It's about the ILB's - Page 4 - New England Patriots Forums

randomk1 · 05-08-2011, 04:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndyJohnson

Defenses that are 29th in point allowed suck plain and simple.
Defenses that are 8th best and improve to #2 over the 2nd half of the defense do not.

Almost the entire defense has been turned over in 2-3 seasons. Last year was the growing pains. The end result will be a dominant defense, just like the one that needed to be rebuilt because age and the cap couldn't let it be kept together. If you don't recognize that direction you havent been paying attention.

Forgive my skepticism but i don't buy into that big improvement. They made some strides over the course of the season and looked more bearable but when it mattered they did not provide the plays or the stops or made uncharacteristic mistakes. They will improve,no doubt. But they will still be a middle of the pack defense. If Brady pulls another choke job we will not be able to rely on this D to win the game for us.

As for the big improvement in stats: Brady and the O going on a historic streak helps out alot.Bears and Jay Cutler in ****ty snow weather=automatic win,Miami and Bills suck offensively, Jets collapse and then there is Matt Flynn and the Packers almost beating us at home in the middle of that stretch.

patsoxfan · 05-08-2011, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 37Harrison

Yeah and I also said to look at the losses and tell me what the link is between them? That would be the fact that the other team was able to run on the Pats. There is only 1 or 2 games when the Pats won where BJGE wasn't the leading rusher in the game.

When the other team had a leading rusher... Jets week 2 Ldt 76 yds with a 6.something avg. Cleve week 9 Hillis 184 yds rushing... the only other games they lost the rushing battle was against Balt and GB, both games they were fortunate to win.

The shoot out games through the air when the opposing QB had all day to (as you put it "have coffee and some danish") they won every one. Read that again... every game

Wk 1 vs Cinci Palmer 345 yds passing -WIN
Wk 4 vs Mia Henne 305 yds passing -WIN
Wk 7 in SD Rivers 336 yds passing -WIN
Wk 10 vs Pitt Roeth 387 yds passing -WIN
Wk 11 vs Ind Manning 396 yds passing -WIN

So again, it's not about the pass rush by the rushing battle. If the Pats lose the rushing battle they usually lost the game.

Yes looking soley at the ILB's is a very simplistic way to look at rush D but that is the heart of this D. If it's gouged they bleed out.

Not getting off the field on 3rd down is not about rush defense. Too much time to throw is. The bottom line is this team was th worst at getting off the field on 3rd down, plain and simple.

***AndyJohnson*** · 05-08-2011, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by randomk1

Forgive my skepticism but i don't buy into that big improvement. They made some strides over the course of the season and looked more bearable but when it mattered they did not provide the plays or the stops or made uncharacteristic mistakes. They will improve,no doubt. But they will still be a middle of the pack defense. If Brady pulls another choke job we will not be able to rely on this D to win the game for us.

You embarass yourself with comments like that.

Quote:

As for the big improvement in stats: Brady and the O going on a historic streak helps out alot.Bears and Jay Cutler in ****ty snow weather=automatic win,Miami and Bills suck offensively, Jets collapse and then there is Matt Flynn and the Packers almost beating us at home in the middle of that stretch.

Those were the games we played. Would you prefer to rate the team on all of the yards piled up in prevent defense after we had game well in hand, as happened early in the season?

randomk1 · 05-09-2011, 06:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndyJohnson

You embarass yourself with comments like that.

That's the truth ain't it. Brady plays a bad game,we lose. None of those big improvements and stats that you're talking about showed up for that game.

Brady can't play like Roethlisberger,Sanchez or even Aaron Rodgers. It's a luxury to have a bad game and still win in the playoffs.