Saints experimenting on defensive line
 

Vitt said the Saints gave up too many big plays last season and the defense will look to include more zone schemes. It appears that also means there will be some personnel changes. Linebacker Martez Wilson, who showed some promise last year, has been moved to defensive end. He was lining up Thursday opposite Greg Romeus, another 2011 draft pick who missed last season with an injury.

"We've got a lot of zone pressures now and it's going to call for a defensive end to drop into coverage," Vitt said. "And Martez has got a pretty good foundation from being here a year ago with coverage and coverage aspects. So we've been very encouraged for the first week of what he's done. He'll be our right end. He does a pretty good job with pattern recognition. This is a time to experiment and we'll see what he can do."

Saints experimenting on defensive line - NFL Nation Blog - ESPN

https://twitter.com/TripTP/statuses/205691751254589444

Love it

I love the idea of getting Tez more playing time just was hoping he would be the main reason to cut Shanle

From April 8th...

:p

I'd like to see some recent video on Romeus, it would be really nice to see how he looks in the black and gold and on what level his mobility is at the moment.

Still, I find it curious that they don't mention anything about Gallette when listing potential starters at DE.

Martez at DE and dropping back into coverage! I like it!

mixed feelings on the move myself. but spags has a good history using liter weight players on the line.

Anywhere players can be moved to be more successful then i'm all for it, I didn't know what to make of the Martez to DE move and i still don't at this point but if Spags has made that decision then i trust it will work

Tez is a freak of an athlete and spags brings out the best in D lineman, Martez, romeus and even galette could turn into real difference makers

Thinking out of the box, the Idiot Box, the Greg Williams Idiot Box...

I like it .

Man. I am all over that coverage and coverage aspects.

I think we ain't seen nothing yet. I getting this feeling that a lotta Tezmanian devil Saints shirts will be sold.

Wilson will be more effective as a pass rushing DE or as an OLB in the 3-4. His skills are coming forward and attacking. He will get that shot in the new defense.

I like this:

The Saints could have three players from the 2011 draft as their top three ends on opening day.

Imagine Wilson, Gallete, Jordan, Romeus, in the Nascar Package.......maaaaaannnnnnn that'll be coldblooded if Spags can get it right.

yes but, not Jordan...

Jordan will never be a good pass rusher. (his one sack, shouldn't have been recorded a sack)

Wilson, Gallete, bunkley or hicks or ellis (all better pass rushers than Jordan), Romeus. FTW

ReallY? Bunkley and Ellis? No way on earth.

Hicks has done nothing yet.

I think that Johnson and King probably have the best pass rushing ability out of the DT roster, and without really knowing yet what Hicks can do on the NFL level.

Bunkley is really good at creating interior pressure and pushing O-lineman to collapse the pocket, but he's not really known for getting after the QB as far as I know.

I think Jordan has been playing out of position to be honest....from what I've seen he's much better suited rushing from the inside......bullrush thats why I think he would do well with if you put him in the DT postion in the Nascar package...IMO he did well getting pressure but couldn't get to the QB from the edge but he at least got them scrambiling sometimes. If he can help collapse the pocket from the middle and let the speed rushers handle the edge I think he could be more productive.

Agree sort of.

Jordan is a classic LDE. A bit beefier than a RDE (to play the strong side), but definitely a prototypical LDE in a 4-3 or perhaps a 3-4 DE.

In my opinion he's going to be what we'd hoped Charles Grant was going to be.

I'm sure he'll move inside in certain situations but his bread and butter in this league is at DE, specifically LDE.

He is not an edge rusher, and wasn't drafted to be.

Exactly, this is what I don't personally get. Why do people expect Jordan to be a pass rushing sack machine when he has never been that type of a player, and he wasn't drafted to be such a player for the Saints.

His strengths are playing against the run and sealing his side of the D-line, and that is what a prototypical LDE does, like Danno already said.

Go back and read some of the scouting reports on Jordan and none of them (at least any I've come across) state that Jordan has potential to be a pass rusher in the NFL - they might say "has some pass rushing ability," but nothing better than that.

Jordan is exactly what he is a strong side DE. His job is containment first.

Smith is your weak side DE and he is the one that is responsible for bring the pressure on the QB. Which over the past two years he has dropped his leave of play.

Smith forces the QB to step up in the pocket and Jordan is to be collapse the pocket under neath Smiths rush forcing the QB into the DT.

Ok simply put i know but IMO Jordan did a solid Job last year.

More than once did i see him break into the back feild only to break down and play containment. I suspect this was coaching and his assignment. I can understand it because of the blitz happy nature of the defense. If Jordan does not break down and contain the QB the field was usually wide open.

I see Jordan as a two down and short yardage DE. Passing downs will bring more speed.

Do not be surprised if Jordans sack numbers increase with better play from the other side of the defense.

Smith needs to pick up his play or some one needs to replace him. Smith spottier play in the last 2 years will be more exposed if the WLB play improves as we all think it will.

Agree with everything except the red. He's a 3-down DE who may slide inside occasionally, but he's certainly not a liability at all on obvious passing downs. I think thats a cliche he doesn't deserve at all.

Any starter at DE in a 4-3 should have at least five sacks by season end...

Jury's still out though, but their getting tired of the professional testimony...

If Williams had thought of dropping a DE in coverage he would have blitzed all 4 Db's

thats why i followed it up with:


Do not be surprised if Jordans sack numbers increase with better play from the other side of the defense.

Smith needs to pick up his play or some one needs to replace him. Smith spottier play in the last 2 years will be more exposed if the WLB play improves as we all think it will.


i agree with you completely. i saw him stop his pass rush more than a dozen times last year and breakdown into containment. I blame that on coaching and the play on the weakside, which by the pretty much sucked the big one last year.

I believe with this system we will get to see why he is first round talent. He will be hard to take off the field by mid season imo.