Where is the AFC defense that's going to stop us this season?

[goheels22002]

I don't see it.

The only AFC defense that's traditionally given us trouble is Baltimore and that defense no longer exists. It's gone, never to return.

I see Seattle being a monster, but unless we see them in the Superbowl, we won't see them at all.

This is one of the many reasons I'm really optimistic this year. I don't see the road block for us anywhere.

Am I forgetting about anyone?

I see all sorts of roadblocks for an offense which has a 36-year-old quarterback who is going to rely heavily on rookies in the passing game, and needs unproven tight ends to step up as blockers and pass catchers.

New England Patriots 2013 Schedule - Patriots Home and Away - ESPN

The AFC North is a grind - all four teams have solid to excellent defenses. Cleveland and Cincinnati are not pushovers and Pittsburgh and Baltimore are top ten defenses.

Denver has a good defense, made better by the offense that can move the chains and keep the defense off the field (especially with Wes Welker). The Broncos finished 2nd in the NFL in total yards allowed, 3rd in passing yards allowed and 4th in points allowed. Denver's defense allowed the fewest points in the AFC last year.

The NFC South this year is no trip through the tulips either - Carolina, New Orleans, Atlanta and Tampa Bay.

That stretch of games - Pittsburgh, @Carolina, Denver, @Houston in November-December is a gauntlet.

There are a lot of good offenses on that schedule that won't be shy about getting into a shoot-out with the Patriots.

I wouldn't let a couple of series in a pre-season opener get you over-confident. Thank God for the AFC East.

 

[PatsSox363804]

Let's not do this. We have no idea how this offense will look in the regular season yet and there are several good defenses on our schedule.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

I don't see it.

The only AFC defense that's traditionally given us trouble is Baltimore and that defense no longer exists. It's gone, never to return.

I see Seattle being a monster, but unless we see them in the Superbowl, we won't see them at all.

This is one of the many reasons I'm really optimistic this year. I don't see the road block for us anywhere.

Am I forgetting about anyone?

Houston gets the return of Brian Cushing who is their version of Jerod Mayo and he is the heart and soul of thier front 7...then you also have JJ Watt and the addition of Ed Reed,who if he returns even semi healthy,is still a top 3 Safety in the league.

If Houston remains healthy on defense,I see them shutting down a lot of teams,including New England.

A healthy Texans team is a 14 win team IMO and the team you will have to go through to get to the SB.

 

[FirstAndGoal]

Got to love preseason. Everybody thinks their team is a Super Bowl winner

Even the Jets have threads on how they are "going to surprise everyone". There's a thread like this on every board.

 

[TB12_laser designator]

Can we hold off with the both acclamation of the offense and the destroying of the defense? It was one exhibition game against a team with a new HC, a new DC, switching from the 4-3 to the 3-4 without having the right personnel, missing a starting CB, and having a poor secondary even had all the starters been in there.

I don't know who that is directed at, but in my post just preceding it I said....

if we can build on this promising young offense and if it stays healthy. Then we should have enough threats and options on the field to see them off.

Take note of my use of the word 'if' there and I also referred to 'seeing the off', which in no way implied that anyone is being 'destroyed'. I did qualify my optimism with the word 'if' so I was not being presumptuous. The Patriots have an offense full of new targets for Brady and I cannot recall in all my years following the Pats, to have ever seen such a talented and mouth watering bunch of young rookie WR's heading into a season. So I make no apologies for being optimistic.

Cast your mind back to Ochocinco, a guy that didn’t even know where to line up most of the time. Or Brandon fall to the ground Lloyd. Didn’t Brady have to force feed him 130+ passes for him to have 74 receptions? So using those yardsticks, who can blame people for being a little excited and hopeful for the season ahead? It certainly makes a refreshing difference from where we were on the 26th of June last

Now I appreciate your post may not have been directed at my post. But since it was non-specific in nature, I felt obligated to just offer some further elaboration on the rationale behind the thinking in my earlier contribution.

Disclaimer: As our main AFC nemesis in recent seasons, I only focussed on the Ravens defence in my last post. Which was not to disregard some significant defensive tests, that our schedule coughs up this season.

 

[Rob0729]

I am not ready to declare this offense as unstoppable by any defense but the elite defenses yet. There are a lot of very encouraging signs about the offense, but I am still only cautiously optimistic. I always felt the demise of this offense was a bit overrated.

As for which AFC teams will have the best defenses capable of stopping the Pats' offense if it is as good as they looked on Friday, my money would be on Houston, Cincy, and Miami. If all of Baltimore's additions hit, they will be in the mix. Still skeptical at this point.

 

[sb1]

I can't wait till our defense is mentioned in topics like this on other teams' boards a couple years down the road....

 

[VrabelJr]

Houston, if healthy can definitely give us problems. Lets not forget they were down to their 3rd and 4th LBs when we played them last year. Brian Cushing is a huge difference maker and they also added Ed Reed.

Cincinnati has one of the best defensive lines in the league. If they can get pressure with four then we are in trouble.

Also, lets not forget about the Jets. While they are offensively inept they have a pretty good front seven that is young. Muhammed Willerson looked like a top 5 DT for most of last year. Quinton Coples was close to Chandler Jones' productivity. They added Antonio Garay who is a decent veteran NT and drafted my favorite DT in the draft Sheldon Richardson. David Harris is still there. Antonio Cromartie is doing things I never believed he could. Overall still a pretty good defense.

