Bleacher Report - Articles by Casey Moritz

For The Oakland Raiders: This Is The End

Casey Moritz — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 23:36:28 -0500

This article is Part Two of a suggested renovation of the Oakland Raiders' defense.

With Rob Ryan gone and his desire to run a 3-4 blitz scheme gone with him, it is a golden opportunity for the Silver & Black to migrate to a defense more suited to the players on their roster.

If you missed Part One of this series, I am advocating for the Raiders to re-align their defense into a 4-3 base, Zone 2—a Cover-2 with man-zone combo coverages.

Here are my two reasons:

1. The Zone 2 is designed to minimize the need for high-end talent—necessary to make the system effective.

Each player and position is given a limited set of responsibilities, which creates a high level of accountability. This allows management and coaches to see exactly where weak spots are and make corrections.

2. This defense best fits the talent on the current Oakland roster.

Since it is pretty obvious, the players on the roster do not fit the 3-4 blitz scheme. Call me crazy, but it's time for something new.

In the previous edition, I wrote about the woeful condition of the Raiders' defensive tackles and made some suggestions about how to better use them within the Zone 2 scheme.

Now, it's time to address the defensive end position—one of the few bright spots on the Oakland roster.

The DE is one of the deeper positions on the roster, as the Raiders carry six of them on the current roster.

Other than Derrick Burgess, I dare you to name two more of them without looking it up.

Despite the lack of star-power, however, the Raiders have some talent stashed away here in the DE depth chart.

Derrick Burgess

For obvious reasons, we'll start with the Raiders' top defensive lineman. Under normal circumstances, I would say that 38.5 sacks in four years was excellent, but Burgess has declined in every year since he joined the Raiders. Burgess starting with 16 in 2005, had 11 in '06, eight in '07, and a mere three and one half in '08.

A good part of that has been the misuse of the DE position in the Raiders' attempt to convert to a 3-4 set. Burgess is 6'2," 265 pounds, which makes him too small for a 3-4 blitz scheme.

Burgess is a good one-gap pass rusher. He doesn't get lost in the run game, as evidenced by two seasons of 50-plus tackles. Against the run, Burgess is more suited to containing the edge and pursuing around the corner than he is to crashing the edge.

If there is one weak spot in his game that strikes me the most, it's the lack of a real "power-move." His bull-rush is credible but nothing more and is only as a set-up for one of the "cute" moves that he relies on to beat his blocker.

Burgess is a very good rush end—playing better off of the right side against the left tackle than he does from the left. I have no idea why; he just does.

So, in the new Zone 2, he is going to play mostly off of the right side with the occasional shift when the matchup is better against the right tackle.

Jay Richardson

The next DE on the lineup is going to be our starter on the left side of the defensive line.

I know he is young and new to the league. But at 6'6" and 280 lbs., he is the most likely to remain a physical presence in the run defense. Richardson showed a lot of promise in the last three weeks of 2008.

Richardson offers a big body at the end of a line that will challenge right tackles in the run game and potentially force tight ends to double out on him on a regular basis.

Richardson isn't going to run up the sack total, but he can be stout against the run when he knows his reads and plays with a solid base, which comes from good hand technique.

He is a quality stack-and-shed end but here is where the problem comes in—he'll have to play next to Terdell "The Terd" Sands.

Anytime Sands rotates in, especially on second- or third-and-less than-5, Richardson will have to play further inside than normal, read two gaps to make up for Sands' one-gap alignment, and still force the RT and TE to commit to him to shield the OLB playing contain.

The likely scenario is to play an over shift any time that Sands rotates in on a rundown and play the SS up in the box.

Trevor Scott

Next, we come to the player with the most promise on the DE depth chart. Scott played well in his first campaign, showing very good speed around the corner and a few good moves in the pass rush.

The biggest issue in his game is going to be adding about 15 pounds to his frame during the offseason so that he can add an inside power move to his pass-rush. Scott, like Burgess, is more of a pursuit player in the run game, which is fine.

