Psycho, the Okie, and the Joker

Yesterday's post about the Psycho defense made quite a few waves in the Eagles community, particularly over at r/Eagles, and I got a lot of great feedback. Rather than edit that writeup severely, I decided to put some more thoughts into a second part. This part will dive deeper into the psycho defense, and the two lynchpin pieces of the subpackage: the "okie" and the "joker."

Dom Capers in Green Bay runs a 1-5-5 Pyscho front. Their lineup looks something like the following:

This orientation differs slightly from the lineup used in the previous piece, in that there is only 1 down lineman, and we've added a nickel corner/safety/linebacker hybrid in the place of the other down lineman. This player can be referred to as the "okie" and their job is to confuse the opposing quarterback by being able to execute a myriad of assignments from the exact same setup.

The most famous and recent example of the okie psycho defense being used was during the Packers 2010 Superbowl run. That year, they had an up-and-coming nose tackle in B.J. Raji, and a savvy defensive veteran who knew the defense inside and out in Charles Woodson. The rest of the pieces fell in around them. Certain analysts maintain that a game changer at nose is not necessary, and this may very well be. However, the three teams I've seen run it best as of recently are the Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, and Baltimore Ravens. B.J. Raji, Vince Wilfork, and Haloti Ngata, respectively. The Eagles do not have a dominant nosetackle on the roster currently. Fletcher Cox is the closest we could come to that, so he would most likely be inserted here, as his combination of athleticism and size might make him the perfect prototype for this subpackage moving forward.

The okie's responsibility is to disguise his assignment as best he can until the play starts, and then execute whatever he has been assigned from wherever he is on the field. Most frequently, the okie will either line up in the slot over a receiver, or lineup with the linebackers, albeit usually shaded to one side rather than right up the middle in the A or B gaps (this is the joker's role, we'll get to him later).

Charles Woodson represtented the prototype for what is wanted out of the okie position. Woodson played corner for the first few years of his career, but as his speed started to wane, his football smarts only sharpened, and Capers decided to use him as more of a safety/linebacker hybrid. Physicality is required out of the player, as they will be asked to attack guards, tackles, and tight ends on blitzes. Athleticism is required because they will be required to drop and play zone and man coverages, depending on the defense called. Being able to disguise ones assignments and get into a quarterbacks head is also a key of the position. It's a selective set of skills that isn't particularly common.

To get an idea of what Charles looked like running as the okie, check out the following gif. This psycho look is run with two down lineman, much like the version I drew up in the previous post, and 4 linebackers. Charles Woodson initially lines up in the slot at the top of the screen, not showing his hand (blitz) until the play is already progressing.

Back during the dreaded 2012 season, Juan Castillo tried using Nnamdi Asomugha in a similar role. His cornerback skillset was lessening quickly, and out of panic they tried to find him a role that could work considering how much they paid for him. It didn't work particularly effectively. He did a fine job covering tight ends that year, but thats not really the job of the okie. He was just a glorified dime linebacker, to be quite honest. This position is quite specific in what it calls for. Nnamdi had the smarts and the coverage ability, but physicality was never his strong suit.

The "joker" is the other part I am going to talk about. There is less out there regarding the specifics of what the joker entails in any given defense. His obligations in the psycho are to move around the defense, lining up anywhere from the A gap over the center to the C or D gaps outside the tackles, and rush approximately 75% of the time, dropping occasionally but with much less frequency than the okie. Just enough to keep the offensive line guessing, more or less.

The joker position has many names in many different defensive schemes. Recently, with the acquisition of Julius Peppers, Dom Capers installed an "elephant" position on his defense. In this article, Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy gives the definition of the position. "'Elephant' is a term used for a multiple-position player along the defensive front," and goes on to explain that the exact responsibilities of the position depend upon the player. 

Jim Johnson used to use Jevon Kearse as a joker of sorts, moving him around the defensive line and lining him up with his hand in the ground or a stand up linebacker. The position requires excellent lateral agility as well as strength and pass rushing ability. The player best suited on our defense to do this currently is Connor Barwin. In fact, he has already been used in a joker role quite a bit as an Eagle.

Against the Seahawks this past season, if their offense was facing a 3rd-and-5 or longer, there was a good chance Vinny Curry was lining up at DE, Fletcher Cox was playing NT, and Brandon Graham or Trent Cole was the other DE. Connor Barwin then played the joker role, bouncing around the A- and B-gaps prior to the play, with Nolan Carroll in as a dime linebacker and Mychal Kendricks playing ILB. Here are a few screengrabs, Barwin is circled in red:

 Barwin's position is fluid. In this game, he mostly focused on rushing up the A gaps (just to the left or right of the center) or playing as a "spy" on Wilson, a dangerous threat on the ground.

