Defensive Coach Belichick

[Rob0729]

My main point is that while we seek message board nirvana of an allpro at every position, this team always has been and always will be based on TEAM defense where the end result is better than the sum of the parts.
There have been a TON of mediocre players who fit in and played big roles on Championship Patriot defenses. Yet, we sit here today with a large number of fans posting as if they are resolved to the fact we are no good any more because Shawn Crable got cut.
I don't much care, its just insulting to the success this team has had and how they actually achieved it.

Well, considering the mantra during the Super Bowl years was that the Pats brought in unspectacular players who would know their role and work as a team goes into it. Going into the 2001 season and even a third of the way in people considered the Pats defense to a mix of has beens and never wases. That team came todgether because players did their job and overachieved.

With proper coaching, this team might be able to repeat that success.

 

[DropKickFlutie]

I would argue that the defense, with Belichick as defensive coordinator, is actually the STRENGTH of this year's team.

Last year's team, without Seymour/Vrabel/Bruschi/Harrison, was still the 5th best defense in the NFL in points allowed. The offense was the unit that failed to close out a few games last year.

From last year to this year, the defense can only improve with so many young promising defensive players having more experience under their belt.

I don't see Butler, Chung, Brace, Mayo, Meriweather, or Guyton regressing or staying the same, but improving and playing even better than they did a year ago.

Comparing last year's team to this year's, any replacement over Burgess or Crable should be comparable, whereas the team also added McCourty, Spikes, and Cunningham. The net in terms of additions/subtractions is positive, not negative.

 

[mgteich]

I would also expect improvement from Ninkovich and Wilhite over 2009.

I would argue that the defense, with Belichick as defensive coordinator, is actually the STRENGTH of this year's team.

Last year's team, without Seymour/Vrabel/Bruschi/Harrison, was still the 5th best defense in the NFL in points allowed. The offense was the unit that failed to close out a few games last year.

From last year to this year, the defense can only improve with so many young promising defensive players having more experience under their belt.

I don't see Butler, Chung, Brace, Mayo, Meriweather, or Guyton regressing or staying the same, but improving and playing even better than they did a year ago.

Comparing last year's team to this year's, any replacement over Burgess or Crable should be comparable, whereas the team also added McCourty, Spikes, and Cunningham. The net in terms of additions/subtractions is positive, not negative.

 

[larryo]

I would argue that the defense, with Belichick as defensive coordinator, is actually the STRENGTH of this year's team.

Last year's team, without Seymour/Vrabel/Bruschi/Harrison, was still the 5th best defense in the NFL in points allowed. The offense was the unit that failed to close out a few games last year.

From last year to this year, the defense can only improve with so many young promising defensive players having more experience under their belt.

I don't see Butler, Chung, Brace, Mayo, Meriweather, or Guyton regressing or staying the same, but improving and playing even better than they did a year ago.

Comparing last year's team to this year's, any replacement over Burgess or Crable should be comparable, whereas the team also added McCourty, Spikes, and Cunningham. The net in terms of additions/subtractions is positive, not negative.

Love that post. Standing O.

 

[HEY BRO! WHAT UP?]

Without making a list, I would put him somewhere in the top 5-10 ILB/MLBs in the league.
Thats based upon ability. Playing in our system he won't have as much visible impact as players at his position in other systems, but I base everything on the guy doing the job he is assigned to do, not whether he is assigned a flashy job or not.
Mayo is a 2 gap 34 ILB. You cannot compare that to a 1 gap 43 MLB who has a defense set up to keep blockers from him. Not that Mayo couldnt do that, but who really cares whether he could or not if he isn't asked to.

Comparing him to 4-3 LB's would be stupid. But he's not a top 3-4 ILB.

 

[Ring 6]

Comparing him to 4-3 LB's would be stupid. But he's not a top 3-4 ILB.

Sure he is. Who do you think are 'top 34 ILBs"?

 

[Ring 6]

Well, considering the mantra during the Super Bowl years was that the Pats brought in unspectacular players who would know their role and work as a team goes into it. Going into the 2001 season and even a third of the way in people considered the Pats defense to a mix of has beens and never wases. That team came todgether because players did their job and overachieved.

With proper coaching, this team might be able to repeat that success.

There is just so much misconception about this franchise. We have a long list of successful rookies in the BB era, yet every year we are told that BB doesnt trust rookies, that our system is too complicated for a rookie, that we can't expect them to play until the end of the season, etc, etc.
Truth is that if there is an opening (ie they aren't blocked by an excellent player) our rookies contribute as much as other teams.When you have the best roster in the NFL for the better part of a decade, of course rookies have a hard time earning playing time.
We rank highly on defense, on 3rd down conversions, on points allowed, but we didn't win the SB, so we sucked on defense, can't get off the field on 3rd down and need 4 new dominant players to compete.
Brady is one of the least sacked QBs in the NFL, yet our OL sucks and Brady is going to get killed.
Bad things happen in a football game to both teams, even when one destroys the other. We are doomed, probably by 2007, to the standard that when a bad thing happens we suck, regardless of how frequently i happens and how much more it happens to every other team.