Anyone still think the run defense is fine?

[supafly]

Surprising , they are usually very good vs the run.

Yeah, it is somewhat surprising; although their strong pass defense is also what carried them last season too, or they'd have ended up where they're currently at now with the bad record. Not sure how they've managed to do it, but their pass defense has been very good the past couple of seasons, or at least 2 out of the past 3 anyway. I can't remember if it was last year or the year before, but they held the #1 overall pass defense ranking at the end of the season.

I think once the run defense started going downhill (and it's really not that bad, they recently held BAL to 26 carries for 82 yards/ 3.2 ave) we saw the downward spiral begin with their defense overall. That, and the cap hell that they've put themselves in the past couple/few seasons. Either way, I think we should take advantage of our running game much like we were able to do vs MIA this past Sunday. I'd love to see Ridley get hot and continue to provide us with a real RB1 for the rest of the season.

 

[supafly]

Here's hoping that Sopoaga has gas in the tank, Kelly returns after the bye, and Armstead
is activated after the bye. Then a DT rotation of:
Sopoaga - Chris Jones
Kelly - Armstead
Vellano
should at least be able to keep opponents honest.

It'd be great to finally see the man; the myth; the legend himself; see the field.

He still hasn't been removed from the PUP however, so I am still cautiously optimistic regarding the rest of the season with Armstead. If he can return to the field and contribute on half the level that many here expect, it'll be a huge addition.

Tommy Kelly may not return for another 3-4 weeks at the earliest based on the recent accounts of him noticeably hobbling throughout the locker room last Thursday. The bye week should obviously help with that recovery.

Yes.....based on what he gave up

I think we should all be quite happy with the move. It's the biggest problem area that could reasonably be addressed at this point in the season, and he was a nice free agent signing for the Eagles this spring coming off his 5/20 pact with SF where he was known as one of the top 5 NT's in the game.

It was more than obvious that we weren't going to be able to get through the rest of the season with any realistic chance of going too far with the piss poor run defense that is out there now. Seeing MIA average 5+ yards a carry on Sunday was the icing on the cake.

Typical Belichick type move, bringing in a seasoned vet with experience at a position where he can contribute immediately, all for a 1 million dollar pact this season and a chance to re-assess the situation with him next year. In the meantime, PHI basically handed us the pick, as we likely only lost about 15-18 spots in the draft in the lower rounds to get him.

 

[Huckleberry1]

I don't think Sopaga is Wilfork by any stretch of the imagination, Wilfork should be a first ballot HOFer, although it's doubtful he will be given the nature of the HOF. However Sopoaga does give them both a NT for 3-4 if they use that alignment, a run stuffer, and a 4-3 DT who is more than going to hold his own. He isn't going to provide them with any pass rush, but he doesn't need to and isn't really supposed to. This move and the return of Tommy kelly should shore up the run D very well, and their pass rush and pass defense are already significantly better than they have been in a long time. so going down the homestretch this should be one of the best defenses in football.