Is our defense as bad as most around here say it is?

[Techsass]

Good post! Winning in the trenches is the key! We need to spend 3-4 1st rd picks on the D and add 2-3 difference making, game changing, play making free agents in the off-season

The way we sit it's looking like the O will only need some tweeks. Don't know if they'll keep Sanchez or draft another QB. If Jaylon & Gregory play full time, we could be on our way to building a very good defense.

 

[Redball Express]

It's really not a debatable fact that our front 7 is 1 of the worst in football.

True.

And as much as I hate to say it..

you have to respect what the Jints have done with their $100 mil in defensive tuneups.

We will not catch them over the next couple of years due to our cap and suspensions and speculative drafting with injured players like Smith and Tapper.

Our defence is years away from being any good.

Thats tough to swallow as a fan.

 

[NEODOG]

I don't think we're average.....I think we've been lucky as hell!

I'll say it again.....Can we get off the field on 3rd down? That is going to be the key to this defense......Especially in the 4qtr where we were simply ATROCIOUS last year

 

[cowboyblue22]

the defense has been bad for a long time now and it don't look like its going to get much better to many misses on the drafts

 

[Verdict]

Yes. This defense is really bad. I suspect the coaching but certainly the players. We lack talent on all three levels of the defense.

I think the secondary is better than average. In fact this overall secondary might be top 5 or 10. Wilcox is still a liability though and I'm not sure why we keep playing him at safety.

 

[Verdict]

It is pretty silly to say we should definitely pick a defensive player with our first round pick. If the next A.J. Green or Julio Jones, or FredBeard is sitting there when you draft in the first round, and he is the best player on the board, you pull the trigger, and improve your team, and the cap. Then, with the embarassment of riches that you have at wide receiver you either dominate the league on offense, or trade Dez and his contract for defensive help.

It would be great if the next Demarcus Ware is sitting there when you go on the clock in the first, but needs do not and should not determine the pick unless the players are evenly rated and need can be the tie breaker.

You could go offense in round one, and easily follow up your picks with a second round de, and a linebacker in the 3rd and have seriously improved this defense. You might even get your safety of the future in the 4th round. Two above average players will change the look of this defense dramatically, if Lawrence stays eligible, which I think he will do.

 

[ConceptCoop]

Overall time of possession is a combination of offense and defense -- it's not just an offensive stat.

That's not accurate. It's time of possession. Possession meaning that you have the ball.

 

[weaver21]

I think people are overreacting on how bad the defense has been. I'm not saying they've been dominant or anything, but they've done their job so far in terms of making key stops and getting turnovers at important spots. Great offenses like the Packers and Steelers can do serious damage to this defense due to our lack of pass rush and they might hurt us down the road if we make the playoffs.

 

[NoLuv4Jerry]

I will use a term I learned from Bill Parcells. Catalytic. We have no catalytic players. Sean Lee has been in the past...but so far he has not shown up. It is almost IMPOSSIBLE to have an entire defense without ONE....ONE...catalytic player. But that is where we are right now.

In defense of the organization. Gregory was being counted on to be a catalytic player. Hence he was issued #94

Ro McClain is a catalytic player...hence the tolerance they showed for all of his misgivings.

Hardy was paid well and we took a big PR hit for him to be a catalytic player...but we know how that worked out.

Crawford is being paid like a catalytic player. But he has not shown up yet.

The draft resources used on Mo Claiborne suggests he should be a catalytic player. But that has also not panned out.

So it's not as if this organization was unaware that it lacked catalytic players....the moves they made just have not worked out. Again....it is really hard to field a team with ZERO catalytic players on defense....but that is what we are right now. So to answer the OP questions....YES....this defense is that bad.

 

[AdamJT13]

That's not accurate. It's time of possession. Possession meaning that you have the ball.

You can't have the ball if the other team has the ball. Overall time of possession depends on your offense AND your defense. If your offense holds the ball for four minutes every possession, that's extremely good. But if your defense allows the opponent to hold the ball for six minutes every possession (which is terrible), you'll lose the TOP battle, and your offense will end up with 24:00 of possession compared with your opponent's 36:00. On the other hand, if your offense holds the ball for only 3:00 per possession, and your defense limits the opponent to 2:00 per possession, you'll end up with 36:00 of possession, compared with 24:00 for your opponent. So, in the first case, you had the ball for only 24:00, and in the second, you had it for 36:00, but your offense was actually much better at maintaining possession in the first case -- the difference is that your defense was much worse.

That's why looking at TOP per possession is much more indicative of each side of the ball than just looking at the overall TOP per game.

 

[AdamJT13]

so with all that said...how good is this defense?

Most of the metrics say it's a little below average so far. But it's actually pretty good in the first three quarters and pretty bad in the fourth, mainly because of the lack of a pass rush. Hopefully Lawrence, Davis and whomever else we can scrounge up will help in that area.

 

[ConceptCoop]

You can't have the ball if the other team has the ball. Overall time of possession depends on your offense AND your defense. If your offense holds the ball for four minutes every possession, that's extremely good. But if your defense allows the opponent to hold the ball for six minutes every possession (which is terrible), you'll lose the TOP battle, and your offense will end up with 24:00 of possession compared with your opponent's 36:00. On the other hand, if your offense holds the ball for only 3:00 per possession, and your defense limits the opponent to 2:00 per possession, you'll end up with 36:00 of possession, compared with 24:00 for your opponent. So, in the first case, you had the ball for only 24:00, and in the second, you had it for 36:00, but your offense was actually much better at maintaining possession in the first case -- the difference is that your defense was much worse.

That's why looking at TOP per possession is much more indicative of each side of the ball than just looking at the overall TOP per game.

I did misunderstand you. My mistake and apologies. It's largely a measure of the offense, however. Very especially in our case. Your defense can't control how fast a team plays or how often they run the ball, both of which impact TOP. So the defense has some impact, but it says a lot more about the offense than defense.

 

[CowboyChris]

Most of the metrics say it's a little below average so far. But it's actually pretty good in the first three quarters and pretty bad in the fourth, mainly because of the lack of a pass rush. Hopefully Lawrence, Davis and whomever else we can scrounge up will help in that area.

there is some hope for this defense...with Lawrence coming back, Crawford now at DE, McClain is finally healthy and Collins looking like he might be contribute at the 3T. add to that they can begin to gel as a unit...takes time to get everybody on the same page...at least i hope.

with all that said, i feel the LB's are our biggest weakness going forward.

 

[ConceptCoop]

Sean Lee has been in the past...but so far he has not shown up. It is almost IMPOSSIBLE to have an entire defense without ONE....ONE...catalytic player.

I disagree, here. I think he's played very well and is a major reason why our defense hasn't looked even worse. We have to realize and account for the fact that our defensive line has given the rest of the D zero support. The POP plays are going to be fewer and farther between when the line can't keep guys off of him or force the QB to rush some throws. But in general, I think he's every bit the player he was last year.