Do we have the athletes on defense to continue to play man?  As a former coach I can tell you that there are two absolutes concerning fans:  they scream for more blitzing and more press-man. Yet, I’m not sure we have the kids who are able to play on an island. Zone schemes allow the db’s to play off the receiver with their eyes on the QB. This, in turn, allows them to read short routes and screen passes more quickly.  The downside is that you can’t commit backers to blitz as often when playing zone. It’s definite a bend, don’t break philosophy, but how many times do we have to be broken before we realize that a little bend could be beneficial at this point.