I intend for him to be used as a pass-rush RE coming in for passing downs and providing some rotation for Burgess on the right side.

On the upside, he is a sure tackler with a nose for the ball and for getting into the backfield. The downside is that he over runs plays and if he is forced inside, he can be controlled by larger tackles.

Kalimba Edwards

Edwards is a quality veteran who will factor into the rotation on both sides of the line.

Generally, the biggest value that I see here is being able to rotate in on the LE side. Edwards is a quality all-around end that can play two gaps and make the right read often enough to compensate for the times when Sands and Warren line up in 0-1 technique and are playing only on gap.

Going into his ninth season, Edwards' versatility and veteran presence is valuable.

Unfortunately, he doesn't have the legs—that he had in Detroit—to be an every-snap end. But, I think he will play well enough in a reserve role to add three and one half to five sacks, and 30 tackles next season.

Greyson Gunheim

While not a bad player, Gunheim doesn't fit in well enough to justify keeping him around. Simply put, Gunheim has to go in order to make room for another DT on the roster.

The only thing missing from the Raiders' collection of DEs is an elite pass rusher.

If Burgess can stay healthy and get back to his 2005 or 2006 form, and Scott can be the speed rusher that he showed flashes of last season, they might have two.

Overall, the DE rotation looks to be one of the brighter spots on this roster.

Since they already have several 4-3 ends on the roster, if the Raiders switch to a 4-3 alignment, they could resolve the issues of pressuring opposing quarterbacks and should allow less than the almost 160 fewer yards per game rushing than in 2008.

The Raiders should be set at the DE and should not have to chase any free agents or draft any DEs for the 2009 campaign.

Long Is The Road and Hard Is The Way That Out Of Oakland Leads to Defense...

Casey Moritz — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 00:35:48 -0500

In Psalm 22 the question is posed: My God why have you forsaken me? One must wonder if this same question fills the thoughts of Al Davis when he sees his Raiders play defense.

I’m not sure that it is the wrath of God which has rendered the Silver and Black D powerless. I think the Raiders are a better team than their 2008 record would indicate.

I’m not confused or all-methed up, so I am not going to say they are a good team. However, I think with a better defensive philosophy, the Raiders could rise from pitiful to mediocre (which should be enough to be competitive in the under achieving AFC west).

I'm not naïve enough to think that a change in defensive philosophy will fix all that ails the Raiders, or that it is enough to make them a winning team, but I have a theory that a slight (OK, massive) overhaul of their current 1972 playbook (No kidding this is the same defensive set I played against in high school) can make a quick turn around on the defensive side of the ball and minimize the amount of money the Raiders have to spend in FA and up the margin of error for their draft (it is much easier to feel good about the way you draft when you are shopping for contributors rather than needing to hit super-stars).

The talent pool in Oakland is definitely thin, especially along the defensive line. It has been a long standing fault of the Raiders coaching staffs of late to seriously underestimate the importance of tackle play on the defensive line. Keeping a scant three DTs on the roster is a HUGE mistake no matter what scheme you're playing. Having no rotation equals tired legs and that means holes in the line, lazy play and a lack of gap discipline. These all add up to 159 rushing yards allowed per game in 2008.

I think with the current personnel package, a couple of deft drafts and a few fortuitous free agents, the Silver & Black defense could be brought back to respectability. (NOTE: I did not say they would be awesome, imposing or inspiring. Just good enough to be competitive and get themselves off the field every so often.)

Scheme only counts for so much when you start talking about a defense. Often the issue is getting the players to play a scheme the right way. Go a little Rod Serling with me and 'consider if you will' the difference between the defense in New England and the D in Cleveland. Basically the same package with a few tweaks here and there. The Pats have the personnel to make it work; the Browns are still in the "crafting mode" of getting the right parts to fit the system.

We begin:

I spent a good number of years wearing a military uniform, and there is one lesson which carried over for that time in my life to become one of the cornerstones of any good defensive system: keep it simple.

