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The ' systematic di section of the was so matter-of-fact, it barely caused a stir.Sure, St. Louis as someone trying to peel an orange with a shoe horn, leaving the overworked defense prone, but what Arizona did in that game was showcase its blueprint to make a deep playoff run.We'll get to Arizona's later.Defensively, the ' smothered running back (nine carries for 41 yards), . That helped Arizona take apart a pa sing attack with limited threats.It also caused Arizona to recognize that (Seattle and Carolina) share the same makeup as St. Louis -- run <a href="https://www.lasraidersshop.com">NFL Las Vegas Raiders Jersey</a> -based, low-risk quarterback play and few perimeter receiving threats -- although those teams' offenses perform far more effectively.The (8-4), who the and , also fit the mold."This is the formula from here on out," said safety , who is with five interceptions. " is the best in the busine s. It is a huge task but we stop the run up front. That lets us match up on the back end and let us do what we do. As long as A.P. doesn't have a big day, we have a huge chance to separate ourselves from the division and NFC -- except Carolina."Trying to stop Peterson or Seattle's and or the ' running game <a href="https://www.lasraidersshop.com/desean-jackson-jerseys">DeSean Jackson Jersey</a> is great in theory. The , though, feel they have the scheme and personnel to remain consistent and even improve on .The abundance of talent and the hybrid scheme they're using with safety playing inside linebacker full time at 211 pounds has become problematic for opposing teams.Bucannon, , plays as tough and disciplined as any normal inside backer. Most inside backers in this 3-4 scheme are at least 230 pounds -- fellow starter is 246 -- but Bucannon plays fast and instinctively enough to get past a lot of the sledgehammering that takes place in the interior guts of the game.He's <a href="https://www.lasraidersshop.com/bryan-edwards-jerseys">Bryan Edwards Jersey</a> also aided by a strong defensive line, his fellow speedy linebackers and fearle s safeties -- like -- who play the run and swarm tackle in the open field like piranhas that haven't eaten in a few days.Bucannon ended up moving to linebacker in part because free-agent signee sustained a hamstring injury early on (and now only plays in sub-packages). But also because Arizona boasts so many good safeties (Mathieu, Johnson and ), it was tough to fit Bucannon in full time."I've never seen anything like it," Johnson said of Bucannon's switch to an interior linebacker and the effectivene s at which he's played. "The only thing close was in my rookie year when Adrian Wilson would slide into the box in nickel and dime packages. For someone to do that full time shows how special he is."This also allows us to get our best players on the field. They found a way to do it, and Deone makes it special."With the changes, Arizona's defense is looking equally as strong as , led by quarterback and home-run threats at every skill position -- , , and J. J. Nelson., the put opponents in position to have to throw. That takes some of the pounding off Bucannon as a run-stuffer and allows him to either blitz or get into coverage, where his defensive back <a href="https://www.lasraidersshop.com/daniel-carlson-jerseys">Daniel Carlson Jersey</a> skills balance the scales against slot receivers, running backs or tight ends.With cornerbacks , and , as well as the aforementioned safeties, the boast a dragnet of defensive backs that can make life difficult for a team , whose only major receiving threats are rookie wide receiver and tight end .The are going to try to run the ball with Peterson, especially after bailing on the run game so quickly . If the slow Peterson down and put the game on quarterback -- which will be the game plan -- then things will break for Arizona.The wealth of playmakers all over the field for Arizona, including the secondary, gives them an edge in talent in potential shootout games with pa s-oriented teams like Philadelphia and Green Bay, upcoming foes before ."I haven't had a chance to look at everyone's roster but looking at ours, I <a href="https://www.lasraidersshop.com/jim-plunkett-jerseys">Jim Plunkett Jersey</a> can be confident enough to say we have playmakers. Tons of playmakers," Johnson said. "We have guys on offense that can stretch the field. Larry playing in the slot makes him unstoppable and on defense, we have skill all over the place. I believe we're one of the most skilled teams in the NFL."Follow Steve Wyche on Twitter . |
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