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Hey PK -- What would you say you do here?


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Coach Kwiatkowski from a pre-Texas interview:

ON RECRUITING TEXAS AND THE PIPELINE ALREADY BEING THERE FROM THEIR TIME AT BSU
"We recruited Texas, mainly the Houston and Dallas areas, when we were (at Boise State). We're going to stay in Dallas and the same areas. (Keith Bhonapha) got a running back from the Waco area and I know we're recruiting guys in other areas that aren't in those footprints, but it always comes back to your relationship with the (prep) coaches and then building those relationships with the players. We understand there's a lot of schools those guys have got to fly over (to get to Washington), so them having a relationship with us as coaches and us getting them the information about the type of education Washington can give those guys, the built in advantages that athletes, especially football players, have in getting a degree from Washington in regards to the business community and the Seattle area or across the country with all these big companies that are in Seattle. That's a big talking point with us in getting these guys interested in Washington. As everybody knows, Texas has got really good football, all of their coaches are on campus. If you coach in Texas, you have to be a certified teacher, so that's a big-time built-in advantage for those guys because every day they have eyes on their kids and they know what's going on with their kids and they can keep them on point and grounded and pointed in the right direction. Those relationships we build with those coaches are really important in the recruiting process with those guys."

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Big-time coach’: A rundown of Montana State head coach Jeff Choate’s career

By Colton Pool Chronicle Sports Editor       51 min ago

Quote

Sitting in his office at Montana State in 2019, Jeff Choate elaborated on his coaching career. He thought of his resume as a passport. To earn the job he wanted, he needed to collect stamps from different places to continue his upward trajectory.

Choate earned one more stamp this week. The Montana State head coach reportedly was chosen to become the co-defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach at Texas. His stops along the way shaped his philosophy, leading him to his new team.

Choate coached at MSU for four seasons. Choate dealt with a rebuild of the program and brought in players and coaches who would help the Bobcats win with his preferred style. After the Bobcats were 9-13 in his first two years, MSU was 7-4 during the 2018 regular season and advanced to the second round of the FCS playoffs for the first time in four years.

In 2019, the Bobcats finished 11-4 with a loss in the FCS semifinals, a place they hadn’t been to in 35 years.

During Choate’s tenure, he emphasized running the ball on offense and stopping the run on defense with a priority on controlling time of possession, minimizing impactful plays by opponents and dominating at the line of scrimmage. Because of that, the Bobcats were also among the nation’s best in several statistical categories.

But his impact at MSU goes beyond those measurables.

Choate also vehemently asserted MSU’s need to develop its facilities. The university, sparked in part by his outspokenness and success, eventually raised the $18 million necessary to build the 40,000-square-foot Bobcat Athletic Complex which is expected to be completed in August.

The money raised through donations is the most ever for an MSU athletic facility endeavor.

That investment also included the university emphasizing nutrition and digital media utilization in recruiting. Choate pushed MSU to inch closer to the forefront of any aspect that could progress the program forward.

Choate was a tactical recruiter who brought in promising high school players, especially from Montana and the surrounding region. He was also willing to bring in FBS transfers as needed. Under Choate’s tenure, both in-state recruits and transfers developed into all-Americans.

In February 2019, Choate told the Chronicle he didn’t rule out the possibility of ever leaving MSU. However, he added he had several chances at other jobs since he arrived in Bozeman but turned them down.

“If I walk out of here,” Choate said, “I want to make doggone sure I’ve done everything I can to make sure I’ve left (MSU) better than I found it.”

Choate has countless connections within the college coaching world. He was likely an appealing candidate for FBS vacancies because of his experience at Power Five programs and success as MSU’s head coach. Coaches at Choate’s other coaching stops agree he left their programs better than when he arrived.

Division I coaches he’s worked alongside — including recently-hired Longhorns defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski, who built a strong relationship with Choate during their time together at Boise State and Washington — rave about Choate’s energy and passion. Those characteristics, they believe, allow him to connect with players.

