Joe Woods as Passing Game Coordinator (Browns DC)

How does Richards compare to Woods?

Joe Woods is very good. He was the architect of the no fly zone and with him the niners mix more their coverage.
It´s not always cover three.
That being said, when Joe Woods was the DC of the Broncos, it wasn´t so impressive even with guys like Von, Chubb or Chris Harris.
So if the deal is keeping Woods and making him the DC after Saleh left next year, I don´t know.
But It´s also true that it ´s a different context and the Broncos offense was mediocre and offenses help defenses.
That being said it still sucks to lose him because every DB improve massively this season.

As for Kris Richard, I was certain the minute he left the Cowboys and Joe Wood was rumored to be the Browns DC, that he will be the favorite to be the new DB coach.
Sherman knows him obviously but there´s also the Saleh connection with the Seahawks. Richard and Saleh have the same age.
Like I said, I prefer keeping Joe Woods but Richard is a good DBs coach.

Is Richard still with the Cowboys?

Originally posted by mayo49:
Is Richard still with the Cowboys?

no he is not.

Originally posted by pdc20:

Joe Woods is very good. He was the architect of the no fly zone and with him the niners mix more their coverage.
It´s not always cover three.
That being said, when Joe Woods was the DC of the Broncos, it wasn´t so impressive even with guys like Von, Chubb or Chris Harris.
So if the deal is keeping Woods and making him the DC after Saleh left next year, I don´t know.
But It´s also true that it ´s a different context and the Broncos offense was mediocre and offenses help defenses.
That being said it still sucks to lose him because every DB improve massively this season.

As for Kris Richard, I was certain the minute he left the Cowboys and Joe Wood was rumored to be the Browns DC, that he will be the favorite to be the new DB coach.
Sherman knows him obviously but there´s also the Saleh connection with the Seahawks. Richard and Saleh have the same age.
Like I said, I prefer keeping Joe Woods but Richard is a good DBs coach.

Exactly.

Originally posted by NYniner85:

Originally posted by TheXFactor:
If Woods does leave, possible replacement Marquand Manuel just agreed to be the Eagles secondary coach. Richards, Walker and maybe Steve Wilks available though. So not the end of the world.

Sounds like Richards might be the move

"Joe Woods, the secondary coach, he's done a fantastic job," Rapoport said on-air. "He's expected to become the Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator. From what I understand, among the candidates being considered to replace Woods are former Cowboys passing-game coordinator for defense, Kris Richard.

Happy for Joe. He didn't really get to call his own defense in Denver anyway. He's earned it. Hope we get him a ring before he leaves!

Dallas defense was number 9 in yards allowed and number 9 in points allowed last season. Respectable.

Originally posted by brodiebluebanaszak:
Dallas defense was number 9 in yards allowed and number 9 in points allowed last season. Respectable.

I don't trust him as a DC but he's widely respected as a secondary coach and had Byron Jones balling out in Dallas too. In that coaching position he'd be kind of a steal for the 49ers.

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:

Originally posted by brodiebluebanaszak:
Dallas defense was number 9 in yards allowed and number 9 in points allowed last season. Respectable.

I don't trust him as a DC but he's widely respected as a secondary coach and had Byron Jones balling out in Dallas too. In that coaching position he'd be kind of a steal for the 49ers.

Not sure you can 100% blame him for Seattle:

Among the reasons bandied about is that Richard might have been calling the game more aggressively than Carroll prefers. Carroll's scheme is based on not getting beat deep, keeping passes in front of the secondary and forcing teams to have to go the long way to march for touchdowns with the idea being that the more plays it takes, the more likely the opposing offense is to mess things up (though it's always been regarded that Carroll pretty much runs the defense anyway, no matter the coordinator.)

And given that Richard is the first defensive coordinator Carroll has fired at any time in his head coaching career that's an assertion that deserves some examination.

The interesting thing is that in looking at what is maybe the simplest way to judge the aggressiveness of a defense — the number of times it blitzes — nothing was out of the ordinary this season.

According to Pro Football Focus, the Seahawks blitzed just 22 percent of the time (PFF judges a blitz as any time a defense rushes more players than it has on its line, so meaning five or more in a 4-3, which is Seattle's most common alignment).

That was tied with the Eagles for the fifth-lowest blitz percentage in the NFL ahead of only the Chargers, Jacksonville, Bengals and Bills (and, yes, it's interesting that two other defenses that are similar in philosophy to Seattle's — the Chargers (where former Seattle DC Gus Bradley is the coordinator) and Jaguars (where former Seattle assistant Todd Wash runs the defense), were below the Seahawks, at 19 and 21 percent, respectively. Atlanta, where another former Seattle DC, Dan Quinn, is the head coach, was just above the Seahawks at 23 percent.

