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Message: <blockquote data-quote="HardRightEdge" data-source="post: 566196">A word about the preseason run defense:One thing I've noticed is increased aggressiveness from the back 7 or 8 in coming up in run support.  Hawk, Jones, the safeties...these guys have been crashing the line with more vigor than in recent seasons.An extreme example is the run blitz against OAK's 8 man front on the Jones-Drew TD run.  We had 4 down linemen, 6 guys on the line, and 9 in the box.  By the time MJD crossed the LOS, we had 10 guys at or across the LOS.  Hawk made a terrific recovery play but missed the shoe string tackle.  That 3-step bounce-out-and-cut-back messed with the blitz attack lanes and Hyde and Williams were both playing for the outside bounce leaving the cutback open.  Kind of a freaky set of events.  The -1 goes to Hyde for overplaying the bounce out....Williams had outside contain with no wideout or slot guy on that side.The first upshot being that with more gap play on the D-Line, more attacking from the LBs and DBs, and the switch to smaller and more athletic DEs, it all adds up to a more attacking D.  Perhaps increased confidence in the secondary contributes to this shift (back) to a more attacking style.Higher risk, higher reward.  I like it.The second upshot is that whatever Raji contributed to the apparently (it is preseason, after all) revitalized run defense is a small part of the overall picture.</blockquote>

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