The Defense post Jets thread

[supafly]

The secondary sucked horribly on 3rd down but I'm confident that this defense could give up 600 yards and people here would still make excuses for them as long as Brady bails them out.

That's the identity of the 2015 team, and many other Patriot teams from the past. Brady and the offense are going to need to score something in the mid-late 20s every game, or we'll likely lose. It's just the way it is in today's NFL.

Obviously the Weeden-led Cowboys without Romo or Bryant are the notable exception, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

 

[PScottman]

The secondary sucked horribly on 3rd down but I'm confident that this defense could give up 600 yards and people here would still make excuses for them as long as Brady bails them out.

This is the new Goodell-Led NFL. Offensive holding minimized. Illegal contact maximized. WRs can initiate as much contact as they wish to jockey for position.

That said, still a team game. The 3d downs weren't just secondary. The DL lost contain on couple plays, got no pressure on others, and believe it or not the other guy's QB had, for him, a career day vs the Pats in that he made the right reads and the throws (but mostly in the first half as he started missing high in the second).

Like it or not, unless a minor tweak (seriously like an Earthward Moreland), this is your Patriots secondary for the year. Not as great as some think, not as bad as others do.