Will this defense be top ten? (hint: no)

[Interception]

Ninkovich is a great player but he is not an all-pro. Ninkovich does not demand double teams and he is not a game changer.
What is he? The best player on our defensive line.
Chandler Jones comes in at second, as an above average DE.
Our interior DL is unproven, rookies, or coming off of injuries.

Why is this defensive line praised so much? In the other thread about the defense, people were comparing this defense to the 2013 Panthers (second in the league). Does anyone truly believe this defense can be top 5? Seriously?

This is a 15th-25th ranked defense and most likely in the 20s in everything except for scoring.
Feel free to disagree and we'll see who can come back and say "i told you so."

 

[ViperGTS]

Nope but a solid top 10. This D will gel as the season gets longer and the "NASCAR" package gets employed ferociously.

You seem to miss the TEAM concept that has allowed the Pats to be as successful as they have been. So by your logic a BB/Patricia defense will have the potential to be 7th from last in the NFL? Please. The LBs alone make this a top 15 team and Sheard will be a force this season as he settles in.

God it's so ridiculous to post this. How can you possibly write this team off this early? You may end up right, and more power to you. That will however require numerous injuries and a string of extremely bad bounces/luck.

 

[Deflatemyballs]

Lol the pompous "hint: no" in the title is an all time great show of arrogance on this board

 

[Interception]

Nope but a solid top 10. This D will gel as the season gets longer and the "NASCAR" package gets employed ferociously.

You seem to miss the TEAM concept that has allowed the Pats to be as successful as they have been. So by your logic a BB/Patricia defense will have the potential to be 7th from last in the NFL? Please. The LBs alone make this a top 15 team and Sheard will be a force this season as he settles in.

God it's so ridiculous to post this. How can you possibly write this team off this early? You may end up right, and more power to you. That will however require numerous injuries and a string of extremely bad bounces/luck.

The "NASCAR" package? Does this include Brown and Easely, who are both unproven? What makes you so sure they'll be great? What have either one of them done to prove being above average starters?

A BB/Patricia has been worse than 7th from last before... pretty recently, in fact. So what makes it hard to believe it'll happen again...?

I'm not writing the team off but this defense is only rated top 10 by pats fans and it's a bit ridiculous.

Interior DL, every CB, and SS are all huge question marks, are they not?

 

[VectorPrime]

Hint: Possibly

 

[Bruins29]

I dont care and cant stand it part II?

 

[ViperGTS]

Nope but a solid top 10. This D will gel as the season gets longer and the "NASCAR" package gets employed ferociously.

You seem to miss the TEAM concept that has allowed the Pats to be as successful as they have been. So by your logic a BB/Patricia defense will have the potential to be 7th from last in the NFL? Please. The LBs alone make this a top 15 team and Sheard will be a force this season as he settles in.

God it's so ridiculous to post this. How can you possibly write this team off this early? You may end up right, and more power to you. That will however require numerous injuries and a string of extremely bad bounces/luck.

Hey loser boy. Didn't you say feel free to disagree, yet you throw a disagree on my post?

You're a true champ. Fraud.

 

[Gronkowski123]

bend but dont break is the strategy.
tomorrow will be telling if tyrod moves the ball up and down the field.

 

[Adam Seward]

Top 10 scoring D for sure. Yards don't matter, keeping easy points off the board and winning the turnover battle does. How is this doom and gloom over week 1 still a thing?

The DL and LB's are highly regarded for their versatility, allowing Bill & Matt to tailor a gameplan weekly to exploit weakness. It's chess with athletic humans. Now sit back and watch the master work.

 

[Deflatemyballs]

Love how he just completly ignored how our linebackers are the best in the league. Also love how he already draws the conclusion the defense won't be good citing so many "unprovens" when there has only been one game so far to prove anything. I would understand this thread mabye tomorrow afternoon after a loss or bad defensive performance. But this just screams attention seeking arrogant hot take. And dislike this all you want OP, really don't care lol. Know it's a big deal for some of you someone actually direct messaged me earlier this week demanding I reverse a negative rating. Pretty hilarious

 

[FourierSeries]

Top 10 scoring D. Top 15 at worst. Given the superb offense, the defense is good enough.

 

[VrabelJr]

Top 10 in what? Yards? Probably not. Points? I think so. Turnover differential? Definitely

 

[Oswlek]

Will this thread be put on ignore? (hint: yes)

 

[Joker]

 

[Sciz]

Among the flashy negativity, I think you've raised a somewhat valid point: What is exciting about this defensive line?

Personally, I think it's easy to answer. This is the team that had to sign Alex Silvestro to be the #3 DE in the 2011 Super Bowl because they literally didn't have anybody else. The team that had Joe Vellano (currently not even on an NFL practice squad) starting for half of 2013. They traded for Ayers last season because there wasn't anybody else worth putting on the field at DE when Jones got hurt.

