Some Reality Regarding Our Defense

[mgteich]

How many of our top 15 defensive players were out injured on Sunday?
How many of those playing were wearing casts or braces?

We have a bunch of injured and new players trying to learn a new defense, after having a much shortened off-season. They will improve. For example, the stopping of the best rushing offense in the nfl was indeed impressive. Would last year's defense be expected to do as well?

 

[D-Money]

I am not buying it.This team, especially the defensive line have problems just getting a push.I wish there was a big time DE available during the trading deadline but there never is.Our draft picks are enticing though.

 

[BradyFTW!]

I'm kind of a homer, and even I have to acknowledge that our defense is pretty bad. It could get better, though, so no need to panic.

 

[Darolyn72]

Ryan Kerrigan, Clay Matthews, Jabaal Sheard, Carlos Dunlap, Conor Barwin, I mean Aaron Maybin, who the Jets got for nothing was healthy.

Also James Sanders and Brandon Meriweather were healthy too. As was Page. Injuries are the call of the loser - See Red Sox.

 

[Major **********]

How many of them were out injured in week one and two? The offseason was the same length for all teams. Assuming the offseason starts the day after the SB.

 

[JoeShmoe]

Cant escape the fact that letting Seymour go was an awful decision, however you try and dress it up. IMHO the defense has never recovered from that

 

[Major **********]

Cant escape the fact that letting Seymour go was an awful decision, however you try and dress it up. IMHO the defense has never recovered from that

I've seen some ****ty defenses with him still on this team.

 

[Sicilian]

Cant escape the fact that letting Seymour go was an awful decision, however you try and dress it up. IMHO the defense has never recovered from that

Disclaimer about him being one player, blah blah blah but... we DID just beat Seymour on Sunday. And part of the reason we did is because we had Solder to play for an injured Vollmer at RT. How did we get Solder again...?

 

[patfanken]

Cant escape the fact that letting Seymour go was an awful decision, however you try and dress it up. IMHO the defense has never recovered from that

PLEASE! let it go. If Seymour was on this team it would have made no DIFFERENCE. In fact it would be WORSE. How would this team look right now without Wilfolk, and Solder, and everyone else you have to let go because of his ENORMOUS salary.... The pass rush would be just as shabby, and Brady would be in traction waiting for Volmer to get healthy. Didn't you watch the last game. The only time that 15MM dollar DLineman got close to Brady was after the whistle blew. And didn't you just happen to notice that the Pats rushed for close to 200 yds against a team WITH Richard Seymour

Sorry Joe, but your comment might have had some merit in 2009, but when you make it now, it just doesn't meet the standard of simple common sense, No the fact is Joe, no matter how YOU "dress it up", letting Seymour go (before he left on his own in just a year) was the RIGHT one.

 

[Shelterdog]

Cant escape the fact that letting Seymour go was an awful decision, however you try and dress it up. IMHO the defense has never recovered from that

Ok, say they were able to extend him for 3/36 or something (less then he took in Oakland).

Free up $12 million in cap space in 2009 and 2011 (and $12 million in actual spending in 2010 because we have to assume they were on a budget)

Cutting players who we thought would be good but sucked in hindsight doesn't count. Saying player X would have played for less doesn't count either-the Pats would have made them take less if they could have.

GO!

 

[Major **********]

Maybe Seymour could have performed an Exorcism on McCourty and rid him of Buttlers spirit. Maybe Seymour could have provided our safeties with a GPS unit so they can figure out the proper route/angle to a tackle. (I wonder why he didn't do that for Meriweather in 07 and 08?) Maybe he could have sprinkled pixie dust on our linebackes and then they magically could have the ability to cover a TE/RB. And we all know that Seymour is Gods gift to pass rush needy defenses.
Out of many personel/draft mistakes this team has made trading Seymour was not one of them.

 

[JJDChE]

The only way to go is up at this point. I think it's mostly an issue of new guys and lack of playing time together in a new defense. I expect the defense to play well in the second half.

