Since we hired CNW I have thought this was Adam's chance to solidify himself as a starter at the NT position. It is a really great opportunity for him to take a big step forward. He has the since, just needs the endurance and technique.
I think that's one of the many things about CNW's defense that has a lot of us confused...and excited. If you look back at the thread about projecting which players would play where in this defense, a good portion of us had it wrong. The thinking was CNW's 3-4 personnel would follow the "traditional" 3-4 personnel at each position: War daddy 300 plus lbs NT's, 280 lbs DEs, OLBs that were more DEs than LBs, etc. Some were already pegging Anree at OLB, BJS at OLB, Vic at ILB, Adams at NT...etc. Instead, CNW values quickness and speed at postions where traditional 3-4 personnel values size and power. Every guy along the front 7 must have the ability to attack gaps and get off blocks, as opposed to just standing up blockers and helping the designed blitzer get into the backfield.
CNW values the ability of players to create chaos, positional versatility, and the ability to shed blocks and make plays. We're seeing that with reports of the offense giving up more negative plays than usual. For me, I'm excited about all the athletic LBs and DBs we've recruited the last two years. IMO, this a defense that makes use of those players.
I've said for the last 2 years, put Brant Mitchell in a different scheme and he becomes a much better LB. He was miscast in Ted Roof's defense that needed a LB that could cover chunks of space. That wasn't Mitchell. Now Mitchell has a smaller area to patrol, and he has help on both sides. He's going to be a VERY good LB for us in this scheme. It's a shame Terrell Lewis has moved on...I think he would have been great in this scheme as well at OLB.
