The Pats have controlled the points scored against them to a pretty reasonable level, they finished 10th in the NFL. But a DC has to do better than that to say he's done a "great job." 10th in points allowed this year is 21/game, hardly the stuff of legend, injuries or not.
A DC doing a "great job" wouldn't likely be involved with letting a weak Miami team score 24 points and convert one important 3rd down after another. Or not be able to help his team stop Houston and a shaky rookie QB from racking up 31 and keep things too close for comfort.
Hey, I think our D is capable of better things, and has certainly proved it can make a big play here and there. The players, to me, are better than the scheme and have carried Patricia to a certain extent, not vice versa.
Given the devastation to our defense from injuries, I don't really see how you can say the players are carrying it. We're all well aware of the losses of Wilfork, Mayo, and Kelly, but I think what's been more understated are the injuries to players who are playing again but nowhere near the level they were before.
Talib hasn't been the same, although thankfully it looks like he's returning to form. Dennard is flat out not healthy right now - thank God it looks like we might have a find in Ryan. This lack of depth forces Arrington outside where he's far more mediocre.
Hopefully McCourty's fine for the playoffs. Gregory is probably our hugest liability in the secondary right now, but he was solid before he was injured. The biggest thing I've noticed (admittedly from watching the games and not in-depth analysis) is his tackling has taken a huge downturn.
In terms of the front 7, Siliga, Chris Jones, and Jamie Collins have all filled in about as well as we could hope them to, and there is admittedly huge upside to Collins and maybe Siliga. But you just can't replace players like Wilfork and Mayo.
I will give huge props to the players for making plays they need to make to win games, but I think the effect of the coaching manifests in their execution and goes beyond just the play-calling. Given the talent we fielded this season, I think averaging 21 points a game is pretty damn good.
My biggest gripe with the defense has been them struggling with third and long all season getting burned on the screen and check-down passes. I'm not sure how you mitigate against that, but it's been pretty horrendous.