“With (Choate’s) energy,” Kwiatkowski said in 2019, “he was good at getting guys to put it all out there and getting guys to play with super high energy and cutting it loose.”

Choate’s constant intensity was contagious, players said, and his relatability was motivating. They saw how dedicated he was because of the time he invested in them, and they didn’t want to let him down.

“(Choate) actually cares about you,” MSU all-American Brayden Konkol said, just after the Bobcats defeated rival Montana for the fourth time in a row. “He asks you how your day is going. He cares about your character. That’s what he wants to do. He wants to develop you as a man more so than a football player and whatnot. I respect the hell out of that.”

After his playing career at Montana Western, Choate was a high school coach in his home state of Idaho until he was an assistant at Utah State under Mick Dennehy. From his first Division I coaching job came some of his foundational beliefs about football, especially regarding discipline, toughness and honesty. Choate learned how to treat players so he could form close bonds with them.

The St. Maries, Idaho native coached safeties and special teams at Utah State for two years and then at Eastern Illinois for a year.

Choate has stressed that his time working with special teams gave him the chance to manage the entire roster and gain a better grasp of game management. In his 14 seasons as a Division I assistant, all but two were spent specializing in special teams.

Choate then went to Boise State, where he was considered a top candidate to become its next head coach earlier this month. He coached special teams from 2006-11, working with running backs for the first three of those years and linebackers for the later three. He gained experience on prominent stages, coaching the Broncos in two Fiesta Bowl wins, their thrilling overtime victory over Oklahoma in 2007 and BSU’s win over TCU in 2010.

Former Boise State players commended Choate for taking personal time to teach them the game and helping them understand the playbooks.

Choate next became a defensive run game coordinator and linebackers coach at Washington State in 2012 under Mike Leach where he learned new and unconventional coaching strategies. In 2018, Choate moved running back Troy Andersen to quarterback. Andersen broke MSU’s single-season rushing touchdown record and was an all-purpose all-American. The following year, Choate shifted Andersen to linebacker, and he was an all-American that season as well.

As an outside linebackers and special teams coach at Florida under Will Muschamp in 2013, Choate studied some of the basics of his defensive schemes he ran at MSU.

Choate was then a special teams coordinator and defensive line coach at Washington under Chris Petersen for two years. Petersen knew Choate could be consistent in his coaching style and decision making. He hoped he taught Choate how to evolve and adjust when needed.

“He wants to learn as much and experience as much as he can,” Petersen told the Chronicle in 2019. “I think his eyes are always wide open trying to figure out how to take the next step. That to me is another really good characteristic of a big-time coach.”

Now, Choate departs for Texas

https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/sports/bobcats/football/big-time-coach-a-rundown-of-montana-state-head-coach-jeff-choate-s-career/article_e0f1c59a-b2ec-5f74-8a9e-855bc0606622.html

Edited by LTtxfan
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Source: Jeff Choate expected to be named Texas co-defensive coordinator, inside linebackers coach

By FUCK CHIP BROWN   54 minutes ago

Quote

Montana State head coach Jeff Choate is expected to be named co-defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach at Texas, a source close to the situation confirmed to Horns247. Hiring Choate will fill the 10th and final on-field coaching position on head coach Steve Sarkisian's initial staff.

The source said Sarkisian talked to Choate on Friday about the possibility of joining the Longhorns' staff and that an agreement was being worked out Friday night. Football Scoop was the first to report Choate as a candidate for the Texas linebackers coaching position. Skyline Sports was the first to report Choate had accepted the job.

Sources told Horns247 Choate had also been under consideration for the Washington defensive coordinator position just vacated by new Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski as well as a coaching position at Utah. Kwiatkowski will also coach outside linebackers for the Longhorns.

