How good is this defense?
 

I like what i am seeing generally, but we did face a fairly easy schedule, and played some of the weakest QB's i could imagine throughout an entire season. So might need to temper expectations in these playoffs and next season.

Week 1 Andy Dalton - Joe Mixon
Week 2 Alex Smith - Adrian Peterson
Week 3 Carson Wentz making his seasons debut coming back from serious injury - Josh Adams
Week 4 DeShaun Watson - Lamar Miller
Week 5 Tom Brady - James White
Week 6 Sam Darnold - Isaiah Crowell
Week 7 Derek Anderson - LeSean McCoy
Week 8 Derek Carr - Doug Martin
Week 9 Bye
Week 10 Blake Bortles - Leonard Fournette
Week 11 Marcus Mariota/Blaine Gabbert - Derrick Henry
Week 12 Ryan Tannehill - Frank Gore
Week 13 Cody Kessler - Carlos Hyde
Week 14 DeShaun Watson - Lamar Miller
Week 15 Dak Prescott - Ezekiel Elliott
Week 16 Eli Manning - Saquon Barkley
Week 17 Blaine Gabbert - Derrick Henry

We managed to avoid most of the seasons leading passers in Roethlisberger, Mahomes, Ryan, Goff, Rodgers, Rivers, Cousins. I don't think i would consider any of the QB's whom we faced this season to have been pro bowl worthy.

Against the run throughout the entire season we have been very good, and we have faced some of the leagues best here.

I think we have a very nice platform to build from, but this defense is far from the finished article and would be ripped apart in my opinion by some of the better offenses/QB's in the league as it stands now.

Thankfully we are also playing well on offense, so who knows, maybe we can play ball with the top teams in these playoffs, fingers crossed that's the case.

agree. even though, we are much further along than anyone imagined at the beginning of the season. it might not be great yet but its good and has done especially well shutting down some of the better running games in the league. another off season and some added talent and we could have something special. things are trending well for this team.

The defense has definitely been helped out by inept offenses. They have been much better than I thought they would be

This team still needs a pass rush and DL depth. Half of this DL or more will need to be replaced within 2-3 seasons, and this defense needs an elite pass rusher.

I guess we will see in the playoffs if we get past Texans and play very good to elite QB. I think Rivers and Mahomes might light this D up for 45+. I hope I would be wrong.

You can only play the schedule you're given. In the second half of the season, the defense has played very well and has been top ten ranked. They shut out a hot Cowboys team. They have shut down some of the best runners in the league.

That said, for this scheme to be really effective they need to be able to pressure with just the front four. The Bears defense is the ideal model. We probably won't find a Khalil Mack, but we do need better interior and outside pass rush. Everything will improve if that does.

I will say that a lot of the players are growing and getting better. Kenny Moore has been growing by leaps and bounds.

We'll I guess we'll find out next year when we play a bunch of those - on the road too.

Agree that they’ve feasted on some bad QBs. That isn’t their fault obviously.

I think there are some obvious problems. They still vacate and concede the middle of the field too often which can lead to long drives. They still play too far off the receiver on 3rd down at times. They’ve done well without a premier pass rusher but as someone else said, adding one of those would help the entire defense significantly. An improved NT would help as well.

Overall I’m impressed with the job Eberflus has done.

This defense kind of reminds me of the Miami no name defenses of 1972. The sum seems much better than the individual parts, ie they play as a team. I don’t think they are as good as Miami but what the hell do I know. I never in my wildest dreams thought that they would be as good as they are now. I’m beginning to believe. If Kelly can come back I think it makes our offensive line dominant and maybe, just maybe the football gods will take us to Atlanta

Well the browns have put in a request to interview Eberflus.


Fuck.

Here is a good visualization of how good Darius Leonard has been this year:

https://m.imgur.com/a/9S4Ddrx

Good enough to beat Houston again.

Holy crud, that is amazing.

Leads all LBs in sacks, FF and tackles and is at least tied for second in INTs, PDs and Tackle For Losses.

That is amazing. The rook is killing it.

Walk Worthy,

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

I doubt Leonard would let that happen. I do believe he is that special.

The jets put up over 40. Did he allow that?

Dumb post

Well I suppose if the offense gives up a TD and puts the other team in FG range to start the drive 3 other times, essentially giving up 16 points themselves, then there might be nothing Leonard can do about it. That said, since that game, the Colts have allowed the fewest points in the NFL both overall and on a per game basis.

Here is the same graph but with the other DROY candidates
https://m.imgur.com/k9Eggca

Leonard is one player. He only has so much of an impact.


The colts defense has been largely helped out by playing trash offenses.

Too bad he isn't pro bowl worthy

Pro Bowl is shit, but he definitely should have made it. And Rivers and Brady over Luck is total bullshit.

This defense is good enough to consistently stop bad, mediocre to above average QBs.

Still don't think its good enough to stop Good to great QBs.

One player can sometimes have a very big impact.

The Colts can only play their schedule. Plus some of these "trash offenses" dropped some pretty big numbers on some of the best scoring defenses in the league.

