Sorta - Last year in December we were ranked 6th given up 102 yards a game.
This year were 13th giving up 106 yards a game.
So we’re giving up four more yards a game than last year in terms of yards.
However last year teams were running on us 32 times a game this year 26.
Which suggest to me we’re giving up more big plays and those fall in the back 7 not the front 4.
Honestly I think the difference is AA has declined and our safeties are hurt.
He’s somewhere in between those two. Admittedly closer to Tahir. Peak Julian Peterson was something else.
No doubt…
But at some point a grown man with a head set kept saying… “Nah man, you and Amik keep lining up 24 inches from 220 dudes that are 4-5 inches taller than you and try to jam them?” While we are at it “Barnes keep lining up inside the tackle box and crashing into the line… sometimes bite on the screen and half way to the QB, stop pursuit and turn and run backwards after the back who just ran by you.”
Effective immediately…
Hutch/Mac/Reader/AQM- I want this alignment 60% of the snaps
Campbell/Anzalone
Rock/Reed outside
Robertson slot
Maddox FS
Harper SS
That’s all
This.
I love Amik, and loved Reed early. But man- both are getting carved up like a Christmas goose. With Kerby gone and now Branch, QBs are teeing off on our corners and having a field day. A reliable pass rush would help. Or at the very least a bit of smoke + mirrors, cat + mouse, shell game disguises, blitz packages, etc from Shepherd. I do believe any team missing 3 starters in their secondary would be struggling pretty similarly.
Our LBer play started the season off pretty good and Barnes was a big part of that. We seemed to be more aggressive and all about gap control and things looked better.
But…. With all the injuries in the secondary we started asking our LBers to do more read and react stuff and as a result the LBers look slower and out of position more. We’re clearly asking them to do more.
Without the two stud safeties this defense is struggling to adjust and have an identity.
I am starting to believe we need another high quality LBer.
I agree with these PFF ratings this week. Playing man coverage is only effective if we get a pass rush. I do think Alim is pushing the pocket but that is not an instant win. I think it starts with stopping the run so we can pull DJ off and insert a pass rusher. When its 2nd and 3 your not bringing in pass rushers. We just can’t continue to give up 6 and 7 yard runs on 1st down. We have to play better situational defense.
DJ Reed does not look right. Every time there is a throw in his direction he is stumbling and falling down because he can’t keep up. These CBs can’t hold up in coverage for 4 and 5 seconds. We have to bring a LB or something to create pressure.
Many thought we improved at corner after signing Reed over keeping CD. This has clearly has not been the case. Although I havent been following him much at the pats this year.
Dan actually said in his presser that you can help players out but when you do you put more on a different group. This is apparently the case with the LB’s.
Now tell us where the teams this year ranked running the ball compared to last year. I kind of feel like this is a cherry picked stat. Not to mention we can’t stop the pass or rush the passer so does it even matter? It all falls on Brad Holmes and the shit drafts and off-season we had the last 2 years.
AMEN.
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