I’m so excited to see our defense this season.
The issue last year definitely wasn’t pressure. It was when we got pressure, the QB could just evade it and throw the ball, or we couldn’t cover long enough to get them to hold the ball. We need this DLine to collapse the pocket so when we get pressure, the QB has nowhere to go. I think Reader and McNeil will do a much better job pushing the middle and not allowing room for the QB to escape.
I also think the secondary should be able to cover much better, allowing the pass rushers to get home and the QB to eat it instead of always having an outlet to go to that’s wide open.
Hutch has 15+ sack potential this year. I think we clear 50+ sacks as a team and might even push for 60 and be among the best in the league.
Purdy specifically killed us this way. And he’s not even that great of an athlete.
Lions Best in Pressure rate.
2nd worst in yards allowed with pressure.
But again it’s not all about the DL not doing its job.
The DL might be getting to the QB but the QB just would chuck the ball to the open WR because the corners were so bad.
So NOW the corners should be better. DL takes a step up. It will be very much improved’
I’m actually more excited to see our defense this year, than our offense. We have had an elite offense for a couple years now. They may get better, but how much better can they really get.
This defense has a chance to go from mediocre, to a top 3 unit, IMO.
Calling last year’s defense “mediocre” gives it way too much credit!
I don’t think we hit Top 3. Too many young, developing players. It may be rough the first half of the season.
That said, I do think we can be a top-10 defense by December. Which is when it counts the most.
Staying relatively healthy would sure help. Excited about Reader. I think he was the best free agent we added. Plus we added a ton of help at corner.
We were the 2nd best rush defense in the league last year and led the league in pressure rate. Our pass defense was among the 4 worst in the league against the pass though. Overall, I’d classify them as mediocre.
If Wilkins got priced out of our range, which he clearly did, Reader was probably my next highest priority target. He is going to make every level of this defense better, IMO. He is a force multiplier.
Where were they in points allowed? That’s the most important metric. I do believe they were terrible in that respect – a fact which demonstrates that run defense alone isn’t going to get you into the heady ranks of the mediocre.
We were 10th worst, which isn’t far off from the middle of the road.
I think that’s a reasonable goal/expectation.
Bottom 10 is terrible.
Replaced Bonito jones (bottom 10% in DT grades)
With DJ Reader top 10 over all!
Replaced Sutton (Just inside the top 100)
With Davis (~50th)
Replaced Vildor/Jacobs (just inside the top 100)
With Robertson (~60th)
Replaced Comish/Paschal (just inside the top 100)
With Davenport (~60th)
Plus all the rookies and young players
Yea they arnt world beaters by any means but its hell of a lot better than bottom 10% in the league
I have PTSD from seeing Dak dead to rights in their end zone with a safety coming somehow ducking away from pressure and blindly throwing 104 yard TD pass because our corners were really good at not covering receivers
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