If D changed to 4-3 could Watt play DE at the same level?

Yes..

 

Somebody of his talent goes beyond a scheme.

 

He already plays a good number of downs as the "4-3 DE" (basically the outside lineman) when this team goes to a 4 man line in nickel coverage.

He already goes up and blows away "elite" left and right tackles.

The beauty of his ability is that he's not just a pass rusher, and he can play anywhere on the line.

 

good lord a Watt + Clowney d line....

 

Of course. I think he'd be even more successful.

 

If we move to a 4/3 a line of

Clowney/Smith/Mitchell/Watt would be beautiful and with Jamison and Mercilus playing back up they would be much more effective playing as fresh bodies.

Keep Reed at OLB which in the 4/3 is the same as a 3/4 ILB and Move Cushing to MLB and draft a nice OLB in the 3rd or 4th round , maybe double down sice we have no depth at ILB/OLB and we have suddenly rejuvenated our defense.

 

I don't know how these things work (I'm not a football guru..) but people always told me Watt's 20.5 sacks as a 3-4 DE was really special.. so doesn't that imply he would normally have an easier time in a 4-3?

 

Watt transcends any one position. He'd be outstanding as a 4-3 end or tackle. His combination of speed, strength, size, and swim moves make him unblockable. The only place you wouldn't really want him at is nose, and he could still get away with being there.

Without Cushing, Wade's gone to a 4 man front a lot. So in a sense, you're already getting a preview of Watt in a 4-3.

Wasn't said, but both Mitchell and Mercilus fit better in a 4 man front as well. I don't think a 4-3 is the best defense to run in the pass-heavy NFL, but our roster ironically fits that scheme much better than a traditional 3-4 or Wade's variant of the 3-4 (5-2 Blitz).

 

Wait... I can see Watt at DT in a 43, particularly if we bring in Clowney.

 

Watt will be fine in any defense but I would be much worried about Mercilus and Brooks Reed. Yes, they played DE in college but they are undersized to play that position in the NFL.

I dont think they would fit in a traditional 4-3 defense LB dropping back into coverage.

I would like it if the texans ran a 3-4 zone blitz defense like the steelers or ravens.

 

If Lovie is the guy then I could see it, Tampa 2 is a perfect fit for both. Cushing and Mitchell would be fine too we would just need some OLBs and another pass rusher.

 

I never really like the Tampa 2 defense. It's too predictable. You line up the same way on every snap and there's hardly any blitzing. It's a very soft and passive defense.

 

I'm not in love with it either. I think Cushing would be better served in a different role as well.

 

If Texans had Watt and Clowney why would they need 4 on the line?

 

It can be a great defense, but only when you have elite talent at every level. Players must be able to consistently beat the guy across from them, because they aren't going to get free looks created by 3-4 schemes. That's not easy to do, particularly when we'd be switching from a completely different scheme.

In a 4-3, the front 4 needs to consistently pressure the QB without blitzing. Watt/Clowney at DE with Mercilus being rotated in would undoubtedly be able to apply pressure from the edges, but we simply don't have the DT's for the scheme. Mitchell, McClain, Smith, etc... I just can't see them effectively clogging the interior. Those DT's MUST be able to keep backs from consistently getting to the second level by playing 2 gaps. We just don't have quality DT's like the successful 4-3 teams have (Tony McDaniel in SEA, Cullen Jenkins & Linval Joseph in NYG, etc)

At the next level, Cushing is the only player who truely fits into a 4-3 role. He might actually be better suited as the mike linebacker in a 4-3, but we don't have OLBs that fit. We don't have anyone capable of taking on blockers & covering TE's in the Sam position. Maybe we could work someone into the Will spot.

Simply put, it would take a lot of work to make the change. We'd likely have to use the majority of our first 5 rounds on defense. If that's the case, there won't be any switching the O-line from a zone scheme.