Defense: Any way you want it

[Paup 1995MVP]

15 hours ago, KzooMike said:

If you look at Mahomes and Allen, you see a variation in how teams are going about defending them. Neither is getting blitzed like they once did. Allen's career blitz average is over 40% per attempt, this year it's just 13.7%, while Mahomes is at 13.8%, down from his career average of 23%.  You saw how we played Mahomes and how teams have played us. Rush four, try and disrupt the pocket and play coverage. 

 

Is the blitz obsolete? Obviously not. We will never see the 85 Bears again. Reduced contact within 5 yards allows plays to start faster rendering the blitz more risky. I think teams have learned with Mahomes and Allen if you blitz and they evade you, it's over. You will be down defenders in coverage and they can throw from any position extending plays 6+ seconds. It isn't just saying don't blitz, you also need a defensive line to disrupt the pocket with only four rushers and enough meat in the middle to not get gutted in the ground game (sounds a lot like Pittsburgh). Excellent back end coverage certainly doesn't hurt either. Last year we didn't have the make up to do all these things. Very few teams have the make up to do all these, I thought Tampa Bay was about as close as anybody at the end of last year.

 

Buffalo was built around it's coverage at DB and LB. We also have aggressive blitz packages. Getting a top notch DL was never something I envisioned as a real possibility this early.  

 

This year Star has been a different player. Maybe the year off revitalized him. He's absorbing two blockers and not conceding any space. Zimmer has been a very solid rotational player. Groot, Boogie, and AJ have injected another dimension into the pass rush. Then Hughes, Addison, and Oliver can all flash at anytime, all current or former starters, all of these guys rotating. Which is key, they stay fresh and offensive lineman never get a beat on tendency. It has to be maddening to face so many styles. We saw this style of defense on display all night and we dominated. We saw a much more aggressive, blitzing style defense on display previous weeks and we dominated.

 

This defense was built on coverage and now it is a considerable threat without blitzing to get home. We have not had that luxury in the McDermott / Frazier era and they have had a lot of success without such a benefit. This defense has a chance to be historically good this season. We can play any style we want.  DVOA from Football outsiders actually has us as being historically good as of this time with the KC game being against far and away the #1 offense in the NFL. 

Good analysis KzooMIke.  (Are you in Kalamazoo, home of Western Michigan?)  It seems that teams do not blitz nearly as much as they used to.  (Chicago Bears circa 1985 just does not happen anymore.  Couple additional reasons.  QB's on the whole are more mobile to escape the blitz.  And the rules on hitting the QB are so strictly enforced that you just can not drill the QB w reckless abandon like years ago.  Its good that you can't drill the QB in the head.  But the call on Ed Oliver was weak.  Unless you just nail a QB below the knees viciously, don't call it.  And the phantom holding call on Morse was even worse.  That officiating crew should be suspended for at least one week w the nonsense they were calling) 

 

The defensive game plan against the Chiefs was excellent.  Guys understand their roles and are playing fast.  A shout out to Tremaine Edmunds.  I have been hard on him.  (And I believe rightfully so.)  But he was dynamite against the Chiefs and is really coming on.  Nice to see him playing w confidence and not thinking so much, which lets his athleticism come out.

 

We will be tough to beat every game the rest of the year.  Bring on the Chargers, Browns, Ravens, Titans.  Bucs, Rams.  Don't matter.  We have talent up and down the roster.  And great coaching w great schemes on both sides of the ball.  

 

 

[Robert Paulson]

22 hours ago, wjag said:

So I've been itching to say some things about the defense, but didn't want to start a thread.  So I'll jump in here.  

 

3 Up, 3 Down

 

Up...

1.  Rotating 9 DL in the game was awesome.   Less injury potential and fresh bodies to come wave after wave after wave.

2. Edmunds is clearly better playing behind Star.  Clearly.

3. "Micah Poyer" or "Jordan Hyde" are playing their best ball behind that new DL this year..

 

Down....

1.  Milano just doesn't seem capable of staying healthy..  Some guys are just snake-bit.

2. Jerry Hughes is done.  Through five games, I literally have not noticed him.

3. Ed Oliver is good for one or two brutal penalties each game..

 

 

agree on all the ups!

 

Jerry still is a very good player. He will never get a holding call again in his career due to the incident in the tunnel 3 years ago.  
He still gets pressure and the occasional pile on sack but o-linemen know they can hold him without worrying.  This is probably his last year but he is valuable for his pressure and leadership.