Two more screengrabs, both on the same play, show Barwin initally line ups to Cox's right, but stunting to his left just prior to Wilson calling for the ball. Also, I highlighted Cox in the black square to point out that we have Cox running point on our defensive line, so using him in the mold of B.J. Raji or Haloti Ngata is clearly not too much of a stretch.

The joker is already a clearly used position on our defense, but the role could be expanded if a psycho package is indeed installed this offseason. I would expect Connor Barwin to continue to get those looks, as his combination of skills allows him to execute what he needs to do perfection at that position.

The Eagles do not have a clear cut okie on the roster currently. However, the past two drafts have seen them select players that could be fitted into the role, given their physical and mental traits. Two years ago we drafted Jaylen Watkins, a CB/S hybrid player, and this offseason we selected Eric Rowe in the 2nd round, a CB/S hybrid. Watkins looks to me like more of a corner, but apparently he is putting on weight to compete at safety this summer. Rowe is the more compelling case for me.

When you put tape of Rowe on, you see a physical corner who does his best when he is at the line of scrimmage across from a receiver. He is not afraid to tackle ballcarriers, and has a nose for contact. Physicality? Check. 3 years at safety and 1 year at corner at Utah show that he is more than flexible enough to learn new positions, and he has the brains to both call a defense as a safety, and react in one as a corner. Mentality to play the position? Check.

Athleticism? Check out his spider chart, which references his Combine measurables compared to other cornerbacks over the past 16 offseasons.

Check.

Coverage? Ball skills?


I rest my case.

I think we have the defensive players in place to run a Psycho Okie Joker package with the best of them. It will get our deepest positions onto the field the most, and allow us to rotate and stay fresh. We know Chip has run concepts like this in the past at Oregon, and he is accruing talent that makes one wonder if he and Billy Davis are going to work some things up on the whiteboard this summer.

What to do at ILB?

Inside linebacker is a mess, for lack of a better term. Nobody outside of the Eagles organization knows what Chip is planning to do with the litany of talent we have in the middle of our defense. It's confusing, and the easy answer is that someone has to go. The conjecture on twitter and over at Bleeding Green Nation is that Mychal Kendricks is good as gone. I'm not so sure about this.

For one, I am skeptical because I simply don't want it to be true. He does nothing but good things on the field when he's out there, whether it be his explosive pass rushing skills when he's called on blitzes, or his guaranteed wrap up tackles. His 4.5 speed is unprecedented at the linebacker position, and I don't see why moving on from him would make our defense better.

Moreover, Chip said just recently after the draft that they are moving forward with Kendricks in the picture. However, there are rumors and rumblings that they are not attached to him in the long term. His name was floated quite a bit as trade bait for a possible moveup for Mariota. Chip has said no players were offered, but reports saying just that were numerous. I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

Chip has a mold he looks for at every position, this was clarified in Ed Marynowitz's introductory press conference. Kendricks is 5'11" and 240 lbs, which is most likely not in the range they're looking for. My guess? His weight is fine, it's the height they have an issue with. His 3 years in the league has shown he can play just fine without his height being an issue, but Chip has shown he has his prototype he looks for with every position, and he has not wavered much from that in his 2.5 years here. Therefore, I think its reasonable to assume Kendricks is dealt before the start of the season. However, if he stays for the year, I think he can be utilized despite our logjam at the position.

The "psycho" defensive package is a formation that uses confusion, pre-snap movement, and only one or even no down lineman to confuse offenses. Current users of the psycho defense are the Patriots, Steelers, and Packers, all 3-4 defensive teams. Dom Capers, currently of the Packers, is widely considered the innovator of the psycho package.

Chip has stressed from day 1 that he believes the best defenses come from a 2-gap 3-4 approach. The psycho defense follows a different train of thought completely, in that almost no two gapping takes place and the chief concern is to get to the quarterback, even if you are opening up yourself to gashes with the run game. Therefore, this defense is not used extensively on a permanent basis at the pro level. However, used as a sub package, it can be an effective tool.

