Where is the 4-3 defense?

[mcgufcm 4,107]

Oh I think you can add every position to the "problems with running this scheme" list. Holland is smart enough to make the reads. I'm not sure he's athletic enough to make plays consistently in that scheme.

That being said, our Safeties have been a mess. Jermaine Whitehead is going to be a GREAT player, but he's swimming a bit right now. I have no doubt people would attack him with multiple people in his zone and overwhelm him. At the other spot, I mean, we don't even know who the starter is week to week. McNeal really struggled running this type of scheme last year, and Ryan Smith couldn't keep his job. I think we've got some talent back there, but they aren't to the point where you feel comfortable saying "here's the field, make sure nothing goes wrong back there."

Same with the CBs. I think Davis is pretty good. I don't think we're playing to his strengths by taking him off the line, but he's solid. Bell's pretty good, but I think it's clear that he's lost a bit of his change of direction, which is why he's playing off so much. I just don't see the CBs to go man underneath a shell with regularity, which means you're shifting to zone under. We haven't passed players in a zone well in four years.

You can knock Holland all you want, but keep in mind, he never gets a blow because we don't trust Cass McKinzy. He also gets asked to do more (from an alignment and variety standpoint) on the field that just about any player. He's struggling some, but he's certainly not alone.