A Balanced Look at the Defense

[Ring 6]

Actually, making a stop in the Red Zone to preserve the win is the definition of clutch.

But allowing a long 2 minute drill drive to let the other team into the red zone is the definition of not clutch.

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

An 18-0 team with a suspect defense lost the SB....see a pattern here yet, if not WAKE UP

You mean a defense that gave 17 points in the Super Bowl? In the last 20 years, only three teams have given up LESS points in a Super Bowl...Thanks for playing...

 

[PatriotFan77]

But allowing a long 2 minute drill drive to let the other team into the red zone is the definition of not clutch.

Nope sorry, there are no varying degrees of clutchness, it's either clutch, or it isn't.

If a batter goes 0-20 in the first 6 games of the world series but hits the game winner in the bottom of the 9th of game 7 with 3-2 count and two outs, that guy is clutch.

 

[Jangles]

Objectively, factually, statistically speaking, that is exactly what the defense did.

You seem to be confused on what all these words mean.

Pats were getting beat all over the field, then received a gift.

Much like the recent financial crisis. They dug themselves such a deep hole, they struck oil. Lucky them

 

[Jangles]

Nope sorry, there are no varying degrees of clutchness, it's either clutch, or it isn't.

Agreed

And nothing about the Patriots today was clutch

 

[andrewgarrr]

Agreed

And nothing about the Patriots today was clutch

Game clinching interception?

 

[mb6592]

Is there a NFL defense that wouldn't succeed with an offense scoring 30-35 PPG?

You have a bunch of NFL defenses that are giving up close to 30 a game. The Pats aren't one of them.

Nice try, but you didn't answer my question.

And, the defenses you speak of don't have offenses scoring 30 PPG:

Colts (defense PPG: 29.8, offense: 14.5)
Vikings (defense PPG: 27.5, offense: 20.5)
Bucs (defense PPG: 27.4, offense: 18.2)
Panthers (defense PPG: 27.0, offense: 24.2)
Giants (defense PPG: 26.3, offense: 23.9)
Raiders (defense PPG: 25.7, offense: 22.8)

Patriots (defense PPG: 20.6, offense: 30.2)

The question is how would their defenses perform if they were getting 6-16 more points per game from their offense.

 

[Jangles]

Game clinching interception?

Mayo made a good play

But Moss handed him that ball. It wasn't a display of freak athleticism, and he didn't "make a play." He just didn't drop the ball.

Although maybe not dropping a ball placed right into your hands is clutch by this defenses standards.

 

[PatriotFan77]

Game clinching interception?

Don't bother andrew, there is just no getting through to the sports idiots I guess.

 

[ausbacker]

Game clinching interception?

The defense was poor again today but without the fumble recovery touchdown and the interception by (that playmaker) Mayo, the Patriots may not have won. As frustrating as it was to watch, when needed they came through.

The D is incredibly annoying because they don't come close to playing complete games. The two best games of the season the D played, IMO were against the Jets.

At this point, I don't think we can understate the loss of Spikes and Chung for what it offers the D.

 

[bigfandan]

Recent study by Orford University: people that tend to use words like idiots, or morons score avg 10-14 points lower on IQ test.

Possible cause: inferiority complex.

Don't bother andrew, there is just no getting through to the sports idiots I guess.

 

[Ring 6]

Nope sorry, there are no varying degrees of clutchness, it's either clutch, or it isn't.

If a batter goes 0-20 in the first 6 games of the world series but hits the game winner in the bottom of the 9th of game 7 with 3-2 count and two outs, that guy is clutch.

Not if he stuck out in the 9th in a tie game with a 32 count and two outs in each of the first 6 games, or the 7th game of 4 other World Series.

 

[mb6592]

You are joking right?
I wrote a post assessing the defenses role in winning or losing. Someone called them middle of the road, and I said I WOULD ASSUME that being good enough to deserve to win 9 out of 12 is better than middle of the road, and that is your response that

Again, if you to lie about what I post to argue with me that should tell you something about the strength of your argument.

Dude, you're lost. So if I'd had said, Andy assumes this team is a top ten defense based on his BS "factual" analysis of the past 12 games, I'd have been on firmer ground? What kind of BS word play are you basking in?

 

[RobertWeathers]

Nice try, but you didn't answer my question.