 

[Deus Irae]

I don't know who that is directed at, but in my post just preceding it I said....



Take note of my use of the word 'if' there and I also referred to 'seeing the off', which in no way implied that anyone is being 'destroyed'. I did qualify my optimism with the word 'if' so I was not being presumptuous. The Patriots have an offense full of new targets for Brady and I cannot recall in all my years following the Pats, to have ever seen such a talented and mouth watering bunch of young rookie WR's heading into a season. So I make no apologies for being optimistic.

Cast your mind back to Ochocinco, a guy that didn’t even know where to line up most of the time. Or Brandon fall to the ground Lloyd. Didn’t Brady have to force feed him 130+ passes for him to have 74 receptions? So using those yardsticks, who can blame people for being a little excited and hopeful for the season ahead? It certainly makes a refreshing difference from where we were on the 26th of June last

Now I appreciate your post may not have been directed at my post. But since it was non-specific in nature, I felt obligated to just offer some further elaboration on the rationale behind the thinking in my earlier contribution.

Disclaimer: As our main AFC nemesis in recent seasons, I only focussed on the Ravens defence in my last post. Which was not to disregard some significant defensive tests, that our schedule coughs up this season.

My comment was a general one. By talking about the defense, I was pointing to the counter to the offense. The Patriots offense shouldn't be built up off of one game any more than the Patriots defense should be bashed off of one game. This was one preseason game against a team that had little to no scheme work installed, and that's true on both sides.

We won't know much about the 'team' aspect of either the offense or defense until after the third exhibition game, and even that will offer us just a glimpse of what may be to come.

 

[Triumph]

Cleveland dominated a 2010 offense that went on to outscore the 2007 Pats over the final 8 games.

In 2011, the Giants allowed 17 and 14 first half points to Buffalo and Miami, respectively, the two weeks before holding NE to a goose egg.

NE will have at least a couple bad showings, no matter how bad the opponent looked beforehand.

Historically, Brady has had bad games every season. This Pats will struggle this season as well where nothing seems to click. It happens to all teams.

 

[Triumph]

Houston gets the return of Brian Cushing who is their version of Jerod Mayo and he is the heart and soul of thier front 7...then you also have JJ Watt and the addition of Ed Reed,who if he returns even semi healthy,is still a top 3 Safety in the league.

If Houston remains healthy on defense,I see them shutting down a lot of teams,including New England.

A healthy Texans team is a 14 win team IMO and the team you will have to go through to get to the SB.

I have the Houston game as a loss 12/1.

The Texans will be out for revenge at their house.

 

[Triumph]

Im wondering when this defense is going to stop a franchise QB? This year:

Brees
P Manning
Rothlisberger
Flacco

All have handed the Pats a loss with their solid play.

Ryan
Dalton
Schaub

Still have something to prove. Flacco took the step last season.

 

[Henroc]

Would be awesome if pats go to sb. I'm already in the area so that wouldnt be an issue. But hopefully they win it. Its true what a few analysts have said, the harder conference is the nfc. Seattle sf green bay nyg atlanta new orleans its a toss with them with who goes to playoffs because u just don't know. But here's to being optimistic :-D

 

[TB12_laser designator]

My comment was a general one. By talking about the defense, I was pointing to the counter to the offense. The Patriots offense shouldn't be built up off of one game any more than the Patriots defense should be bashed off of one game. This was one preseason game against a team that had little to no scheme work installed, and that's true on both sides.

We won't know much about the 'team' aspect of either the offense or defense until after the third exhibition game, and even that will offer us just a glimpse of what may be to come.

I agree, but right now my concern mainly lies with the secondary. Particularly at CB and that concern is a carry over from last season. If Dennard is out for any reason then it will be a worry. Cole and Dowling couldn't cover a cup, never mind a WR. Ryan hasn't shown much in recent weeks and overall we are threadbare. I just hope they don't blink too soon and move McCourty back from Safety.

 

[Rob0729]

Houston gets the return of Brian Cushing who is their version of Jerod Mayo and he is the heart and soul of thier front 7...then you also have JJ Watt and the addition of Ed Reed,who if he returns even semi healthy,is still a top 3 Safety in the league.

If Houston remains healthy on defense,I see them shutting down a lot of teams,including New England.

A healthy Texans team is a 14 win team IMO and the team you will have to go through to get to the SB.

IDK, I just wonder if Houston's defense is not built to beat the Pats' offense. We have seen in the past that even some elite defenses are not built to stop certain types of offenses (see the Steelers' defense vs. the Pats' offense). Historically, Wade Phillips has not done all that well vs. Brady and the Pats' offense.

 

[sb1]

Im wondering when this defense is going to stop a franchise QB? This year:

Brees
P Manning
Rothlisberger
Flacco

All have handed the Pats a loss with their solid play.

Ryan
Dalton
Schaub

Still have something to prove. Flacco took the step last season.

Yep.

And it's not just the QBs, it's also the offensive weapons and tandems that they will be facing this year... guys that can run and catch the ball out of the backfield. These guys have given the Pats D fits in recent years.

This schedule is a real meat grinder for the defense. I hope they're ready for the challenge otherwise it won't matter how much the offense misses Welker and AH.