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Washington Football Team: Landon Collins will thrive in Jack Del Rio’s new scheme

By Jacob Troutman

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 29: Landon Collins #20 of the Washington Football Team reacts during their game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on September 29, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 29: Landon Collins #20 of the Washington Football Team reacts during their game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on September 29, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) /
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OAKLAND, CA – DECEMBER 17: Head coach Jack Del Rio of the Oakland Raiders looks on prior to their game against the Dallas Cowboys at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on December 17, 2017 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Don Feria/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA – DECEMBER 17: Head coach Jack Del Rio of the Oakland Raiders looks on prior to their game against the Dallas Cowboys at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on December 17, 2017 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Don Feria/Getty Images) /

New defensive scheme

Last year’s defensive line had a clear plan. The unit was tasked to beat their one-on-one’s. But past that no one really could decipher the plan in the back-end. There seemed to be constant confusion in that area and there seemed to be a blown coverage every game.

Del Rio’s scheme will be different. Del Rio will use more stunts to free his players and confuse the offensive line. You can expect more complex blitzes at the opportune times.

Also, the head coach Ron Rivera is a defensive-minded coach. There are many well-respected voices on the defensive side of the ball this year.

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New defensive backs coach Chris Harris seems to be really well respected by his players. He is a former player who is very loud and has a lot of energy. His now-famous line “Do you not like nice things?!” after a dropped interception during camp has been a coaching highlight. The energy he brings is the type of energy that rubs off to his players.

This year the defense simply feels different. There are coaches who have a history of success in the league. The team is past the days of hiring retread or unproven coaches.

In his past two stops as a coach in the NFL, Del Rio, took advantage of players with Collins’ skillset. In Oakland, Del Rio had a similar player to Collins: Karl Joseph. Joseph’s two best years in his four career came in 2016 and 2017 when Del Rio was the head coach. Another example of using a player with Collins’ skillset is T.J. Ward in Denver.

With better communication, more players upfront to confuse the offense and a coach with a proven track record of using box safeties to their full potential, a change in scheme will be very beneficial to Collins.

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