Our Amazing Defensive Turnaround

[Brownfan80]

Great post. I attribute the defensive improvement to three things:

Tedy Bruschi (he leads the run defense and aligns the pass defense)
Richard Seymour returning
and Ellis Hobbs/Hawkins over Starks/string of 5 random SSs.

Hobbs and Hawkins don't get as much credit from the average poster as Bru and Sey, but to me they have had as much to do with this turnaround as anybody, Hobbs in particular. Be it his INTs or pass breakups, Ellis has given us a CB that actually makes plays on the BALL to stop drives instead of a CB who makes tackles after the catch as both Starks and Asante did/have done.

The play against Tampa this past week where Ellis bucked up on that comeback route the reciever ran and forced the ball out... how many times did we see that same route on Starks, and how many times have we STILL seen those comeback routes against Asante? What happens? Completion, if we're lucky a tackle, and the chains move.

Ellis is the only guy making plays consistently and not giving up those easy yards from the CB spot. Unfortunately Asante still is. He needs to step up before he starts gettin the Starks treatment (every pass his way since the QB knows he can't stop it).

 

[mgteich]

We are now incredibly good against a running team with a mediocre passing offense, no matter how good the overall team. To me, that means we measure up well against JAX and PITT. We do not measure up as well against Indy, Cinci and KC.

Great post. I attribute the defensive improvement to three things:

Tedy Bruschi (he leads the run defense and aligns the pass defense)
Richard Seymour returning
and Ellis Hobbs/Hawkins over Starks/string of 5 random SSs.

Hobbs and Hawkins don't get as much credit from the average poster as Bru and Sey, but to me they have had as much to do with this turnaround as anybody, Hobbs in particular. Be it his INTs or pass breakups, Ellis has given us a CB that actually makes plays on the BALL to stop drives instead of a CB who makes tackles after the catch as both Starks and Asante did/have done.

The play against Tampa this past week where Ellis bucked up on that comeback route the reciever ran and forced the ball out... how many times did we see that same route on Starks, and how many times have we STILL seen those comeback routes against Asante? What happens? Completion, if we're lucky a tackle, and the chains move.

Ellis is the only guy making plays consistently and not giving up those easy yards from the CB spot. Unfortunately Asante still is. He needs to step up before he starts gettin the Starks treatment (every pass his way since the QB knows he can't stop it).

 

[BelichickFan]

We are now incredibly good against a running team with a mediocre passing offense, no matter how good the overall team. To me, that means we measure up well against JAX and PITT. We do not measure up as well against Indy, Cinci and KC.

Might not measure up. I still say that Hawkins should be able to come close to the coverage that Rodney had (not the overall Safety). If the front seven can stop the run and allow Hawkins to play more coverage, we mostly need Wilson and Samuel to play at the level they did last year. I like Hobbs a little more than Gay, he's somewhat more of a playmaker. Down the road I would like a #1 CB to make Hobbs at #2 and Samuel and Gay would be a very strong #3,#4 CB.

 

[Brownfan80]

We are now incredibly good against a running team with a mediocre passing offense, no matter how good the overall team. To me, that means we measure up well against JAX and PITT. We do not measure up as well against Indy, Cinci and KC.

I firmly agree with you. But I do believe we're better equipped to handle those teams than we were five weeks ago. I think between Ellis Hobbs stepping up so well and Hawkins actually knowing what he's doing back there that we'd have better coverage than we did with Starks and whoever was playing safety the first time we played Indy.

 

[flutie2phelan]

Great Post.

Check out this weeks Aikman Efficiency Rankings where the Patriots Defense over the past 4 weeks is the best in the league.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/5184224

Hadn't heard of the Aikman Efficiency Ratings before ... so thanx for bringing them up.

Notable further down that link is that ... in that same recent period ... the Pats' offense ranks 4th - four notches above the Colts.

Also, combined ... the Patriots lead the league.

 

[shakadave]

Who's helped the most?

JJDChE, thanks for one of the most brilliant posts of the Super Bowl era! A defense can't improve much more than going from #32 to #1!!!

Here's my two cents' worth on which Patriot defenders are most responsible for improving our TEAM defense since Week 11, either by their appearance, reappearance, or improvement in their play:

1. Bruschi
2. Seymour
3. Hawkins
4. Hobbs
5. Colvin
6. Wilfork
7. Vrabel

Other similar lists would be welcome.

 

[JJDChE]

I think Willfork is the key to our improved run defense. Even after Seymour came back the line was still getting pushed back a bit. Not as much as when he was out, but still not controlling the LOS. Once Wilfork started controlling his spot, everything rolled from there. Now they are blowing the other team off the ball. It's a thing of beauty.

 

[Fanfrom1960]

I think Willfork is the key to our improved run defense. Even after Seymour came back the line was still getting pushed back a bit. Not as much as when he was out, but still not controlling the LOS. Once Wilfork started controlling his spot, everything rolled from there. Now they are blowing the other team off the ball. It's a thing of beauty.

Wilfork left the Tampa Bay game with some kind of injury, but he's not on the injury list. Guess he's OK?

 

[Brownfan80]

Wilfork left the Tampa Bay game with some kind of injury, but he's not on the injury list. Guess he's OK?

I believe he came back into the game later.

 

[Fanfrom1960]

I believe he came back into the game later.

That's good. A lot of tonnage on those hooves.

 

[spacecrime]

That info is a little deceptive, because we had Rodney to start the season, and the last 3 QB's we have faced have not been good quarterbacks.

When a defense faces a bad quarterback, they can focus more on the run and put pressure on the offensive line.

I don't think we'll really know how good this defense is until the playoffs.

Last week it was we won't really know until we play the Bucs. Had tghe Bucs beaten us, you would have been the first to shout it out loud. But since we beat them, there is no mention of how this (Bucs game) was supposed to be the test game for the Pats.

I'm sure that if/when we win a game in the playoffs, you will find another "Yeah, but..." somewhere. "Yeah, but JAX didn't have lLeftwich" or "Yeah, but the Pats played at home" or "yeah but..."

 

[Brownfan80]

Last week it was we won't really know until we play the Bucs. Had tghe Bucs beaten us, you would have been the first to shout it out loud. But since we beat them, there is no mention of how this (Bucs game) was supposed to be the test game for the Pats.

I'm sure that if/when we win a game in the playoffs, you will find another "Yeah, but..." somewhere. "Yeah, but JAX didn't have lLeftwich" or "Yeah, but the Pats played at home" or "yeah but..."

I thought I was the most notorious negative poster around these parts ~

Actually I think Mikey's passed me as the most notorious.

 

[mgteich]

It's not a matter of yeah but's. You are certainly free to believe that our defense is the best in the league even though we've haven't beaten a decent passing offense with a solid quarterback all year.

We should have two tough offenses on the way to the Super Bowl, about the same as any other year.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

I thought I was the most notorious negative poster around these parts ~

Actually I think Mikey's passed me as the most notorious.

mikey would like to be notorious, you at least worked hard for the recognition.

 

[JJDChE]

It's not a matter of yeah but's. You are certainly free to believe that our defense is the best in the league even though we've haven't beaten a decent passing offense with a solid quarterback all year.

We should have two tough offenses on the way to the Super Bowl, about the same as any other year.

Two tough offenses is a bit of an understatement. There is a strong possibility that we would have to face Indy, Cincy and Seattle to win the Super Bowl this year. That's #1, #4, #2 scoring offenses, respectively.

If things fall the right way (or wrong way) we still could end up facing San Diego in the WC round. That would mean a likely path through the #1, #2, #3 and #4 scoring offenses. Yikes!