Am I the only one who is not seriously worried about our defense in 2008?

[PATRIOT64]

I am surprised that most here - (not including the diehard homies) are not the least bit concerned about the defense this upcoming season.

Lets start with the secondary ...

Asante is all but gone,Gay will likely NOT be back,Hobbs is erratic and usually gets torched by top flight receivers,Harrison is another year older and James Sanders has some skills but not totally proven as of yet,Merriweather has no ball catching skills and is still very young..

The Linebacking Corps....

Bruschi and Seau are likely to retire and even if not are another year older and slower
Colvin our best pass rusher is cut for cap space
Vrabel and Thomas are 30+ years old - good but they can't do it all
No one inside (besides an in and out Adalius) unless we obtain a super LB in free agency or have to rely on a superb rookie campaign by pick of the draft,Woods and Alexander are more STers than starters.

The Front 3 of Seymour,Wilfork and Warren are solid but have not been the pass rushing threat or sack getters in 2007 like they were in 2006 and the stats obviously show that,so theres hoping that they can get back to that fierce play again somewhat - Seymour has not been the same as in the early glory days and the front 4 are going to have to be at thier best more than ever.

While BB is an great coach and very smart its going to take more than just a midas touch for this defense to be as good as it was in the past,I for one am seriously worried about what it looks like right now.

While I am not saying we are doomed I think the offense must be even better than last year to keep some pressure of what could be a younger but not as good defense like in recent years.

This is a big concern IMO...Probably most here think BB is god and can do no wrong and will fix it up to top notch D but I think he has his work cut out this season and not getting younger of D through the draft at LB in recent years could start to hurt a bit.

We need one hell of a draft at areas of the D and some prize pickups in FA for me to relax about it.

 

[BrianPat]

Free Agency hasn't even started yet, we could end up with a fantastic defense by the time training camp rolls around. Remember what everyone was thinking about our pass offense last year before FA and the draft ??

It'll work out !! I can never understand worrying about something you have no control over and the people that do, have a fantastic track record at doing the right thing ?

 

[BelichickFan]

If the season started this weekend, sure. Be patient, wait and see what happens. All I am concerned about is losing Samuel and depth for now. Colvin was out the last half of the season. Gay is a JAG. Bruschi and Seau haven't retired yet. There's lots and lots of time to replace one quality starter.

 

[chrisfx811]

Your thread title makes it sound like you're not worried at all, then your post is the opposite.

I am concerned about our defense going into 2008, because we have a few glaring holes to fill, and not having the 31st pick makes matters worse.

With that pick, I'd be confident we'd get a guy like Gholston @ #7, and then ARC or another quality DB @ #31.

With $20-23M available and a thin FA class, I am wondering how realistic it is that we pull in a big name over other teams with more $$$.

 

[Rob0729]

I will be worried if this team is what is it in May. Our defense was in worse shape after the 2002 season and they turned it around into an incredible defense in 2003 with our biggest free agent acquisition going down in the second game of the season.

 

[Rob0729]

The defense isn't all that far away. We were fourth in yards allowed, fourth in points allowed last year (we gave up 0.7 more points a game more than the best team in this category), second in sacks, and sixth in interceptions. We had a top 5 defense in 2003.

Yes, we will lose Samuel and Colvin. But both Vrabel and Thomas may be over 30, but they are young enough that neither should drop off in talent this year.

Seymour had a down year, but he also was coming off major surgery and missed the entire preseason and the first six games of the year. Having a complete offseason and preseason should allow him to return to dominance. If he does, it makes the entire o-line better.

I still think this defense is two or three players from dominance. These players can be added through free agency and the draft. I felt less confident about this defense after the 2002 season and basically the addition of Harrison made this team go from horrible to spectacular.

 

[richpats]

I won't be worried until the fate of our season depends on stopping an offense from reaching the end zone. Before then, I'm cool.

 

[Maroney's Dreads]

Did I miss the announcement of the season starting before the draft and free agency? PANIC!

