Carolina's defense will have a new wrinkle to it this season. Okay, maybe not just a new wrinkle but a wholesale change.
New defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero is implementing a 3-4 base scheme which will shift Brian Burns to outside linebacker and Derrick Brown to defensive end. The goal is to have bigger ends and more athletic linebackers who will be able to rush the passer from without having a hand in the dirt.
"He’s a 3-4 guy, a Vic Fangio disciple. They two worked together with the San Francisco 49ers when Fangio was the defensive coordinator and Evero was a defensive assistant. A lot of Evero’s fronts start in the 3-4; a lot of the coverage out of that base defense; and a lot of coverage out of that sub-defense are things we’ll see in Carolina.
"Evero is not as aggressive as some of the other defensive coordinators, but he was reasonably aggressive as the play-caller in Denver last season, so we can anticipate more of that.
"The Panthers are going to play fast. They’re going to be aggressive and technically sound. There will be a lot more zone coverage than man coverage, but he won’t be afraid to get after opposing teams when he has to."
Pagano also mentioned how big of an advantage it is having Dom Capers on the staff for Evero. Back in February in his introductory press conference, Ejiro talked about his relationship with the veteran coach and how he leans on him for advice.
"It first started off in Green Bay back in 2016 when I was his quality control coach. Dom was the coordinator and I was doing all of the grunt work. And then transitioning into last year as a first time coordinator there's a lot of things that you really don't know about the job even though you feel like you're prepared for the opportunity until you get in that seat. And Coach Capers, in terms of a guy to know how to do the job at a high level, an elite level. Someone to bounce ideas off of. Just a main of great character. So all of those things as a first time coordinator were so valuable to me."
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