Atlanta Falcons: Good Idea to Switch Beasley and Schofield

The Atlanta Falcons have the worst pass rush in football. Does it make sense for the team to switch Vic Beasley and O’Brien Schofield along the d-line?

Part of what the Atlanta Falcons are doing to make themselves a better football team better after their bye is to mix it up with the pass rush. DC Richard Smith said during a press conference Wednesday that the Atlanta Falcons will start using some of their guys from their nickel package into their 4-3 Under Base package. That would mean guys like Adrian Clayborn and Jonathan Babineaux could see time on first and second down situations over Paul Soliai, Tyson Jackson and Ra’Shede Hageman on the interior.

The other major development that is coming out of Flowery Branch about the pass rush leading up to Week 11’s home game versus the Indianapolis Colts is that in some situations, edge rushers Vic Beasley and O’Brien Schofield would switch sides. That would mean that Beasley would go against the right tackle while Schofield would battle the opponent’s blind side protector. D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote a great piece about this Wednesday afternoon.

While the Atlanta Falcons’ run defense has been stout all year (3rd in the NFL), Atlanta has an NFL-worst 10 sacks in 9 games. Beasley, Clayborn, and Schofield lead the club with 2.0 sacks apiece. On the other end of the spectrum the vaunted Denver Broncos defense has 32 quarterback sacks. Though Atlanta doesn’t have pass rushers on par with either OLB Von Miller or DeMarcus Ware, I believe that these two changes to the Atlanta Falcons’ pass rush could yield beneficial results.

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It seems that sending out the 4-3 Under Base package of Hageman, Jackson, and Soliai is strictly for run stuffing purposes. Though Hageman is still raw and has shown signs of pass rushing potential in a base set, this unit’s goal is to force the opponent into long second and third down situations by neutralizing the run. There is value in this, but it feels like the Falcons are conceding the pass rush on too many early downs. Rotating in a situational pass rusher on first and second down could help throw the opposing quarterback’s timing off.

While I think mixing and matching nickel and base personnel could help, I believe that switching Vic Beasley and O’Brien Schofield may stand as the catalyst the 3rd down unit needs. When the Atlanta Falcons drafted Vic Beasley 8th overall out of Clemson, I liked the pick, but was also a bit skeptical. I loved his first step and overall agility, but wondered if his motor could hold him back going against LT’s as the LEO.

Putting Beasley at LEO right off the bat seemed a bit reminiscent to putting 2014 1st round pick Jake Matthews at LT immediately out of the gate. Like Matthews’ rookie year, it’s looked more like a baptism by fire at LEO for Beasley. It’s a bit unfair to ask a rookie to come in and be solely responsible for the makeover of a toothless pass rush.

Fortunately, former Seattle Seahawks OLB O’Brien Schofield has played very well in an expanded role with the Atlanta Falcons. His familiarity with Dan Quinn’s defensive scheme allows himself to play at his highest level. Though going against left tackles at right defensive end wasn’t what he came to Atlanta to do initially, he could benefit more by playing alongside Clayborn on the right side. In 2015, I like the veteran Schofield’s ability to create more pressures for himself than the rookie Beasley.

Conversely, putting Beasley on the left side across from right tackles might stand as an opportunity to boost his game. He’ll be playing alongside the versatile Jonathan Babineaux and could help Beasley use his creativity a little more. I also feel that being in the quarterback’s line of sight coming off that edge weirdly helps Beasley, as his agility could aid him on the side of annoying the quarterback more because the passer is always looking at him. When he’s coming at you from the blind side, you’ll feel his pressure but won’t see it. Beasley could thrive at batting down passes coming from the other side.

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These two maneuvers seem to address the Atlanta Falcons’ two biggest pass rushing issues in the short-term: no pass rush whatsoever on first and second down and the ineffectiveness of Vic Beasley at the LEO as a rookie. Visually, we’ve all seen the two lingering problems and maybe these adjustments help. However for the Atlanta Falcons’ pass rush to have the needed bite to put Dan Quinn’s defense over the top, I’m certain that the Atlanta front office still needs one more strong free agency period and NFL Draft to rectify many of these issues in the long-term. The rest of the defense is getting there, but the pass rush is painfully this club’s Achilles’ Heel.

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