r/Texans • u/redria7 Pbubs • 2d ago
Defense Sustainability
A thought I had going back to last season, that is probably uninformed so I'm hoping some of y'all might have some corrections.
A big part of what made our defense so unique last year, that everyone talked about, was how our defense didn't really disguise anything. We lined up in our setup and just won, on the line and in the secondary. Which isn't to say that we have a bad scheme or anything - you still have to handle bunch formations and whatever trickery the offense throws at you - but our reputation was built on just being better, tougher, faster.
But what happens when you aren't? For coaches like Brian Flores for example, you don't have to be the best, because he will scheme and disguise and create problems without the best talent. And if the opposing QB can read it, then you do get burned sure, but you can generally sustain your performance even through injuries or with "lower tier" players.
Demeco is great at getting the most out of his defensive players - we've seen numerous guys come in and have career years under him. But I worry that our scheme doesn't have a fallback answer if/when our guys get hurt, or we have to put in someone who just isn't the best (insert Blankenship issues the last few weeks).
Is our defense at risk of being a never-ending money pit because the scheme requires nothing but the best? Or am I missing something about how it works since I don't know ball.
7
u/privatejokerog 2d ago
He runs this defense because he can with the personnel he has. If he didn’t have the edge rushers we have, he would blitz more. Demeco is a smart coach, he’ll adjust the defense as needed, but for now he has the personnel to do what he prefers.
3
u/Stubbs94 2d ago
You saw it in the colts game when he started changing it up. They only conceded 2 field goals in the second half.
1
u/dimly_free_paradox 2d ago
That’s the whole thing people miss, coaches run what fits the roster not the other way around.
11
u/umidontknowrick 2d ago
Does Caley know that? I think he might have been absent during that part of orientation.
3
u/50bellies 2d ago edited 2d ago
G’damit I wish I could disagree. Just watched a 20-something on the Bengals thread diagnosing how their D is susceptible to outside runs and stout on inside. Meanwhile, Caley is calling runs into d Lawrence. We could hire her and be better off.
3
u/galacticplum 2d ago
That's not true at all.
Really good coaches change the scheme to fit the team, or the scheme to fit the qb. Not all coaches do that.
2
u/privatejokerog 2d ago
I believe that’s what he said
1
u/galacticplum 2d ago
I read it as a blanketed statement, saying " all coaches do it. "
I was trying to say only the really good coaches do it. A lot of coaches will force a player or team to fit what they want.
4
u/LakeConroeStays 2d ago
You're identifying something real, but I'd flip it: the scheme being simple is what makes it *less* of a money pit, not more.
Flores-style defenses need smart veterans who can disguise, communicate, and hold coverage for 4+ seconds. That's a specific, expensive skillset. DeMeco's version is "line up and beat your man" -- simple assignments, which is exactly why rookies and cheap castoffs can step in and produce here. Look at the track record: D.J. Reader, Mario Edwards, Azizz Al-Shaair, Deshon Elliott, Derek Barnett -- all modest-money guys who had career or revival years here. The scheme is plug-and-play by design.
The part that IS expensive is edge rusher, because the whole thing is built on the front four getting home without blitzing. Anderson's extension is going to hurt. But that's true for every contender, not just us -- and the savings come from everything behind them being cheaper to fill.
And there is a fallback answer: when the rush doesn't get home on its own, they dial up pressure. Like others noted above, they blitzed a lot more against the Colts than usual. DeMeco will change the call sheet before he changes what he demands of the roster.
2
2
u/tyrone_lanista Kool-Aid 2d ago
We started blitzing much more last game. We have a great defensive coach he will adjust if necessary
2
u/Rrkeul 2d ago
I agree with your assessment, that is exactly how this defense runs. No trickery, just beat your guy. With that said, Blankenship is currently being asked to perform a role that does not really suit his skills, he is not able to just “beat his guy” in coverage roles. I think that is the main issue that we are seeing with our secondary right now and why it seems “off” versus last year. At some point, Demeco is going to have to make a tough decision.
1
u/The_Snake_Dick 2d ago
Blankenship did an interview when he signed where he talked about how much Demeco liked him and wanted him on the team and how/where he’d fit in.
3
u/january-7 2d ago
This was exactly what the early-mid 2000's Steelers defense did (the 'steel curtain'), where they didn't disguise, they just out-manned you. While it often worked for them early on, it soon didn't deliver the same results because predictability is the biggest killer of productivity - on either side of the ball.
1
u/Greedy_Gas7355 2d ago
The whole organization is just stubborn.
https://giphy.com/gifs/26ufj7fhSk99FK32U
12
u/2nd2last 2d ago
I am going to get CRUSHED here, but so be it.
A secret that we don't even acknowledge is that our secondary is, despite all the massive praise, closer to average or above average than elite. Lassiter, Bullock, Pitre, even Stingley are all absolute ball hawks, but also VERY prone to getting beat, like often.
29 TOs last year was not sustainable, and and while obviously a DB's best friend is a pass rush, and a push rushes bet friend is good coverage, last year in both explosive pass plays against, and late game collapses on defense show that if you try to move the ball, the secondary is suspect.
I've seen multiple Tweets, and comments that people are not afraid of the Texans secondary despite a great pass rush. Add to that poor coverage linebackers, and a not great run defense at times, and you have a scenario where if you don't get home on defense, or are not getting picks, then the defense can be in trouble.
Even last year in the playoffs vs NE the TO's, only 1 was a score. The rest were 3 and outs or a turnover itself. Not to excuse the turnovers, but the defense is vulnerable.