Schism
08-22-2011, 03:44 AM
Anyone else really liking how Allen has been moving Champ around and really trying to put him in a position to make plays? Watched the first half again last night and when we go into the nickel Champ is playing the slot pretty much exclusively.
I love it because it's really going to make it tougher for teams to pick up 3rd downs against us when we have Champ playing on the slot receiver.
I used to get so frustrated seeing him line up at LCB every single play, no matter who they trotted out there against him. I remember one time we played the Chiefs and every single play they had Jeff ****ing Webb line up wide right and take Champ away with him while they just threw pass after pass to their good players.
Lining him up in the slot is going to make him much more effective IMO. Teams will be forced to throw the ball outside more, which is tougher to convert, and having Champ playing in some zones near the center of the field is an exciting thought. In the last 4 years he's had 10 picks, with his best return in a year being three. I'd bet quite a lot that he'll surpass that this year, and I think we'll see him go on some blitzes too for good measure.
Obviously there'll be drawbacks. We'll be weaker on the outsides for one, and we'll probably give up a few big plays that Champ would be able to stop. But we'll also be a much tougher defense on 3rd down and will get off the field more.
Real cause for optimism with Allen seeing him do this IMO, could we finally see a bit of innovation from our defense. Apart from a 6 game stretch by Nolan, it's been much too long.
I love it because it's really going to make it tougher for teams to pick up 3rd downs against us when we have Champ playing on the slot receiver.
I used to get so frustrated seeing him line up at LCB every single play, no matter who they trotted out there against him. I remember one time we played the Chiefs and every single play they had Jeff ****ing Webb line up wide right and take Champ away with him while they just threw pass after pass to their good players.
Lining him up in the slot is going to make him much more effective IMO. Teams will be forced to throw the ball outside more, which is tougher to convert, and having Champ playing in some zones near the center of the field is an exciting thought. In the last 4 years he's had 10 picks, with his best return in a year being three. I'd bet quite a lot that he'll surpass that this year, and I think we'll see him go on some blitzes too for good measure.
Obviously there'll be drawbacks. We'll be weaker on the outsides for one, and we'll probably give up a few big plays that Champ would be able to stop. But we'll also be a much tougher defense on 3rd down and will get off the field more.
Real cause for optimism with Allen seeing him do this IMO, could we finally see a bit of innovation from our defense. Apart from a 6 game stretch by Nolan, it's been much too long.