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LMAO listening to the excuses in this thread are priceless. We're ranked close to 30 in most defensive stastics arent we? So I really don't see how much better this defense actually gets. It will be a damn shame to have this squad miss a playoff appearance over a weak defense. I'm hoping the young guys gel but it sounds like everyone has given up on this season already saying it's just re-building.
As the thread focuses on Peppers, the relevant question is how would he change anything other than the payroll? How does Peppers fix this defense? I agree with Deus that the Pats would be better served to pay for Seymour rather than Peppers, and a huge expenditure on Seymour at his age would likely not be money well spent.
And you expect BB planned on losing Warren and Bodden, two core veterans, before the season? How does a head coach anticipate those losses for an entire season? The success of the Pats defense has been a combination of veterans and draft picks, and the trio of Ted Johnson, Willie and Tedy (2nd round, 1st round and 3rd round - pretty much the same rounds as the current backers) was continuity. Tedy was a developmental project, a converted DE, who did not rock the world his first few years with the Pats. These guys were all on the field long before BB showed up, so the success of his scheme was not immediate after he arrived in 2000 based on new personnel added to the mix. He now also has to contend with prior assistants who employ the same practices in grabbing up veterans, so the market for positive additions has changed significantly. The Pats defenses turn on execution, not raw talent, and execution ain't happening right now. These are not excuses, they are realities. Observing that the defense is currently ranked 30th and therefore the obvious proposition that the defense is not working as it should right now does not say anything about whether it will work.
With a ton of rookies and new editions on the field due to injuries and roster deletions, I would still be very surprised if this defense remains at the bottom at the end of the season. Will this defense be a top 10? I seriously doubt it. My hope is it ends up in the teens by the playoffs to play with a top offense and compete for a title.