And, the defenses you speak of don't have offenses scoring 30 PPG:

Colts (defense PPG: 29.8, offense: 14.5)
Vikings (defense PPG: 27.5, offense: 20.5)
Bucs (defense PPG: 27.4, offense: 18.2)
Panthers (defense PPG: 27.0, offense: 24.2)
Giants (defense PPG: 26.3, offense: 23.9)
Raiders (defense PPG: 25.7, offense: 22.8)

Patriots (defense PPG: 20.6, offense: 30.2)

The question is how would their defenses perform if they were getting 6-16 more points per game from their offense.

The Patriots' defense is better than the ones your list.

 

[Ring 6]

Dude, you're lost. So if I'd had said, Andy assumes this team is a top ten defense based on his BS "factual" analysis of the past 12 games, I'd have been on firmer ground? What kind of BS word play are you basking in?

Its not word play, its either a lack of reading comprehension or a fear of anything not overly negative with you, I haven't figured out which.

I posted a breakdown of how the D impacted winning or losing in the first 12 games.
You have tried to turn that into me giving an opinion of how good the defense is or isn't.
Just because you want to be a crybaby and complain about what you feel you are entitled to as a fan does not mean that every comment about the defense that isn't frought with negativity is someone ranking it as Top 10, as if that means anything anyway.

My OP was a breakdown of each game, not a method of ranking the defense.
If there are individual games that you disagree with the commentary on , feel free, but you have not done that.
If you wish to put a ranking on what playing well enough to deserve to win 9 of 12 games is, by all means you can go right ahead and do that. I did not, and I never intended to, although it would seem obvious that playing well enough to win 9 of 12 must be better than average since logic dictates 6 of 12 would be average.

I think what you should recognize here is what is brutally evident from the OP. Folks like you, The Entitled, are trying to judge the defense by whatever means your knowledge and intellect determine you think are appropriate. Since that includes an enormous amount of metrics, a plethora of variables, and at best is incredibly debatable using different statistic to account for different opinions, the most unadulterated way to judge the cumulative play of a defense is what its contribution to winning or losing is.

What you should really be taking from this is that if a breakdown of whether the defense contributed to winning or losing sounds to positive to you, then the means you are using to reach your judgment, limited by your knowledge and intellect, appear to be wrong. Will your knowledge and intellect allow you to see that is the question.

 

[crowell33]

12,094 posts. I think you've earned a break - say 'til around April.

Amen. 10 char

 

[mb6592]

The Patriots' defense is better than the ones your list.

Wha? The Patriots defense is better than the Giants defense?

 

[alvinnf]

Mayo made a good play

But Moss handed him that ball. It wasn't a display of freak athleticism, and he didn't "make a play." He just didn't drop the ball.

Although maybe not dropping a ball placed right into your hands is clutch by this defenses standards.

So they can either be bad or lucky, not good.
First off, the other guys get paid too.
Secondly, the coach of the opposing team is very good and has been a challenge for NE's system or BB over the years.
Give credit where credit is due. Was. had a great game plan all day and they stayed a step ahead of the defense. But, when nut cuttin time came, NE made a play. The hardest part of all for you, is that Rex didn't cough it up. So it's harder to explain, ie; LUCK!

It's better to be lucky than good?

 

[mb6592]

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I fixed it for you.

There's no way to walk away from:

I would assume (the Patriots' defense) playing well enough to deserve to win 9 of 12 places them solidly above middle of the road.

This ridiculous statement is the culmination of your million posts relaying BS stats that are meant to show that this defense is somehow "solidly above middle of the road." You're selling that position and no one (well, no one sane) is buying it. You can write 10 pages of nothing and nothing will change the intent of your posts (nor, apparently, you're mistaken belief in this defense).

 

[Ring 6]

I fixed it for you.

There's no way to walk away from:



This ridiculous statement is the culmination of your million posts relaying BS stats that are meant to show that this defense is somehow "solidly above middle of the road." You're selling that position and no one (well, no one sane) is buying it. You can write 10 pages of nothing and nothing will change the intent of your posts (nor, apparently, you're mistaken belief in this defense).

So let me get this straight. We are now arguing over what I intended when I wrote a post, and you are telling me that what you think I intended is right, and what I think I intended is wrong?
Priceless.