Gunther Cunningham Has the Lions' Defense Sharpening Its Claws

Sixty-three years ago, the world was a different place.

The United Nations was a theory. Eva Peron was touring Europe and on the cover of every magazine (and no one from Argentina was crying for her), and the San Francisco 49ers played their very first game.

Sixty-three years ago, Gunther Cunningham was born in Munich, Germany.

American football and English expletives would be changed forever.

When you're over 60, there is a free reign with words and actions young people do not enjoy.

Gunther takes full use of this.

Gunther uses the F-word almost as much as he says hello. Larry Foote recently posited that he had heard more swearing in a week under Cunningham than in all his years in Pittsburgh—Justin Boren would not be pleased.

Yet, for a man who swears like a sailor, he is uniquely welcome wherever he goes in the football world. Things like that happen when you are known as one of the greatest defensive minds ever connected with the game. 

X's and O's time, people.

Consider for a moment, the Lions' defense under Rod Marinelli. The Tampa Two is a strange animal.

Zone defenses have been around forever, but Tampa's is different.

Tampa's was special.

You need the right personnel to run it. Tampa had it and Detroit didn't.

The Tampa Two is a pseudo Cover three—dropping the MLB into a deep (but shallower) zone with the safeties. The OLBs cover the middle of the field.

The CBs have shallow to mid coverage underneath. This leaves the defensive line responsible for the pass rush.

Against the run, the Tampa Two is single gap.

No blitzing.

No overload.

The Tampa Two is not overly effective against stopping the run.

It's sound, but not stellar. The notable exception is the hybrid defense being run in Minnesota. However, having Kevin and Pat Williams are the reason for the great run defense, not the scheme.

When the Tampa defense was invented, the West Coast offense was all the rage. It stands to reason that as the WCO falls out of use, so has the Tampa Two.

Some teams that employed it last year—Detroit and KC—have gone another direction. Teams that have staunchly used it—Chicago, Minny, Buffalo, Indy—use it less.

Philosophically, it is a bend-but-don't-break. Give up the two-yard pass or two-yard run, win the turnover battle, and don't get gashed by yards after catch.

Ten years ago, it was a recipe for success.

Today?

Outside of Minneapolis—which is an exception—it is a recipe for mediocrity.

Gunther Cunningham is anything but willing to bend, and he strives for much more than mediocrity.

“We're trying to change the culture here," Cunningham said in 2005. "They got into a passive defense that believed that offense would win it all, and the defense got soft. We want to be a hard-hitting defense. What I want is for people to know this defense is tough. If we can come out of this camp with that attitude, I believe we'll be all right.”

Cunningham returned to the Chiefs in '05, under Dick Vermeil, and immediately led the defense from 29th to 16th in one season. The Chiefs continued to be middle-of-the-road defensively while Herm Edwards introduced the Tampa Two philosophy.

Cunningham toed the party line, but he wasn't happy about it. Last year the Chiefs were horrible defensively. It was a combination of bad drafting and the mixture of oil and water that was Edwards and Cunningham.

Because of that horrible combination—like lamb and tuna fish—Cunningham was worn out. He needed to leave KC as much as fans wanted him gone.

There is concern he is damaged goods.

There are concerns he is too old.

There are concerns his ideas don't work.

I'm not here to promise you he is the answer. But Lions fans...it will be different.

Gunther runs a one-gap defense similar against the run to the Tampa Two. It is different; however, to the method in which those gaps are covered.

Under Marinelli, the linebackers had to read and react every play. Paris Lenon would first take a read, then step back—so as not to get beat deep by a pass—and then react to the play.

The OLBs would take their initial step—normally—toward the wide side of the field and react.

Ernie Sims was not pleased.

Gunther attacks the gaps differently. On clear "run" downs, the LBs will take small read steps toward their gap and if there is no pass, attack it.

Another method of attacking the gaps is having one LB blitz the gap—no read step, full speed ahead. This forces the other LBs to hesitate a little more to cover the blitz.

If the gap gamble was right, it's a TFL. If it's wrong, a two-yard gain can be a four-yard gain.

Against the pass, Gunther wants nothing to do with zone coverages.

"I've gone through three years of playing zone defenses because I was loyal to (head coach) Herm Edwards, and that's what he wanted,'' Cunningham said. "People here in town knew I was different than that. My idea is to put a lot of pressure on the quarterback; it always has been and always will be."

Gunther wants to attack the pass. Julian Peterson should have a banner year under Gunther, and Sims is looking to get looks at blitzing as well.

Gunther will have full control over the attack, and it will be just that—an attack.

The Lions have lacked a lot in the last few years, and one of the most notable elements was aggressiveness.

When a defense is asked, "just don't mess up," it loses that. When the emphasis is placed on the mental aspect, athletes—even smart ones—get wasted.

The Lions have lacked a lot, but most of all they have lacked claws.

No more.