The more you start mucking things up with complex maneuvers and over the top packages and formation shifts the more you are asking for something to go terribly wrong.

In this case, since we are not working with the highest end talent in the league to start with, we really need a system that minimizes the amount of "trickeration" we are planning to employ. That is not to say it will be base-vanilla, it'll just be less exotic scheme than say the Pats, Eagles or Steelers run...

Now I am about to say something that is going to get some hairs on the necks of the collective audience to stand on end (and no, I don't need someone to teach me football): Cover-2. Specifically 4-3 base alignment zone Cover-2.

There is method to this madness.

In the zone-2 system, you don't need to have really high-end talent all over the field and you can use a few tricks here and there to cover some short-falls and some shifts on coverage to take pressure off of CBs in 0-coverage.

Trust me, this can work:

Since I am proposing an overhaul of the Raiders entire D-philosophy and the instillation of a whole new system; we have to start with the core of any defense: the tackle. Sure there are a couple of big name DTs coming into FA this year: put them out of your mind.

The reality is that no player in their right mind would want to play for the Raiders right now. So we are going to have to build a scheme around the players available, the players in the draft and some of the more low-key free-agents who are going to be available and could be lured to Oakland with the promise of a chance to get off the bench a little more often.

Call me crazy, but I am not as much of a believer in Tommy Kelly as the front office in Oakland. I think he is a good player, with a world of (as yet unrealized) potential playing the 3 or 4-technique, but he lacks the technique to generate enough power at the point of attack to try and play as a 0 or 1 having to contend with 600+ pounds of guard and center where his quickness is basically neutralized.

For his size, 6'6" 300lbs., Kelly has good athleticism but doesn't consistently play with the technique to beat both a guard and center. So we're going to classify him as a very good starting point for a scheme which makes the most of a good B-Gap tackle. He'll stay on the interior line.

"Booger" McFarland was similar in size and with the same technique issues during his good years with the Buccaneers and Colts, and played well in a two-gap responsibility. If Kelly lines up a little wider as a 3/4-DT with his responsibilities limited to being aggressive and hitting one his two gaps, getting up-field after the ball carrier, I think we can start to see a lot of that potential.

Gerard Warren is a big body with big potential and little production, which I blame more on the lack of rotation and poor schemes for the D-Line than on his actual ability.

As the only other DT on the current roster, Warren is going to have to play the interior line 0/1-Technique. This means Warren is going to have to make the most of his size. At 6’3.5” and 330lbs. Warren has the mass and power to play as a true 0/1 DT and push the pile to fill one of his gaps, leaving only one gap for the MLB to cover.

This does a couple of additional good things: if Warren can force a Guard/Center double team it means Kelly will draw less double and be able to play more aggressively and shields the DE on his side from catching Guard/Tackle doubles on interior runs.

That brings us to "The Terd". Terdell Sands, all 335 lbs. of him, has been (pardon the pun) a massive disappointment to Raider Nations since that dark day when management brought him on-board for WAY too much money.

Sands has shown consistent weakness at the point of attack, which I think is not a side-effect of a lack of power on his part, but an inability to know his assignments and read blocking schemes. Watch week 12's game against Denver. Sands spent most of his time on the field swiveling his head trying to figure out just what he was supposed to be doing. Never good.

Since it is a cap hit to part ways with Sands and a replacement isn't to be found anywhere on the roster we're going to try to make good use of his bulk. We keep Sands on the interior line, but we adjust his playing technique a little. He needs move further in and play a straight single-gap 1-technique DT just to tie up the center and guard and give the MLB just one gap to hit.

This requires very little on his part other than focus. His assignment rarely if ever changes when he is on the field: fill a hole and force the play to one side or the other. Sands only real responsibility at the 1-Technique DT is to provide a rotation for Warren, not playmaker, just an overpriced role player.

Oakland doesn't have a DE on the roster with the size and strength to make the move inside, which means one of two things is going to happen: A) Tommy Kelly gets his career shortened by five years having to play almost every snap this season or B) The Raiders get some more DTs...

