This season, I have noticed something on defense for Utah that I have not noticed before. And perhaps it has been going on for some time and I just never noticed it. Utah, at least this year, seems to have more sets of just three down lineman.
This surprises me because in years past, our bread and butter has been the 4-3 base defense with nickel and a rare dime package here and there mixed in.
Looking at our roster, both now and in the coming years, it makes some sense to me. But I still have to ask the question: Are we seeing the rise of the hybrid player at Utah?
The Hybrid defensive player: Someone who is athletic enough to play linebacker, and big enough to play defensive end. Whereas in the past we had guys who were strictly defensive lineman (Martail Burnett, Paul Kruger, Koa Misi (the last two, oddly enough, are linebackers in the NFL), etc.). Now we are seeing more guys who can play both. Trevor Reilly and Nai Fotu this year come to mind.
Additionally, Utah has a lot of these players in the pipeline. Thretton Palamo might be used in this role next year. Nate Fakahafua was born for this role. You get a bunch of these guys on the field together, and even the most experienced quarterback will have trouble reading what they are going to do.
Not of these guys are quite big enough to be a full-time defensive end. But they can more than hold their own in stretches. They are also athletic enough to cover a tight end, or to blitz the quarterback from a linebackers spot. It gives Kyle Whittingham and Kilani Sitake a wide variety of options and combinations to throw at offenses.
When you have guys with that kind of versatility, you can mix and match your schemes. Sometimes, you can bring in four down lineman and three linebackers. The next play, you can switch to a 3-4. The next play, you can start with four down lineman, then move one of them into a linebacker spot and have everyone else shift.
Obviously, I have simplified it, but it gives Utah an advantage that can confuse and disrupt the rhythm of the opponents offense.
Is this just an anomaly at Utah, or are we going to see this move toward hybrid players become a fixture at Utah?
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