What's exciting about this DL group is that an injury won't put some scrub on the field. An injury to Brown tomorrow (in addition to Easley's) won't make Joe Vellano a starter. The Pats don't have to make an emergency trade if Jones gets hurt tomorrow. I'd try comparing this year's Sheard/Branch/Siliga/Flowers backup DL to past years, but I don't even know who those backup edge rushers have been because they were bad enough to not make it on the field.

What this year's DL group lacks in star power, they make up for in NFL-caliber depth. Now it's a long season and a lot can happen, but it looks like they're well equipped to put quality players on the field at positions where they've so often been lacking in past seasons. And that is exciting.

 

[Deus Irae]

Ninkovich is a great player but he is not an all-pro. Ninkovich does not demand double teams and he is not a game changer.
What is he? The best player on our defensive line.
Chandler Jones comes in at second, as an above average DE.
Our interior DL is unproven, rookies, or coming off of injuries.

Why is this defensive line praised so much? In the other thread about the defense, people were comparing this defense to the 2013 Panthers (second in the league). Does anyone truly believe this defense can be top 5? Seriously?

This is a 15th-25th ranked defense and most likely in the 20s in everything except for scoring.
Feel free to disagree and we'll see who can come back and say "i told you so."

This team has finished in the top 10 in defensive scoring in 8 of the last 9 seasons. It's frequently done that despite being out of the top 10 in yards allowed and other defensive metrics.

You're not inventing the wheel with your thread. This team generally does better in points than it does in yards. You're stating the historically obvious.

Where you likely go off the rails is in another thread, where you posted:

This defense will be between 15-25th in the league.

2011, a/k/a the worst Patriots secondary in BB's tenure, finished 15th in scoring defense, which is the only time the team's finished outside the top 10 since 2005.

The last time this team finished lower than 15th in scoring was 2005.

The last time it finished lower than 17th in scoring was 1995.

1995 is, to date, the only time in the post-McPherson era that the Patriots finished lower than 17th in the NFL in scoring defense.

 

[Huckleberry1]

Among the flashy negativity, I think you've raised a somewhat valid point: What is exciting about this defensive line?

Personally, I think it's easy to answer. This is the team that had to sign Alex Silvestro to be the #3 DE in the 2011 Super Bowl because they literally didn't have anybody else. The team that had Joe Vellano (currently not even on an NFL practice squad) starting for half of 2013. They traded for Ayers last season because there wasn't anybody else worth putting on the field at DE when Jones got hurt.

What's exciting about this DL group is that an injury won't put some scrub on the field. An injury to Brown tomorrow (in addition to Easley's) won't make Joe Vellano a starter. The Pats don't have to make an emergency trade if Jones gets hurt tomorrow. I'd try comparing this year's Sheard/Branch/Siliga/Flowers backup DL to past years, but I don't even know who those backup edge rushers have been because they were bad enough to not make it on the field.

What this year's DL group lacks in star power, they make up for in NFL-caliber depth. Now it's a long season and a lot can happen, but it looks like they're well equipped to put quality players on the field at positions where they've so often been lacking in past seasons. And that is exciting.

Nailed it. There are no all pros but there are no weaknesses. They will be able to scheme and rotate extensively. Coupled with an outstanding LB corps it should be an excellent front seven. Corner is so the big concern and they lack depth as well as dominance at it.

 

[Interception]

This team has finished in the top 10 in defensive scoring in 8 of the last 9 seasons. It's frequently done that despite being out of the top 10 in yards allowed and other defensive metrics.

You're not inventing the wheel with your thread. This team generally does better in points than it does in yards. You're stating the historically obvious.

Where you likely go off the rails is in another thread, where you posted:



2011, a/k/a the worst Patriots secondary in BB's tenure, finished 15th in scoring defense, which is the only time the team's finished outside the top 10 since 2005.

The last time this team finished lower than 15th in scoring was 2005.

The last time it finished lower than 17th in scoring was 1995.

1995 is, to date, the only time in the post-McPherson era that the Patriots finished lower than 17th in the NFL in scoring defense.

Doesn't seem like you read my post too carefully considering I talked about both scoring defense and the "15-25th" thing in the post.

 

[Interception]

Hey loser boy. Didn't you say feel free to disagree, yet you throw a disagree on my post?

You're a true champ. Fraud.

I guess i'm not allowed to disagree with your argument?

 

[Interception]

Nailed it. There are no all pros but there are no weaknesses. They will be able to scheme and rotate extensively. Coupled with an outstanding LB corps it should be an excellent front seven. Corner is so the big concern and they lack depth as well as dominance at it.

What makes you so confident that easely and brown are not weaknesses?