ARE YOU NEW HERE? NOT LOGGED IN? PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO REGISTER FOR AN ACCOUNT AND LOGIN TO REMOVE THIS WINDOW
Welcome to PatsFans.com. Do you have an account? If not - please take a moment to register for our forum and experience a much smoother experience with fewer ads, along with no longer having to see this notification window. Also learn about how you can receive a free Patriots T-Shirt from the Patriots Official ProShop by CLICKING HERE. Please enjoy your stay here, and Go Pats!
Can someone please try to explain to me why you feel they're "one of the worst in the NFL" or not even solid?
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
FEATURED ADVERTISEMENT
DONATE TO PATSFANS.COM
RECEIVE A FREE PATS T-SHIRT AND SAVE 15% OFF WHEN YOU BUY FROM THE OFFICIAL PROSHOP!
Free T-Shirt & Save 15% Off!
Like Our Site? Please help support our site and server costs by DONATING TO PATSFANS.COM and receive a FREE PATRIOTS T-SHIRT and SAVE 15% off EVERY purchase you make from PatriotsProShop.com. You'll also receive added benefits to your account including Removing All Ads During Your Experience Here At Our Forum.
NEEDED YEARLY SITE DONATIONS: 345 | CURRENT # OF SUBSCRIBED SUPPORTERS: 98
they have given up all most 1000 yerd and 60 points the last two weeks
i can under stand the saints geting all most 400 yerds passing
but the fish where 27th in the NFL in passing befor sundays game and they only had one WR with more the 300 yerds and if they can ligh this them up it's not a good thing
its not the worst D in the NFL but it's not a patriots D it's like seeing the ravens and steelers give up 40 points a game its just dose not happen
I think both sides have a tendency to exaggerate their point, as is the case in much of life it is a polarizing debate. Either its terrible or a top 10 defense, I believe the truth lies somewhere in the middle and they are an average defense, in the 14-16 area.
But because you asked for the reasoning behind those who believe the defense is bad (or not as good as you believe it is), I will present what I believe is their case:
The teams we have played and their Total Offense ranking:
So besides the Saints and Colts games (in which the defense gave up 34 and 35 respectively) the defense has gone against offenses ranked 15th or lower every week except for the Titans, and the Titans ranking is a bit deceiving considering we played them pre-Vince Young when their total offense was much lower. There is certainly a case to be made that they have at least taken care of business versus the opponents they were given, but it is tough to say they are as good as those PPG statistics indicate. For what its worth, Football Outsiders and their opponent adjusted stats put the Pats as the 15th best defense.
I also believe another reason is the timing of the defense. It seems like the bigger the moment the worse the defense gets. This has a lasting impact on people as they are far more likely to remember the 4th quarter collapse vs the Colts than to think back to the shut-out against the Titans, even though statistically both count evenly as 1 game. Their inability to get it done when it matters is concerning. Certainly the offense hasn't done their job to close out games on that side of the ball, but the defense hasn't stepped up to the added responsibility and closed out games either. From the Ravens drive that was luckily saved due to a drop by Mason, to the OT drive by the Broncos, to the entire 4th quarter against the Colts, to the entire Saints game, to the game-winning drive by the Fins. Holding the Titans and Bucs to a combined 7 points is great and certainly a nice stat-booster, but what is the point if you can't stop teams when we need a game-winning stop or in high-pressure games (Saints)?
Hopefully this helps you understand where they are coming from.
Every loss this season besides the Saints game has been due to second half errors. A poor performance in all three facets of the game in the third / fourth. Coaching, offense, and the defense have all screwed it up in key situations. No part of this team is clutch right now. That's the problem.
This should be a 10-2 team, but its a immature team that does not know how to win down the stretch... Brady ,Welker and Moss can only do so much..
Yup, and the O-line (without Seabass), is old and getting gassed in the second half. They cannot get ANY pass protection going in the second half and there are times I am very afraid for Brady. Teams are teeing off in the second half (on our overly predictable shotgun tendencies) and getting pressure rushing 3. You cannot have success offensively that way. Kazur gets rolled on every play in the second half of games. Koppen ain't much better. Even greats like TB and Manning can't operate like that.
It's easy to blame the D, but the fact is that it is comprised of mostly rooks or 2nd years. Many of the older guys are from other systems and are still learning ours. AD and Green, who are vets, but not playing well. the only vet that is holding up his end of the bargin is Wilfork (big surprise ). Everyone else is average or sub-par. Not exactly a recipe for success.
Last edited by Patriot_in_NY; 12-08-2009 at 07:32 AM..
Yup, and the O-line (without Seabass), is old and getting gassed in the second half. They cannot get ANY pass protection going in the second half and there are times I am very afraid for Brady. Teams are teeing off in the second half (on our overly predictable shotgun tendencies) and getting pressure rushing 3. You cannot have success offensively that way. Kazur gets rolled on every play in the second half of games. Koppen ain't much better. Even greats like TB and Manning can't operate like that.
It's easy to blame the D, but the fact is that it is comprised of mostly rooks or 2nd years. Many of the older guys are from other systems and are still learning ours. AD and Green, who are vets, but not playing well. the only vet that is holding up his end of the bargin is Wilfork (big surprise ). Everyone else is average or sub-par. Not exactly a recipe for success.
I think both sides have a tendency to exaggerate their point, as is the case in much of life it is a polarizing debate. Either its terrible or a top 10 defense, I believe the truth lies somewhere in the middle and they are an average defense, in the 14-16 area.
But because you asked for the reasoning behind those who believe the defense is bad (or not as good as you believe it is), I will present what I believe is their case:
The teams we have played and their Total Offense ranking:
So besides the Saints and Colts games (in which the defense gave up 34 and 35 respectively) the defense has gone against offenses ranked 15th or lower every week except for the Titans, and the Titans ranking is a bit deceiving considering we played them pre-Vince Young when their total offense was much lower. There is certainly a case to be made that they have at least taken care of business versus the opponents they were given, but it is tough to say they are as good as those PPG statistics indicate. For what its worth, Football Outsiders and their opponent adjusted stats put the Pats as the 15th best defense.
I also believe another reason is the timing of the defense. It seems like the bigger the moment the worse the defense gets. This has a lasting impact on people as they are far more likely to remember the 4th quarter collapse vs the Colts than to think back to the shut-out against the Titans, even though statistically both count evenly as 1 game. Their inability to get it done when it matters is concerning. Certainly the offense hasn't done their job to close out games on that side of the ball, but the defense hasn't stepped up to the added responsibility and closed out games either. From the Ravens drive that was luckily saved due to a drop by Mason, to the OT drive by the Broncos, to the entire 4th quarter against the Colts, to the entire Saints game, to the game-winning drive by the Fins. Holding the Titans and Bucs to a combined 7 points is great and certainly a nice stat-booster, but what is the point if you can't stop teams when we need a game-winning stop or in high-pressure games (Saints)?
Hopefully this helps you understand where they are coming from.
Every bit of analysis such as this, including similar evaluations of the offense, simply reinforces the fact that this is a 7-5 team that DESERVES to be 7-5. At this point of the season I see it translating to winning the division, a hard-fought close win at home in the first round of the playoffs, and getting soundly beaten on the road in round two.
Patriots have a Top 10 defense
). Everyone else is average or sub-par. Not exactly a recipe for success.
Linear Mode
