Why Does This Defense Suck?

[superpunk]

I said good. Me, I don't expect an FS in what ends up as one on one coverage to be able to cover Burress at all. It was a 2 man coverage -- Watkins had his part - Roy ran into the official.

I expect a FS to be aware of the ball. Watkins has shown no ability to locate it at all. On that play, he just ran downfield with Burress, and wasn't even close to thinking about making a play on the ball. That ball hung, too. If we wanted someone to do that we could just sign Tony Dixon.

I know he's a rookie, and a fifth rounder, and honestly, I really like him, so mistakes can be excused. But so far - he's garbage. Absolute garbage. And I blame our front office for ignoring that problem again.

 

[Maikeru-sama]

We define great coverage as having no idea where the hell the ball is? OK. I guess he had great coverage then.

Exactly.

I was going to post the same freakin reply but everyone in the office is talking Cowboys, so I got interrupted.

Go look at the tape. Yes, Watkins was there but he looked totally lost and made no attempt on the ball.

Decent pass but again the Safeties looked lost.

- Mike G.

 

[hardcorebob]

The quick answer: Zimmer and not having an offensive that can grind the ball down the field (just like the Giants did to us on several series) is why our defense isn't doing as well as it should.

 

[odog422]

The quick answer: Zimmer and not having an offensive that can grind the ball down the field (just like the Giants did to us on several series) is why our defense isn't doing as well as it should.

Exactly. Especially if you don't play an attacking style defense. You play the "read and react" style which IMO, is conducive to leaving your defense out on the field for long stretches if you're playing an efficient offense.

That said, I don't hang this one on our D either. Disappointed in our D? Yes. But that's moreso a reflection of the scheme they're forced to play than it is the D itself.

And the way I saw the pass to Plax, the ball was high and to the middle of the field - only he could reach it, at 6'5" extended (great pass) and our only chance was for Roy to dislodge it on contact.

 

[superpunk]

Exactly. Especially if you don't play an attacking style defense. You play the "read and react" style which IMO, is conducive to leaving your defense out on the field for long stretches if you're playing an efficient offense.

Yeah. Cuz we never attacked. Guess who plays a read and react defense? The Giants. Guess why it works? Because they have actual talent up front. Go ahead and blame Zimmer. Saying it over and over again doesn't make it right. Sometimes players need to make plays. And our front four aside from Ware and occasionally Ellis is crap. But that must be Zimmer's fault, because he doesn't attack. Nevermind that he continually sent the troops last night and they screwed it up like always.

Zimmer planned it that way.

 

[stealth]

I expect a FS to be aware of the ball. Watkins has shown no ability to locate it at all. On that play, he just ran downfield with Burress, and wasn't even close to thinking about making a play on the ball. That ball hung, too. If we wanted someone to do that we could just sign Tony Dixon.

I know he's a rookie, and a fifth rounder, and honestly, I really like him, so mistakes can be excused. But so far - he's garbage. Absolute garbage. And I blame our front office for ignoring that problem again.

garbage is a bit strong The kid only has gotten flat out BEAT once this year, he seems to be in position to make plays but he doesn't make them. I think he is thinking to much about not getting burnt and hasn't yet matured to the point he can be trusted out there. Teams will key on him the rest of the year. I think he will either flake out or rise to the occasion by years end. The potential is there he just needs to get more comfortable. He is playing better than I expected a rookie 5th rounder to play. That alone makes him better than garbage. He is fast as all hell too with time he can become something special I just hope the coaching staff doesnt give up on him and put killer in there. I actually was hoping to see marcus playing FS yesterday I think he coulda helped us out quite a bit.

 

[Tobal]

I can't figure out why we blitz our high dollar COVER corners....

Can we really not figure out how to blitz with our safeties or LB's?

 

[superpunk]

garbage is a bit strong The kid only has gotten flat out BEAT once this year, he seems to be in position to make plays but he doesn't make them. I think he is thinking to much about not getting burnt and hasn't yet matured to the point he can be trusted out there. Teams will key on him the rest of the year. I think he will either flake out or rise to the occasion by years end. The potential is there he just needs to get more comfortable. He is playing better than I expected a rookie 5th rounder to play. That alone makes him better than garbage. He is fast as all hell too with time he can become something special I just hope the coaching staff doesnt give up on him and put killer in there. I actually was hoping to see marcus playing FS yesterday I think he coulda helped us out quite a bit.

Just because he was near the players making the catch does not mean he was in position. He has no awareness and he can't locate the ball in the air. He's surrendered 28 points on big plays, by himself. If that's not garbage, I don't know what is. We want to criticize Taylor for getting his butt kicked all season, Watkins has been even worse - and no excuses make it any better.

 

[AdamJT13]

And Akin to that list too. His best games are merely "average". IMO he was horrid last night.

OK, I've seen Ayodele bashed several times now, and I didn't notice him doing anything wrong. He made eight tackles, most of them on short runs, and he even had our only tackle for loss.

Exactly what did he do that was so "horrid"?

 

[MichaelWinicki]

OK, I've seen Ayodele bashed several times now, and I didn't notice him doing anything wrong. He made eight tackles, most of them on short runs, and he even had our only tackle for loss.

