Quote:
Originally Posted by Chaka
Why so pessimistic on this? Hunt I can't explain, but the rest of the defense is young and should only get better.
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For me there are a few factors. One is Hunt. He’s playing at a Pro Bowl level. There is obvious reason to doubt it will continue. If his play regresses to anywhere near expectations that will ripple across the D. Especially since penetration by the dline is critical in this scheme and there is no one on the line I have confidence in picking up the slack.
As someone else pointed out depth is a major concern. Yes that’s true of most teams, but I think most people would agree that overall the D lacks talent. So a loss of one of the few above average contributors (two currently at All Pro levels) will hit harder than a D with more talent spread across it.
During the small sample size we have, I’ve seen stretches of the poor play I expected. 3/4 of the Cincy game the D was awful. The first drive against Philly was awful. And the Philly game was also playing an offense missing several of its best weapons (including starting RB and WR1), it’s QB was playing his first game since a major injury, and it was in the rain.
There has also been very little tape for offenses to analyze. We’ll see how they fair as teams know more about what to expect (who the fuck would expect to have to game plan for Margus Hunt?). Teams make adjustments and I think their is a decent amount to exploit on this young inexperienced D.
Certainly some of this could just be expectation bias on my part, but I’m not ready to believe they are an average D yet. I need to see them prove it longer. I need to see Hunt continue his play or see who else can elevate his game if he falls back.
Now that’s not to say I don’t see reason for optimism. Leonard alone is reason enough to be excited. He may not be able to keep up this pace. He may fall off some as the season progresses (like many rookies) but I do believe he’s a difference maker. Coming into the season I had serious doubts the D had one. Hell of a pick by Ballard.
The defensive coaching staff appears to be at least competent. Considering their inexperience and the way the staff was put together, that was a question mark. Tackling seems mostly improved. Whether or not it lasts they’ve found ways to generate a pass rush. And they’ve obviously emphasized stripping the ball which I love.
They are also getting a lot of guys meaningful experience.
Overall I’m pleasantly surprised and see several reasons for optimism, even if I don’t believe they are as good as their current numbers suggest.