Choate worked with Kwiatkowski at Washington as the defensive line coach when Kwiatkowski was running the Huskies' defense in 2014 and 2015. Choate also worked with Kwiatkowski at Boise State under then-coach Chris Petersen, including as linebackers coach at Boise State in 2010 and 2011 while Kwiatkowski was the defensive coordinator.

Since 2016, Choate has been the head coach at Montana State, going 11-4 and reaching the FCS playoff semifinals in 2019. Montana State's 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2018, Choate's team went 8-5 and lost in the second round of the FCS playoffs.

Talk to people who know Choate, who is considered an excellent recruiter, and the first word likely to come out of their mouth is fiery.

"As laid-back and calm as PK (Kwiatkowski) is, Jeff Choate is a fiery guy who can really motivate players," a source close to the situation told Horns247. "But they (Kwiatkowski and Choate) work really well together. That'd be a good get. I know it was tough on Jeff (Choate) that the 2020 season was canceled in the Big Sky."

In 2012, Choate served as linebackers coach at Washington State under Mike Leach and then-defensive coordinator Mike Breske.

In 2013, Choate served as the outside linebackers coach and special teams coordinator at Florida under Will Muschamp before returning to the Pacific Northwest to work with Kwiatkowski at Washington.

Choate, who played linebacker at Montana Western, has spent most of his career in the Pacific Northwest, just like Kwiatkowski, a former defensive lineman at Boise State. The linebackers coaching position is Sarkisian's final assistant coaching staff hire as the new head coach of the Longhorns.

On Friday, Sarkisian held a press conference to announce the other nine, on-field assistant coaches as well as strength coach Torre Becton. Sarkisian's staff currently consists of Kwiatkowski, Kyle Flood (offensive coordinator/offensive line), A.J. Milwee (quarterbacks), Jeff Banks (assistant head coach/special teams coordinator/tight ends coach), Stan Drayton (run game coordinator/running backs), Andre Coleman (wide receivers), Bo Davis (defensive line), Blake Gideon (safeties) and Terry Joseph (defensive passing game coordinator/secondary).

"Clearly, through the process of hiring our assistant coaching staff, there was a lot that went into it as far as ties to the great state of Texas from a recruiting standpoint, experience at coaching at the highest level — whether that be the National Football League, college football, College Football Playoff experience," Sarkisian said as he formally introduced Becton and the nine on-field coaches on a Zoom call with reporters. "And then clearly there's the developmental piece — having really good coaches that can develop players and build relationships with players. So I think this is a great group, a combination of a group of men that provide that, that do that for us."

https://247sports.com/college/texas/Article/Jeff-Choate-Texas-Longhorns-football-expected-to-be-named-co-defensive-coordinator-linebackers-coach-Steve-Sarkisian-staff-159773512/

 

Edited by LTtxfan
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I started watching the first video but turned it off after a few minutes after he talked about getting comments about stopping the air raid and having 4 plays vs wazzu and cal where they were 3x1 in 10 personnel. Because who in the big 12 runs that?

why do people still believe that half the big 12 runs air raid and throws 60 times a game?  Does nobody see the rushing attempts and yards that the oklahoma schools put up?  Ksu?  Isu?  Who other than maybe tech?

Hopefully some of these other videos are more relevantly informative. 

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25 minutes ago, Somnio said:

Should there be any concern about the Co-Defensive Coordinator title, or is this common? 

yep we are doooooomed.

Obviously we need to freak out about it and how recruits and their parents are going to be confused by it and we also better discus how this will affect the perception of HS coaches. 
 

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Good  Seattle Times write-up...

UW Huskies defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski set to accept same job at Texas

By  Mike Vorel  Seattle Times staff reporter.    Jan. 19, 2021 

Quote

In 1998, an Eastern Washington senior defensive back named Jimmy Lake was pondering what to do with his business-management degree. All he knew, Lake told The Times two decades later, was that he wanted to “manage and make money.”

One of the Eagles’ assistant coaches set him on a path to do both.

