New Staff, New Players, 9 Chunk Plays (more than 20 yards allowed)

[mgteich]

The staff is all new. We know little about the secondary staff.

Davis-Austin-Jones-Hawkins- Woodson is certainly a new look secondary.
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Was there miscommunication by staff? Were the players always sure where to be?
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I don't expect this to be a continuing situation. Even a modest improvement would be important, noting, of course, that the Defense only gave up 20 points.

 

[Pape]

davis sucks

we need gonzo back...

thats about all i got...

 

[Clonamery]

The defense is

 

[Ring 6]

The staff is all new. We know little about the secondary staff.

Davis-Austin-Jones-Hawkins- Woodson is certainly a new look secondary.
========
Was there miscommunication by staff? Were the players always sure where to be?
========
I don't expect this to be a continuing situation. Even a modest improvement would be important, noting, of course, that the Defense only gave up 20 points.

The weakest part of the defense is the safety position and we gave up 9 20+ passes, and no other team had more than 5.

2+2=4

 

[stephens44]

Were the players out of position because of the play called, or because they failed to execute the play that was called.
Big difference that may look the same when you don't know who made the error. Coordinator or player....

 

[Mike the Brit]

I can't imagine that Peppers wouldn't be a better coverage linebacker than Ellis or a better coverage safety than Hawkins (likewise Dugger). As for Davis, his dead cap is over $20 million, so I suppose that we had better get used to him.

 

[40yrpatsfan]

I can't imagine that Peppers wouldn't be a better coverage linebacker than Ellis or a better coverage safety than Hawkins (likewise Dugger). As for Davis, his dead cap is over $20 million, so I suppose that we had better get used to him.

I don't recall Davis playing that bad except for that final 35 yard play which was totally inexcusable when it's 3rd & 20. I think he deflected the pass that became an interception, on a great play.

 

[Mike the Brit]

I don't recall Davis playing that bad except for that final 35 yard play which was totally inexcusable when it's 3rd & 20. I think he deflected the pass that became an interception, on a great play.

He gave up another chunk play. Yes, he was in coverage on the interception, but I wouldn't call it a "great" play (Hawkins gets the interception because, as usual, he was way off the ball, so was there when it got deflected).

The only member of the secondary that stood out positively for me was Austin, with a terrific one-handed pass break-up. If he were starting opposite Gonzalez and the Patriots were spending money elsewhere I'd not have been disappointed.

 

[Ring 6]

Were the players out of position because of the play called, or because they failed to execute the play that was called.
Big difference that may look the same when you don't know who made the error. Coordinator or player....

If the play is executed no one is out of position. If the players can’t execute the play call, it shouldn’t be called, which limits your ability to defend a team.
You don’t allow twice as many as the second worst because you had good players back there

 

[stephens44]

If the play is executed no one is out of position. If the players can’t execute the play call, it shouldn’t be called, which limits your ability to defend a team.
You don’t allow twice as many as the second worst because you had good players back there

You're missing the part of a play call that the players execute but is a bad call. Your post assumes no bad play calls.

 

[Ring 6]

You're missing the part of a play call that the players execute but is a bad call. Your post assumes no bad play calls.

Every play call works if it’s properly executed.
There are no play calls that say if we do everything right we will still fail.

 

[doesntmatter1]

Spillane looked decent in zone but he was targeted and so was the safety Hawkins who didn't have the speed to keep up on deep routes. We need safeties with elite range like McCourty gave us for years. We don't have that on the roster.

 

[rkarp1]

I think this iteration of the Pats defense will look unusual to most of us, as it is a departure from what we have seen the past 2+ decades.
no more bend, do not break.
no more contain the edge first
attack, attack, attack.
we will see more pressures, sacks, tackles for loss, turnovers...and more chunk plays given up
we will see safeties in coverage rather than in single high zones.

having Gonzo out there healthy and shutting down a target will allow everyone else on D to cover a lesser target, double some targets, etc.

 

[Ring 6]

I think this iteration of the Pats defense will look unusual to most of us, as it is a departure from what we have seen the past 2+ decades.
no more bend, do not break.
no more contain the edge first
attack, attack, attack.
we will see more pressures, sacks, tackles for loss, turnovers...and more chunk plays given up
we will see safeties in coverage rather than in single high zones.

having Gonzo out there healthy and shutting down a target will allow everyone else on D to cover a lesser target, double some targets, etc.

It’s not an improvement but the brains that ran it for 20+ years are gone so nothing so nothing would be an improvement.

We need to compare Vrabels defense to the rest of the league not to Belichick because he will never attain that, and it’s a bar way too high

 

[signbabybrady]

It’s not an improvement but the brains that ran it for 20+ years are gone so nothing so nothing would be an improvement.

We need to compare Vrabels defense to the rest of the league not to Belichick because he will never attain that, and it’s a bar way too high

Not intended as comparison to Bill and Bill also played around with lighter sets at times but I found it quite jarring to see the 4 man DL compared to the heavier 3 man lines of the past.

I wonder what the weight of Seymour/Washington/Warren was in comparison to Chaisson/Milt/Barmore/Landry even being 4 vs 3.

They worked Tonga and White in too so they weren't always that small but it seemed to be our starting group.

 

[denverpatsfan]

It’s not an improvement but the brains that ran it for 20+ years are gone so nothing so nothing would be an improvement.

We need to compare Vrabels defense to the rest of the league not to Belichick because he will never attain that, and it’s a bar way too high

Can we compare Vrabel's defense to the one that gave up 41 points to a career back up in the Super Bowl? That bar is too high? Bill is gone. Stop wishing he was still here. This team will smash that bar.

 

[p8ryts]

I think this iteration of the Pats defense will look unusual to most of us, as it is a departure from what we have seen the past 2+ decades.
no more bend, do not break.
no more contain the edge first
attack, attack, attack.
we will see more pressures, sacks, tackles for loss, turnovers...and more chunk plays given up
we will see safeties in coverage rather than in single high zones.

having Gonzo out there healthy and shutting down a target will allow everyone else on D to cover a lesser target, double some targets, etc.

Flores ran and runs an attack defense. I don't remember them being that consistently bad in any game.

 

[PatsFan2]

The staff is all new. We know little about the secondary staff.

Davis-Austin-Jones-Hawkins- Woodson is certainly a new look secondary.
========
Was there miscommunication by staff? Were the players always sure where to be?
========
I don't expect this to be a continuing situation. Even a modest improvement would be important, noting, of course, that the Defense only gave up 20 points.

Can't wait for pt.II Dolphins 19 chunk plays of 20 yards or more.

 

[PatsFan2]

davis sucks

we need gonzo back...

thats about all i got...

I can't even imagine what Hill and Waddle are going to do to him.

 

[Zuma]

I didn’t want to before the season but Vrabel will surely see the game as preseason game 4. There are a boatload of teaching moments for the team in this one. They will get better….sooner then later IMO.