If our defense is so great......

[Fear The Spear]

then why did our defense show up 3 times in this reel, for giving up the biggest, most explosive offensive plays of the year ?

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiBt0LIyTLk[/media]

at 1:44
and at 7:15
and at 11:13

2 out of the 3 plays, the receiver was wide open by the mile.


Our secondary seems destined to be worse than last year, with the same returning corners, and huge question marks at both safety position.

 

[McD5]

I am still shaking my head about not going after Asante Samuel. He was cheap, and continues to be elite in this league.

It's baffling, honestly.

A 7th round pick? There was no risk there. I'm just not sold on the fact that we have the right people in place making the decisions here.

 

[Lanky Livingston]

This is probably the least accurate way to measure a defense's performance, IMO. I made it 5 minutes into the video and San Francisco's D had already made it twice...and they were a pretty effective unit last year.

Big plays happen. Our secondary is a weakness. Asante Samuel is on the wrong side of 30.

 

[McD5]

Lanky...he is just over 30, and is coming off one of his best seasons ever. And that's saying a lot considering how great his career has been.

For a 7th rounder? That's peanuts.

If he makes the pro bowl again, and our secondary kills us, this is going to be looked back upon as an incredible mistake.

He will likely give his new employer a fantastic three years. We are so thin back there. And that's if everyone stays healthy.

If it was a second rounder, I would understand the argument. Youth over age, etc. But for a 7th? It just seemed like such an easy way for us to upgrade big time.

 

[China]

Lanky...he is just over 30, and is coming off one of his best seasons ever. And that's saying a lot considering how great his career has been.

For a 7th rounder? That's peanuts.

If he makes the pro bowl again, and our secondary kills us, this is going to be looked back upon as an incredible mistake.

He will likely give his new employer a fantastic three years. We are so thin back there. And that's if everyone stays healthy.

If it was a second rounder, I would understand the argument. Youth over age, etc. But for a 7th? It just seemed like such an easy way for us to upgrade big time.

Are you forgetting we are losing $18 million in salary cap space, and Asante Samuel had an 8-digit salary cap number? He was signed for 3-years $18.5 milliion. We don't have $6 million of cap space to spare for one player. Blame Goodell and Mara.

 

[Boone]

Well, I'm concerned as well, although I think D Hall had a sub-par 2011 season (even for him). Someone said it elsewhere, but the problem with a guy like D Hall is that he's a gambling 'playmaker' type DB. It's possible to use a guy like that effectively, but only if you've got rock solid DBs behind him, specifically highly competent safety help. When you have that, the benefits of the turnovers a guy like Hall is capable of producing outweigh the plays he does give up, because we limit the damage resulting from those misses. When you don't have that super-solid safety net behind him, it gets scary.

I'm not going to totally discount the possibility that another year in the scheme helps us be better this year (it IS possible), but I'll confess, I'm as worried about the secondary as Fear is, and agree it's perplexing we didn't take the opportunity to plug that area of weakness more dramatically in the off-season.

 

[McD5]

Blame Goodell and Mara.

Point taken. And a good one, at that.

Not being able to sign some of these guys illustrates just how much this is going to hurt.

We're at a serious disadvantage for the next two years.

It makes me furious.

 

[servumtuum]

Is it still gonna be o.k. if I scream and throw my shoe at the tv if Has dials-up a cover-zero blitz when the other team's inside their own thirty?

 

[Yusuf06]

Meh, we couldn't fix everything at once. Besides, you can be competitive in the NFL if you can score and get to the QB. If RGIII is the real deal our defense is good enough for us to be competitive. Sure we'll need secondary help down the road but that can be addressed next offseason...assuming Goodell's schtupp job on our cap doesn't cripple us.

 

[Bulldog]

Show me an offense this inept over 16 games and I will show you a defense that takes too many reps, gets worn down and ends up giving up big plays.

The combination of a quarterback in Grossman that threw 20 interceptions with a defensive back in Hall that gambled way too much also didn't augur well.

When you go and look at the Ravens and Bucs offenses that were limited but the teams won something (because I know folks are going to go there) you see squads that limited turnovers and ran the ball.

This team did neither.

 

[Fear The Spear]

I confess, it was a bit of a knee-jerk reaction, with poor supporting facts for my argument. And you all bring up very good points, but nevertheless, I am still very concerned about how our entire secondary will perform this year.
I think our best hope, is that our front 7 applies steady pressure on the QB, forcing some errant throws, that even our secondary may be able to intercept.

 

[Fear The Spear]

The combination of a quarterback in Grossman that threw 20 interceptions with a defensive back in Hall that gambled way too much also didn't augur well.

But didn't Rex throw most of his interceptions at the end of the game, though ? Which wouldn't explain the defense's ineptitude during the previous parts

But alas, the addition of Raheem Morris, may be our brightest reason to have hope for our secondary.....even if we're just renting him out for just one year, until we hopefully correct this issue next offseason.

 

[Lanky Livingston]

Lanky...he is just over 30, and is coming off one of his best seasons ever. And that's saying a lot considering how great his career has been.

For a 7th rounder? That's peanuts.

Well, aside from the point about the salary cap, you're assuming the Eagles would have made that deal with a division rival. I highly doubt it, and we'd have had to give a 5th or better to make that deal (if we were even able to with the salary cap penalties).

 

[Fear The Spear]

I may be the last one to catch this, but I'm just now learning that Tanard Jackson was suspended for the entire 2010 season for substance abuse. So, this does not help my confidence in the situation, and in the "additions" we've made.

 

[InsaneBoost]

Secondary is easily the weakest link. Hopefully Morris, along with some of our new additions can fix this. Obviously getting rid of LaRon was a plus, but we still have medicore guys at best in the secondary.

 

[fansince62]

at this juncture...what's the bigger area of concern: O-line or secondary?

 

[Om]

Both are unknown quantities, so there's no empirical way to judge.

My gut says I feel a little better about the OL, because 1) we have a QB who can actually move, 2) before and after the injury catastrophe last year they looked competent, and 3) we have at least a little continuity.

The secondary--specifically the safeties--are a complete unknown. With a new coach at that. Doesn't mean they can't be good, but it's fair to expect a learning curve at the very least.

 

[Yusuf06]

Well, aside from the point about the salary cap, you're assuming the Eagles would have made that deal with a division rival. I highly doubt it, and we'd have had to give a 5th or better to make that deal (if we were even able to with the salary cap penalties).

Not to mention that after making the McFlabb mistake it would be awfully hard to do another deal with Andy Reid due to fan reaction, risk of being made to look stupid again, etc. Ideally one doesn't allow those kinds of issues to complicate the decision making process but the reality is that they do become a consideration regardless.

 

[InsaneBoost]

at this juncture...what's the bigger area of concern: O-line or secondary?

You have to say secondary. The O line has proven it can be dependable and even the makeshift line is decent enough. Obviously, as OM said, the secondary we know nothing about, could be a surprise, could be the norm.

 

[Fear The Spear]

Our defense will improve simply because of the absence of LaRon.

He was absent for half the season last year anyway !!

And I'm talking about injuries, not the idea that he was absent on plays while on the field !!