Raiders DC Ken Norton's Innovative Thinking Yielding Positive Results

The Oakland Raiders brought in Ken Norton Jr.’s fresh mind to manage and develop a revamped defense, and he’s stirring the pot for positive results.

To an extent, thinking outside the box factors into good coaching. Norton has already placed his fingerprint on the Raiders defense with innovative thinking in his first six weeks as the defensive coordinator. 

Initially, Oakland’s lack of sacks, leaky pass defense and poor coverage on tight ends led to the idea that Norton came into this position way in over his head. Over the past three weeks, however, he’s flipped the narrative by breaking the mold, exploring player versatility and shuffling the personnel.

Breaking the Mold

It’s easy to follow in the footsteps of predecessors and slightly modify old ideas, but coordinators must use judgment to decide which schemes fit their roster. Within three weeks, Norton transitioned to a 3-4 base defense, an alignment Raider Nation isn’t used to seeing in recent memory. Some speculated the change as a 5-2 alignment, but CSNBayArea.com reporter Scott Bair identifies the design as a 3-4:

Andy Benoit of MMQB further verifies the use of the 3-4 with splashes of a 4-2-5 alignment in nickel packages:

For those not so familiar with the Raiders' nickel package, here’s what the alignment looks like on film:

Credit: NFL.com

Keep in mind that a four-man rush doesn’t always indicate four defensive linemen with their hands in the dirt. Aldon Smith positions himself upright while Khalil Mack lines up in a three-point stance. 

The two defensive tackles position themselves over the shoulders of opposing guards, leaving a gap in the middle. Both linebackers stand on an island to defend the middle of the field.

These formations aren’t new to the NFL, but Norton’s decision to use these alignments yielded the best results for his defensive unit.

Exploring Versatility

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Coaches often preach about expanding roster versatility, but how often do you notice the benefits of moving players around the field?

In Week 3, Norton took a seventh-round pick in his second year of learning the cornerback position and moved him over to safety. The concept sounds counterproductive and risky, but defensive back T.J. Carrie managed to keep the lid on the defense against the Cleveland Browns.

The Browns’ deep-threat wide receiver Travis Benjamin caught three touchdown passes on throws 20 yards or more downfield in the first two weeks, per Pro Football Focus. Despite four targets, he failed to record a catch on a deep pass against the Raiders’ reformed secondary. 

Head coach Jack Del Rio didn’t declare Carrie as a safety for the season but indicated the concept of floating the defensive back when needed, per ESPN’s Bill Williamson:

Expect to see Carrie take the safety position against viable deep-threat wide receivers capable of finding space behind the defense for long touchdowns.

Out with the Old, In with the New

The Del Rio regime doesn’t allocate playing time to veterans simply because of experience. According to Norton, snaps are earned on the practice field. In reference to Neiron Ball’s ascension to starting linebacker, it’s clear that he’s working hard behind the scenes to supplant eight-year veteran Curtis Lofton. 

According to Benoit, Ball jumped ahead of Ray-Ray Armstrong and Lofton for the starting position in Week 5 against the Denver Broncos:

Armstrong stepped in for the departed Sio Moore at linebacker, and Lofton signed with the team to properly line up the defense. Both linebackers have struggled in certain areas, which gave Ball the opportunity to showcase his skill sets as a rookie.

In Week 5, the fifth-round pick made his presence felt and left spectators wondering if he’s capable of building on his solid debut performance. San Jose Mercury News writer Jimmy Durkin tweeted some notes about Ball's first day as a starter.

It’ll take more than a single performance to earn a starting position, but Norton will likely continue to explore Ball’s skill set as an upgrade in certain game situations.

The San Diego Chargers’ eight-time Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates has dominated defenses since his return from a four-game suspension. He has 18 receptions for 187 yards and two touchdowns in two games. The Raiders rookie linebacker won’t back down from a challenge, but Norton may attempt to bracket Gates with a double team.

Then again, the Raiders defensive coordinator isn’t afraid of making bold moves for desirable results.

Implementing Acquisitions

At times, injecting new talent in the midst of the season becomes the most difficult aspect of coaching, especially when the general manager makes the final decisions on roster transactions.

Norton has made the most of two in-season acquisitions in cornerback David Amerson and Smith as an edge-rusher.

The coaching staff spoon-fed the former San Francisco 49er the playbook upon his arrival. Nonetheless, Norton made note that Smith has been through a crash course of training camp, and he’s ready to make bigger contributions on the field, per San Francisco Chronicle writer Vic Tafur: 

Norton made some encouraging remarks about how well Amerson absorbed the playbook and translated his studies into significant snaps on the field:

"

I’m really impressed about his work ethic. It’s always tough for a new guy coming into a new environment and new situation. The guys have really put their arms around him. Good football players like good football players. It’s obvious that he can play ball. It’s obvious that he cares. It’s obvious that he puts his head in the book, and he knows how to transfer what we teach on the field to the games.

"

The Raiders defensive coordinator didn’t waste any time throwing Amerson into the mix. It speaks to his work ethic and the much-needed help in the secondary.

The third-year cornerback, who started 23 games with the Washington Redskins over the previous two seasons, plays a vital role in coverage on the perimeter. According to Pro Football Focus, he’s played 106 of his 111 snaps in passing situations on the outside, which moved D.J. Hayden into the slot cornerback position. Amerson hasn’t allowed a touchdown pass in 21 targets this season. 

Again, Norton showed the utmost confidence in the player and his judgment of the talent to achieve decent results. Thus far, he’s pushing all the right buttons to develop the Raiders defense. 

According to Team Rankings, Oakland ranks fourth in run defense and eighth in takeaways per game, averaging 1.8 per contest. Oakland’s secondary surrenders an alarming amount of yardage but tightens up in the red zone, giving up 1.6 passing touchdowns per game, which ranks 15th in the league.

Norton’s decisions won’t always strike gold, but he’s willing to make changes for a different outcome. He’s bringing change, accepting change and, most importantly, still extracting production from his players. As the season wears on, he’ll deal with more injuries and attrition, but his flexibility should prepare him for those challenges ahead.

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All statistics are provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com, Pro Football Focus and Team Rankings unless otherwise noted.

Week 5 statistics and play-by-play analysis is provided by NFL.com.