 

[Keegs]

I really have no idea how to answer that question.

how do you expect any of us to know on this board if there are any other pats fans anywhere, that are worried about the defense?

i don't have access to that kind of information.

 

[Real World]

I'm very concerned, but not in a panic. Let's wait till free agency is over before we get hysterical. At this point though, all things considered, it is a concern.

 

[SavioKid]

If the season started this weekend, sure. Be patient, wait and see what happens. All I am concerned about is losing Samuel and depth for now. Colvin was out the last half of the season. Gay is a JAG. Bruschi and Seau haven't retired yet. There's lots and lots of time to replace one quality starter.

Did I miss something on Randall Gay that he is a JAG? Any solid news links showing he is not resigning with the PATS?

Anyways,
Safetys - Rodney H. / Jim Sanders [backups - Mitchell / Ventrone / Andrews] ...definitely need depth but no 'superstar' needed this year with Rodney back one more time. Low level veteran & maybe anotehr rookie.
CB - Hobbs / Gay [Merriweather / ??] - need a potential starter most likely a veteran. I wouldn't expect a rookie to come in and replace a Samuel but depth (hence a high draft pick probably) still needed too. Coach B will definitely sign a veteran (low $) for a nickelback. The question is will he sign an impact veteran? Doubtful if he has Gay & Hobbs. CB will be drafted no doubt.
LB - Vrabel / Thomas / Brushi + ?? [Woods / Alexander]. No doubt the position (ILB) with the biggest need for an impact starter in a veteran. Need to draft a high pick LB probably too for depth. Losing Colvin hurts more than losing Samuel in my opinion.
DL - Seymor / Wilfork / Warren [Green / LK Smith..] - Give Seymor another year back from injury & he'll be much better than '07 season. Some new fresh depth only needed here.

So, the big impact needed is ILB (veteran). Where are they? I would like to that rumored Lito Shpehard trade happen (give them some offense) but who do you think they will find for an ILB? Else, I think the other defense positions are decent.

 

[Patriotic Fervor]

The defense isn't all that far away. We were fourth in yards allowed, fourth in points allowed last year (we gave up 0.7 more points a game more than the best team in this category), second in sacks, and sixth in interceptions. We had a top 5 defense in 2003.

Yes, we will lose Samuel and Colvin. But both Vrabel and Thomas may be over 30, but they are young enough that neither should drop off in talent this year.

Seymour had a down year, but he also was coming off major surgery and missed the entire preseason and the first six games of the year. Having a complete offseason and preseason should allow him to return to dominance. If he does, it makes the entire o-line better.

I still think this defense is two or three players from dominance. These players can be added through free agency and the draft. I felt less confident about this defense after the 2002 season and basically the addition of Harrison made this team go from horrible to spectacular.

I'm trusting you meant d-line!

Otherwise, all good points.

 

[rabthepat]

I am surprised that most here - (not including the diehard homies) are not the least bit concerned about the defense this upcoming season.

Lets start with the secondary ...

Asante is all but gone,Gay will likely NOT be back,Hobbs is erratic and usually gets torched by top flight receivers,Harrison is another year older and James Sanders has some skills but not totally proven as of yet,Merriweather has no ball catching skills and is still very young..

The Linebacking Corps....

Bruschi and Seau are likely to retire and even if not are another year older and slower
Colvin our best pass rusher is cut for cap space
Vrabel and Thomas are 30+ years old - good but they can't do it all
No one inside (besides an in and out Adalius) unless we obtain a super LB in free agency or have to rely on a superb rookie campaign by pick of the draft,Woods and Alexander are more STers than starters.

The Front 3 of Seymour,Wilfork and Warren are solid but have not been the pass rushing threat or sack getters in 2007 like they were in 2006 and the stats obviously show that,so theres hoping that they can get back to that fierce play again somewhat - Seymour has not been the same as in the early glory days and the front 4 are going to have to be at thier best more than ever.

While BB is an great coach and very smart its going to take more than just a midas touch for this defense to be as good as it was in the past,I for one am seriously worried about what it looks like right now.

