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:
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.
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