Truly Fantastic Article

BGN linked to this last night, but it's such a good article it's worth a follow-up post:  Defensive masterminds have turned up heat on NFL offenses.

Really deep.  Really good.  This is a must read.

Of course, there are a couple of points I'd nitpick on.  Jim Johnson certainly wouldn't agree that there's anything inherently less safe about his pressure packages.  A big point of emphasis for him is just how sound they are.  It just looks a little more reckless because he's middle of the pack (15th) in terms of bringing five guys, but way up near the top (3rd and 2nd) in bringing 6+ or 7+.  (All stats from PFP.)

And it's not just that the Tampa-2 "demands" that almost all the pressure comes from the front four.  There are also differences in responsibility.  JJ's system requires the line to be sound against both the run and the pass.  The Tampa-2 linemen basically only play the run if it comes up on their way to the quarterback. 

But it's still a really, really good read.  And I'd especially like to hear more about how JJ tries to get offenses "[d]oubting where the Mike (middle linebacker) is so they are unsure how to read his defense."  That's something we saw last year when Brady was mic'ed up for the game and he kept saying things like "24 [Sheldon Brown] is the MIKE."  Then it turns out he wasn't and the protection was off.

If anyone's got a link to an even deeper discussion of that stuff, I'd love to see it.