How good is our run defense?

[Ring 6]

What does this mean?

Do you mean that the run defense hasn't been bad enough to cost us more than two games?



I mean moving Wilfork around and using different personnel has worked.

It will never work as well as having three 1st round all pro types, because an offense can't game plan to exploit a weakness in the scheme, because there isn't any. The only way to exploit a healthy Seymour Wilfork Warren line is to prepare to have your head kicked in and have a long day.

Mangini obviously studied what we were doing and looked to neutralize Wilfork and Mayo and it worked.

I think the biggest issue was the broken tackles. Hillis broke a boatload of tackles and that rarely happens to our D.
Late in the game when questionable run D became a miserable day, it was scheme, IMO. On the last drive where they ran it 'down our throats' we were selling out to stop the inside stuff, and Hillis cut it outside, much to his credit. We needed to gamble to stop them and it didnt pay off. Typically that bounce outside is not an effective way to run against our scheme.

 

[mgteich]

So, Belichick didn't go into 2009 with intent of replacing him in 2011?

He certainly didn't replace Seymour in 2009 or 2010.

You can make the same one year argument about Wilfork or Bodden or anyone else. Why didn't we trade them?

I seriously doubt that is how it went down. He valued the 2011 1st over Seymour for 1 year. He didn't go into 2009 with the intent to replace Seymour in 2011. A healthy Ty Warren would have made a lot of difference in 2010.

 

[Ring 6]

So, Belichick didn't go into 2009 with intent of replacing him in 2011?

He certainly didn't replace Seymour in 2009 or 2010.

You can make the same one year argument about Wilfork or Bodden or anyone else. Why didn't we trade them?

He replaced him. Perhaps not to your satisfaction.
You will never be successful if you think you have to duplicate the players from past teams.
I am sure that when BB traded Seymour he realized that he may never have a player at DE as good as Seymour again. But its about having the best 53 man roster, not the best RDE.
It's simply too narrow of a view to say that every transaction must lead to an equal or better player at that specific spot on the field.
At some level, he replaced Seymour with Wilfork, because he surely wasnt affording both.
I'm pretty happy with the way it worked out, given that caveat.
We keep the younger player, and get a #1 pick.
Both would not be here this year, and unfortunately Seymour wouldn't have made enough of a difference last year to get us much further.