An article printed in the Skiff is incorrectly credited and should have attributed the story to Samantha Calimbahin. It was erroneously credited to another reporter.
Joining the NFL may seem like a huge adjustment for any player coming out of college, but for defensive players coming from TCU, the change isn’t drastic, said TCU head coach Gary Patterson.
“It’s really not much different,” Patterson said. “Linebacker is linebacker. You play downhill, and you have to cover people, and you have to do things. All that stuff doesn’t change.”
As the NFL continues to lean toward the pass rather than the run, Patterson’s defense may be better at preparing its players for the professional game, said Ian Boyd, college football contributor for SB Nation.
Patterson’s defense, known as the 4-2-5, differs from the traditional 4-3 scheme. The 4-2-5 utilizes four defensive linemen, two linebackers and five defensive backs. A 4-3 defense, on the other hand, uses three linebackers rather than two, and one less defensive back.
Boyd said TCU’s scheme, which is based off a nickel defense, is naturally more effective against passing plays.
And where has passing become increasingly prolific? The NFL.
Every year since 2011, rushing attempts in the NFL have fallen, while passing attempts have remained high, according to Pro-Football-Reference.com.
Additionally, the number of passing touchdowns has increased every year since 2011. Although rushing touchdowns went up from 401 in 2012 to 410 in 2013, the number dropped to 380 in 2014.
As professional teams increase reliance on the passing game, NFL teams have been utilizing the nickel more often, Boyd said.
Thus, players with experience under Patterson’s scheme come prepared for what they may see in the NFL, Boyd said.
Less power, more responsibility
The reason why TCU’s defense is naturally effective against passing plays comes from having that extra defensive back, said Football Study Hall’s Bill Connelly.
“Especially in Texas, where you have so many spread offenses, so much passing, it makes sense to get more defensive backs on the field,” he said. “You have to give Patterson credit. Somehow he’s able to do something that other schools really haven’t been able to do.”
But having an extra defensive back also means there is more pressure placed on the linebackers, thus linebackers have to learn discipline in making tackles, he said.
Connelly said a player with that discipline is linebacker Paul Dawson, who is considered to be the most highly rated NFL Draft prospect out of TCU.
“The thing that was different about Dawson that you don’t always have from TCU linebackers is, he made a lot of disruptive plays,” he said. “I look a lot at the havoc stats—the tackles for loss, the pass breakups, the interceptions, the forced fumbles—he was huge in that regard.”
Dawson finished the 2014 season with 136 tackles, the highest in the Big 12 and most in the Patterson era. He also tallied four interceptions and three fumble recoveries that season.
Dane Brugler, NFL Draft Analyst for CBS Sports and NFLDraftScout.com, wrote in an email that the 4-2-5 forces the linebacker “to do a little bit of everything, blitzing, covering and everything in between depending on what the fifth defensive back is doing.”
Brugler wrote that Dawson’s skills make him a good fit playing weakside linebacker in a 4-3 scheme.
The weakside linebacker is generally a faster position, however. While Dawson’s 40-yard dash time of 4.93 seconds was not a top performance at the NFL Scouting Combine, Brugler wrote that Dawson’s “natural instincts” can make up for it.
“The testing numbers weren’t impressive, but he is athletic-enough to play in space and close on contact,” Brugler wrote. “His ability in pass coverage really bolsters his resume and gives him the versatility to see the field early in his career.”
‘It’s not a science’
The 4-2-5 isn’t easy to perfect, but Connelly said the payoff can be immense.
“If you are good at it, then in theory, that means you’re producing players who are fast and disciplined and smart,” he said. “And if they made the physical requirements of the NFL, and obviously a lot won’t, but if they do, then they’re going to be disciplined enough in the other areas that they’re going to have a head start in that regard.”
Former Dallas Cowboys vice president of player personnel, Gil Brandt, said TCU players often are more ready to play professionally than players from other schools.
“In a lot of places, they’re not as nearly as well-taught and coached and prepared,” Brandt said. “The player that you get now from [TCU], is more likely to come in and start for you right away than somebody that doesn’t do the preparation work that they do here.”
But regardless of scheme or coaching style, Patterson said success in the NFL all comes down to instincts, along with agility and toughness.
“It’s not a science,” he said. “You try to make it as much it is, but it just comes down to preference.”
