26th in points allowed
26th in yards allowed
24th in takeaways
5th in passing TDs allowed
6th in penalties
28th in expected points contributed
4th in yards allowed per pass
I am not trying to be the smartest guy in the room. I am simply pointing out facts.
If you think Matt Patricia was the mastermind behind any defense in NE, then I am not sure what to tell you.
What are you talking about? Patricia had a number of really solid defenses in New England.
5th on points allowed in 2017 (all with the Patriots s their DC)
1st in points allowed in 2016
10th in points allowed in 2015.
8th in points allowed in 2014.
10th in points allowed in 2013.
9th in points allowed in 2012.
Those are all the seasons Patricia was the DC with Big Bill. Thinking Bill doesn’t allow his guys to work is wrong. Bill has a great staff in New England and those guys work hard and know their craft.
If the Lions had taken TJ Watt instead of Jarrad Davis, there would be no need for the Lions to do the Mack trade.
I’d have made the trade for Mack. He took CHI from the cellar to a contender. That’s what a talent of his level does. They won a division title something the Lions have not done in a very long time.
I firmly believe that Lions are lacking a difference maker like Mack and it’s one of BQ’s biggest drafting mistakes.
We need difference makers.
They lost that playoff game…but the defense played extremely well. The offense chit the bed and a kicker missed at the end. At the time I kind of poo poo’d the trade but it grew on me very quickly. Particularly when you look back at who those picks ended up being…I’d rather have Mack. I hated the money involved as well, but now realize the wisdom in “going for broke” when you have a QB on a rookie contract.
As a struggling Lions fan I would make that trade for a division title and a home playoff game in a heartbeat.
I was hoping someone wouldn’t focus on the first part. The second part was the focus of my response. They traded for Mack to improve the defense, and the defense played well enough to win that game. It was the offense that let them down, as well as the kicker. Its like making a big trade for an offensive weapon, then getting to the playoffs and dropping 40 on the other team…but still losing. Obviously the player we traded for did his job, it was just the other side of the ball that let us down.
I made a similar point in my above post. So I didn’t think there was need to say it twice. We agree on this. Here’s my post.
Mack did what CHI needed him to do. He took then from bottom dweller to contender. He gave them a division title and home playoff game. He made then a legitimate contender. They only failed from going to a SB because of their QB play.
I think Mack proved the point that I’ve been trying to make for two years now. “We need difference makers” - A real difference maker that teams have to game plan for. A real difference maker that demands double teams. A real difference maker that can disrupt and impact a game in such a way as to change the outcome.