So we are going to take a look at the DTs available in FA and the Draft to fit our needs…that will be covered in a later installment “FA Needs and How to Fill Them”.

Spygate: Is the NFL Hiding the Truth to Protect Fans?

Casey Moritz — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 23:09:33 -0500

There has been much ado in the NFL for the last few months regarding the allegation that the Patriots tape-cheating scandal may have been more extensive than what the league released, and may have involved one or more Super Bowls.

As fans, we will never be privileged to know the absolute truth on the subject, not because the Patriots are the league darlings and are being protected in a Kafka-style conspiracy, and not because the tapes in question have been destroyed by the commissioners office without any real explanation.

The reason we will never hear the out and out truth is because of the consequences to the league and the totally unprecedented nature of the offense in question.

Would the Patriots be stripped of their crown? Would a Super Bowl win with an asterisk be added to the cheated team? How would the league be able to deal with this kind of negative PR in a period of wealth and unprecedented growth?

The simple answer is probably the right one for football: Let's not find out.

More than any other group of people, more than football as a business, there is one group that would be totally incapable of dealing with the ramifications of a conclusive proof of a defiled Super Bowl: the fans of the New England Patriots.

Pats fans as a group have handled success pretty well. Much better than the howling masses of Broncos fans who refuse to even enter into a conversation about how Denver circumvented the salary cap in a series of truly shady accounting moves in order to ensure cash was available to keep the supporting cast around Elway and Davis (the players whose salaries were 'deferred') in order to finally win a Super Bowl.

In general, Boston sports fans are a devoted bunch, suffering years of bad teams to finally be regarded with the raise of the Red Sox and the Patriots at the same time. Long suffering fans of the Sox proclaimed the Yankees performed every foul deed from juicing to pacts with the lord of darkness to ensure their success. Names like "Evil Empire" and "Steinbrenneristan" were thrown around, forever proclaiming "Next Year, F&@%er!!"

Pats fans acted the same, proclaiming they didn't receive a single fair call from an official in a game against Buffalo between the years of 1988 and 1999. The truth of it was, the Pats just fielded some bad teams and got some bad breaks.

A side effect of the long-awaited success of the Pats is the strange, though not uncommon, deification of their players. Just ask around, they'll happily tell you Tom Brady is not only the best QB to play the game, he is by far the sexiest man alive. And there isn't another person out there who is tougher than Teddy Bruschi. The list goes on—and this is OK.

It happens with nearly every team that has had prolonged success. Tell a Steelers' fan that the Fearsome Foursome of the LA Rams made the Steel Curtain look like a pack of Girls Scouts and see what they have to say. If you find yourself at SFO waiting on a flight, mention to the bartender that you think Joe Montana was overrated and doesn't hold a flame to Peyton Manning...then order a drink. I guarantee they are mysteriously "out" of whatever you ask for.

With the Pats, it has taken on a whole new and crazy life of its own. Because of this little tape issue, the fans of NE feel like it is them against the world, facing down accusations any time they mention their team being the best in a decade. It would be impossible to argue, if it weren't for the tapes.

If the truth was released, and IF (big if here) it turned out that the Pats had jobbed the Super Bowl and cheated to win, the fallout among the fans would be hellish. Torrents of beer-fueled weeping would ensue as Pats fans around the globe began their explanations about how Brady and the boys would have pulled it off anyway, they didn't need the tapes, they are that good...really.

Let me share a painful family secret with you all. My mother, to my shame, has been a Cowboys fan since the 70s. During the Aikman/Smith years and the Super Bowls I couldn't watch a Dallas game without losing my mind at least once about the blatant pushing and hand-checking Michael Ervin used to get open ON EVERY PLAY.

Of course it never got called. Not once. When asked about this little shading of the rules my mother will calmly explain, "Hell yes he was pushing! And it worked too!"

They were a team of felons. A team of trashy, vile, and very skilled players who bent the rules enough to walk away with three rings. Pats fans would never be so brazen. It would shatter the image they have created for their team and their players. Tom Brady: superstar, great QB, and cheat?