“Coach K (Pete Kwiatkowski) and I go back to when I was at Eastern Washington. He was one of the coaches that talked me into not going into the business world and being a football coach,” Lake said in October. “So, Coach K is a close friend of mine, a dear friend of mine. I can’t say enough about him.

“I don’t want to get emotional right now this morning, because I love the guy. I love the guy to death. He’s a close friend of mine. He’s one of the best coaches I’ve ever been around, and I appreciate that he’s here on our staff.”

Though not for long.

The 55-year-old Kwiatkowski — who has served as either the defensive coordinator or co-defensive coordinator at Washington since 2014, and spent last season as the defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach — is set to join Steve Sarkisian’s staff at Texas in the same capacity, a source confirmed to The Times.

The move has yet to be announced, but on Tuesday night Kwiatkowski’s profile picture on Twitter was changed to the Texas Longhorns logo, along with the following description: “Defensive Coordinator University of Texas #HookEm”.

Of course, Sarkisian, too, is no stranger to Seattle. The 46-year-old former Alabama offensive coordinator — who was announced as Tom Herman’s replacement at Texas on Jan. 2 — served as Washington’s head coach from 2009 to 2013, and is now attempting to pluck Kwiatkowski from his home for the past seven seasons.

Kwiatkowski was Chris Petersen’s defensive coordinator at Boise State from 2010 to 2013, before following his close friend west to Seattle. From 2010 to 2017, his defenses allowed the fewest points per game (18.7) of any coordinator in major college football.

Which makes what happened next even more remarkable. In 2018, Kwiatkowski voluntarily shifted from defensive coordinator to co-defensive coordinator and ceded play-calling duties to Lake, to keep his former pupil from potentially bolting for a bigger gig. When Lake was named head coach after Petersen stepped down last winter, Kwiatkowski reassumed defensive coordinator duties.

“I don’t know if it’s ever happened this way, and at the end of the day I don’t really care,” Kwiatkowski said in 2018, on the prospect of accepting a lesser role so a colleague can stay. “It’s not about my ego and my title. I know I’m a good coach and I know I have a big imprint on this defense. But I’m happy to do it to keep Jimmy around here and keep this thing rolling.”

Now, it’ll be Lake’s responsibility to keep things rolling without Kwiatkowski.

In four games last season, Washington ranked 39th nationally in scoring defense (25 points allowed per game) and 27th in total defense (346.3 yards allowed per game). The Huskies uncharacteristically struggled to stop the run — finishing fifth in the Pac-12 in rushing defense (161.25 yards per game) and seventh in opponent yards per carry (4.54), after standout defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike and outside linebacker Joe Tryon each opted out of the season. They also allowed opponents to convert 78.57% of their red-zone trips into touchdowns, which ranked 11th in the Pac-12 and 121st nationally.

From 2015 to 2018, UW led the Pac-12 in scoring defense and total defense for four consecutive seasons. Seventeen UW defensive players have been drafted in Kwiatkowski’s seven seasons in Seattle, with several more — including Onwuzurike, Tryon and defensive back Elijah Molden — set to join that group this spring.

The most highly paid assistant both at Washington and in the entire Pac-12, Kwiatkowski made $1 million in 2020 and was set to make $1.1 million in 2021. However, he ranked as just the 26th highest-paid assistant nationally, according to USA Today’s assistant coaches salary database — further proof of the financial gulf between the Pac-12 and its Power Five foes.

A Boise State defensive lineman from 1984 to 1987, Kwiatkowski has spent the entirety of his coaching career on the West Coast — at Boise State (1988-96, 2006-13), Snow College (1997), Eastern Washington (1998-99), Montana State (2000-05) and Washington (2014-20).

If/when Kwiatkowski’s UW departure becomes official, Lake will be tasked with replacing a coordinator for the second consecutive offseason. After he was elevated to head coach in December 2019, Lake chose not to retain second-year offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan and hired Jacksonville Jaguars assistant John Donovan instead.

