What is our best front six against the pass?

[Rain Man]

At the Packers game, I noticed that Sutton used a two-man defensive line on almost every play in the first half. Presumably this was based on the assumption that Rodgers passes a lot. The challenge is that it didn't really slow Rodgers down and the Packers running game was also productive.

Once Green Bay went up by 75 or whatever, they started running the ball a lot and Sutton switched to a three-man defensive line and completely shut down the run.

It got me wondering. While they rotated linemen, I think our four regular linebackers were always on the field - Houston, Johnson, Mauga, and Hali.

Not putting any blame on Mauga, but it seems to me that he's not a pass rusher. He's more of a run stopper. So why would you have him in there instead of, say, Allen Bailey or Jaye Howard? Those guys seems to provide an equivalent pass rush and are presumably stronger against the run.

So imagine that it's 1st and 10 against a passing team such as the Green Bay Packers. Who are the six guys you'd most like to see up front on the field?

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Pasta Giant Meatball

The two man line is the reason they have struggled against the run the last couple years. It's infuriating that as soon as they bring in the third guy they are like a brick wall on D, but yet they still keep trying that 2-4 front. It just gives teams too many free rushing yards.

Yeah, I don't mind them doing something exotic against the pass, and I don't think run defense matters very much in the modern NFL. If you give up 6 ypc rushing, you can still be a #1 defense because most plays are passes.

But my concern is whether Mauga beefs up the pass defense or whether one of our linemen would have a similar impact and also play the run more stoutly.

Maybe Mauga gives the team more opportunity to disguise pass coverages? But even saying that, it didn't seem like there was much variation against Green Bay in pass coverage. Maybe I don't know what to look for.