Quote:
Originally Posted by Chico23231
U think so? I think Pass rush has been good. Pressure to force ball out quick...we’ve seen much less big pass plays as well vs years past. We get sacks and hits on QB.
I think our run d by line has been good in some games, but in others when the offense has doesn’t stay on the field they gotten worn down. There was also no good run stop LB play until Holcomb stepped on field.
I don’t it’s been perfect and don’t think we have reached elite level, but I think everyone can see improvement. It’s a def a top 10 dline, probably just outside top 5.
Give it another year in the system and add a MLB...we move into top 5
|
This is a great point. The improvement has been dramatic.
Seriously, start listing the guys in the back half of the D who we have been relying on and knew we would have to rely on. Apke, Everrett, Curl, Bostic, Davis, KPL, and Moreland have all played significant snaps in crucial situations.
What sort of expectations should one have with those guys? We all knew who those guys were going in. No surprises really.
The players who did surprise was Collins and Moreau who were bad this year.
Chico is right on the money, there is significant empirical improvement. It's not an elite D, but it's a heck of a lot better than it was.
Opponents 3rd down conversion percentage:
2019 48.9% Rank 32
2020 38.64% Rank 9
https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/sta...conversion-pct
Defense DVOA:
2019 Rank 27th
https://www.footballoutsiders.com/st...m-defense/2019
2020 Rank 6th
https://www.footballoutsiders.com/st...m-defense/2020
Opponents Yards Per Play (for you gamblers)
2019 5.7 Rank 21
2020 5.1 Rank 7th
https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/sta...ate=2020-11-26
We're a few players and a little bit of injury luck from being a very good to elite defense.