Quantify Possible Improvement?

[Verdict]

What are you asking?

Quantify possible improvement -- that would mean putting a statistical estimate with a margin of error around the improvement.

That's a pretty impossible ask.

Note that the responses you received are qualitative, not quantitative.

My verdict on this post is thumbs down -- learn what words mean before posting again.

You seem like someone kicked your dog. Are you ok?

 

[Pessimist_cowboy]

Hopefully somewhere near 20th. That should be enough to win 9-11 games.

 

[Chasing6]

I think they can push towards top 10 with CP and turning over 6 or 7 starters. Bigger swings have happened before. I've always maintained it's a two year project because of how we operate not because it has to be.

They could jump significantly. When this offense plays with a lead, and not trading TD's back and forth, opposing teams become 1 dimensional making the defenses job a lot easier.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

I think they can push towards top 10 with CP and turning over 6 or 7 starters. Bigger swings have happened before. I've always maintained its a two year project because of how we operate not because it has to be.

I wonder what the swing was from Nolan to Quinn. Had to be pretty big.

 

[Ironicalicon]

I think this defense as is right now will be somewhere in the late teens. With room to grow over the next few seasons as the young guys develop.

If they trade for Brooks. It would increase some more.

Man, I'd be so friggin happy. Doubt they do it, though.

 

[blindzebra]

I wonder what the swing was from Nolan to Quinn. Had to be pretty big.

28th in points and 23rd in yards under Nolan.
7th and 19th under Quinn

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

28th in points and 23rd in yards under Nolan.
7th and 19th under Quinn

Yeah that’s pretty substantial I wouldn’t even ask that of Parker. That’s insane.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Man, I'd be so friggin happy. Doubt they do it, though.

I understood not wanting to trade this years picks but of all it takes is next years man it would be nice to get that done.

 

[JBS]

What are you asking?

Quantify possible improvement -- that would mean putting a statistical estimate with a margin of error around the improvement.

That's a pretty impossible ask.

Note that the responses you received are qualitative, not quantitative.

My verdict on this post is thumbs down -- learn what words mean before posting again.

The defense is 46.8169% better. Happy?

 

[Chasing6]

The defense is 46.8169% better. Happy?

We have a completely different team on defense. We added 12 defensive players in FA and the draft and Clark and Williams were not on the team to start the season. Even Revel and Overshown were not healthy to start the year.

 

[QuestForSix]

What do you guys think is the biggest weakness on the defense right now? Is it still LB? Pass rush? Corner?

Corner

 

[Verdict]

I have been giving this quite a bit of consideration and I always try to view things objectively. But the more I consider this the more I think we may be underestimating how much this defense might improve year over year.

Think about this:

1. This defense has Quinnen at DT. Stud.
2. Clark. Solid DT and dominant against the run. Won’t tire out as much this year since he has more help.
3. You just added possibly the best defender in the class.
4. Gary is a very solid player.
5. EZE should start coming into his own. And you added a solid starting level linebacker via trade.
6. Murray is gone.
7. The CBs should be healthy.

This defense should be, in theory, really hard to run on. Just a few timely pass breakups and/or stops on 3rd downs will change TOP and statistics dramatically.

This defense has a chance to be MUCH, MUCH better. I think the wild card on defense will still be inside at linebacker. If the 3rd rounder can just be “satisfactory” this defense has a chance to be very solid.

 

[75boyz]

We have a completely different team on defense. We added 12 defensive players in FA and the draft and Clark and Williams were not on the team to start the season. Even Revel and Overshown were not healthy to start the year.

So..."ONLY" 14 new defenders? 16 if you count the late season additions of Revel and Overshown?

And here I thought was all that last year's defensive group needed was just a little more coaching up?

Im just asking for several zoner friends who don't understand the concept of talent THEN coaching.

So yeah, this is pretty self explanatory for those who still don't understand that concept.

 

[Havic]

What do you guys think is the biggest weakness on the defense right now? Is it still LB? Pass rush? Corner?

Corner absolutely.

 

[gimmesix]

I believe that we objectively improved on defense this offseason. It would be almost impossible to have not improved.

The simple addition of Downs should be a significant impact on this defense. I don’t know how anyone would suggest otherwise.

We have added Quinnen, Clark, Gary, and the linebacker from SFA plus Downs. They should all be difference makers.

The biggest difference may by in the Coaching department. That is an unknown quality but they should have a lot more commitment, innovation and energy.

Having said all of the foregoing, from 1-32, with 32 being the cellar, what would you expect the FLOOR of this defense in terms of total defense with these changes? What do you see the MOST LIKELY scenario for this defense? What would be your MOST OPTIMISTIC outcome with these changes.

My problem is that I can't tell the level of improvement.

