Preseason Game 2: Cards at Pack - 8/19/11

[Newz]

Does he do that out of formation preference or player preference?

I think it's so he can get all of Shields, Williams and Woodson on the field.

Obviously that is just an opinion though.

[El Duderino]

Does he do that out of formation preference or player preference?

I think it's so he can get all of Shields, Williams and Woodson on the field.

Obviously that is just an opinion though.

I think that's a big factor, especially because Woodson is so physical and is kinda like having a third safety on the field, which helps vs the run. Woodson allows Capers to do this because few corners in the game play the run like he does.

Besides that, i just think it's Capers adapting to the way the NFL has changed offensively the last 7-10 years. With all the rules changes which have made passing the ball effectively much easier, it's in turn negated some of the importance of the running game. For the most part in today's NFL, you pass the ball to score points. Just look at how many QB's today throw for 3500-4500 yards compared to even just the mid-90's when Favre was winning MVP's. How many today have a QB rating 90 or above compared to those mid-90's years.

IMO the two biggest keys in most cases which lead to winning in today's NFL are having a top tier passing game and having a defense that is upper tier at pass defense. So i think Capers has decided that in most games, he's willing to sacrifice a bit in run defense by playing nickle a ton as long as it helps more in defending the pass. If though Capers is playing against a team that relies heavily on the run game for it's success offensively, then though he'll play more tradition 3-4-4 alignments instead of as much 2-4-5.