2017 Patriots Defense

[Ivan]

Work in progress, and I give the coaches the benefit of the doubt because they have earned it. I thinks there are athletic liabilities at OLB and on the edge of the DL, but I think they can overcome them by playing at a high level as units. Odd as it sounds I like them being challenged and forcing them to deal with their issues, that's how they get better. It's a long season and the win matters much more than style points, but I have no doubt the Chickenhawks will be all over them anyways.

 

[Ring 6]

we are 3 weeks in, thoughts on the defense so far?

Anyone know what the defense ranks in the NFL so far?

They are 2-1.

 

[turkeyneck]

TC and PS have been rendered nearly useless for developing fine points of scheme and coordination, and even fitness, with the limits on practice time, type, and frequency. The real work doesn't start until the 53 cutdown.

 

[Jangles]

They are 2-1.

Thank goodness for Tom Brady

Easy 3-0 with even an average defense.

 

[MainePatsFan26]

What's the point of training camp and preseason if it takes 1/4 of the season to "figure out what they have"?

It doesn't feel like the roster has a ton of turnover. We already know Van Noy sucks. Gillmore is the only new DB. What is the problem?

Part of the problem is that the Patriots seemed to be complacent all preseason. The way they won the Super Bowl against all odds probably had the net effect of the team heading into the season feeling they can win regardless of their effort. I don't recall the Patriots going 1-3 in the preseason very often and their poor performance was palpable with the starters.

Long story short, this team lacked proper focus this offseason. They're still a winning team with pride and the new guys will eventually gell. In the meantime, they are still having to make up for lost ground after the Chiefs game gave them a wakeup call. We'll be sitting pretty if we can be 5-3 by midseason.

 

[Ring 6]

Thank goodness for Tom Brady

Easy 3-0 with even an average defense.

Who knows.
There are only 2 things that can happen in a game a win or a loss.
How you win it lose does not count toward a future result.
They are 2-1. What will happen us yet to be determined and based upon past BB teams rankings in week 3 mean basically nothing.

 

[Bruins29]

They are 2-1.

This is all starting to sound just like last year with all the eye-test this and eye-test that stuff.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Work in progress, and I give the coaches the benefit of the doubt because they have earned it. I thinks there are athletic liabilities at OLB and on the edge of the DL, but I think they can overcome them by playing at a high level as units. Odd as it sounds I like them being challenged and forcing them to deal with their issues, that's how they get better. It's a long season and the win matters much more than style points, but I have no doubt the Chickenhawks will be all over them anyways.

I'm actually moving toward cautious optimism at DE. Flowers, Wise and Butler all look legit. The depth and talent could still definitely be improved upon, and the prospect of relying on a rookie to sustain Wise-type production worries me because I don't think you can count on it, though. I agree that LB is a problem, even when Hightower gets back I'm not sure it'll be settled.

 

[Jangles]

Who knows.

Literally anybody with at least 1 eye and a somewhat functional brain

 

[BradyFTW!]

This is all starting to sound just like last year with all the eye-test this and eye-test that stuff.

Yup, pretty sure we were 5-11 according to the eye test folks last year, so I wouldn't sweat it. The Lombardi still counts.

 

[Adam Seward]

Reminds me of the dark days when JAG/scrub Gary Guyton used to wear the green dot and chaos and confusion reigned supreme in the ranks and Pats pass defense was ranked #30 in league in 2010 and #31 in league in 2011, and #29 in league in 2012. Yeah really, we were that bad.

Lets leave Gary out of this, he didnt want to be on that defense either!

 

[Biffins]

This is probably a side effect of the CBA, limiting practice time. As the season progresses the defense should noticeably improve. The injuries have exacerbated that situation.

In 2016 that occurred in week 3. In the first two games the Patriots allowed 45 points, 44 first downs and 801 total yards in their first two games, In the next game the Pats D pitched a shutout.

The Patriots began 2015 by allowing 26.5 points per game, 408 yards per game, and 23 first down per game. They followed that up by allowing only 23 points over the next two games.

In 2014 the Pats gave up 33 points and 25 points in week one. Soon after that allowed 41 points, 443 yards and 26 first downs. Many infamously wrote them off at that point.



Certainly the defense is a concern as of this moment, it's not something you can completely right off. Don't forget the Patriots were without three starters on defense today. Hopefully the injuries will not continue to pile up. Let's see how they look next week. It's still way too early to declare how the defense will perform for the remainder of the season.

How can you possibly say this is a side-effect of fewer practices. We're talking about rankings league-wide. Why would other teams be better with fewer practices than us? All teams are improving with more game time.

 

[FCB02062]

It's bad, but brady is the best of all time... This team would go 9-7 or 10-6 and make the playoffs with the worst of the recent new Orleans defenses...

 

[PatriotsNumero1Fan]

If it keeps playing like that they might have to acquire a defensive piece.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

D looked so meh again today...just off

 

[PatriotsNumero1Fan]

It's bad, but brady is the best of all time... This team would go 9-7 or 10-6 and make the playoffs with the worst of the recent new Orleans defenses...

I said cooks was gonna break out against Houston and I was right. The guy's too talented. I wish Dorsett played like that. We would be ridiculous on offense lol having hogan as well with gronk

 

[jmt57]

How can you possibly say this is a side-effect of fewer practices. We're talking about rankings league-wide. Why would other teams be better with fewer practices than us? All teams are improving with more game time.

How many new starters do the Patriots have on defense, compared to other teams?

I'm not saying that is the only reason. Just part of the explanation.

Conversely, how do you explain the improvement for Patriot defense last year (or both years prior) in comparison to their first couple of games?

 

[deters]

Really missing Hightower. Only changes to defense from last year that are hurting are DE's gone. Everything else is basically the same. The guys need to stay healthy and get more experience up front and hopefully down the line can match the production and consistency of Sheard, Long and Ninko.

 

[MassPats38]

Part of the problem is that the Patriots seemed to be complacent all preseason.

I don't recall the Patriots going 1-3 in the preseason very often and their poor performance was palpable with the starters.

Long story short, this team lacked proper focus this offseason.

I went back 10 years, and I saw 2 3-1 records and, most frequently, 2-2 (there was 1 4-0 start Belichick's time with the Pats as far as I can see, which means absolutely nothing in the regular season). The goal tends to be give the team some real playing time, but otherwise avoid injury (see Jules and the knee issue). It is not to win, given the fact the best players are often on the sideline.

I am not sure how you assess 'complacency', but do you actually believe Belichick changed the way he does business and phoned it in because he won a title (not exactly his first rodeo)? And do you similarly believe players are going to half-ass the work for him and remain on the team? I believe those questions have been answered fairly definitively over the years.

 

[Oswlek]

For those with more of an x's and o'x understanding of defense, what is the main problem with this defense? While their awful play is likely the result of many causes, what is the chief one? Is it a failure to execute the gameplan or the gameplan itself? Or are these guys lacking in physical talent above all else?

The problems in the secondary are almost entirely due to miscommunication. It seems like every other play you'll see two guys take the same receiver and leave somone else totally uncovered. The good thing is that this is the most correctible issue in the middle of a season.

I'm more concerned about the interior DL. I expected a lot more from that group and didn't think a middling Texans' OL would push those guys around so easily. To me, that's the biggest problem now.