There is no way, with the strange cult that has formed in the Northeast around this team, that the fans of the Pats could avoid a mass suicide if the truth was that the mighty Pats had indeed cheated to win. Don't take this the wrong way...I respect New England for what they have accomplished. I was even kinda partial to them in the '07 Super Bowl (mostly because I am about Manninged out and I am REALLY tired of hearing about the '72 Fins).

But you have to admit, Pats fans, even if they are cheats you will never leave them or even entertain the notion that the Pats wouldn't have won without breaking the rules.

Arizona Cardinals Sign DE/OLB Travis LeBoy to Fill Space Left by Pace's Departure

Casey Moritz — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:15:58 -0500

The Arizona Cardinals have inked a deal with fourth year DE Travis LeBoy, formerly of the Tennessee Titans, despite pressure from his previous team to return to the Titans roster for the 2008 season.

LaBoy is slated to fill the roster spot left by the departure of Calin Pace to the NY Jets as a free agent. LeBoy was excited by the prospect of joining the Cardinals defense and playing the conversion DE/OLB spot where Calvin Pace enjoyed a career year last season.

The terms of the deal were not disclosed in accordance with team policy, but it has been reported to be $22 million over five years with $7.5 million in guarantees. The pay out to LaBoy stands in stark contrast to the six-year, $42 million contract signed by Pace on Monday, which includes a signing bonus of $20 million and $22 million in total guarantees.

The 6-foot-3, 260-pound LeBoy is physically similar to Pace in size and athleticism. He looks to be a little faster around the corner than Pace, which should be a welcome addition to a Cardinals pass rush that was inconsistent during the 2007 season.

LaBoy was excited by the prospect of playing in Arizona in the unusual multiple-fronts scheme of defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast, in which he will be asked to play on his feet in space, as well as lining up with a hand down and rushing from the edge in a more traditional DE role. LeBoy is expected to play opposite Chike Okeafor and compete with Bertrand Berry for time at DE.

The most welcome sign of change in the Valley of the Sun is the desire for players to be Cardinals—not a luxury the team has enjoyed in the recent past. Getting a talented player at the lower end of his fair market value is just one more sign that the Arizona Cardinals are heading in the direction of being more competitive in 2008.

The Cardinals have also visited with Rams LB Brandon Chillar, though the team will be restricted in the free agent moves available to them until the stalled talks with Larry Fitzgerald to restructure his $16.5 million dollar cap number have been resolved.

Top Ten NFL Draft Day Sleepers

Casey Moritz — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 21:52:23 -0500

A great deal of thought, debate, discussion and analysis has gone into the top side of the upcoming NFL Draft. Who will be picked first? Who should be in the top 5?

With all of the buzz around the first 10 picks and the millions of dollars going their way the remainder of the draft tends to get overlooked. In part this can be attributed to the difficulty most people have in listening to Mike Mayock. (I personally found myself screaming, standing on the bed, and brandishing a firearm at his image on the television almost daily while watching the combine.)

With the signal to noise ration of the top ten being so high, it is time to focus on the fact that every year teams around the NFL get their best draft values from rounds 2-6 where they find the quality role players and the occasional gem.

This draft is very deep in a number of positions: DE, CB, RB and OL - and any number of teams are going to be able to snag themselves an all-pro player at a discount in the later rounds. Here are the ten players who are going to be the best "non-first round" values for the teams that take them.

10) Kory Lichtensteiger C Bowling Green: Has the smarts and technique to be a quality center for a long time at the pro-level. He isn't an outstanding athlete, but he plays hard and mean, and works the interior of the O line well. He has the versatility to move to Guard, but is best playing in the middle where his football IQ shows in calling protections and making blocking changes at the line. With a little development, Lichtensteiger can be the kind of center that improves an O-line from good to great.

