Keeping track of the defense.

[Coolade2]

Patriots Defenses 2010-2018

Defenses generally considered flawed/mediocre that were held together by coaching:

2017: PPG (5th) YPG (29th)
2011: PPG (15th) YPG (31st)
2010: PPG (8th) YPG (25th)

Defenses considered inconsistent but good & flashed great play (mostly if Talib was healthy or not):

2013: PPG (10th) YPG (26th)
2012: PPG (9th) YPG (25th)

Defenses considered great & more or less championship caliber:

2016: PPG (1st) YPG (8th)
2015: PPG (10th) YPG (9th)
2014: PPG (8th) YPG (13th)

2018: PPG (7th) YPG (21st)


Time & the playoffs will tell the rest of the story but the 2018 defense seems to fall in the 2nd category. Instead of Talib’s health their X-factor is if the run defense shows up to play their elite pass defense (2nd comp pct, 5th YPA, 7th passer rating, 3rd & long defense) can take over the game.

IMO, they are just 1-2 impact front seven players from entering the great group again. Whether that will come back to bite them in this season’s playoffs remains to be seen.

Interesting macro stats. Season totals show how a consistent system and coaching structure can produce good results over time.
That said , predicting the performance of defense in the playoffs is a difficult task.. look how the eagles shredded both Minny and NE last year. Weird. but also telling how creative offense can have success over so-called top defenses (based on year end stats. )...

 

[Deus Irae]

1) I noticed that you only mentioned the NT. The thread also said that our RB situation was solved. m perhaps, you will tell us how terrible our running backs are.

2) Shelton didn't work out, pure and simple. You and cap are fine in 100% hindsight analysis. Belichick made many decisions that worked out and some that didn't, same as every year.

Are you really going to go down this road? Only an idiot would try to claim that the RB situation was solved prior to the draft, which is when you made that thread.

And I don't do hindsight analysis. I do analysis. The timing varies only based upon interest. In the case of Shelton, I was cautioning people about overrating him from the beginning, and warning that it could be a case of reading too much into his one year of improvement (year 2) and not enough into his first and third years, as any reading of the threads of the time can demonstrate. It was an acceptable gamble to make, but it should have been a +1, not the key move at DT.

I commented about Clayborn, too, for when you get to him. Or you can just hide behind your passive aggressive crap some more, instead of just admitting that we've got some fans here who are pretty good about figuring out players fitting in with the Patriots.

 

[Uptown]

 

[PF_SU]

Shockingly, this D finished #7 in points and #11 in yards per drive. Of course playing a couple of bad Os down the stretch helps. Do I think they are a top-10 D? No. But considering their front-seven talent level they've played as well as you could have expected them to.

He absolutely should. I'm sure, without looking it up, that whoever has a similar case as him is playing behind a much better defensive front.

 

[Brick27]

Ramsey and Peterson...neither have had the impact Gilmore has had, yet wouldn’t be surprised to see them both voted to the 1st team spots based on name recognition. Howard and Fuller have cases as well for all-pro nods.

Bottom line. Gilmore should be 1st team if we’re talking metrics and impact. Hard to imagine he won’t atleast make the 2nd team.

 

[Belichick8384]

The defense is about the same as last year's except for turnovers.

2017: 18 Turnovers (6 games without one)
2018: 28 Turnovers (2 games without one)

Will this be the difference this year I wonder....

 

[SBLIII]

Patriots Defenses 2010-2018

Defenses generally considered flawed/mediocre that were held together by coaching:

2017: PPG (5th) YPG (29th)
2011: PPG (15th) YPG (31st)
2010: PPG (8th) YPG (25th)

Defenses considered inconsistent but good & flashed great play (mostly if Talib was healthy or not):

2013: PPG (10th) YPG (26th)
2012: PPG (9th) YPG (25th)

Defenses considered great & more or less championship caliber:

2016: PPG (1st) YPG (8th)
2015: PPG (10th) YPG (9th)
2014: PPG (8th) YPG (13th)

2018: PPG (7th) YPG (21st)


Time & the playoffs will tell the rest of the story but the 2018 defense seems to fall in the 2nd category. Instead of Talib’s health their X-factor is if the run defense shows up to play their elite pass defense (2nd comp pct, 5th YPA, 7th passer rating, 3rd & long defense) can take over the game.

IMO, they are just 1-2 impact front seven players from entering the great group again. Whether that will come back to bite them in this season’s playoffs remains to be seen.

I would put them in the 2015,2016 category when you consider how QB-friendly this season has been based on the rule changes.

DVOA seems to back that up also.

 

[luuked]

I am not sure people appreciate how impactful Flowers truly has been this season. He is one of the top DEs in the league and will get a big contract this offseason.

 

[SBLIII]

I am not sure people appreciate how impactful Flowers truly has been this season. He is one of the top DEs in the league and will get a big contract this offseason.

from NE?

 

[jimnance]

from NE?

It needs to be. #1 off-season priority.

 

[fightingirish595]

I am not sure people appreciate how impactful Flowers truly has been this season. He is one of the top DEs in the league and will get a big contract this offseason.

Yeah I didn’t really think of him as an impact player before the year, but right now I’d have to say he’s an impact player

 

[fightingirish595]

This years pass defense is noticeably better than last years? Right?

 

[JayNM]

If we had this defense in any other year, including the mediocre at best running D, Id say we are favorites for it

I am throwing every voodoo, macumba, orixa spell that I known to see if Brady can recover his youth (or from his injury, if u want to believe that) for the next 3 games.

Gotta say tho... Im feeling a bit confident for this year. But maybe Im still drunk for new year's eve

 

[JayNM]

Seriously, remember the days when we'd have our CBs give 10 yards cushions from any WR? Good times... were not

 

[Ochmed Jones]

This team suffers from a split personality disorder.

Look at the stats for the eight games at home and the eight games on the road. That’s the real story!

 

[RayClay]

I think with good coaching we could have a good enough defense. We might need a little better than good performance with our receivers. Patricia was masterful down the stretch last year, but the lack at LB, DT caught up in SB. Shelton would have loooked good last year and playing a role with Guy and decent Brown could be enough. Who knows if Clayborn's worth a thing, but maybe he'll respond like a vet to benching and Maybe Rivers chips in. Hightower's not top notch it seems but Van Noy is. He's playing withintensity and energy, one of our best players. He and Flowers, again, are top notch.

 

[mgteich]

News at 11

The patriot defense was a solid one over the last half of the season.

Over the last 9 games

Allowed 146 points (2nd)

Allowed 16 TDs (2nd)

3rd down defense 33% (3rd)

Allowed 165 1st downs (5th)

Allowed 223 passing yards per game (13th)

83.4 QB rating against (5th)

60.9 completion percentage allowed (4th)

 

[RobertWeathers]

Seriously, remember the days when we'd have our CBs give 10 yards cushions from any WR? Good times... were not

Not anymore. They are a bump and run group now

 

[Uptown]

The Patriots' secondary has what it takes to carry the team through the playoffs | NFL Analysis | Pro Football Focus

 

[Bonzo]

This team suffers from a split personality disorder.

Look at the stats for the eight games at home and the eight games on the road. That’s the real story!

Looks like:
New England Patriots 2018 Defensive Splits | Pro-Football-Reference.com

To my eyes, on the road, the D gets consistently out-muscled up front and the secondary looks a step slower than when at home. (Though not as bad against Pitt, so perhaps trending in the right direction?) I appreciate it's different when you have to travel and play in front of a hostile crowd, but the Jekyll-and-Hyde thing is still pretty mysterious to me.