The basic idea would look something like this:

This iteration of the defense would involve a 7 man box, leaving room for two safeties and two cornerbacks. The Eagles have shown a tendency to prefer a heavier box than bringing in a nickel corner, as shown by Brandon Boykin's decreased snaps from 2013 to 2014. Stopping the run is the imperative of a two gap 3-4, and a heavier box helps with that.

Fletcher Cox is the best player on our defense, arguably our team, so leaving him on the field is a no brainer. However, removing Logan and subbing in a corner or perhaps adding another linebacker would be another iteration of the Psycho defense.

Has Chip run a psycho package before? You bet he has, as evidenced by the following screengrabs. We have seen nothing like this in the past two years with Chip and Billy Davis at the helm, but we didn't even have a dime package until year two. They can only install so much at a time, I suppose. Putting too much on the plates of new players in a 3-4 would've been risky. I think going slow is a good approach. However, the infusion of talent we now have at the linebacker position raises the question if maybe we'll see more looks like the following in the season to come.

The thought of Fletcher Cox and Bennie Logan or Beau Allen eating up three or four lineman up front, Connor Barwin and Brandon Graham sealing the edges, and letting Alonso, Kendricks, and Ryans flow to the ball as necessary sounds pretty attractive to me. Moreover, exotic zone blitz concepts become deadly when ran out of a psycho look. The late great Jim Johnson used zone blitz concepts to craft the best defenses I've ever seen in midnight green. I am all for bringing some of those tropes back onto the field.

The chief downside that this defense brings is the possibility of getting torched by a strong running team. Linebackers can get washed away from the play from free running guards and tackles. Therefore, this defense is primarily used in third and long situations, or when the opposing offense needs to score points through the air (fast).

Say, for example, we run a basic 3-4 2 gap for the first two quarters of the game, subbing in nickel and dime when appropriate and the power spread offense we will unveil in September (more on that later) spots the defense 21 points by halftime. This has become somewhat more common under Chip. Big strong leads with quite a bit of time left in the game. I think this is when the psycho package could be deadly.

If the opposing team has a quarter and a half of game time left and then need to score 3 or 4 possessions in a row, I don't see why subbing out some of the bigger guys and using the psycho would be a bad idea. This package is a high risk, high reward package. Free rushers is the epitome of the pyscho package, and free rushers leads to quick sacks, fumbles, and turnovers.

Moreover, I do believe that our defense is better suited than most to stop the run out of a weaker front 7. Our stouter than usual outside linebackers, Connor Barwin and Brandon Graham, do an excellent job of sealing the edges and shedding blockers when runs head their way. Add in Fletcher Cox eating up two defenders and a big guy along side him, and the suretackling linebacker corps we have would be able to flow to the ballcarrier easier than a lot of other defenses in the league. A finesse defense could not do this. However, our front 7 is the opposite of finesse.

Even more exotic ideas could include Vinny Curry, Marcus Smith, and others. Curry's main attribute is to shoot gaps, not 2 gap. However, Chip has kept him on the team because he is a deadly threat to rush the passer and has at least improved, albeit little, at two gapping when he does get playing time. Subbing out Logan's spot for Curry and having him stand up and roam around with 3 or 4 linebackers around him, a few dropping into coverage and a few overload blitzing to one side could be a deadly look. Marcus Smith's best attribute in college was an edge speed rush. Perhaps letting him get on the field in a psycho look and telling him to pin his ears back and rush off the edge or on a stunt, getting his 'high school body' free of blockers, could be useful. This could look something like the following:

Some analysts have been quick to write off the possibility of keeping the inside linebacker we have now. There is a very good chance that we will go into the season without Kendricks. But now that the draft has passed and he is still on the team, I have begun to wonder if maybe Chip and Billy will craft up a few ways to get them all onto the field in certain packages and rotations.

Chip did this extensively in 2012, his last year at Oregon. We haven't seen it since. This coming season, don't be surprised if looks like the following become more common. I think the theme throughout this writeup that has shone through, is that flexibility and substitutions would be very common in a front like this. Last year, our defense was on the field for 40 minutes or more in a few contests. Keeping guys fresh should be more of an imperative this year, and this package could certainly help with that.

Edit: It's worth noting that in all four screengrabs, it's a 3rd down and long to go. Also, in two of the four screengrabs, the Ducks have big leads and are heading towards the end of the game. I laid out both of those scenarios above, without noticing the screengrabs were those exact situations. 

