Riggo's Rag
FanSided

5 defensive coordinators Redskins should consider if Greg Manusky is gone

By Jacob Camenker

BUFFALO, NY - DECEMBER 09: Head coach Todd Bowles of the New York Jets looks on from the sideline during NFL game action against the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field on December 9, 2018 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
BUFFALO, NY - DECEMBER 09: Head coach Todd Bowles of the New York Jets looks on from the sideline during NFL game action against the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field on December 9, 2018 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 23: Head coach Steve Wilks of the Arizona Cardinals watches from the sidelines during the second half of the NFL game against the Los Angeles Rams at State Farm Stadium on December 23, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. The Rams defeated the Cardinals 31-9. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 23: Head coach Steve Wilks of the Arizona Cardinals watches from the sidelines during the second half of the NFL game against the Los Angeles Rams at State Farm Stadium on December 23, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. The Rams defeated the Cardinals 31-9. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

. Head Coach. Cardinals. Steve Wilks. 3. player. 32

Like Joseph, it seems that Steve Wilks has one foot out the door in Arizona. The rookie head coach simply hasn’t performed well at all with the organization, and the decline of the defense played a major part in that.

Wilks came to the team with a fairly solid unit on that side of the ball. However, he made the mistake of tailoring his scheme to the personnel and not doing the opposite. Personnel should always dictate the scheme and not the other way around. Otherwise, you end up with players operating in unfamiliar roles or roles that don’t suit their strengths. And that has been a problem at times in the desert.

That said, Wilks is still a good defensive mind. He just ended up in a bad situation with the Cardinals, as their personnel was better suited for a 3-4 base defense while Wilks runs a 4-3 that plays lots of zone concepts and isolates corners on one side of the field. They didn’t have the personnel to run that. However, that philosophy could work in Washington.

Many have been calling for the Redskins to switch to a base 4-3 defense. While that may have some merit, it’s worth noting that the team already plays a lot of 4-3 concepts and is in that scheme in most sub packages anyway. So, it’s not a major deal.

Wilks’ scheme could work well in Washington, as they have the type of front-line pressure needed to disrupt opposing QBs. And with a healthy Quinton Dunbar and Fabian Moreau at corner next year, they will be better suited to play zone and keep both sides of the field clean, unlike the Cardinals who had a massive weakness at the No. 2 corner position and really needed Patrick Peterson to shadow No. 1 receivers on other teams. That never happened, and that is part of why Wilks is on thin ice even after just one season.

Though this coaching stint has hurt Wilks’ reputation and outlook a bit, it’s still worth noting that he is one of the better, young defensive minds in the NFL. He helped lead the Panthers to a top-10 defense in his lone season as coordinator there, and he could do a lot to help the Redskins. If he’s available, he would be a very strong candidate to help change the culture on the defensive side of the ball.

Home/Commanders News