The article lost credibility when it put the Steelers in the top 4. Elite defenses aren't ripped to shreds by the broncos. They get ranked high based on the past, rather than what they are present. Then they put the Giants and Jets in with Seattle and Cincy... really? I think those two are closer to the top 3 than the teams they lumped them in wth.
Giants were one of the worser defenses in the league last year. They became pretty much a staple Rodger Goodell team last year, aka no running game no defense all passing attack. And the Steelers were #1 in points allowed and yards allowed. So im not sure why that would bother you having them on there
Um, no, actually elite defenses don't get written off after 1 shitty game no matter what the context. They were #1 ypg last year, and are top 5 perennially. LeBeau challenged Tebow with Cover 1 and 0 and he made them pay, they aren't all of a sudden a shitty defense.
One of the worst teams, its a real word I googled it ! And while its something I bitch about often, pretty much how the nfl has become a pass first elite qb team where these teams have shitty defenses/running games and get completely carried by having an elite qb. The Giants had one of the worst run games in the entire league, and a below average defense, yet won the superbowl. Because in Goodell's nfl passing offense > rushing offense + rushing defense + passing defense combined
Giants pass rush played very well in the playoffs. They destroyed Atlanta and played good D against GB. Patriots are a better example of how a great pass offense trumps all your other problems.
Demario Davis says hello, hes built to play ILB in a 3 man front and OLB in a 4 man front. He will be replacing Bart Scott after this year and will play his way onto the field more than people think this year. Hes not the edge rusher we need but he will have a long career in this league and he will go down as a steal. write that down. If Maybin can progress, and reports from camp so far are that he has, then the pass rush will figure itself out with the mix of front 7 talent we have and Rex Ryan being more hands on with the defense like he was the first two years. the big question mark and only thing that worries me is the Safety play. Josh Bush and Antonio Allen are two steals at S IMO. Antonio Allen is a well rounded player whos weakness is probably coverage but hes athletic enough to develop. Josh Bush is a ballhawk and will probably be included in some 3rd down packages this yr. overall the S unit will be platooned, not just by Landry and Bell. it will be up to playcalling to use these combined talents at the right time to make up for the lack of an All-Around S then again i could pick apart almost any defense at some level. the jets will be a top 10 defense. im not even worried about that. the inconsistency of our OL and unproven WR corps is what kills me
The Giants are just one of those weird teams that play so much better in the post season, so its hard to categorize them. But they were 27th in YPG and 25th in points allowed. The Packers/Pats/Lions are all better examples, but the Giants fit into that same category.
They went from 1st to 3rd to 5th in overall defense. That's not exactly a big slip. The defense played well despite having a weak pass rush and weak safety unit. We'll be back up near the top this year. We were low in PPG because of offensive turnovers.
I get that, but to put us with dogshit like Arizona and NYG (defense ranked in the 20's) is complete bullshit especially since we were a top 5 defense last year and only upgraded our positions.
Actually it was 2 straight games as the got creamed by the ravens 35-7 the week before. A game that cost them the division. The steelers had only one game against a premier or even above average offense all year, the Pats. I'll give them props, they held the Pats to 17, but that alot more about the Pats not being able to get the ball bac as the steelers defense stopping them. The TOP was 40 minutes to 20 in favor of the Steelers. The Pats scored on 2 of 3 possessions in the first half and 1 of 4 in the 2nd half with a missed FG in there.
You have to take these rankings with a huge grain of salt. The Texans went from the bottom of the league to the top, while at the same time the Packers' D went from being in the top 5 to dead last in a single season. The NFL is a year to year league. When the average roster experiences over a 20% turnover rate every year, its hard to predict how a team will be from one year to the next.
The Texans completely reoveralled their defense with FA moves, draft picks, and a new coach. The Packers lost key players and abandoned their commitment to running the ball It wasnt a mystery why they both had significant changes
