re: Von Miller comparison = Clay Matthews?

Quote: Making the change or running more 3-4 sets is more complicated then you think & can lead to players developing bad habits in the base 4-3. Its not just an adjustment for the LB's but the D-Line responsibilities change also in the 3-4. That's why Williams LIMITS the packages he uses. He's also limited to the 3-4 use because we don't have the personnel to use it anymore then he already does. Quote


Are you serious. GW is a defensive genius, he's innovative and comes up with all kinds of defensive alignments. We line up in crazy sh*t all the time. Your reasoning makes no sense apparently GW disagrees he runs 3 and 4 man fronts often in our games....
GW will run any formation he can think of.... GTFO!
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Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams,  the mad scientist behind New Orleans' elaborate defensive playbook,  said the strategy was something the team had been planning to throw at Buffalo for months.
"That was something back in the spring we had ready to roll,  and we worked all spring long on that kind of a package vs. that style of offense, " said Williams,  though he added that the Saints were prepared to switch things up if the Bills had made more adjustments.
"I don't call the game from a piece of paper, " said Williams,  repeating one of his favorite mantras. "You have to take a look out there and try to be the quarterback too. That's what we do on defense.
"We've got 27 ways to add up to 11 (players on the field). I came up with another one last night."


"Williams scoffed at the notion that Vilma is less effective in a 3-4 than in a 4-3.
"He's a football player, " Williams said. "If I had to worry about that,  I'd never play him because I play him in a 3-4,  3-3-3-2,  4-1,  4-2,  4-3. What he needs to worry about is when I don't play with any linebackers. That's what he needs to worry about."
Yes,  Williams does have such a package in his playbook.
"We call it dollar,  where it's four down linemen and seven DBs, " Williams said. "We just haven't had to use that right now because (Vilma) is a pretty versatile football player."



"The Saints run more of a hybrid look from a 3-4 base, but defensive coordinator Gregg Williams will throw anything at an enemy offense -- zone blitzes, 4-4 linebacker/safety combos, and dime blitzes with six defensive backs on the field. With only three linemen on the field, that's one more defender to move around and create confusion. This is a hallmark of Dick LeBeau's defenses in Pittsburgh and Rex Ryan's in New York and"


"Williams loves to blitz, and he runs as much man coverage as anyone in the league. He has become extremely adept at moving between three- and four-man fronts."


"In their first two defensive drives in the big game, the Saints lined up with four down linemen just once, and they allowed 10 of the 17 points given up in the game. In their third defensive drive, they utilized more four-lineman fronts. That may be why the Lombardi Trophy lives in the Big Easy.
Williams knew he couldn’t use straight 3-4 or 5-2 fronts against Peyton Manning(notes) all the time. He also ran a lot of nickel coverage, moving into 3-3-5 defenses that occasionally stacked the linebackers over the linemen, with the defensive backs fanning out. In other cases, he’d place the linebackers at the line, hoping to get extra run support. It was against one of those wide sets that Colts halfback Joseph Addai ripped off a 16-yard gain with 4:29 left in the first quarter."