9) Carl Nicks OT Nebraska: Nicks needs his own zip code. Dude is HUGE. Nicks is a very raw prospect without a ton of playing experience in college, but has the strength and talent to become an impact player at the pro level if he ends up on a team with a quality line coach. (PLEASE let it be Arizona...) If he makes the move to G until he masters footwork and technique, Nicks could easily become a dominant player on the O line.

8) Dexter Jackson WR Appalachian State: This one is a tale of the tape. Jackson is FAST. He ran great times at the combine and looked smooth in drills. With his speed and mobility Jackson is going to make an appealing 3rd receiver for a lot of teams looking to emulate the success New England had with Wes Welker. He should also provide some excitement in the return game while he polishes his route running. Jackson is reminiscent of a young, less injured Terry Glenn.

7) Cliff Avril DE/OLB Purdue: Does Purdue offer a degree program is OLB/DE conversion? Avril looks poised to join the ranks of productive NFL players to come out of Purdue and switch from DE to OLB for an NFL 3-4. Avril offers the advantage of having played OLB in college before making the switch to end, and was productive at both positions. I doubt he will be a dominant player in the first 3 or 4 years, but he should be good enough to play, and elevate a defense with his solid play and athleticism.

6) Mike Hart RB Michigan: There are a lot of question marks around Hart because of the huge workload he got at Michigan, but the tale of the tape is that there is still some rubber on the tires. Teams looking for an exciting game breaker who is a scoring threat from anywhere on the field should leave now, but for a team that wants a reliable back who secures the ball and can grind out those tough 3rd down and goal line yards could make an investment in Hart and get every penny worth of value. He may never be "exciting" but he could develop into a Curtis Martin type back that will handle the ball 25-30 times a game and push the chains.

5) John Carlson TE Notre Dame: Carlson killed his draft stock at the combine by running a 40 time that is comparable to mine. However, the game film says he is a better player than he is a work out guy. Carlson is the type of TE that can contribute from day one in the passing game with sharp routes and a good eye for getting open. There are plenty of NFL teams that could profit by taking a receiving TE who doesn't disappear in the running game. No one is going to mistake Carlson for Kellen Winslow but they might confuse him for Heath Miller and that ain't bad.

4) Owen Schmitt FB West Virginia: Fullbacks are not making a lot of noise in the league these days, and that isn't going to change when Schmitt gets into the league. Mack Strong and Lorenzo Neal are fine examples of what a FB like Schmitt will bring to the table. He is going to get on the field and make contributions in the running game and on special teams and is the kind of guy who could spend 15 years opening holes and leveling LBs for a reasonable price.

3) Sam Keller QB Nebraska: QBs from Nebraska generally don't get a lot of attention coming into the NFL, but come round 5 Sam Keller probably should. He did a pretty fair job running a pro-style offense and showed good accuracy and the occasional flash of real playmaking talent. Do I think Keller will be the next Tom Brady to waltz out of the late rounds and into a Superbowl? No. But he will be a reliable back-up who can manage an offense and play well enough to win with a little help from the running game. I rate Keller as my #3 value because every team NEEDS a reliable bench guy who can come in and not lose games. Sam can do that.

2) Ahtyba Rubin DT Iowa State: Massive DT who is very solid against the run. Rubin will be able to add value to any team from day one just by putting presence in the middle of the line. Think Booger McFarlane here. Any team that needs to shore up interior run defense can take a big step in that direction with Rubin, and do so at a discount. He's never going to be Albert Haynsworth - but he will be a definite help as a rotation guy on the D line.

1) Trevor Laws DT Notre Dame: This guy has "all-pro" written all over him. How he hasn't gathered any first round buzz is beyond me, especially given the number of teams with holes on their D Line. Laws is strong, relentless, and talented. He fits nearly any scheme, playing with enough strength and leverage to handle assignments at NT in a 3-4 front or playing as a 3-technique UT in a conventional 4-3. Even at the NFL level he is going to be a force to be reckoned with on the interior line. What makes Laws truly scary is that he is a SMART defender, it won't take him long to learn his assignments and be a play maker for whatever team takes him.