I'll get worried if the defense is costing us games in week 10. As of now, it's hard to watch, but that's generally been the trend with our defenses, they almost always play much better in the second half.

I'll add, we definitely have the personnel to be a top 10 defense. I think as the season wears on they'll start throwing more wrinkles in and things will look much better. They seem to be playing extremely vanilla right now. I think BB is worried about unleashing them until everyone is up to speed.

 

[shmessy]

Ryan Kerrigan, Clay Matthews, Jabaal Sheard, Carlos Dunlap, Conor Barwin, I mean Aaron Maybin, who the Jets got for nothing was healthy.

Also James Sanders and Brandon Meriweather were healthy too. As was Page. Injuries are the call of the loser - See Red Sox.

Umm....you DO know the Pats actually WON the game on Sunday.

.....and did it by giving up 18 fewer points than your "awesome" Jets D the week before against the same team.

I know it's Jets Week and you're excited to be here, but you have no ammo right now, sista.

.....and regarding the Red Sox reference? Jeter at the plate in the 7th and 9th last night

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

The defense is poor right now but it'll help us fly under the radar.

Down the stretch when we usually step it up on D we face some weak offenses if I remember the schedule correctly. That should allow us to slip under the radar even more as everyone will just say the defense is doing better because they're playing 'crap' teams. If we get a decent amount of our injured guys back it's going to be legit. Watch, in the playoffs it'll be a pleasant suprise, given our offense/ST's doesn't crap the bed again and hang hem out to dry.

 

[shmessy]

The defense is poor right now but it'll help us fly under the radar.

Down the stretch when we usually step it up on D we face some weak offenses if I remember the schedule correctly. That should allow us to slip under the radar even more as everyone will just say the defense is doing better because they're playing 'crap' teams. If we get a decent amount of our injured guys back it's going to be legit. Watch, in the playoffs it'll be a pleasant suprise, given our offense/ST's doesn't crap the bed again and hang hem out to dry.

Sounds like a certain "Hey kid, just don't screw it up" offense from the 2001 season.

That being said, the hole at safety is bad.

 

[Guts]

The Patriots D Line looked pretty good against a good O line(#1 rushing offense) making Jason Campbell to move outside the pocket. The execution of the secondary could have been better seemed like Chung and McCourty were keeping things from falling apart. I have hope for the D they will be fine to me it just seems like executing the tackling. BB has put them in places to succeed. More optimism considering the fact we were missing Bodden, Ras, Haynesworth and lost Mayo just patienceour O will carry us specially with a balanced attack to burn the clock and the D will eventually be good enough to have a shot at a playoff Ws. We last in yards allowed but all that matters is points and we 22nd I think I'm more impressed with the Red Zone D they have made stops.

 

[TruthSeeker]

Cant escape the fact that letting Seymour go was an awful decision, however you try and dress it up. IMHO the defense has never recovered from that

Ya, having Seymour not play the 2009 season was really a disaster.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

Sounds like a certain "Hey kid, just don't screw it up" offense from the 2001 season.

That being said, the hole at safety is bad.

As bad as the 2001 offense was, other than a Brady pick in the snow bowl game they did not put the defense in a tough position during the playoff games. 99% of the time they and the punt unit were able to at least give the other team a long field to work with on change of possession.

Last year the Jets started in our territory 3 or 4 times, and they had it around midfield a couple more times off big returns. In '09, Baltimore started in our territory like 3 straight possessions. Not saying the D wasn't partially to blame, but we can't expect them to win games for us when put in those situations.

Agreed on the safeties, well the defensive backfield in general. Either BB has something up his sleeve don't or letting Sanders/Butler go were major mistakes. Even Wilhite to some degree, from a depth perspective.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

Nmind, I think I completely misunderstood the point of your post

 

[Metaphors]

The Pats defense has been perfect this year when they are behind. Haven't given up a single point or yard. Anyone have any issues with that?