Is Gary that much better than Clowney?

Based on their pay and draft selection, I certainly can't say that Ogbonnia, Bullard and Overton are better than Odighizuwa and Thomas.

Lawrence is a rookie, so is he better than Dante Fowler?

The safety room looks better if Downs is what they says he is and Thompson is what giving him a three-year deal says that he is.

It wouldn't take much to improve linebacker over Murray and probably Winters alone would do that, but how much (considering he only cost a fifth-round pick) and does a third-rounder help in his first year?

How are we at outside corner? Is Bland going to be healthy? Is Revel going to improve? If not, can Durant step in? His cost says that's iffy.

Too many questions in my mind to say what the most likely scenario is? Our defensive coordinator hasn't even installed his scheme yet and we have no idea if he'll actually be good at calling the plays or getting the best out of the personnel.

We like to enter into the season with hope, but I try to take my dose of hope with the potential reality that my hope isn't built on anything substantial. I've become a believe-it-when-I-see-it fan. Now, I'm glad that we've made multiple moves and changed this defense a lot because what I saw last year wasn't worth running back. But just because we've changed doesn't mean we're going to be much better.

 

[Verdict]

My problem is that I can't tell the level of improvement.

Is Gary that much better than Clowney?

Based on their pay and draft selection, I certainly can't say that Ogbonnia, Bullard and Overton are better than Odighizuwa and Thomas.

Lawrence is a rookie, so is he better than Dante Fowler?

The safety room looks better if Downs is what they says he is and Thompson is what giving him a three-year deal says that he is.

It wouldn't take much to improve linebacker over Murray and probably Winters alone would do that, but how much (considering he only cost a fifth-round pick) and does a third-rounder help in his first year?

How are we at outside corner? Is Bland going to be healthy? Is Revel going to improve? If not, can Durant step in? His cost says that's iffy.

Too many questions in my mind to say what the most likely scenario is? Our defensive coordinator hasn't even installed his scheme yet and we have no idea if he'll actually be good at calling the plays or getting the best out of the personnel.

We like to enter into the season with hope, but I try to take my dose of hope with the potential reality that my hope isn't built on anything substantial. I've become a believe-it-when-I-see-it fan. Now, I'm glad that we've made multiple moves and changed this defense a lot because what I saw last year wasn't worth running back. But just because we've changed doesn't mean we're going to be much better.

I’m not suggesting that w KNOW what this defense will be. I just believe that the fact that we were 31ish on defense last year shouldn’t tamp down expectations for this season.

This team may very well be unsettled early on, even if we have talent due to all of the new faces on defense, coaches learning from each other and coaches learning the players. Those are all valid, reasonable factors to consider.

But would it REALLY be all that surprising for this team, with all the new faces, and all the new coaches, and a solid rookie class, to manage some timely stops, be solid against the run (top 10) and have an offense that protects the defense as to time of possession?

I don’t think that it would be impossible to flip the script on this defense and it suddenly be around the top 10 by the end of the year. I’m not saying that WILL happen. But I am suggesting that maybe we shouldn’t be too amazed if it does happen.

We went from winning 5 games the year that we chose Zeke Elliott and Dak. That season we won a ton of games. Replacing a single scrub with an elite player can make a major difference. And we are replacing more than one scrub. lol.

 

[CWR]

I have been giving this quite a bit of consideration and I always try to view things objectively. But the more I consider this the more I think we may be underestimating how much this defense might improve year over year.

Think about this:

1. This defense has Quinnen at DT. Stud.
2. Clark. Solid DT and dominant against the run. Won’t tire out as much this year since he has more help.
3. You just added possibly the best defender in the class.
4. Gary is a very solid player.
5. EZE should start coming into his own. And you added a solid starting level linebacker via trade.
6. Murray is gone.
7. The CBs should be healthy.

This defense should be, in theory, really hard to run on. Just a few timely pass breakups and/or stops on 3rd downs will change TOP and statistics dramatically.

This defense has a chance to be MUCH, MUCH better. I think the wild card on defense will still be inside at linebacker. If the 3rd rounder can just be “satisfactory” this defense has a chance to be very solid.

All that and you didnt even mention our "biggest" free agent in Jalen Thompson. It should be a very interesting year.

 

[Verdict]

All that and you didnt even mention our "biggest" free agent in Jalen Thompson. It should be a very interesting year.

Yes. I could have thrown in more. I’m just sayin’…..

 

[AbeBeta]

You seem like someone kicked your dog. Are you ok?

No. I just hate it when people incorrectly use specific terminology.

Dogs suck. Cats rules.

 

[Kwyn]

I really hope we trade for Brooks...Miami did draft 3 LBs lol

At this point it would be 2027 draft picks. I doubt we have players they would want.