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IMHO, we had a top 5 defense at the end of the year.
We lost Flowers and replaced him with Bennett and Collins. Bentley is back. All the secondary is back. Jackson should be better after a year of experience.
I'm not saying that we are the best. However, I think that this defense will likely be better than the one that played in the playoffs and the Super Bowl.
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And no, I am not counting on rookies, although they will likely be good additions: Winovich and Williams.
We lost Flowers and replaced him with Bennett and Collins. Bentley is back. All the secondary is back. Jackson should be better after a year of experience.
I'm not saying that we are the best. However, I think that this defense will likely be better than the one that played in the playoffs and the Super Bowl.
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And no, I am not counting on rookies, although they will likely be good additions: Winovich and Williams.
I don't want to rain on anyone's parade, and I AM very excited about our defense, but for different reasons. Let's face it, while we all like OUR players, but we also tend to overvalue them as individuals, just like every other fan base. Consider this. The Browns have 3 of their 4 starting DLmen with recent All Pro selections. I think we have one (Bennett), and that was so long ago I can't remember (2014 maybe).
I was watching a couple of preseason games today and it seems like EVERYONE has multiple stars, and EVERYONE's draft picks "look fantastic". So let remember that its preseason and our team usually starts very slowly.
I think we should focus more on what we DO have that is exciting, but unproven. We potentially have a decent DL that is made up of good but not great players who are extremely VERSATILE. We have a very deep LB group that has a make up very much like the DL. And THOSE 2 groups are anchored by the deepest AND most versatile secondary in the league. And guess what, we actually have ONE actual elite player in that group.
So lets get real we have a nice defensive group, but no one outside of NE is drooling over our defensive roster. No DC is game planning to stop ANY of our front 7 like we often have to do. The only great one on one pass rusher we have is 34. Mr February has never been Mr. September, October, November or December
I love this defense because it fits the times. I love this defense because it is so versatile up front, and so strong in the secondary. I love this defense BECAUSE it doesn't have any stars you have to game plan for. I love this because it was designed and built to be a week to week game plan group. I love it because opposing OC's will never know where "it" is coming from, or what they will expect to see week to week. I love this defense because it has the depth at all three levels to survive the attrition of an NFL season. I love it because of the guy who will be putting it together. I love this defense because the sum of the parts will be greater than the individual parts.
The point being that I'm less interested in the individual pieces (aside from the intellectual part about who will make it and who won't) than I am at what they can POTENTIALLY become as a whole. That is VERY exciting for me.