I don’t want to highjack the other thread about fixing LBs…,
We have to consider any tweaks the DC may want or even MP wants as well imho…
Maybe the highest thing was PP not getting it right?
Now our defense seems a total mystery to solve since don’t know what the end goal is now…
see, I was excited when MP was hired. I wanted him the previous year, because I loved the idea that the patriots used of throwing out the gameplan and retooling it for each opponent. but I wonder if that’s really what we’ve been doing. I see kind of the same thing trotted out every week, and his idea sounds kind of like a cover 2 approach with the dline providing the pressure with almost no blitzing. It’s stubborn. when you watch our offense get killed by a blitz, or when you occasionally DO blitz and it works, then maybe do it a bit more? you’re leaving your secondary out to dry and by all accounts they were actually doing well. imagine the past year taking 1 second off of the qb being able to sit back in the pocket. maybe a little more defensive success.
I don’t get it. I think MP isn’t what we thought he was.
I don’t think it was the problem …The injuries killed us , Hand & Daniels in particular were HUGE to this Defense, also the learning curve steep , Zero continuity on the D-Line , gap integrity was shit . Overall talent level not on par with what is needed to make it a success .
The offense needs to be addressed , Stafford needs to stay healthy …
In order for this Defensive system to truly work the offense has to be very, very good and score early and often and then slow it down . You need leads to force the other team to get inpatient and force something , the Defense is designed to make the offense have to nickel and dime it’s way down the field.
Yards given up is a given in this Defense , you cant have the running game avg 5 yards a carry and also be able to Nickel and dime you in the passing game … Stopping the run and being dominant at it is a key .
I do not think for one second the Defense is changing as far as system goes a guy will be brought in that will do exactly what Patricia wants. Brendan Daly I think is the target for DC
To answer the question in the thread title, no, our DC was not the true problem.
Talent was the issue. The lack of available talent long the DL was an issue. The lack of talent with our #2 CB was an issue. The sporadic play of our MIKE and the wet-behind-the-ears play of our 2nd round LB also contributed to our problems. Fix the personnel issues on the DL and everything looks much different.
The scheme is the problem. Your grand
strategy is to contain, get middle pressure and Max cover.
Awesome idea in 1984 against Chuck Long, Dan Fouts, Dan Marino and the like. With 1980s/90s DPI rules, QB hits and enforcement.
Against Mahomes, Watson, Rodgers, Jackson, Allen, Wilson, etc? In today’s rules environment for DPI and QB hits?
Not so much.
Was PP the problem?
Yes but not all of the problem.
Personally I like coaches with a lot of NFL coaching experience and PP has very little NFL experience. That lack of experience showed. We were getting out coached.
With that said BQ has built this defense to fail. We lack speed at LBer and off the edge. As a results good QB’s exploit us.
The problem was the players didn’t execute what Patricia wanted. And did nothing to improve their game. they played like chit. Period.
The other problem is Patricia didn’t realize these players couldn’t execute his schemes.
I’d say Patricia and the players are both equally culpable.
IMHO MP brought in PP because he liked him as a teacher/mentor. The defensive scheme, implementation and who played where were 100% MP. PP has no ties with that defense. Only with Patricia. As far as calling the defensive plays, when that mic goes and PP rattled off what he wanted, again IMHO if MP did not like it, he would check it right there. I just cannot see a scenario where MP spent 80% of the year shaking his head at what PP was doing on gameday. PP was a sacrificial lamb nothing more, nothing less. I know we all WANT the scheme to change some, but I seriously doubt it will. Tavai in on 3rd and 26 is on MP, not PP and we’ll continue to see foolish things that predictably end badly in 2020. My only hope is that we strike enough talent gold, to overcome MP’s obvious scheme deficiencies. You add Chase Young and Bud Dupree to that pass rush and all of the sudden MP may survive.