Z's article on Sean Porter caught my eye for a reason not connected to Porter's stellar play as a backup so far this season (7 tackles, 1 TFL while backing up Garrick Williams). This quote caught my eye:

"In the defense we run, it's kind of like a roll-down safety," Porter said. "So we're out there in coverage with the receivers a lot. But when it's a running play, we're expected to get in the picture quick."

Sherman said in the old days, a nickel back would occasionally replace the outside linebacker. No more.

"We don't have to substitute and can still play a base defense," Sherman said. "Just like Von Miller is kind of a hybrid linebacker/defensive end, this position is a hybrid linebacker/safety. He can run with a tight end, he can blitz, and he can chase down the screen pass."

 Hybrid linebacker/defensive end. Hybrid linebacker/safety. Sounds a lot like a normal 33 Stack defense, although Joe Kines likes to use multiple fronts on the DL, so we're not solely an odd-front defense. I really like two things about what we're doing on defense, though: 1) We're emphasizing speed over size; speed can make up for a lot of mistakes on defense (and if you substitute correctly, you won't be worn down by the opposition's size), and 2) We're making our defense multi-faceted and multiple within the same personnel. This means that teams that use the no-huddle offense (like we do) will have a more difficult time causing personnel mismatches, because our scheme means we will have the correct personnel on the field for any formation.

Most importantly, fielding a team of speedy playmakers in the back seven means we can bring pressure at the point of attack on every play from any direction, which I believe is Joe Kines' ultimate goal for our defense.