Why chemistry, fit are biggest keys to building the Redskins
By Daniel Kelly
How Redskins have recently missed on fit
Even at the most basic of levels, it’s about fit. That’s why I never understood why we ever were playing a 3-4 scheme on defense. There is such a dramatic difference between a defensive end in a 3-4 system versus a 4-3. When I say 3-4, I mean three-down defensive linemen and four linebackers and when I say a 4-3, I mean a defensive set with four down defensive linemen and three linebackers.
The two systems are as different than night and day philosophically speaking. Jonathan Allen was, and is, a 4-3 end ideally. He’s not a 3-4 defensive end. A 4-3 end is much more a pass rusher, while a 3-4 end’s job is to hold up and occupy the offensive tackle more so the linebacker can scrape in and make the tackle.
To play a 3-4 defense with Allen, who’s much geared towards being a 4-3 pass rushing end and have a 320-pound starting nose tackle, who dramatically underachieved in my professional opinion, was a recipe for disaster.
That’s not taking anything away from Allen. It just was not a fit for him really in that scheme. It was like playing with one and a half defensive linemen. This is just an illustration of what I’m trying to communicate even at the most basic levels.
However, it goes far deeper than that. That stuff about Allen is just seen in the natural realm. Chemistry is as invisible as the air we breathe and when I say vision, I’m not talking about how many letters I can see when I look into the machine at DMV and read the rows of letters. I’m talking about the ability to see into the invisible realm.