Defense - A few positives

Defense gave up 400 yds of offense. If they can keep creating turnovers then they will be fine. If they dont then the offense will need to consistently put up 30 pts

PatsSox363804 said:

The 4th down play was what I want to see more of on 3rd down. They got pressure from the OLB and then when Henne dumped it off McCourty was there to make the play and stop them short. That was just awesome.

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You're right, it was 4th down.

Last week the giants gave up 279 yards and Eli put up 386 before the 100+ yards the ground game got I guess the giants must have blown out the Titans. Or was it ten29 nyg10. Yards count for nothing at all outside a fantasy league.

zeke mowatt said:

yup, defense that gave up 400+ yards..was gouged at will up the middle (wilfork his usual self). And had trouble getting off the field on third down all night.

You can't expect ST to show up like that every week. Sooner or later the "D" is gonna have to stop somebody.

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Its about SCORING DEFENSE not yards allowed. While im sure BB doesn't like giving up 400 yards im sure he'll take the 14 points allowed.

1 thing for certain on our defense, they sure found the way to make the other team pay on their mistakes. That dictates points off turnovers. Adding the great effort on ST. The foundation is there ladies and Gents!

New Orleans was the 25th ranked defense last year, giving up 357 yards a game and 21 points (20th scoring defense.) However, they were +11 in turnovers. What we did last night is a winning formula in the league these days. The way the defenses have been neutered more often than not you will give up yards, so throw that crap out the window. It's all about making opportunistic plays and taking advantage, which we did last night.

The defense is still horrid in some situations and still gives up tons of yards, but I honestly see a defense that's getting better. That's enough for me to remain optimistic.

reflexblue said:

Its about SCORING DEFENSE not yards allowed. While im sure BB doesn't like giving up 400 yards im sure he'll take the 14 points allowed.

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Scoring defense was deceptive last year because the Pats were 3rd in the league in time of possession. They limited how often the defense had to be on the field, so that 5th in points allowed is a little skewed. This year, the pendulum has swung the other way (averaging 28 minutes, instead of 32), so we can say the defense is what it is a little easier.

In the Miami game, the defense gave up 14 points in 33 minutes of game time. That's a pretty good effort, however ugly a few drives may have looked.

Okay, this might out the homer in me, but......

Also, we did get skewered quite a bit, but if you notice (I did), most of the stuff was in front of the defense. Unlike some of the other games, outside of the 2 TD plays and perhaps a couple more, the defense closed fast on the receptions and limited in YAC. Seemed that way anyhow. We were playing a soft zone, and when they made a play, someone was generally in position to close up the play and limit the damaged. Once they got into Henne's rythem, they were able to get into good positions to capitalize on his mistake (Ninko even jumped a route for one of his INT).

They still gave up lots of yards, but they felt like much more controlled yards (only on re-watching the game - not during where I was screaming at the TV). Very much ala 2001 (classic bend, don't break), then in weeks past were it was just a lot of "wing and a prayer: defense happening. Like I said, that could be the homer in me, but I saw progress. Marked progress.

chris66 said:

Defense gave up 400 yds of offense. If they can keep creating turnovers then they will be fine. If they dont then the offense will need to consistently put up 30 pts

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Scoring on defense and special teams takes away possessions from your offense. That means the defense doesn't really get off the field and the other team is constantly driving, so the offensive stats are heavily skewed in their favor.

Batman said:

Last week the giants gave up 279 yards and Eli put up 386 before the 100+ yards the ground game got I guess the giants must have blown out the Titans. Or was it ten29 nyg10. Yards count for nothing at all outside a fantasy league.

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In Week Three, three teams put up over 500 yards of offense and lost. Six teams put up less than 300 yards with four winning.

Personally, the two most significant events yesterday were the 4th down stop and the long second half TD drive. Those two things were what we missed on the road last year.

The fourth down stop was especially great because it showed playmaking, play recognition, and execution.

The next step up is going to be third down. Seems the pass rush is going to drive that.