I don't give a sh*t about getting the number 1 pick. I love the enthusiasm these young kids play with and I really hope it continues. They have played 1000 times better than I thought they were capable of. However, in order for this run to continue the defense must start doing a better job defending the run. Besides the Miami game, this defense is getting gashed every week. What's most disappointing is that the DL is most responsible for this. That's supposed to be the defense's strength? They need to start tackling better first and foremost. They need to set the edge better. They need to start penetrating the backfield and ruin QB/RB exchanges. Right now the run defense is what I think will surely ruin this wave of optimism and confidence. But they have a perfect warm up game in Cleveland before the real tests start with the Patsies. If they can manage to shut down the run and get the penalties under control against Cleveland, it could them the confidence they need to piss off the football world and upset the Patsies.
I blame the linebackers more than I blame the defensive line, although the defensive line hasn't been great either. Leonard Williams has been a real disappointment. He's not making the impact plays we expect him to at this point.
first two games it was everyone, and tackling. last two games LBs have played phenomenal, due in part to DL better play. versus JAX they were spotty and inconsistent, but very clutch. Fournette is nothing to sneeze at... Leo gets doubled every down enabling the other DL to play one on one, and wilk is semi-retired.
Big Cat has been very good besides last week where he was bad. He graded out very well against the Jags.
All of the front 7 has shown they can defend against the run and sufficiently shut it down except for Lee. Lee is the only player yet to show he can defend the run for at least one solid game. Eventually, that will have to work itself out. I get the impression that eventually Lee will either get moved or benched? Remains to be seen exactly what they'll do with him. But be the Lee situation as it may, I agree that Demario Davis has played great as of late. It all starts up front and the key of course as always is for the entire DL to play better. If they play the way they are capable of, then the linebackers remain unblocked. It allows them to not have to worry about shedding blocks and simply start shooting gaps to tackle the RB behind the LOS. We all know this team is very capable of that and it's time for them to consistently start showing that..........
I don't really care about PFF grades. He has yet to make an impact play yet this year and we're four games in. I keep reiterating the stat that he has one sack in thirteen games. He's a glorified run stuffer right now and it's alarming when he was rated as the best player in his draft class. Are we using him incorrectly or is he just not that good? It's worrisome either way. I want to see him start to finish the deal and sack the quarterback. Pressures are good, but the better players in the league complete the play.
It's a really young defense. So I'm not expecting a stout run defense over night. All I'm expecting is and looking for is effort and competition. So far they're fighting together. Players like Leonard Williams, Darron Lee, Jamal Adams, Marcus Maye, Juston Burris, Jordan Jenkins, Kony Ealy, Dylan Donahue and Terrence Brooks. All 25 years of age & younger and all lack seasoned/postseason/NFL experience. As a fan I can't expect a shut down defense. These kids are learning together. Over night. With that said I'm thoroughly enjoying not only the speed that im seeing but also the athletic ability. This defense is so much fun to watch with two SEC safeties not only on the back end but all over the place. But it'll take time to develop our defensive awareness & I.Q as a team. Knowledge isn't gained by just the chalk board. They'll first learn from being ran on and beat before they'll learn how to fix it. On the field. Because right now there just flying games going 110+ mph. One thing i can respect is effort & fight. Those boys faught tooth & nail against my favorite offensive rookie prospect from LSU in Fournette. I loved that kid coming out & i wanted him as our franchise workhorse reminds me so much of Adrian Peterson to the point i don't fully expect for NFL defenses to ''stop him". I was proud enough just watching our defense not quit and faught Fournette hard with no fear & no back down. Fournette had success but he had to work hard while doing so; as of right now couldn't expect more. This defense yardage and score aside doesn't remind me of a defense that'll just roll over and play dead. I don't see quit nor fear in them. Could be watching the beginning development of a defense under Bowles that's on the verge of evolving into a contender. Within due time. I like Kevin Green on our sidelines around and talking to these kids.
To be fair though, he has come up against McCoy, BeastMode, Ajayi and Fournette the first four games. Being a run stuffer is going to be a priority with them. He needs impact plays for sure, but I'll be more concerned if he isn't making impact plays when he is playing against teams that think pass first and don't have a top tier RB.
I think the plan against Bortles was to try and deflect the passes at the LOS. Bortles throws low so you want to take advantage of that and Ealy did. Williams will get his sacks, starting this weekend against the Browns. Williams has been getting a lot of penetration on passong downs just needs to finish.
Williams would be looking a whole lot better if Wilkerson was actually participating, instead of just standing there.
They might move on from him this off-season, but I saw Mo get penetration on several plays as he takes on double teams to open things up. Him and Williams need to start finishing plays for sure tho.
Leo has a bad wrist? Ima give Mo the benefit of the doubt and contribute health to his performance also. If he doesn't come on, and he's not injured, then I'll second guess the signing and give the 'dog' 'quitter' cries some credence
Some defensive lineman play with clubs on their hand. That doesn't stop them. I'm really sick of the double team thing being a crutch. Double teams are a fact of life for interior defensive lineman. If he were doubled every play we'd have more sacks from the surrounding lineman. He's playing solidly. He's not playing great. He's not playing best player in the draft. I like him. But I want to see more. I don't think it's wrong to demand greatness out of a player that has all the tools to be great.
One of the goals for Bowles was to get the entire D to be more disciplined as a unit, and I think we started to see that. The better the D gets as a unit the more opportunities will arise, particularly for sacks. Part of that will be for Cat, Mo, and the rest of the interior guys to occupy the OL and create opportunities for Adams, Davis, Lee, and the rest. It's still a work in progress and will take all of them to play together to get better as a D and individually.
I think you're cutting these guys way too much slack? There are no rookies in the DL or linebackers. Leo is in his 3rd season. Mo is in his 6th season. Demario Davis is a 5 year vet. Darron Lee is in his 2nd year and the guy sucks. He'll be replaced soon enough. The idea that they are young, inexperienced, immature, is not true. This was a stout unit and the most established on the team in 2015 and for one game in 2016. Then suddenly, due mostly to below par coaching, this unit underperformed for the rest of the 2016 season. But that does not make them a unit that deserves slack. They should be prodded that much harder because everyone knows they can be among the best run defenders in the league and yet they are consistently failing. That's bullshit. Now throw in the fact that there's a shit load of young players otherwise that are busting their nuts in an effort to win, but yet the experienced ones are letting them down?
Anybody????Somebody??? Look, this can't possibly continue. Every player on defense is asses and elbows on every play. They are all achieving so much more than anyone could have expected, EXCEPT DARRON LEE. He literally cannot even line up correctly. He gets torched in coverage. He gets brushed aside like a mere formality in running plays. He is very clearly and obviously holding the defense up. Something has to give with this? He'll get reassigned on the outside? He'll be assigned to help out the secondary? Or he'll simply get benched. Removing Lee from ILB is literally addition by subtraction. They'd be better off with anyone else on the team, because they will not do anything stupid like Lee has twice and gotten penalized and fined. You may disagree, but for me this is merely a matter of time and how much Toilet is willing to tolerate.