Draft Wrap Up

The Eagles finished out their draft this afternoon with the selection of Boston College DE Brian Mihalik. At 6'9", 300 lbs, and the 2nd highest SPARQ score for a DT in this draft, he is an interesting project worth keeping an eye on.

In the 6th we snagged two corners within a few picks of one another, CB JaCorey Shepherd and CB Randall Evans, from Kansas and Kansas St, respectively. I have watched film on Shepherd and came away quite impressed, I haven't watched anything on Evans. I'm excited to dig in a little bit and see what we're working with. I'm optimistic with these two guys, particularly Shepherd. I have read a few raving reviews and hope they can contribute something to the defensive backfield. Everyone knows we needed an infusion of talent back there by the end of last season, I think Chip has taken some decent steps towards improvement there.

My non biased steal of the draft? JaCorey Shepherd CB @ Kansas. 2 years of film on him and not once did anyone complete a deep ball on him.

— Clint Trickett (@CJTrickett9) May 2, 2015

In the 2nd and 3rd rounds we picked up CB Eric Rowe out of Utah and ILB Jordan Hicks from Texas. I have done absolutely no homework on Hicks, so I'll get back to you on him, but I like Rowe quite a bit. He is a CB/S hybrid who has played both and has the size and skills for both. Personally, I see Rowe as more of a safety, but I will watch more film before I get married to either option.

Over the next few weeks I'll do comprehensive film studies on all of our picks and possibly on a few of the UDFA's we signed.

Stay tuned! Also, here's a nice teaser of things to come.
 

Wildcard for Day 2?

One more thing; I wouldn't hate this move in the 2nd or 3rd round. Worse things could happen.

Just saying.

Morning After Thoughts

While still coming to grips with the fact that Sam Bradford is my quarterback for the coming season, I slept on the pick of Agholor and like it quite a bit more than I did last evening. He will step in nicely into our receiving corps, and hopefully contribute right away. He is not a projection, like many receivers were in this draft.

If Sam Bradford is here on a one year deal, and the FO wants to see what he can do in a short amount of time, he will need weapons to work with. Selecting Agholor, a receiver coming from a pro style offense where his getting the ball was based on route running and NFL-style concepts rather than scheme or college gimmicks allows Chip to plug Agholor directly into the 3rd or 4th receiver spot. Of all the wideouts I watched a bit of film on, there were only three I thought would be able to start day one and have no issues: Amari Cooper, Phillip Dorsett, and Nelson Agholor. Kevin White, Breshad Perriman, and DeVante Parker all project nicely to the pro game, I'm confident they will excel given a chance. But, I saw inconsistencies in their games that their college scheme might have done a good job of protecting. I'm having trouble finding the graphic they showed on ESPN last night during the broadcast, but take for instance the example that Kevin White ran ~90% of his routes split wide right. He has worked a limited route tree, and that will have to be addressed.

I watched a bit of tape on Agholor last night, and have just a few general takeaways. Not the best downfield blocker, definitely attaches and shows effort, but can get manhandled by more physical or shorter corners with lower centers of gravity. He runs good routes, but doesn't explode in and out of cuts. Very sure handed, not a body catcher, which is good to see. Had the ability to take the top off a defense, much in a style that Maclin did for us last year. Not 4.3 burner speed, but 4.45 sneaky speed combined with crisp routes to gain some extra separation. Worked out of both the slot and wide right and left, meaning he can come into this offense and work wherever Chip puts him. Returned punts and kickoffs generally well, allowing him to be placed there if Chip so chooses.

I'll have more on Agholor, for now, here's a fun graphic:

Not sure who's going to be around in the 2nd and 3rd when we pick today, let alone if we'll stay where were at now. I'm inclined to think we'll move around. We did it two years ago for Ertz, could happen again this year is somebody drops further into the 2nd than they should. There is some talent still on the board that many thought would go last night at some point.

Positions I could see being addressed today are offensive line depth, defensive back, another receiver would be fine by me, and possibly an inside linebacker. Some names?

• Ali Marpet, Guard, Hobart
• Donovan Smith, OL, Penn St
• Bernardrick McKinney, ILB, Miss St
• Eric Rowe, DB, Utah St
• Quinten Rollins, DB, Miami (OH)

I don't know if they've taken La'el Collins off their board. If they can figure out what is going on with him legally and determine if he's in the clear or not, they should make a move on him. He's a first round plug and play, and if he can be grabbed in the 2nd, 3rd,  or 4th, I say do it. I think its worth the risk.

Excited for the next few rounds tonight!