Exactly what did he do that was so "horrid"?

Adam, I think I've heard the guy's name called about 3 times all season. I hear about 4 "Brady's" to every time Akin's name is mentioned.

 

[AdamJT13]

You do realize that there was offensive PI on that play don't you?????

Not only that, but Burress was "open" because Newman played the ball correctly.

 

[Maikeru-sama]

Adam, I think I've heard the guy's name called about 3 times all season. I hear about 4 "Brady's" to every time Akin's name is mentioned.

Yep, especially when James dropped that gimmee interception .

 

[stealth]

Just because he was near the players making the catch does not mean he was in position. He has no awareness and he can't locate the ball in the air. He's surrendered 28 points on big plays, by himself. If that's not garbage, I don't know what is. We want to criticize Taylor for getting his butt kicked all season, Watkins has been even worse - and no excuses make it any better.

I don't excuse his mistakes but I understand them. I watch other FS in the league and they don't play the same way watkins seems to, in so much as his position on the field relative to where the ball is going. I really think our defensive scheme needs work. We aren't playing up to our strengths.

 

[AdamJT13]

Adam, I think I've heard the guy's name called about 3 times all season. I hear about 4 "Brady's" to every time Akin's name is mentioned.

His name doesn't get called much because he's an inside linebacker, and he makes a lot of tackles in the pile. He also gets replaced in the nickel defense, so he doesn't play as much as Bradie James. But he is second on the team in total tackles and has more solo tackles than James does.

Last night, Ayodele stuffed Barber for a 1-yard loss, and the TV guys credited Jason Ferguson and went on for a minute about how Ferguson used to play for Parcells. Is that Ayodele's fault?

With all of the bashing, I thought maybe Ayodele had blown a play or missed a tackle. I didn't realize it was just because the TV guys don't mention his name enough.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

The problem with our defense is that we have a hard time getting consistent pressure on the QB when the opposing offense puts 3+ WR formations out there.

It's one of the issues with playing the 3-4 because it either:

1) Forces you to go to the nickel which most 3-4 teams don't have the personnel for 2 good pass rushing DE's in the nickel package.

2) Forces you to stay with the 3-4 personnel, but using one of the OLB's to bump the slot WR. Thus it leaves you with only 1 guy that can rush the passer.


From there, this team doesn't disguise blitzes very well and doesn't blitz much to begin with. And I'll chart this game and will be counting how often they used stunts. I really wouldn't be surprised if the answer was zero.

Canty is a solid player and so is Spears, but the fact is that they are pretty much run stuffing DT's if they played in the 4-3. So when teams go to 3 WR formations, we are now counting on those run stuffing DT's to rush the passer and that's not going to work.

Ellis needs to step it up and they need to disguise the blitzes better and stunt at least once in my lifetime.

I'm not sure if those are all of the answers, but it would be a decent start.



YAKUZA

 

[Yakuza Rich]

With all of the bashing, I thought maybe Ayodele had blown a play or missed a tackle. I didn't realize it was just because the TV guys don't mention his name enough.

I remember one play he had a wide open shot, more daylight than an Alaskan summer day, right at Brandon Jacobs and completely whiffed.

I could see if that was Barber who made a nice juke. But it was Jacobs, who really didn't even swerve, much less cut.


YAKUZA

 

[stealth]

I remember one play he had a wide open shot, more daylight than an Alaskan summer day, right at Brandon Jacobs and completely whiffed.

I could see if that was Barber who made a nice juke. But it was Jacobs, who really didn't even swerve, much less cut.


YAKUZA

I am bigger than brandon jacobs and after watching him a few times I am not sure I wouldn't whiff on hitting him too, that guy looks scary, I wish we had a back like that on the team.

 

[dbair1967]

Don't give me any crap about Zimmer today. He doesn't script plays where these idiots run directly at blockers and don't have the talent to get off those blocks.

Watkins is directly responsible for 28 points. Don't sell me that a real FS wouldn't make a difference.

I dont need to "sell" anything anymore in regards to why we continually come up looking mediocre on defense

its Parcells and Zimmer, or Zimmer and Parcells...pretty much end of story there...niether has a clue what they are doing.

David

 

[stealth]

anyone that says parcells doesn't know what he is doing is just picking a guy to blame. Blaming him for the poor play of the defense is just silly. The guys on that field screwed up, not parcell's. I don't particularly like Zimmer so I am not gonna take up for him, but I will say he isn't solely to blame either. The defense as a whole isn't playing like they have something to prove, I just can't figure that out.

 

[odog422]

Yeah. Cuz we never attacked. Guess who plays a read and react defense? The Giants. Guess why it works? Because they have actual talent up front. Go ahead and blame Zimmer. Saying it over and over again doesn't make it right. Sometimes players need to make plays. And our front four aside from Ware and occasionally Ellis is crap. But that must be Zimmer's fault, because he doesn't attack. Nevermind that he continually sent the troops last night and they screwed it up like always.

Zimmer planned it that way.

Fundamental difference - we run the 3-4, they run the 4-3. Just because you don't acknowledge it doesn't make it untrue.