While I am not saying we are doomed I think the offense must be even better than last year to keep some pressure of what could be a younger but not as good defense like in recent years.

This is a big concern IMO...Probably most here think BB is god and can do no wrong and will fix it up to top notch D but I think he has his work cut out this season and not getting younger of D through the draft at LB in recent years could start to hurt a bit.

We need one hell of a draft at areas of the D and some prize pickups in FA for me to relax about it.

Be worried...very worried. You are going to see more Eli Manning type drives next year.

 

[JackBauer]

Did I miss something on Randall Gay that he is a JAG? Any solid news links showing he is not resigning with the PATS?

Anyways,
Safetys - Rodney H. / Jim Sanders [backups - Mitchell / Ventrone / Andrews] ...definitely need depth but no 'superstar' needed this year with Rodney back one more time. Low level veteran & maybe anotehr rookie.
CB - Hobbs / Gay [Merriweather / ??] - need a potential starter most likely a veteran. I wouldn't expect a rookie to come in and replace a Samuel but depth (hence a high draft pick probably) still needed too. Coach B will definitely sign a veteran (low $) for a nickelback. The question is will he sign an impact veteran? Doubtful if he has Gay & Hobbs. CB will be drafted no doubt.
LB - Vrabel / Thomas / Brushi + ?? [Woods / Alexander]. No doubt the position (ILB) with the biggest need for an impact starter in a veteran. Need to draft a high pick LB probably too for depth. Losing Colvin hurts more than losing Samuel in my opinion.
DL - Seymor / Wilfork / Warren [Green / LK Smith..] - Give Seymor another year back from injury & he'll be much better than '07 season. Some new fresh depth only needed here.

So, the big impact needed is ILB (veteran). Where are they? I would like to that rumored Lito Shpehard trade happen (give them some offense) but who do you think they will find for an ILB? Else, I think the other defense positions are decent.

Meriweather is not going to play corner.

 

[Rob0729]

I'm trusting you meant d-line!

Otherwise, all good points.

No! I expect Seymour to be so dominant this year that he is even going to make the entire o-line play better too.

 

[frankiesfly]

I am surprised that most here - (not including the diehard homies) are not the least bit concerned about the defense this upcoming season.

Lets start with the secondary ...

Asante is all but gone,Gay will likely NOT be back,Hobbs is erratic and usually gets torched by top flight receivers,Harrison is another year older and James Sanders has some skills but not totally proven as of yet,Merriweather has no ball catching skills and is still very young..

The Linebacking Corps....

Bruschi and Seau are likely to retire and even if not are another year older and slower
Colvin our best pass rusher is cut for cap space
Vrabel and Thomas are 30+ years old - good but they can't do it all
No one inside (besides an in and out Adalius) unless we obtain a super LB in free agency or have to rely on a superb rookie campaign by pick of the draft,Woods and Alexander are more STers than starters.

The Front 3 of Seymour,Wilfork and Warren are solid but have not been the pass rushing threat or sack getters in 2007 like they were in 2006 and the stats obviously show that,so theres hoping that they can get back to that fierce play again somewhat - Seymour has not been the same as in the early glory days and the front 4 are going to have to be at thier best more than ever.

While BB is an great coach and very smart its going to take more than just a midas touch for this defense to be as good as it was in the past,I for one am seriously worried about what it looks like right now.

While I am not saying we are doomed I think the offense must be even better than last year to keep some pressure of what could be a younger but not as good defense like in recent years.

This is a big concern IMO...Probably most here think BB is god and can do no wrong and will fix it up to top notch D but I think he has his work cut out this season and not getting younger of D through the draft at LB in recent years could start to hurt a bit.

We need one hell of a draft at areas of the D and some prize pickups in FA for me to relax about it.

Yes I'm concerned. Concerned about both sides of the ball. Looks like our D is going to need a lot of work. There is no way our offense is going to be better this coming year. Our offense looks like it's going to be like 2006. Brady with no real threats. A team that's good enough to make the playoffs because of the weak division we play in, and a team that isn't good enough to win it all. Hate to say it but we're not winning **** for a while to come. Our D is going to take a couple of seasons to be really good again, and losing our offensive weapons we are going to be hurtin fans for a while.

