BillyCarpenter1

Many fans and the media have criticised the additions the Saints made on defense in the offseason. But, as of right now they SEEM to be paying off.

Who thinks the defense has improved and who thinks it has not? Feel free to elaborate!!





[Edited on 17/9/2003 by BillyCarpenter1]

BlackandBlue

I like strong safeties who don\'t get juked out of their jock by the opposing QB.
What I do like are DE\'s that play as if their life depended on it. I\'ve also enjoyed the gang tackling that I\'ve seen thusfar, it seems that with the addition of speed to this defense, that there are more players swarming around the ball.
I don\'t like the mental mistakes that cause penalties and the injuries.

lumm0x

As of right now I don\'t think it has improved over last season. I think come seasons end it will be an improved unit. While they \"seem\" to be paying off, when you look at the individual additions we made defensively the overall contribution to where we are right now is minimal. Orlando Ruff, brought in to shore up the middle of the linebackers hasn\'t seen the field. Neither has Henry Ford. Of our defensive draft picks, Sullivan has been the only contributor and he was fairly steady, but after his first career sack we have to wait to see him again. Would Norman Hand have been as productive and as capable in the same situations? Probably at this point in the season. Tebucky Jones has been a virtual ghost on the field so far. His speed in coverage may have made a QB look to the next option, but that is tough to evaluate and quantify. As for plays on the ball or ball-carrier....he\'s casper. Mitchell to take Knight\'s role....nuff said. Derrick Rodgers missed game one and he looked very capable in game two. I think he will be a blatant upgrade in talent level.

The game against Seattle was in my opinion, skewed to make us look statistically better than we were. We were solid but not outstanding which was an improvement over the preseason anyways. But due to the penalties and turnovers we let Seattle play a very short field and they got murdered on the ground game. Game two we played a reasonably average offensive group. We were able to get at the QB alot and we manhandled their o-line in the pass and run situations. I already gave the whole D-Line the game ball for this one and will again. It was a very good outing against a not so good offensive unit. We were picked to dominate them and we finished the game in that fashion.

Basically I think our speed upgrades are offset by the missed tackling and injury. We have created a statistically better unit right now, but the test of this will be the next two weeks. At this point I honestly don\'t think that our additions have made a signifigant impact to where we sit statistically right now. Just my opinion, but if we had fielded our starting 11 from last year in this year I don\'t think we would have seen much difference in those first two games.

Come week 16/17 I believe we will have become more cohesive, the players will know where each other are and make plays more efficiently. I do believe now after seeing that we didn\'t degrade as I was worried we had, that we will be a decent unit come year end. I was definitely a skeptic of where we were at going into the year and to my suprise they\'ve calmed my fears a bit. I just feel that right now we have a apples to apples situation and don\'t think we are better right now. The difference is that I believe the apple we\'re holding now is ripening and the apple we could be holding from last year would have been spoiling.

SaintScott25

The increase in speed on defense is very obvious! I think there is great depth on the d-line and linebacker. We\'ll see about DB the next few weeks w/o Carter on the field. The pass rush put on last week by the front 4 regardless of who they were was outstanding. Right now, the defense looks alot better. Everyone, even big Grady running to the ball. I still think last Sunday was the best game Grady Jackson played in a Saints uniform, and he\'s unstoppable playing like that. We\'ll see after this week how improved the D really is!!

BlackandBlue

You had me at hello, but then lost me at giving the LB crew some cred. Overall I thought the LB play was mediocre, Rodgers made some good plays, but he wasn\'t getting any help. I wouldn\'t mind Rodgers on weak side and DSmith playing middle for the simple fact that he can run the defense on the field (which I think is his one strong point, and a good one at that) as long as we can get some guy to play strong side that can be a difference maker.
Also, I\'ve got $20 that says Ruff gets cut next summer.

The waiting drove me mad....
I don't want to hear from those that know...
Everything has changed, absolutely nothing's changed

Eddie is a....draftnik?

WhoDat

I also mostly agree with lumm0x. Statistically speaking - which we all know I like - the defense has improved, but I\'m not so sure that\'s a result of player upgrades, or even a truly better unit.

I think Seattle man handled us and didn\'t need to sling the ball around and put up big numbers. We turned it over a lot and gave them a short field. They took advantage and scored 21 points in a single quarter. Some may say that\'s one bad quarter. I think they controlled us all game, and when you\'re up like they were, you use a ball control offense with the run and burn that clock. They obviously did a good job of that posting 150 yards against our improved run defense.

We played well against the Texans in a game in which they were expected to let down after their big win in miami. They did. Too hard to tell right now. I will say this - with all the injuries I don\'t know if the kind of play we\'ve seen in two games can continue. If it does I will happily eat my words about the off-season moves AND venturi. It\'s a long season... let\'s see what happens.

[Edited on 18/9/2003 by WhoDat]

\"Excuses, excuses, excuses. That’s all anyone ever makes for the New Orleans Saints’ organization.\" - Eric Narcisse


\"Being a Saints fan is almost like being addicted to crack,\" he said.[i]\"You know you should stop, but you just can\'t.\"

tweeky

Hodges injury is interesting in the fact that now James Allen takes over his spot. There were rumors in camp that Allen was about to overtake Hodge anyway.
Allen is entering his 2nd year. Thats about what most experts thought it would take for him to develop into an NFL quality starter. Some said his 3rd year.

I\'m not saying Hodges injury is a blessing, but this is an opportunity for Allen to step up.

The same was said about Kenny Smith. Two to three years and he\'d be a starter. He\'s about a year behind schedule but it looks like he might be a player.

I think as the year progresses AND WE DON\'T GET ANYMORE FRICKING INJURIES, this defense can be a top 10 quality unit. The DL is showing signs that it might blossom into a dominant unit. I just hope Whitehead can hold up until Howard gets back, and Bellamy keeps overachieving.
Our corners are short and we play a lot of teams with tall WR\'s over the next several games. They may move T-bucky to CB, if Green catches on fast.

Whether we agree or disagree; its all for Him.

BillyCarpenter1

I think we are about to find out this Sunday if our defense has improved. This defense is built on speed and to contain mobile QB\'s. Steve McNair is defiantely a moble QB. I won\'t go as far as to say the first 2-weeks have me convinced that this defense is going to be good, but I will say I\'ve liked what I\'ve seen so far.

If the defense can apply pressure to McNabb on a consistant basis like they did Carr and if they can contain the running game of the Titans, I will go on record and say YES they have improved.

BlackandBlue

Most of the reports I\'ve heard has Roger Knight starting for Hodge, with Allen taking a few snaps sporadically. From what I saw of Knight last week, he appears to be a decent player, but I wonder if that was spurned on from a rush of testosterone through the system because he was getting extra play time.

BrooksMustGo

I still think we\'re weak at linebacker, unless Allen shows that he can be a playmaker and I\'m with B&B, I think Ruff is gone before camp.

I do think this weekend, we\'re going to see mis-matches at slot and tight end, I don\'t think the secondary will stop McNair from using the intermediate passing game to good effect.

On a brighter note, I don\'t think Eddie George puts up more than 2.5 yards per carry on average. So all in all, if the Titans want to beat us, it\'s going to have to be McNair\'s feet or McNair\'s arm. As I think he\'s the most dangerous man in football, this is no small task.

He\'s also another quarterback I like better than our space cadet. McNair\'s a gamer.

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