I don't think the Colts played "trash" offenses this year.

But they played few of the top ones, at least in terms of QBs

I would say most would agree the list of top 10 QBs includes, no particular order, and we will exclude Luck :

1. Brees
2. Rodgers, though GB had an off year
3. Brady, grudgingly admitted
4. Raper-burger
5. Rivers this year was great, most years I would not put him on this list
6. Matt Ryan
7. Mahommes, new to the list this season
8. Brees
9. Russell Wilson
10. Jared Goff to round it out, especially given how good the offense has been

You may agree/disagree on a few, but 8/10 or so I would say most would agree on.

Colts have played exactly one of those 10 so far, and they lost, to brady.

now that was a strike shortened week and without Leonard and Walker too I think at LB, but still, a loss

Haven't faced any of the other 10 so far this year

After that there is a large group of middling to good, or up and coming QBs. Watson, Trubisky, Stafford, Wentz when healthy (and he is not), Cam Newton when healthy (again, not now), Dak Prescott, Eli, Kirk Cousins, some others. They have faced some of those and had success

Out of the top 10 or so for the year, besides Luck, though, did not have to face them this season, except Brady

So I found this hilarious in Peter King's projections

https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/01/01/nf...mpaign=themmqb

Leonard finishes 7th in DPOY on here. The only rookie on the list.

BUT, he finishes 3rd in DROY voting. How the fuck does that work?

Weird mental gymnastics. I sometimes wonder if King really even follows the game or if he justs mines his years of contacts.

That article isn't Peter King's - he left SI and is now at NBC.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...ay-peter-king/

Yup, forgot about that. Run by albert Breer now? Still, doesn't make sense though.

It doesn’t work. It is moronic

Multiple people voting with a few that really like Leonard and the rest that are dumb.

Leonard's reaction when he hears 40 tackles are impossible

https://www.instagram.com/p/Brk8s26liU8/

This got me curious, so I went to see how each QB we played fared against us compared with their season. I will show details later, but it seems like just Brady, Eli and Darnold were much better against us when you consider yards and TDs. The Jets game was atrocious for our offense, so that explains that one. Brady DID throw two INTs against us, compared to 11 for the year. Then you see how we held Prescott and Watsonin check, for the most part. Looks like our defense is a little better than the top half, possibly 12th?

Leonard was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 17.

IMO, this defense is pretty strong vs. the run and pretty weak vs the pass. Shoring up the pass defense for next year should be the #1 priority.

We need a better pass rush, stronger CB play and some help at LBer pass defense. At least the first 2 draft choices should be for the D. Depth for the OL would be good as well.

I didn't even look to see how we did for RBs versus their average, since we held every RB we faced under 100 yards. That list includes Fournette, Zeke, Saquon, Henry, and probably another that I am missing.

Now, that could be because teams can pass on us pretty well, but to be able to stuff third and short as often as we have bodes well for the playoffs.

I can't remember the last time the Colts did not allow a 100 yd rusher through an entire regular season?

Maybe the '95 team?

o


Very close.

Bernie Parmalee had 102 yards when the Colts played the Dolphins, and Curtis Martin had 103 yards in the season finale against the Patriots.


https://www.pro-football-reference.c...9511260clt.htm


https://www.pro-football-reference.c...9512230clt.htm

o

Our secondary has improved a lot over the course of the season. Improved interior and exterior pass rush will make them even better and cause more turnovers. Add some pieces to the dline. Maybe another vet for the secondary. Another weapon or two on offense and I think this team will be very well rounded.

I mostly agree.

I think the most glaring need for the defense is a good nose tackle type. You add a big nasty NT who requires consistent double-teams to the D-line, and we can start generating pressure rushing 4 out of our base cover zone, and actually cover some of that underneath stuff on 2nd and long, 3rd and long situations. As is it, we allow teams to convert on 3rd and long way too often over the middle of the field, because we have send LBs and DBs after the quarterback.

On offense, I'd like to see another consistent deep threat at WR. If we had another guy like Hilton who could pose a decision for opposing defenses on who to double-cover, with the line we have, this offense becomes almost impossible to stop.

Dexter Lawrence of Clemson is a 350lb man who moves like a 280lb one. He will be a NT at the next level but can also give you some pass rush and athleticism. Most nose tackles are not going to rush the passer much and are there to discourage the run. On passing downs, they still might have to double him. He might be around when we pick, that's a big might. For DT myself I like OSU's Dra'Mont Jones. A little undersized but very advanced technique-wise for a college DT and was well coached. Can play all over the line. And seems made for a Tampa-2 defense.

This WR class kind scares me. I think there is some fools gold in it. I want to see combine results before I really start making judgments. But Hollywood Brown of OK, Parris Cambell of OSU, Riley Ridley of Georgia are all projected to do well on the 40. I like those guys a little better than some of the bigger receivers in this draft.

How about Antonio Brown?

They are even old friends

That would be awesome, though I know its not likely to happen