 

[Deus Irae]

Yes I'm concerned. Concerned about both sides of the ball. Looks like our D is going to need a lot of work. There is no way our offense is going to be better this coming year. Our offense looks like it's going to be like 2006. Brady with no real threats. A team that's good enough to make the playoffs because of the weak division we play in, and a team that isn't good enough to win it all. Hate to say it but we're not winning **** for a while to come. Our D is going to take a couple of seasons to be really good again, and losing our offensive weapons we are going to be hurtin fans for a while.

Most reports indicate that there's a great chance that the offense will be the same as last season with the exception of Stallworth.

 

[Crazyeechrispats1]

I think this week will go a long way in letting me know if the Patriots are a solid defense or if it's gonna be a glaring weakness they'll have to game plan to mask.
If we bring Law in cheap, sign Calvin Pace, I'll be feeling a whole lot better already.
Also if we'd trade for a veteran linebacker or defensive back this would ease my thoughts a little.
Also flame all you want but i'd take a flier on kendrell bell at least interview the guy he has to be better than TJ Slaughter.
Being from PA. I saw alot of him his first 2 years and he just came out and set the nfl on fire.
If he has any of that left then that's not a bad option if BRUSCHI decides to hang em up for good.

 

[satz]

Intresting post of putting all the position into 1. why don`t you mix them all . lol

let me see

1)Free Safety : Merriweather has a good shot as he has the size speed combo to be free safety.The only guy who can do this as a backup is puffy andrews.

2)Strong Safety : Harrison / Sanders / Jag`s . They both come in when we play teams like sandeigo where run stuffing is taking presedence. other than that we are a 2 strong safety team . merriweather drafting was a frist indication that we are making an effort have a true free safety to get some speed against teams like the colts .

3)CB - Hobbs got the ball thrown on this side 80% more than samuel yet he had identical effective number to samual.if sameual was better i would like to have seen more effective. Hobbs also ended up covering the top receiever as we do swap our CB`s. so hobbs faces better WR, gets throw 80% more and has a comparable effectiveness when samual is on weaker WR and thrown less makes no sense.

We will draft 2 cb and have hobbs,gay/jag/ supported by safeties. As we never let our CB on an island safety help will be key.

4)ILB - Bru/Seau hold 1 side and AD might be the other 1 on ILB side.Last year he was doing a good job till colvin went down .we went from giving 83 yds/game to 117 yd/game and i say he was very effective .as soon he moved from ILB teams opened up running .Seau will be in nickel packages then slaughter / FA signing here .This is my point of worry .After AD moved out we could not generate any presure up the middle. AD with vince were unstoppable giving QB no time or space to step up.p
we need AD here then the center and gaurds have to handle vince,AD together.

5)OLB - Vrabel / woods /rookie and AD in rotation when we play 4-3 .If we sign a FA we will be all set.

 

[Rob0729]

I think this week will go a long way in letting me know if the Patriots are a solid defense or if it's gonna be a glaring weakness they'll have to game plan to mask.
If we bring Law in cheap, sign Calvin Pace, I'll be feeling a whole lot better already.
Also if we'd trade for a veteran linebacker or defensive back this would ease my thoughts a little.
Also flame all you want but i'd take a flier on kendrell bell at least interview the guy he has to be better than TJ Slaughter.
Being from PA. I saw alot of him his first 2 years and he just came out and set the nfl on fire.
If he has any of that left then that's not a bad option if BRUSCHI decides to hang em up for good.

I don't know if Pace or Law will be signed in the next week. Pace is more likely, but Law is not. Second and third tier free agents usually don't get signed until the third or fourth week of free agency.

As for Bell, I wouldn't mind us bringing him in for a veteran minimum deal plus incentives for a back up role. Not looking for the guy to compete for more than a rotational role.