The jury remains out on that particular hire — after the Huskies finished second in the Pac-12 in third-down conversions (48.2%), fifth in scoring offense (30.3 points per game), sixth in rushing offense (176.3 yards per game), sixth in pass efficiency rating (136.3), ninth in total offense (402.8 yards per game) and 11th in red-zone touchdown percentage (55.6%) in 2020. They did so after implementing a new scheme and replacing starters at nearly every offensive position.

The UW defense, meanwhile, could return as many as nine starters next fall.

But Lake will have to look for a new defensive coordinator.

And, in the search process, a number of names could potentially surface — including Montana State head coach Jeff Choate, Miami Dolphins defensive backs coach Gerald Alexander, California defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon, USC associate head coach and defensive pass game coordinator Donte Williams, Louisville co-defensive coordinator and UW alum Cort Dennison, Cal defensive backs coach Marcel Yates or Montana State defensive coordinator Kane Ioane. Lake also could assume a larger role with the defense while simultaneously promoting from within, placing co-defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe in an elevated role.

Don’t forget, however, that Donovan — who served as an offensive assistant in Jacksonville for four seasons after being fired as the offensive coordinator at Penn State in 2015 — was not on anyone’s list of prospective candidates this time last year. Lake was unafraid to disregard more popular picks in favor of someone he perceived to be a better fit. So, in a sense, another surprise … should not come as a surprise.

Tuesday morning, UW redshirt sophomore outside linebacker Zion Tupuola-Fetui — who led the nation with 1.75 sacks per game last season, while working directly with Kwiatkowski — provided an accurate summation of the situation with a one-word tweet:

“Damn.”

Damn, indeed.

 

https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/uw-husky-football/source-uw-huskies-defensive-coordinator-pete-kwiatkowski-likely-to-accept-same-job-at-texas/ 

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15 hours ago, LTtxfan said:

Solid discussion on Coach K's defense...

"Coach B's Breakdown: The Husky Nickel Defense, Front 6"

https://www.uwdawgpound.com/2018/4/9/16859732/coach-bs-breakdown-the-husky-nickel-defense-front-6

The 2-4-5 defense sounds intriguing, yet visions of a running back rushing for 300 yards on our D continue to pop into my head.

I'm hoping that is not our base defense, but I'll trust the coaching staff until given reason not to.

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4 minutes ago, Somnio said:

The 2-4-5 defense sounds intriguing, yet visions of a running back rushing for 300 yards on our D continue to pop into my head.

I'm hoping that is not our base defense, but I'll trust the coaching staff until given reason not to.

That's what happens when you get used to DCs that don't adjust at all.

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2 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

Interesting how a Kwiatowski thread morphed into a Choate thread.

Drift is the rule not the exception, but  . . . .

Choate wouldn't have been on the radar without PK so we're rolling with it.  

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16 minutes ago, Somnio said:

The 2-4-5 defense sounds intriguing, yet visions of a running back rushing for 300 yards on our D continue to pop into my head.

I'm hoping that is not our base defense, but I'll trust the coaching staff until given reason not to.

His defense is very stout against the run. Those 2 OLBs are 260 lb edge defenders. 

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11 minutes ago, Burt Macklin said:

His defense is very stout against the run. Those 2 OLBs are 260 lb edge defenders. 

Yeah and 1 of the dbs (or more than 1) is big enough to come in the box and play a linebacker role when called upon.  His 2-4-5 could behave like a 4-3-4 or 3-4-4 or 3-3-5 or 4-2-5 anytime he wants. 

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11 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

Yeah and 1 of the dbs (or more than 1) is big enough to come in the box and play a linebacker role when called upon.  His 2-4-5 could behave like a 4-3-4 or 3-4-4 or 3-3-5 or 4-2-5 anytime he wants. 

In theory, it could even behave like a 2-4-5 on third and a mile, assuming you have the personnel.

