Odighizuwa and setting the edge

Fundamentals are boring, everyone wants sacks, interceptions, strip sacks, fumbles and eye popping plays from their defenders. Rewind the clock to 9 November of last year. Come on, you remember that day, the day we gave up 350 yards rushing with a 7.8 ypc average to the Seahawks. Perry Fewell's bunch, even with a 10 fingered JPP was simply run off the field in every way possible, but the most glaring weakness that was exposed was this team's inability to set the edge.

The basic fundamental building block of run defense is an ability to set the edge. It's the inglorious part of a DE and LB's job, one that won't end up in the stat column most of the time and won't get put on a highlight reel that has everyone oohing and aahing. It's what we have lacked in recent seasons but last night it peeked out from behind the bushes in the form of #58, fitting since birthday boy Carl Banks was the original #58 who did it to perfection. It was indeed pointed out by Banks and for good reason: it's simply the only way to play team defense against the modern zone based running game.

So what exactly is it? It's fundamental football, it's staying parallel to the line of scrimmage, keeping a wide base, extending your arms to keep blockers away from your body and extending the play by forcing RBs to keep going wide looking for a gap. The typical "off tackle" run, be it a sweep, power, stretch or option (aka zone read) has the TB or running QB looking for a hole outside or just inside of the DE depending on how it's blocked and defended. This is the essence of the "one cut" system most teams use and refer to, you move laterally and one cut into a gap, regardless of where it forms. It's not power blocking, it's zone blocking and it makes so so OLs perform much better when working as a cohesive unit. You're not relying on brute force and positioning yourself in a hole to wall off defenders, you're moving them laterally and looking for a crease.

So, good zone teams will eat up any defense that doesn't set the edge. That edge, is where the RB wants to go, that edge can be created by a DE/LB getting too wide and creating a gap, something we did with seeming regularity the past two years. Guys like DaMontre Moore and Robert Ayers are usually guilty of either turning their bodies to keep the OL from getting his hands on them or simply getting too wide in hopes of using speed to stop the run. It rarely works that way. What we lost when Justin Tuck went west was that ability to set the edge and last night it may have re-emerged in our new rookie DE. A DE who can set the edge allows CBs, Ss and LBs to get to the play, fill gaps, eliminate cut back lanes and stifle a running game before it gets going. It's team run defense, something we did exceptionally well against the Texans 2 years ago when Arian Foster was gashing teams at will. It allows DBs to become big parts of the run defense instead of being downfield targets for wandering lineman. It allows LBs the freedom to marshal their gaps and make a play when the RB slips into one.

By setting the edge, a DE refuses to let the OT dictate the play, it forces OGs to stay in tight in hopes of forcing the DE to crash in or go wide. Keeping the guards in, keeps your LBs and DBs free to clean up, so the entire action of setting the edge has a huge domino effect on the run defense. It all all all starts up front, always has and always will. I see comparisons of our talent to the 2007 and 2011 teams, noting that the LB and DB talent wasn't so much better back then and that's partly right. James Butler and Michael Johnson are not exactly world beaters at S, but because of how we dominated up front.

Odighi did that to perfection last night, he kept his gap controlled, strung the play out wide and most importantly turned his shoulders (what we used to call screwing down) to a 45 degree angle with his outside arm free and forced the run back inside where his teammates were waiting. That is one thing Spags' DL did with regularity, they did not allow themselves to get upfield too quickly, get too wide too fast or be down blocked and give up the edge. It was only a few plays to his side that it happened but it was a big big bright spot not only for him but for having Spags in here. On a forgettable night with errors galore, one very bright spot was the play of Odighizuwa and his ability to play sound, fundamental, run crushing defense from the DE spot.