Why a scheme change shouldn't mean too much to Dumervil

Excellent points, great read! Dumervil, by nature not design, is a pass rusher! No matter what system you put him in, he will shine!

but the proof speaks for itself. One sack in the 4-3. One. I think, more than anything, that this post moreover proves the point that he is not a DE suited for a 4-3.

I was beginning to hate all this BS goin around that “We shouldnt go to a 4-3 because Doom isnt going to be as good”
 How the Hell do you guys know that!? How inconcievable would it be that he mightve actually improved his rush D

Dumervil was successful as a 43 end when we ran that scheme. A good coach knows how to put his best players in position to do what they do best regardless of the scheme. I know Doom can be effective in any scheme because he is a talent. I am more interested in seeing what ayers can bring as 43 DE. I think he was playing out of position as a LB and has similar measurables to Osi Umenyiora, who is a good 43 DE. If we can at least pull our D to the middle of the pack there is hope for next season.

I’m not the one with anything to prove in this scenario. We all know he had by far his best season in the 3-4. I don’t care how you slice it, it was the 3-4 defense. I’d be curious to know why everyone is seemingly (conveniently) leaving out the fact that the guy is barely 5’11, and might, MIGHT way 250 pounds. Why it seems as though it’s a brilliant idea to play him along the line, in the trenches, where the biggest dudes on the field are located, is absolutely beyond me. Someone please explain, in full detail, how his size simply will not be a factor. I say that it will, because it is a logical reason. To put it very, very simply, he is very small. The rest of those guys are very big. It’s the equivalent to trying to fit a round peg in a square hole. It simply does not make any sense, at least to me.

There. That was easier.

Give this dude his due, if for nothing else because of the last paragraph. Good football players find a way. Dumervil has ALWAYS found a way.

Great post.

Dumervil was always Dumervil, but he broke out in 2009. Regardless of scheme, he will put heat on the QB. Great line, and so true!

I’ve been saying this all along – most of Doom’s career sacks (I’d say 80% of them) have came with his hand in the dirt. Had he not injured his hand in 2008, he would’ve easily got double digit sacks then also.

Doom isn’t just a 4-3 DE, or a 3-4 OLB, he’s a pass rushing terror, who’s unique blend of shortness (5-11), explosiveness, and freakishly long ape arms (like a 6 foot 6 man), gives him a strange advantage over O-Lineman. I fully believe that if Doom had not been injured this year, we would’ve seen a much improved run defender as well.

I can’t give you a link, but Doom is a very sure tackler (he didn’t miss one tackle in 2009). He’s not great at shedding blocks or plugging holes, but when his ape arms get around you, you’re goin down.

A big Rec’d from me, for expressing what I’ve been trying to say – much better than I could even think of. Great post.

When Doom was playing in Shanny’s 43 formation, there were times where he would line up just behind the DE and DT at the B gap? I believe I remember something like that…I still remember DJ struggling in coverage with the 43 as well as the 34 the last couple of years…Talent? Doom needs to be used in a different look and not just hand in the dirt all the time…Switch and bait to confuse…

The conversation is great and I’ve learned that as fans, we get hung up on comfortable labels that come to characterize our team in a positive way but that some of forget about the big picture of alignment and common sense.

We associate the 3-4 with Doom getting 17 sacks in ‘09. But we don’t associate it with being a historically bad run defense and Doom getting morethan half of his sacs in Nickel & Dime. And the thing is, we’re only in the base 3-4 a fraction of the time.

We associate the zone-blocking scheme with TD and Olandis and the ‘plug a guy in and gain 1,000 yards’ offense that Denver became famous for. But we don’t associate it with Denver’s inability to consistently gain yards in goal-to-go situations since 1999 because in goalline scenarios, the line was too small and not physical enough. And the thing is, you can run a zone blocking scheme and not just be a zone-blocking offense, It’s not mutually exclusive. Carolina ran a successful ZB scheme with bigger guys than Denver used to, significantly upgrading their success in goalline and short yardage situations.

This is a good article, but you also gotta look at it in the sense that if you take away the 3-4 in 2009, you take away nearly 40% of Dumervil’s sacks. That is quite a bit. Dumervil is ultimately better suited for a 3-4. HOWEVER, as someone pointed out earlier, Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney are about the same size. Michael Strahan was only about 257. Dumervil is going to pick up a lot of sacks either way, he just won’t get as many if we go away from the 3-4.

This is a good article, but you also gotta look at it in the sense that if you take away the 3-4 in 2009, you take away nearly 40% of Dumervil’s sacks. That is quite a bit. Dumervil is ultimately better suited for a 3-4. HOWEVER, as someone pointed out earlier, Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney are about the same size. Michael Strahan was only about 257. Dumervil is going to pick up a lot of sacks either way, he just won’t get as many if we go away from the 3-4.

…I’m way more interested in a balanced Defense that stops the run than I am in Doom having big sack totals, it would be greatto see both, but in the end we need a return to the Orange Crush days…that is to say that when opponents play the Broncos they fear them and get hurt! This draft is full of great defensive prospects and with Elway & Fox at the reins I feel really good about the Broncos getting the right players to build this team, ah…feels nice!