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Low key, have been a fan of PK for awhile so just as excited for this hire as Sark.

 

I feel like we have some good pieces here to quickly implement a strong PK defense. DL and DB are ready to compete. Overshown can be a difference maker. If we can get the LB positions figured out, and a valid pass rush, we could have something of quality here.

 

Edited by pacman
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Mike Pawlawski knows what he's talking about. PK is a great hire. His defenses at UW were among the best in the P12 even if Jimmy Lake gets some credit for that.

He also doesn't seem to have head coaching aspirations so if he works out there should be little worry about him getting hired away.

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4 hours ago, Pato del Muerto said:

I started watching the first video but turned it off after a few minutes after he talked about getting comments about stopping the air raid and having 4 plays vs wazzu and cal where they were 3x1 in 10 personnel. Because who in the big 12 runs that?

why do people still believe that half the big 12 runs air raid and throws 60 times a game?  Does nobody see the rushing attempts and yards that the oklahoma schools put up?  Ksu?  Isu?  Who other than maybe tech?

Hopefully some of these other videos are more relevantly informative. 

I think you're reading too much into it.  He specifically mentioned only OU (who's coach played for Leach) when talking about the Air Raid then demonstrated how PK shut down Wazzu who beat the b12's ISU in the Alamo Bowl btw.  Everyone knows OUs version of AR has modified but PK hasn't played OU so there's nothing he can review there yet.   

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2 hours ago, pacman said:

Low key, have been a fan of PK for awhile so just as excited for this hire as Sark.

 

I feel like we have some good pieces here to quickly implement a strong PK defense. DL and DB are ready to compete. Overshown can be a difference maker. If we can get the LB positions figured out, and a valid pass rush, we could have something of quality here.

 

The biggest thing is we have the DL to execute his scheme. He requires 2 DTs who can hold up well against the run, and if they can rush the passer then they go in the first round like Vea and Shelton. Both of Collins and Coburn fit perfectly and can offer pass rush. Sweat hasn’t quite shown that yet but he has the potential. Yancy really fucked us by making all of our DL overweight and zapping their explosion. 

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Agree, which made me happy to see Sark mention an emphasis on explosion. He seemed to identify that issue quickly.

 

I think Jerrin fits that deep safety position well but it does take a lot of range and instincts.

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3 minutes ago, Burt Macklin said:

The biggest thing is we have the DL to execute his scheme. He requires 2 DTs who can hold up well against the run, and if they can rush the passer then they go in the first round like Vea and Shelton. Both of Collins and Coburn fit perfectly and can offer pass rush. Sweat hasn’t quite shown that yet but he has the potential. Yancy really fucked us by making all of our DL overweight and zapping their explosion. 

Broughton will hopefully be further up to speed as well.

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7 minutes ago, texifornia said:

Broughton will hopefully be further up to speed as well.

I’m not too high on him right now. He played soft and high in high school and continued that through his freshman year at UT. He’d be a liability inside as of right now. He has potential but he has a long, long way to go. Hopefully the new staff can speed up his development. 

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9 minutes ago, Burt Macklin said:

I’m not too high on him right now. He played soft and high in high school and continued that through his freshman year at UT. He’d be a liability inside as of right now. He has potential but he has a long, long way to go. Hopefully the new staff can speed up his development. 

Shemar Turner would have been a beast in this defense.  Murphy will be a good piece in time.

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4 hours ago, pacman said:

Low key, have been a fan of PK for awhile so just as excited for this hire as Sark.    I feel like we have some good pieces here to quickly implement a strong PK defense. DL and DB are ready to compete. Overshown can be a difference maker. If we can get the LB positions figured out, and a valid pass rush, we could have something of quality here.

 

Really hope the DBs improve a ton in 2021... makes a huge difference between average and good defenses...

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  • blacklab changed the title to Hey PK -- Keep the Sacks and Turnovers Comin' !!!
  • immamac changed the title to Hey PK -- What would you say you do here?

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