The Defense Is Fine

[Uptown]

New England Patriots links 12/29/17 - Stats: Red zone defense tightens up in critical situations

 

[skinnydog]

I'm not a hater of this defense at all. They're getting it done for the most part when they need to.

The biggest issue that I see with the D is they seem to play very reactionary. Always chasing down receivers, tackling backs from behind, reacting, not dictating what the offense does. There just isn't that guy in the front 7 that forces the offense to change what they want to do. That's what "great defenses" always have.

Again this isn't to say the D isn't playing ok or effective enough to win a championship. They just don't seem to be able to make a team change what their offense wants to do.

This pretty accurately sums up my view of this defense. They do need to improve their performance on third downs. As long as brady gets a good amount of possessions in they game this Offense will put up points on any team.

 

[Uptown]

"New England’s defense has accrued 38 sacks through 15 games, and from 15 players." @oliverbthomas takes a look at the #Patriots defenders who sacked opposing quarterbacks this season.

 

[maineman209]

"New England’s defense has accrued 38 sacks through 15 games, and from 15 players." @oliverbthomas takes a look at the #Patriots defenders who sacked opposing quarterbacks this season.

Sacks for the Pats defense have been broadly distributed most seasons:

2001 - 41 sacks, 14 players - one with 7, two others with 6
2002 - 34 sacks, 12 players - two with 5.5
2003 - 41 sacks, 14 players - one with 9.5, one with 8.0
2004 - 45 sacks, 12 players - one with 9.5, 3 with 5.0
2005 - 33 sacks, 14 players - one with 7, one with 6
2006 - 44 sacks, 12 players - one with 8.5, two with 7.5
2007 - 47 sacks, 12 players - one with 12.5 (Vrabel), two with 6.5
2008 - 31 sacks, 10 players - one with 8, one with 5
2009 - 31 sacks, 10 players - one with 10 (TBC), two with 5
2010 - 36 sacks, 16 players - one with 5.5, one with 5.0
2011 - 40 sacks, 12 players - two with 10 (Carter, Anderson) one with 6.5
2012 - 37 sacks, 12 players - one with 8, one with 6
2013 - 48 sacks, 15 players - one with 11.5 (Jones), one with 8, one with 6
2014 - 40 sacks, 14 players - one with 8, two with 6
2015 - 49 sacks, 13 players - one with 12.5 (Jones), one with 8, one with 6.5
2016 - 34 sacks, 14 players - one with 7, one with 5
2017 - 38 sacks, 15 players - one with 6.5, one with 5.5, one with 5.0

 

[JMC00]

With the **** ratbirds ****ting the bed against the bungles and giving up 31 points Patriots end the season #5 in points allowed

 

[Uptown]

Final end-of-season rankings for the Patriots:

Total Offense: 1st
Points Scored: 2nd
Total Defense: 29th
Points Allowed: 5th

Nice recovery on defense.

 

[patsinthesnow]

This run defense is going to pull a 2006 Colts in the sense of not resembling at all what the regular season stats say. The middle has been stout all year when Brown has played.

Now we will have Harrison & Van Noy setting the edges when the majority of the season it was Marsh, Lee or Reilly.

 

[Uptown]

I’ll just leave this here...

 

[Uptown]

 

[WaterfallJumper]

Don't forget the sack negated by Gilmore's hands to the face penalty. We probably would have won that game, and Wise would have an extra pressure to match Garrett and Barnett. Pretty good for a 4th rounder.

 

[Uptown]

 

[supafly]

Bummer that we’re probably going to lose him to free agency. Still have hope, but not too much.

 

[Ring 6]

If we draw Tennessee, Jacksonville and philly/Minnesota the defense will be more than fine. It already was fine vs Atlanta and NO as well.

 

[Chris Stevenson]

This run defense is going to pull a 2006 Colts in the sense of not resembling at all what the regular season stats say. The middle has been stout all year when Brown has played.

Now we will have Harrison & Van Noy setting the edges when the majority of the season it was Marsh, Lee or Reilly.

Marsh just is not a 3-4 edge setting type guy. His too lean and tall if that makes sense. I think Lee has great potential to be honest, and needs to add about 10 lbs in offseason. He's been hit or miss setting the edge. But, he has the length. Maybe some Nink tutoring in the offseason?

If you really look at the Lee/Flwoers/Wise trio, they have something cooking really good with these guys.

 

[RobertWeathers]

I’ll just leave this here...

They call that, "Blutarsky'd"

 

[RobertWeathers]

This run defense is going to pull a 2006 Colts in the sense of not resembling at all what the regular season stats say. The middle has been stout all year when Brown has played.

Now we will have Harrison & Van Noy setting the edges when the majority of the season it was Marsh, Lee or Reilly.

2006 Colts run D without Bob Sanders: 175yds a game (note: in the games he played they allowed 165yds a game but they kept him off the LoS as he only played 4 reg season games)

2006 Colts D in the playoffs w/ Bob Sanders: 83ypg

Hes one of the handful of players I ever seen who when playing had such a drastic impact on the overall defense. No secret why he won DPOY in 2007.