All were far below the teams at the top of the list — Cleveland had a blitz percentage of 42 and Carolina 40, to lead the way.

And the 22 percent blitz rate of this season is right in line with what the Seahawks did under Bradley and Quinn......

...... The Quick pass that sparked Washington's winning drive, though, highlights another telling stat from PFF — Seattle's passer rating allowed when blitzing, which was a whopping 104.58, the fifth-worst in the NFL behind Washington, Pittsburgh, the Rams and Dallas. That's in contrast to Seattle's overall passer rating allowed for the season of 79.1, which ranked seventh best in the NFL.

That's in stark contrast to previous years. According to that same 2016 ESPN article, from 2012-16 the Seahawks allowed the lowest average yards per dropback when blitzing and also the lowest TD percentage.

That dropoff, though, also seems like it can be attributable greatly to injuries in its famed secondary — Thomas, Sherman and Chancellor played only the first seven games together before Thomas missed two and then Sherman and Chancellor suffered season-ending injuries (all three started every game together in 2013 and Thomas never missed a game until late last season and Sherman this year).

Obviously, not just one thing plays into a decision like this — maybe, as sources have indicated, Carroll just wanted a different voice leading a defense that appears headed for major change, and specifically one that may no longer be as dependent on leadership from the Legion of Boom (which Richard helped groom) as in the past. Or more likely, it was some combination of a few different factors.

The numbers, at least, show that Richard didn't blitz any differently than past Seattle DCs, and with Carroll hand-picking another coach to succeed him who grew up in his system, that's not likely to change.

https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/seahawks/was-kris-richards-downfall-that-he-blitzed-too-much-a-look-into-the-numbers/

I prefer Woods stays because of the coverage schemes he brought. We weren't always in cover 3. We mixed it up and looked to hide coverages or deploy more sophisticated coverages. I'm worried we will lose that in our D especially when Saleh goes. I think Richard is a good DB coach, aggressive and develops players. How was he in Dallas with coverages? Was it just cover 3 with the CB's pressing most of the time? I don't want to go back to just the Seattle D style.

Whoever Kyle brings in is going to run the scheme Kyle prefers. He wouldn't bring in a guy that prefers a style of D that he doesn't like.

Originally posted by jobiwon:
I prefer Woods stays because of the coverage schemes he brought. We weren't always in cover 3. We mixed it up and looked to hide coverages or deploy more sophisticated coverages. I'm worried we will lose that in our D especially when Saleh goes. I think Richard is a good DB coach, aggressive and develops players. How was he in Dallas with coverages? Was it just cover 3 with the CB's pressing most of the time? I don't want to go back to just the Seattle D style.

I heard a recent Sherman interview where Sherman specifically said that Woods is all about technique, and it's not the first time I've heard a 49er reference Woods with technique. As if Woods was not as involved in scheme, mainly technique and fundamentals. It's a surprise to me if true because of Woods' background and how he has been involved with coaches based out of Cover 2 (Leslie Frazier). I would have thought Woods brought details and teachings of things not Cover3.
I'm going to try and find that interview because the question by the reporter was specifically asking about what Woods has contributed to the coverages.

@ 1:40. Reporter asks about Woods. Sherman says "it's not so much the schematic stuff"

Originally posted by thl408:

Originally posted by jobiwon:

I prefer Woods stays because of the coverage schemes he brought. We weren't always in cover 3. We mixed it up and looked to hide coverages or deploy more sophisticated coverages. I'm worried we will lose that in our D especially when Saleh goes. I think Richard is a good DB coach, aggressive and develops players. How was he in Dallas with coverages? Was it just cover 3 with the CB's pressing most of the time? I don't want to go back to just the Seattle D style.

I heard a recent Sherman interview where Sherman specifically said that Woods is all about technique, and it's not the first time I've heard a 49er reference Woods with technique. As if Woods was not as involved in scheme, mainly technique and fundamentals. It's a surprise to me if true because of Woods' background and how he has been involved with coaches based out of Cover 2 (Leslie Frazier). I would have thought Woods brought details and teachings of things not Cover3.
I'm going to try and find that interview because the question by the reporter was specifically asking about what Woods has contributed to the coverages.

I think the lack of blown coverages and better communication seemed to be paramount this year. It sounds like Woods was integral in that. I wonder if he helped get personnel in the right positions too...like T.Moore and Reed, Ward, and Moseley. Correct players in the right place, technique, communication and helped game plan in C2 and C4 and help Saleh learn when to call those.

Kris Richard will be a good replacement.