

Jason Taylor will benefit from being able to move from down lineman to linebacker type duties. Taylor can do a lot of damage from a standing position. Remember that just two years ago the Miami Dolphins experimented (and found success) with a "Tiger" formation that allowed Jason Taylor to drop into a linebacker position.

Sam Madison may gain the most benefit from this shift in defensive philosophy. Sam is no longer physically able to run with younger faster receivers, but his knack for reading quarterbacks and routes is uncanny. Mixing up coverage will allow Madison to disguise his intentions and step in front of errant throws; something he has always been able to do when put in that position.
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About Hugo Guzman

Trying to bring an objective approach to NFL analysis.
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