Orig. posted May 14

It no secret we have been one of the worst run defenses in the League for some time now.

With the lack of new blood on the D line is there any hope for the future?

Ryan will be the man in charge again this year barring the unforseen, and with new help at Safety will Al Davis' "built backwards" defense have a chance?

The simple answer is "yes", but not because of defensive additions, because of offensive ones.

The philosophy as I see it is making our opponents abandon the run becuase our offense is outscoring them.

In theory, this would play to our strength as a coverage D, making run D a little less important.

Alot has been made of the Giants stunning victory over the Pats in this years Super Bowl (Oooh it was sweeeet!) and the pressure their front 4 provided, but, if you watch that game you'll see backers, safeties and Corners all showing blitz at one pint or another and then dropping guys back into coverage.

The defensive scheme was just as much if not more important than the excellent front 4 personell.

It disrupted timing patterns and forced Brady to hold the ball a fraction longer than he would've liked looking for who dropped where and making the Patriot linemen wish they'd practiced "enemy at the gates" drills more.

Don't have to take my word for it.

Ask the Giants.

Giants Reward Spagnuolo for Staying - Newser

They made Steve Spagnola the highest paid D. Coordinator in the League shortly afterward.

Granted, Ryan hasn't had a Spagnola type year with Oakland yet and Davis' philosophy may be different than most, but if its successful, he'll be hailed again as a genius. (They made need to deviate from the cover-o Defense as a staple, which other teams use on occasion, but never as a base. Oakland has the corners for it, but with out blitzes it makes little sense and will have to change in 08' if it is to be effective even with mew personnel.)

I guess the point is, its not just the personell, its the philosophy and creativity behind it that helps too.

With weapons in place, its time for Davis (and Ryan) to prove something to the critics and the fans.