A Pass Rush. We don't really have one. Our LBers are not good blitzers and I think that without that we are going to stumble at some point in time.
I don't know if it's the pass rush or the pass coverage. Either way our pass defense has been mediocre for most of the year.
i think the best way to criticize it at this point is a CONSISTENT pass rush. it comes in spurts and that has been enough to pile up the sacks. the overall speed at linebacker does need to be improved, both on the inside and the outside. but the jets are compensating for it thru good line play and strong support from the safeties. it would be nice if we could eventually compliment harris and pace with some youthful speed in 09. notice i do not mention gholston cause at this point there is NOTHING to suggest otherwise. jil
the pass rush isn't really the problem. the defenses weakness is in coverage. when we send guys a receiver always seems to come open rather quickly so the blitz doesn't get there. then when we play coverage our 2nd and 3rd coverage guys cant stay with their man so its kind of a catch 22. our big weakness is definitely the defense defending the pass. it will be a problem down the line if it doesn't improve.
We had pretty good pressure and a sack against one of the better o-lines in football yesterday and are top 5 in sacks for the season. The Tits had only given up 6 sacks on the season prior to yesterday. I agree it could be more consistent, but it's hardly a big problem IMO.
we need someone to shoot the f'n gap like nobodies business. As much as I like Barton this season, the dude is slow and old. I'd actually like to see what Gholston can do as an ILB. With the right training I think he could be a force in that position.
A decieving stat... most of those were coverage sacks. But generally when we send in a blitz with 5 or 6 guys it usually ends at the LOS and with a long completion. Most of our sacks results from overpowering linemen, but we very rarely shoot a gap at the precise time and come in untouched... I'm looking for more of a Steelers pass rush or Eagles where those guys just come flying through with little resistance, because they know how to time the rush just right... we dont' seem to have that at this point.
those are different defenses than the one we run. i dont think your gonna see what you are envisioning from this defense.
I agree it's the speed of the pass-rush that's lacking. Just watch the aggressive, good blitzing teams (e.g. Steelers, Eagles, SD last year); their guys just look like they're moving so much faster. If we get a consistent, quicker pass-rush, this D will be elite.
I disagree with this and actually think its the exact opposite. Our secondary does quite well in coverage but our inability to blitz well gives the QB too much time. You can't send 6 guys and give the QB time, because any QB will find an open guy at that point. Just watch our blitzes they look VERY slow and clumsy...
Were they? Our coverage hasn't exactly been our strong point. Law has helped, but I don't believe this.
Well the Steelers run a 3-4, and yes I do understand that they're LBers are better tailored for that type of pass rush mentality, and there is no better defensive coach then the one they've got at doing this... so I don't really expect us to reach Steeler pass rush level, but we do need to improve from where we are at right now, or we're going to have a problem.
Well there's the ones where Jenkins overpowers the interior and just collapses the pocket... there's the ones where B. Thomas or more likely Pace will overpower a tackle and disrupt the pocket... but very rarely do we have the ones where a LBer times his blitz so well that he can shoot through a gap untouched and instantly pressure the QB... that's what I'm looking for... D. Harris and last year Hobson have been the only two LBers that have done this well.... I'd like to see more of this. For the most part our designed blitzes look like they are going in slow motion.
Any like...stats or something to back it up? I know I'm being crazy...stats tell us nothing about football until they do...but how many big passes have we given up?
Yeah, it's not a matter of calling a similar scheme or blitzing like those teams, but it's a matter of getting those types of players with that kind of speed to get to the QB.
I agree they rarely have an untouched blitzer with a free shot at the QB, there have been a few though. Some better disguises and designs could help with that.
I laugh whenever I see Pace drop back in coverage. Poor guy looks like he's beat half the time. Then the next screen you always see Rhodes getting all emotional and pounding his fists in the air. :rofl:
I don't really know how I would begin to collect these #s.... but I can point to the 2nd half game against the Cards (where they basically decided to do nothing but pass the ball), I can also point to the 2nd half game against the Pats (where they basically decided to do nothing but pass the ball) and I can also point to our inability to pressure J. Russell, which ... I mean, seriously now... that's just sad. My impression has been that when teams do nothing but try to pass on us we are exposed... because our LBers are too big to cover and too slow to blitz... Proof of this is that we always get gouged by TEs... Revis locks down the #1 WR all the time, so we're good there... then we usually double up the #2 WR so we're good there... and that leaves the TE to pick us apart. I bet that if we look at most of the teams we've faced, most of their big pass plays probably went to their TEs... even no name guys seem to have good days against our middle. But I digress, ultimately this is just my observations from watching all the games. When we send a big blitz, it seems slow, not well organized (Rhodes blitzing from 15 yards out) and easily shut down.
