Perry played at Penn State and then for the Steelers in the NFL. He was coached by defensive gurus like Jerry Sandusky, **** LeBeau, and Dom Capers. As an assistant, Perry has worked with LeBeau, Capers, and Rob Ryan. He also got to learn from two great head coaches, Joe Paterno and Bill Cowher. I like any coaching candidate who has been around great coaches the way Perry has. He's moved around enough to see things done in different ways, but has mostly been in stable environments where he could really soak up how things are done by a good staff. You don't want someone who has been with one team or someone who has been with 10 teams in 15 years. Perry does have most of his experience with 3-4 defenses. Penn State ran a 3-4 for much of the 80s. The Steelers and Packers were pure 3-4 teams. The Raiders did a little bit of both (one reason they struggled on defense in those years). I'd prefer a coach with more of a 4-3 background, but as long as he has the right assistants with him, I don't know that it is a huge deal. Perry did spend his last two years as a player on 4-3 defenses. It isn't completely foreign to him. Also, Perry specializes in DBs. He won't be trying to micro-manage the DL and LBs. One other point to consider is that teams play a nickel defense at least a third of the time (if not more). Most nickel looks are 4-2-5, even on 3-4 teams. I'd have no problem with Darren Perry being the target. I was very impressed by some comments I found from him.On why he left Pittsburgh when Bill Cowher retired:"I was ready for a change. I had been under **** (LaBeau) for a long time, having been in a 3-4 most of my playing and coaching career. I had personal goals I wanted to attain. Being able to get into a 4-3 system, expanding my football background would help me in terms of becoming a coordinator down the line." On coverage/scheme philosophies:"You can do both. You mix it up. You can keep your man element of it, but you can also keep the zone elements as well. In Pittsburgh, we had just as much 4-3 elements as we did a true 3-4 look… So just because you have 3-4 personnel out there on the field doesn't mean you can't play a 4-3 front. During my time there (in Pittsburgh), and then coaching in Cincinnati, we were kind of a hybrid 3-4 where we were basically a 4-3 front but we were trying to have our cake and eat it too and still implement the zone blitz. We just didn't get in as much zero-nose, and that's what people think when they think 3-4 ... You can be kind of a hybrid and give that 4-3 look.""It's still in the early stages. We know what we want to do, but now we have to make sure that we can. And if not, we have to be ready to adjust. The system will be in place, we just might have to be a little more hybrid if it doesn't work out that way. The OTAs, the minicamps, training camp, the preseason games, we'll get a feel for what our guys can and can't do." He does sound like a bright guy that has learned well from the great coaches he's been around. He seems to get the big picture. He has a good track record. In Pittsburgh he helped develop Troy Polamalu and Chris Hope. With Oakland he helped Namdi Ashomugha become an elite corner. He's done very good things with the Packers safeties. Nick Collins is a star. Perry would be an interesting hire.
